Reviews by Kyle Ellis

After the death of their mother at the hands of Mundus' demonic hordes, Vergil took a very different path in life from his brother, Dante. Where Dante was content to live life at his own pace among humanity, seeing his mother cut down taught Vergil that might makes right, so if you want to be right, you need to have might.

Vergil renounced his humanity and sought the hidden power of his late father, Sparda, to ensure that nobody would ever be able to take anything from him ever again. Unfortunately, these pursuits of power often come at the cost of innocent lives, which places him at odds with Dante.

While Sonic and Shadow have no particular relationship to one another, their roles as high-speed hedgehogs made them natural enemies when they first met. Especially since, in his first appearance, Shadow was ready to bring about the end of humanity.

Shadow's distorted memories of his dear friend Maria Robotnik led him to believe that she wanted revenge on humanity for the incident that claimed her life, though thankfully he remembered the truth at the last minute. Shadow has since mellowed out, and more often than not will willingly cooperate with Sonic in the interest of the greater good.
Shadow's distorted memories of his dear friend Maria Robotnik led him to believe that she wanted revenge on humanity for the incident that claimed her life, though thankfully he remembered the truth at the last minute. Shadow has since mellowed out, and more often than not will willingly cooperate with Sonic in the interest of the greater good.

If you are looking for a strong female fighter in Mortal Kombat, look no further than Sheeva. Sheeva is a Shokan, a race of beings described as half-human and half-dragon. If that does not impress you enough, her four-armed fighting style might.

Using all four of her arms, Sheeva can grab her opponents and pummel them into submission with a flurry of blows. She can also throw powerful fireballs that knock people to the ground instead of just nudging them backwards. As if that wasn't enough, she can also perform stomps on the ground that deal out damage to anyone nearby.

Alongside Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs made her debut in Mortal Kombat X. While she does not possess the godly powers of other fighters, she should not be undervalued because of that. Her close-range combat skills make her a force to be reckoned with. Plus, she has a wide variety of moves that can assist players in getting opponents into a corner.

Not only is Jacqui a supremely satisfying fighter to play as, but her involvement in the story is also top-notch. Her practicality and tactical knowledge allow her to be a great foil for other, less stable characters.

Since Cassie Cage is the daughter of characters Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, it makes perfect sense that her abilities would be a blend of her parents'. Utilizing the Special Forces skills learned from her mother, Cassie has the reach of her two pistols and the close-quarters skills of hand-to-hand combat.

She also possesses mystical energy from her father, which showcases itself in the green aura that surrounds her body when she performs certain moves. Plus, the story is definitely spiced up by Cassie's inclusion in Mortal Kombat X. She demonstrates what it's like to have Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade as parents.

Stephen Chbosky's 1990s-set very young adult-oriented book is brilliant, being funny, touching, insightful, thought-provoking and relatable. Hearing that Chbosky also directed and screenplay-adapted, as well as being attracted by the involvement of Paul Rudd and Joan Cusack, expectations were high...and although the book has more depth to the characters and situations those expectations were met.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' may not break new ground and it may be clichéd, which may be reasons enough for people to hate it, but considering the main target audience and being based around coming-of-age, teenage angst and high school life these were inevitable. Nonetheless, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' did a great job making an emotionally varied film that will resonate with most people of all ages and gender.

It is much more than just another high school/teenage angst film, and is a believable depiction of coming-of-age, friendship and hidden torment that makes one nostalgic and remember the fun and difficulties of school life. It's not flawless, some scenes and transitions like the blackouts end rather abruptly, it occasionally descends into schmaltz like with the past flashbacks and the Charlie and Mary Elizabeth relationship while charming is rushed and makes Mary Elizabeth less likable compared to the rest of the film.

However, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is beautifully shot and clearly loves the scenery. The music is suitably melancholic and the choice of songs infectious and nostalgia-inducing especially David Bowie and an excerpt of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' in one of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower's' most entertaining scenes, that made me love that film all over again and captured the immense fun, wildness and danger of seeing it in theatres with an audience.

Chbosky adapts his book admirably, not everything is included which is not unexpected due to it being an adaptation and not every detail can translate to a just over an hour and a half film. The spirit however is there, there are funny moments, thoughtful moments, insightful moments, inspirational moments and poignant moments balanced beautifully. For a film director debut, he also does a more than competent job, actually very impressive and puts directors who did it for years to wildly variable success to shame.

When it comes to the story, it is not perfect in execution but made me care for the characters and their situations and made me laugh, smile, cry and inspired in equal measure. The daring ending is shocking and brought tears to my eyes and credit is due tackling such mature themes with sensitivity and never preaching. The characters are compelling.

Logan Lerman has never been better and being a fellow shy introvert in school it was easy for me to relate to him, while Emma Watson (even with the variable accent) gives one of her better non-Hermione Granger performances and overall. Mae Whitman shows strong comedic chops and Ezra Miller is a real standout on a flamboyant and hilarious role.

Not that the adults are less good. A long way from that, even with less screen time. Paul Rudd is particularly great as the teacher that inspires Charlie the most, again having had an inspirational teacher in school and an even more inspirational head of department at music college that also resonated with me. Joan Cusack only appears at the end but she is very good at being sympathetic yet firm. Again Melanie Lynskey has very short screen time, but she also excels at making us hate her for being the catalyst for Charlie's torment. Kate Walsh and Dylan McDermott have very little to do but fare well too.

Overall, an excellent film that blossoms beautifully despite its faults. 9/10 Bethany Cox

No matter how silly this movie can become, it is still a hilarious and engaging comedy, and an utter delight from start to finish. The screenplay was intelligent, original, uproariously funny and witty. I also loved the film's plot, about Bill and Ted going back in time to make sure they don't fail their history exam. I will admit I don't care for Keanu Reeves that much, but as Bill and Ted he and Alex Winter turned in honest, appealing and likable performances. The soundtrack is hip and cool too. The film is full of wonderful characters and scenes, the Tudor scene was indeed fun, but any scene with Napolean and Beethoven are guaranteed to end you up in hysterics. The adventure is fast-paced, imaginative and never has an unengaging moment. All in all, a hugely enjoyable film. 10/10 Bethany Cox