Based on the short story, The Adjustment Team by Philip K. Dick, The Adjustment Bureau carries the high concept marketing label of ‘Bourne meets Inception’ because its formal title isn't a great one, lets face it... Whilst the movie does not quite live up to this misleading tag line that promises high octane action and a dose of paranoia questioning your grasp of reality, The Adjustment Bureau is a very reasonable and well made romance with that all important Philip K. Dick twist.
Matt Damon plays David Norris, a young and promising politician running for the senate seat for Brooklyn New York. After stumbling in an election in 2007, he meets free spirited dancer Elise (Emily Blunt), and the pair typically fall in love at first sight before being forced apart. David meets Elise by chance the next day on a bus and gains her phone number. However, it quickly transpires that there is a mysterious and secretive over watching force of at work, a troop of trilby hat wearing smartly suited agents working for the chairman who seems to have a big plan for the ways real world events happen. After accidentally exposing himself to these members of the Adjustment Bureau (angels will do…) David is told that forming a relationship with Elise is against the Chairman’s (or God’s) big plan and that he is destined to pursue a lucrative and highly influential career in politics. They burn the piece of paper with Elise’s phone number and the film fast forwards three years later, where David once again meets up with Elise after thinking about her the whole time. Thusly, David must fight against the forces of God and destiny to be with the woman he loves.
They have been sent by God, and this time their bringing trilbies back...
The plot is literally as simple as that. However, as with all Philip K. Dick film adaptations that have gone before, The Adjustment Bureau is built upon that single intriguing premise. The premise that angels exist in the real world making sure that events, no matter how big or small, occur to shepherd humanity down a predetermined path. There are no beings with feathered wings, there are no majestic glimpses of heaven and the pearly gates, or the booming voice of God in stereo sound. The movie is instead and probably quite rightly grounded within reality. The angelic hordes do have the power to freeze people whilst they apply extra gloss to faces before they make that all important business detail as well as accessing worm holes through doors that allow for quick transport around New York. Some may find it disheartening to see the machinery of heaven depicted as a highly bureaucratic regime ruled by intense administrative regulation and a pyramid scheme, where angels are actually on a payroll. In comparison, Hell is probably a socialist hippy commune of anarchists that get nothing done.
Ever wondered why you look like shit in the morning or at least don't look as good as you think you should? Angels... You are simply not part of God's plan.
Despite this, The Adjustment Bureau is not a movie that offers any grand treatises on religion or the afterlife, or man’s inhumanity to man (though there is a laughably concise summation of the entire history of the human race given by Terence Stamp, apparently the angels did give us free will after the apex of the Roman empire but then we went off and made the dark ages... ho hum...). Bladerunner this is not, the overarching sentiment is safe and predictable, live your life how you want, be what you are, not what you ain’t etc. Classic Hollywood schmaltz in other words.
The Adjustment Bureau is best understood, and most importantly enjoyed as a romance of the most conventional form. There is the whole love at first sight in the first act, the chase and the temporary parting of the pair at the start of the third act and the obligatory happy ending. Its not a spoiler, throughout the film, the tone simply does not build you up for tragedy. It plays it far too safe. Apart from the usual plot conventions there are all the clichés of the genre, including dancers that may never dance again and the running through rain to stop the woman from marrying the wrong man. However, the use of the angels does add a smart dimension to the drama, which adds tension. One of the sequences, in which Damon’s character is racing to meet Elise as the angels attempt to do everything in their power to stop him is highly reminiscent of the final set piece of the matrix, as Neo tries to get to the phone whilst being pursued by Smith albeit with less bullets and wire-fu.
There is a lot of running in this movie...
Among the angelic horde is Mad Men’s John Slattery, who adds a bit of humour to the routine business of heavenly administration. Terence Stamp also turns up as a higher ranking angel known as the hammer and essentially plays it… well… like you would expect from Terence Stamp, oppressing and coldly authoritative. It is the performances from Matt Damon and Emily Blunt that make The Adjustment Bureau work. The ever dependable Damon is believable and likable as the wide eyed politician trying to bring a bit of honesty into politics (though anyone who watched Carcetti’s rise to power in The Wire will probably like to see how Damon’s career turned out). Blunt is probably the strongest performance of the movie, managing to be free spirited without being annoyingly quirky that so many other romantic comedy heroines have been of late. Essentially she is someone you believe that Damon’s character will literally go to the ends of the earth to partner with. Which is essentially all you really need to make a love story to work.
Oh come on Terence, crack a smile already...
And work, The Adjustment Bureau does. The Christian/Judeo concepts are not particularly deep in any way and it’s not likely to antagonize the bible bashing elites. Those who have seen the trailer may be slightly disappointed in what turns out to be a formulaic love story. It is a movie set in the world of politics and the offices of lucrative lawyers, even the machinations of heaven are represented by marble floored administrative halls. Having said that, The Adjustment Bureau is an extremely serviceable kind of romance, employing a couple of twists here and there to attach the dynamic of a thriller to the loved up proceedings, which thankfully isn’t too sentimental or gushy thanks to the performances of its two leads.
The Adjustment Bureau is built upon a novel idea, that could be seen as wasted on the genre by the more cynical cinephiles. The biggest criticism you can say about it, is that it is possibly too neutral in its subject matter. With that said, it is an inoffensive and tastefully put together love story, which may make you groan in places but a movie that at least won't fill you with hate for the human race thanks largely to the rather lovely Emily Blunt.
Our Existence is the third album from Tiffany Lunn, Stoke on Trent’s very own keyboard virtuoso. Primarily a synth-based instrumental album, title track Our Existence is the only song with actual lyrics. Lunn has admitted that she has aspirations in composing music for film and television, and you can definitely hear this throughout the record. The entire record could be an alternative soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner with Vangelis being a clear influence with the layered synths and eastern arrangements. The main problem with the album, despite Lunn’s advanced technical skill and ability at creating melodies, is that there are no moving images that come with it. Our Existence will not be to everybody’s tastes, it is far too progressive and the prevalence of retro keyboards is unlikely to attract wide popular appeal. However, for those who are into Vangelis and can appreciate the movement and vision invested within the odd movie soundtrack, Tiffany Lunn will take you places.
Ever since, we put down that first armed zombie with a pump action shotgun on a remote Martian base overrun by the demonic forces of Hell, it was proven that the act of virtual redemptive violence was a wholly gratifying experience as well as a lucrative new genre. Now, nearly fifteen years after the release of Doom, where Halo and Call of Duty have popularized the first person shooter upon the consoles, 2011 is shaping up to be the year of the shooter with no less than 10 major titles being released across the various platforms. Among the list we have a lot of sequels, returning heroes like, Crysis 2, Killzone 3 and Duke Nukem Forever (we’ll believe it when we see it…). We also have the inevitable monoliths to be released in Q4, a rumoured remake of the first Halo and of course Modern Warfare 3 which is probably destined to snatch its billion dollar share of the market with little competition. It is a crowded market to say the least, and although we may stand back and appreciate the history of the FPS genre from its humble beginnings on the PC through to its dominance upon the consoles there has always been the nagging feeling that no matter how many titles we have played, no matter what their setting or style they all essentially boil down to the same concept. Have gun, will travel through the valley of the shadow of death and stuff. Bulletstorm is one of the first new shooters of the year, and whilst the concept is essentially the same, it is implemented with a unique and clever new twist. A literal boot in the ass of the shooter genre, that is as refreshing to play as it is enjoyable.
Bulletstorm takes place in the far flung space faring future, where humanity is in the grips of a civil war, kind of like Firefly. There are the evil confederates, rusty juddering space crafts and a fair few one liners. The game places you within the boots of Grayson Hunt, an exiled space pirate with a penchant for booze and an inventive use of bad language (usually involving the word ‘dick’ and any other common noun you want). After a jump into hyperspace, Grayson’s ship miraculously comes across the Ulysees, a large space ship belonging to the story’s villain General Sarrano, who effectively serves as Grayson’s white whale, somebody he and his squad have a certain bone to pick. In typical drunken pirate fashion, Grayson has at the massive spacecraft, unleashing an insane kamikaze attack which leads to both ships crash landing upon the nearby planet of Stygia. Unfortunately, the planet is inhabited by warring gangs of psychopaths, man eating plants and Godzilla sized monsters and so begins an epic revenge/redemption quest chock full of grand vistas of civilization in ruin and magnificent set pieces, as Grayson and his motley squad of space pirates attempt to get off world ASAP.
The 'epic' trailer... don't worry the game doesn't take itself this seriously...
The story is merely a vessel of course. The main meat of Bulletstorm is its inventive approach to combat. Early on in the game you are given an energy leash that effectively serves as a grading system for your combat, awarding you with points via a vast array of skill shots. Not content with lining up headshots via red dot sights as you ruthlessly and efficiently gun your way through the enemies of the Western world, Bulletstorm wants you to be creative in your murder. Sure you can shoot a guys head off, but you’re so used to shooting people in the head, why not shoot him in the throat for a ‘gag-reflex’ skill shot? Or how about a couple of bullets to the balls? And as he drops to the floor screaming whilst clutching his severed manhood, why not kick him in the head for a ‘mercy’ skill shot, or alternatively, why not discharge an entire clip into his posterior for the ‘rear-entry’ skillshot for a sweet +100 points? When faced with a sizable wave of oncoming enemies, you could utilize that strategically placed gun turret over yonder to grind them all into mincemeat. Or alternatively you could set them on fire with secondary revolver shot, and then utilize your energy whip to launch them all into the air, and then use your flail gun to wrap two grenades upon an unlucky soul and then detonate it, exploding him and his surrounding friends and making it rain crimson mush and glorious pointage.
Yes, Bulletstorm is that kind of game, the kind of game that relishes gleefully in the old ultra violence, but I’m happy to report it’s the good kind of ultra violence, that highly unreal sense of cartoon slaughter rather than the unsettling masochistic treatment of violence as seen in any of the torture sequences in Black Ops. The sheer inventive creativity and sheer speed of the game’s combat maintains the entertainment throughout the entire course of the game. As a result, although the levels will come across as familiar, you rarely feel that sense of grind throughout the campaign. You reach the point in which merely putting your targets down for a measly +10pts just feels inherently wrong. You feel obliged to give each one of these goons a proper send off before they go to virtual Hell. Points will of course allow you to buy ammunition and further upgrades for your weapons and leash, opening up new more complex skill shots to perform. There are over one hundred skill shots to perform and on my first play through I managed to complete 75% of them. Rest assured some will take a certain amount of dedication and concentration to pull off.
As well as the leash and the mighty boot, Bulletstorm has a modest arsenal comprising of seven weapons. Each has a different strategy to effective use and each has a charged secondary fire. You have your standard issue assault rifle of course, that spits out bullets with trustworthy accuracy and a devastating secondary fire that fires all bullets at once to vaporize your foes. You get a quadruple barrel shotgun, which literally throws enemies backward or blows them in half. There are two types of grenade launcher, the flail gun serving as a remote mine launcher whilst the cannonball allows you to bounce off shots and explode them at will. The only weapon which perhaps doesn’t work as well is the obligatory sniper rifle. Every time the weapon is fired you take control of the bullet and glide it on home. You can press ‘B’ to skip this and fire the shot normally but it just feels at odds with the in your face combat that defines the rest of the game. There are sections of course which call specifically for the sniper rifle and in my opinion it breaks the flow of the game. It is far more fun kicking hapless goons into razor sharp cacti or turning them into smart bombs.
You can do better than that...
Bulletstorm contains elements of many different shooters, a mongrelish monster composed from the genetics of the well known thorough breds of the genre. The excessive point scoring and colourful wasteland artistry feels similar to Gearbox’s Borderlands, whilst the boot melee kick is quintessential Duke Nukem. Developed by People Can Fly, it feels very similar in tone to their previous over the top shooter, Painkiller (a title that once lived in obscurity until a particularly favourable review from Yahtzee Croshaw led to an explosion of interest on Steam). The game has also been produced under the watchful gaze of Cliff Bleszinski and the people at Epic Games, the stable that reared Unreal Tournament and Gears of War.
Bulletstorm feels very much like a first person version of Gears of War. Built with the unreal engine, the combat is schlocky and satisfying, the vistas are grand and beautiful. The game knows how to do monsters and there is a similar kind of bromance between Grayson and Ishi as there is between Marcus and Dom. Though there are no chainsaw bayonets there is a gun that fires drills, which when used properly will grant you the all important ‘drilldo’ skillshot.The aesthetics of both game worlds and the character designs feel largely one and the same. Delta squad came first, whilst Grayson’s Dead Echo squad come next. Foxtrot Squad will come in the next Cliffy-B game. Thankfully, Bulletstorm is a lot more colourful than the greys and browns of Gears of War. The planet of Stygia and the city of Elysium is basically Tatooine crossed with Las Vegas, a ruined monument to tourist extravagance baking under the rays of twin suns.
The premise is simple, slide kick goon into cactus.
Unfortunately, it also shares many of the game’s faults, namely in the story department. The game has a perfectly functional story, it can be very funny in places, especially in the earlier parts of the game which includes several sly digs at the genre’s conventions. Part of the additional enjoyment of the game came through this aspect, even though the game is knowingly linear in the traditional ways of the shooter. Forcing you through areas, to flick a switch that will open up a new area where a team mate will clear some debris and so on and so forth. It is a similar dynamic to Wes Craven’s Scream, knowledgeable of all the clichés of the genre whilst still pursuing them regardless to great effect. Having said that, the story begins to fall apart towards the end, where the characters begin to have serious conversations about the extent of their revenge and their moral well being. Y’know the old morality question about killing many for the greater good of the millions, how can I sleep at night, what about the sanctity of my soul? Etc... You really neglect all these warrior questions once you’ve kicked a heavy in the backside and shot hot led down his exposed ass crack laughing as he dies in a cloud of his own fiery flatulence. Y’know? Just saying. Whilst I do think games should take story and narrative more seriously, probably not in the case with this game.
Having said that, I did like the characters in general, particularly Grayson, even if the game is unsure of how to depict him, either as a crude drunk or a noble hero in exile. His accompanying friend Ishi, who is haphazardly turned into a cyborg to avert his own demise is quite well done, as the character struggles to keep a grip on his humanity against an overpowering computer logic AI with hilarious consequences. But essentially he is the voice in your ear reminding you of where you are going and what you should be doing. There is also the addition of a female character, Trishka, a spunky warrior heroine who would literally rip your head off if you implied she was full of spunk. She’s basically a fiery tempered man hating stereotype, the kind we have seen in many other games and movies. Luckily, she doesn’t fall for any of the protagonists but is basically just another gun. She also has the worst line in the game that basically defines her character, you’ll know it when you hear it. Incidentally, if Epic Games really wanted to appeal to all the lady gamers out there (they do exist apparently) then surely they would have made her a playable character, thereby giving women the ability to shoot men in the nuts! I mean, do they not realise how cathartic that would be for female gamers? It may even soften the problems between man and woman? Just a revolutionary thought, y'know? Regardless, whether or not you’ll give a damn about Bulletstorm’s story will probably depend on whether the death of Maria in Gears of War 2 affected you on any deep emotional level (apart from laughter).
The 'guys' (from left Ishi, Trishka and Grayson)
Aside from the main campaign, Bulletstorm has echoes mode, a score based collection of the game’s best levels in which you are tasked with getting as high a score as you can. It is in this mode that Bulletstorm is at its best and provides the game with prolonged replayabity. The secret to success is moving through the level as fast as you can whilst gaining as many skill shots as you can. You have to keep your shots varied should you want to maximize your score. If you are so way inclined, you will begin learning every aspect of the levels, thinking mathematically on how you can best boost your score. This is what makes Bulletstorm brilliant, of course, the game may masquerade in the guise of a story about a drunken space pirate but behind all the gore and obscenely named skill shots is a depth that other shooters just can’t compete against.
The only real problem with Echoes mode is that your score is rated by three stars which is actually very easy to attain. Conceivably it is not unheard of to double the three star score or perhaps go even further. For the more skillful and dedicated players who reach well over 20,000 points, the game doesn’t has much in the way of reward save for a lucrative position upon those all important leader boards. The weapon set for each level is also limited to the weapons you had in the campaign. The first level for example only allows you to use the assault rifle, denying you access to all the other weapons which you are hungry to use. Nothing that can’t be fixed by a patch of course… Just sayin’.
FACE!
The game also offers multiplayer in the form of ‘Anarchy’ mode, though instead of being competitive the focus is on four player co-op. Confined to small to medium sized arenas, your team must together accumulate a predetermined amount of points to go on through to the next level. You will get bonus points for working together and will be called to dispatch enemies in a particular way to gain a bonus. These instances can often see the difference between success or failure, so it helps if all four of you are well co-ordinated. The game does offer matchmaking, but it is best played with friends or at least a company that communicates together. If just one of your player’s goes rogue, the entire team will be stuck on the same level for rounds and rounds. On the whole however, as far as co-op modes go it compensates the main game really well, adding an extra dimension to difficulty in the way Spec Ops did for Modern Warfare 2. Time will tell whether Anarchy mode it is as successful as Gears of War’s Horde mode or Halo’s firefight.
Bulletstorm has been marketed as a colourful alternative to all the realistic modern warfare clones that are in vogue at the moment and for the most part it does feel like a breath of fresh air when compared to its competitors. With that said, Bulletstorm only goes and sets itself within that other popular style of FPS, the sci-fi shooter starring a cast of manly space marines as they fight their way off an alien planet. In this regard, Bulletstorm is nothing you’ve never seen before, but the open ended fast paced combat is immensely entertaining and gratifying to pull off and will almost certainly have you coming back for more. There is a lot of room for improvement, which will no doubt be handled in the inevitable sequel. As it stands, Bulletstorm puts the game back into the shooter genre. Suffice it to say, as you cower for cover, dodging grenades in Call of Duty you will miss the errant thrill of slide kicking into your enemies whilst sending them flying into a fan via a single shotgun blast.
The game devs talk about gun porn... Its not sick honest...
I've been seeing a lot of dragons lately, I'm retreading through Demon's Souls at the moment and I also played the Dragon Age II demo, both of which feature the fire breathing mythical reptiles in abundance. Today, Bethesda have suddenly released a new trailer for the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I don't usually post trailers for the sake of trailers but after the initial teaser trailer that was unveiled at the VGA awards in 2010 this new trailer reveals in game footage for the first time. Needless to say, the game looks utterly fantastic, the graphics look highly evolved from the Oblivion/Fallout engine. The snowy landscapes look sublime, the character models look more human and dragon combat looks exciting. I'm wondering whether the dragons will function in the same way as the Oblivion Gates in the last game or will they function like Big Daddies boss fights in Bioshock? Anyway, it all looks good and gamer geeks everywhere are going to be speculating this all over the internet. This may just be the most anticipated game of 2011 now.
