Dracula’s Daughter (1936) Review

October 5, 2019October 5, 2019 ragglefragglereviewsLeave a comment

Before reading this review use the link below to check out my review of Dracula from 1931

https://ragglefragglereviews.com/2017/10/07/dracula-1931-review/

As a sequel to one of the greatest horror classics of all time its a very difficult task to try and replicate the influential masterpiece of the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi. This film does not have Lugosi to give his chilling performance so the new vampire played by Gloria Holden had to really try and wow audiences.

Gloria Hoden pictured here next to co star Irving Pichel was a beauty on the screen and gives a wonderful performance by portraying a character that does not want to be a monster but is still driven to hurt and kill others in order to get her fix of human blood.

The film begins where the last movie ended, Van-Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) had just slain Count Dracula but he is unfortunately captured by two policeman who arrest him and take him to Scotland Yard for questioning

While Van-Helsing is in custody the Countess Marya Zaleska steals her fathers body and burns it in the hope of turning her into a mortal as she is desperate to remove her cravings for blood and live free of the curse of being a vampire.

The movie is tragic and very sad, you really feel sorrow for the Countess and are left on the edge of your seat praying that Van-Helsing can prove that Vampires exist and is able to save himself from the gallows or a sanitarium. Van-Helsing calls for Dr Garth (Otto Kruger) a Psychiatrist and one of his ex-students for help defending his sanity.

Draculas Daughter does not have the same impact as the original film but I wouldn’t say its only because of a lack of Bela Lugosi but also because both of the films have a different atmosphere and pacing, the original film was creepy and slow but this one is faster paced and at times rather comical, I would argue that Dracula (1931) was scarier but that Dracula’s Daughter is more entertaining due to it packing more of a punch and is a lot more lively

I hope you enjoyed this review of Dracula’s Daughter (1936)

Happy Halloween 2019

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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) Review

September 24, 2019September 20, 2019 ragglefragglereviews3 Comments

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins was released for the Nintendo Gameboy in 1992, It is the sequel to the 1989 game Super Mario Land.

While Mario was in Sarasa Land during the events of Super Mario Land his home island as well as his castle has been taken over by his evil counterpart Wario, Wario has brainwashed the island inhabitants making them attack Mario leaving him no choice but to defeat Wario and claim back his home and save the island.

The game uses a world map which allows players to choose stage locations in any order they please, this is really cool and was a first for a Mario game, I always play the game starting from the left side of the map working my way clockwise across the zones

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There are six worlds in the game and completing each world will earn you a golden coin and you need all of them to take on the final stage and boss.

My favourite worlds are the space zone because you can float making the platforming much more challenging than the rest of the game which is very easy and I love the pumpkin zone because of its creepy imagery.

If you use the route I do you will tackle each world in this order

Tree Zone

Space Zone

Macro Zone

Pumpkin Zone

Mario Zone

Turtle Zone

All of the worlds have a different theme and each one stands out due to how they mix up the game play for example as previously mentioned the space zone adds anti gravity, the turtle zone is mostly water based and the macro zone has the player shrunken to the size of an ant.

Every world has its own boss and they all very creative, however they are all very easy to beat.

The game has the usual Mario items such as mushrooms, power flowers and power stars but one new addition is introduced here and that is the bunny ears, if Mario finds a carrot he will grow bunny rabbit ears which allow him to float through the air, this is the best item in the game in my opinion and it makes the adventure much easier than it should be.

In each stage if you hit the highest bell at the end of a level you can play a mini game, there are two types you play one uses a crane and the other one is a game where you have to create a path for electricity.

A final note is that with the money you collect in the game you can use it in special zone where you can win multiple prizes and lives.

The soundtrack is nothing special but I do really like it, its got very simple tunes and melody’s which all suit each zone and the levels that they represent however none of the music really stands out and I wouldn’t say its that memorable.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a great game and is a lot better than its predecessor, the developers took a different approach with this one and it works really well even with its odd premise and weird design for a Mario game, it also introduced us to Wario who would eventually go on to spawn his own popular video game series Wario Land, Wario World and Wario Ware. The game is really easy and can be finished in just a few hours but that does not take away from the experience and this is one weird Mario adventure you do not want to miss.

I really hope for a HD remake one day.

8.5/10

I hope you enjoyed this review of Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins for the Nintendo Game Boy.

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Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros (3DS) Review

February 15, 2019February 8, 2019 ragglefragglereviewsLeave a comment

Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros was published by Nintendo in 2013 as part of the year of Luigi promotion they were doing at the time, Nintendo also developed the game along with other game studios Alpha Dream and Good-Feel. Dream Team Bros is the fourth entry in the Mario and Luigi series of video games.

Mario and Luigi are invited to a new island called Pi’illo Island, the island is well known to be the home of a mysterious power that can make anyone fall asleep. On the way to the island an evil entity attacks Mario, Luigi, Toadsworth and Princess Peach. Mario defeats the villain and the blimp crashes onto Pi’illo Island. It is later revealed that the entity is called Antasma, Antasma teams up with Bowser to find and steal the Dream Stone, a magical stone that will grant someone unlimited wishes. Mario and Luigi work together to stop Bowser and Antasma in order to save Pi’illo Island.

The game-play follows the similar design of the other games in the series, it is a turn based role playing game where players will need to level up by defeating enemies and by leveling up you will add more points to your statistics allowing your skills to advance throughout the game. There are many areas to explore and many enemies and bosses to defeat.

When you are in battle in the real world of the game you have three ways to attack the enemy, you can jump on them, hit them with a hammer or perform a bro attack, bro attacks are special moves which entail Mario and Luigi working together to pull off a powerful attack, every game has unique bro attacks.

What makes this game in the series stand out is that you can travel between the real world of the game and the dream world, in the dream world the game has a 2D perspective similar to the classic Mario games we have grown up with in the past. In this dream world Luigi’s dreamy counterpart works with Mario and is able to shape shift into various things in order to help Mario traverse across the dream world.

Battles in the dream world are still turn based however attacks are slightly different since now both Mario and dreamy Luigi fight as one and the Dream world has Luiginary attacks instead of bro attacks, they work in a similar manner but do more serious damage than the regular bro attacks.

Sometimes in the dream world you will a have to take part in 3D battles against large enemies, during these sections you have to turn your 3DS side ways and attack the enemy using the touchscreen on the 3DS.

The visuals are very nice but they are not anything special, the game does not push the 3DS visual output although it doesn’t need to in an RPG, the game is full of bright colors that pop and environments that are lovely to look at which is all that is needed. the game also comes with plenty of fun animations that help to make the series as hilarious and charming as it is.

The soundtrack is fantastic, it ranges from nice and cheerful music to dark and sinister music depending on the areas that you are in and just like the music from the rest of the series you wont regret listening to music from this game.

With all the praise I have given the game I must say that I was a little bit disappointing with this entry, it is a lot of fun to play and the new types of gameplay introduced are pretty cool but the game is quite annoying especially during the first few hours, tutorials and explantations about how to play are shoved down your throat so much that at times I was getting seriously frustrated. I also found that I wasnt interested in the plot or any of the dialogue in the game which is one of things that makes the series so unique and special. With all of this in mind this is a good game but its for from one of my favorites 7.2/10

I hope you enjoyed this review of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros for the Nintendo 3DS

I have also reviewed Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga

Click the link to read my review

https://ragglefragglereviews.com/2018/05/05/mario-and-luigi-superstar-saga-gba-3ds-review/

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Alien Resurrection (1997) Review

October 14, 2018October 14, 2018 ragglefragglereviewsLeave a comment

Next in the Alien franchise is 1997’s Alien Resurrection which was Directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet and was written by Joss Whedon.

200 years after the events of Alien 3 Ellen Ripley is cloned and the Alien Queen that was in her chest has been removed.

The reason Ripley was cloned was because scientists wanted to bring back and clone the Xenomorphs for studying

After an unfortunate issue with the imprisoned Xenomorph clones the creatures manage to escape onto the ship leaving Ripley and a group of mercenaries to find a way to escape and destroy the creatures once and for all.

This movie is by far the most unnecessary and pointless of the Alien films, but in its defence it is way more fun than Alien 3, its extremely silly in so many ways that you have to wonder if it was ever intended to be taken seriously, some of my favourite silly moments include the basketball scene, the scene where Johner shoots a small spider and the ridiculous death of General Perez.

The film is not all silliness though as it does have a couple of disturbing scenes, the most memorable has got to be when Ripley finds her failed clones with one in particular begging for death.

Even though its fair to say that this movie is not very good I have to admit that I really love the cast, everyone in this movie is over the top and full of sass and one liners even Sigourney Weaver doesn’t seem to take the role too seriously and this overacting from the cast suits the tone of the movie extremely well. Winona Ryder is in the film playing a character called Call, I wouldn’t say this is one of her best roles but she is still good none the less.

Alien Resurrection is considered to be one of the worst films ever put to screen and while I will admit that its not a good Alien movie it is a really entertaining watch, its cheesy, packed with action scenes and is hilarious, it never needed to exist and probably shouldn’t have but if you don’t take it seriously I can guarantee that you will enjoy it.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 2

August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 ragglefragglereviewsLeave a comment

After discussing the first part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which you can check out at the link below

MCU Phase 1 https://ragglefragglereviews.com/2017/08/06/the-marvel-cinematic-universe-phase-one/

I’m am finally ready to take on the second phase starting with the third movie in the Iron Man franchise

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 is often considered the worst of the Iron Man films by fans, I believe this to be due to it’s slight change in tone from a fairly dark and semi serious franchise to something a bit more fun and energetic, don’t get me wrong it’s still dark and may be the darkest of the three films.

What stands out to me the most in this film compared to the others is just how much more human they made Tony Stark, before he was just a playboy billionaire with a massive ego but now he’s an engaged man who’s waiting to marry the love of his life but feelings between the two are slowly being torn apart due to an anxiety disorder Tony has developed.

The terrorist attack on America doesn’t help Tony with his anxiety and both him and his fiance Pepper Potts are put in serious danger due to a drug that’s causing people to mutate into unstoppable killing machines putting the entire planet at risk.

Iron Man 3 is a great movie and I don’t understand the hate people have with it, I still prefer Iron Man 2 but this one isn’t too far behind.

Thor the Dark World (2013)

The god of thunder is back and this time he has to save the 9 realms from a dark elf called Malekith, this Thor movie massively changes the tone of the orginal film, the first Thor was an action comedy about how a spoilt god handles life on earth but this time around his main purpose mostly leaves him in space protecting the 9 realms so the comedy aspect is greatly decreased

Without the humour of the original this movie shines in other areas, with all of the 9 kingdoms being the focus the visuals are just outstanding, you can tell that this is where a good chunk of the budget went, I praise the work of the artists and concept art designers for creating such an interesting world it’s stuff like this that really makes the Thor films stand out.

Most of the same actors from the first Thor movie return for the sequel and all of them do an excellent job and each is as lovable and as great as they were before.

With all of these positive things behind it I wish I could say that this film is better than the first but unfortunately I can’t say that, dark world isn’t bad in the slightest it’s just not as fun as the first film, I missed the comedy and I feel like it could have had some more action scenes, the romance and drama was better directed here so at least its got that, not great but not terrible Thor the Dark World is a good Marvel movie and their are much worse films in the MCU than this.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the an amazing film and in my opinion one of the best in the MCU, it takes place 2 years after the events of the Avengers and follows Steve Rogers and how hes adapting to modern day life, after an attack on SHIELD Rogers and his colleagues Black Widow and the Falcon have to work together to defeat an unexpected enemy Bucky Barnes who has also had his body experimented on in a similar manner to the Capt.

Winter Soldier is a brilliantly shot film, the action scenes are fast paced but the camera angles used really help to show how great those sequences are, I really like the soundtrack considering how badly it was destroyed by critics due to its over use of electronic sounds, I don’t personally think this is the case but that’s just my opinion.

Either way with its great shots and wonderful cast this is one MCU film you do not want to miss.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Guardians of the galaxy is absolutely brilliant, its quite different when compared to the marvel movies that came before it due to its less serious tone and eccentric characters, this change worked really well in guardians favour and helped it sky rocket to popularity.

Four intergalactic criminals Peter Quill, Rocket Racoon, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer and a tree called Groot need to become fast friends and work together to help protect a mysterious orb from the powerful villain Ronan the Accuser.

For me one of the best parts of guardians of the galaxy is the visuals and set designs, because the film primarily takes place in space the worlds the film bases its self in are mind blowing, grand in colourful and have creative designs for plant life, architecture and of course aliens.

Guardians of the galaxy is an amazing movie that anyone can enjoy

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

After raiding a Hydra base and discovering the staff once wielded by Loki is being used to experiment on humans, Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers defeat the Hydra leader responsible Wolf Gang Von Strucker with the help of two of his test subjects a man with super human speed and a woman with telekinetic powers, Tony Stark manages to retrieve the staff and later on Stark and Banner discover it contains an artificial intelligence which stark uses to power his Ultron global defence program, the program becomes sentient and believes it must destroy the human race in order to save the earth and after it gains control of the staff it destroys Tony Starks A.I. Jarvis and using the resources at the hydra base to build an army of robots all hell bent on taking over the planet leaving the avengers to clean up the mess that they essentially started.

Age of Ultron is a fun movie although it has nothing on the first film, it has a lot of great action scenes and wonderful special effects but it lacks in the more serious moments and it never really drew me in and a movie as big as this really should have, one positive is the soundtrack which is one of the best in the MCU in my opinion its intense and has a the perfect balance of energy and emotion to help it stand out but as a whole Age of Ultron is disappointing to say the least and without the charm of the original this one is nothing more than ok.

Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man is the last film to be released in Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as an epic finish to what has been a pretty great release of movies it’s a really good film but I wouldn’t say it’s fantastic.

The protagonist Scott is portrayed by Paul Rudd who was previously known for being in films such as the perks of being a wall flower and the 40 year old virgin, Rudd does a great job at playing the sneaky thief Scott Lang a character with plenty of charisma and genius to make him a very likeable character, a life of crime resulted in Scott being thrown in prison and the movie begins with his release and not long after this we learn about his young Daughter Cassie who wants to spend more time with her dad after not seeing him properly for four years while he was in prison.

Scott Lang an ex thief has not long been released from prison and is finding life on the outside to be very difficult, hes struggling to stay in employment due to his criminal past and keeping a job is the only way that his ex wife will let him see his daughter Cassie, in desperation Scott accepts another job only to find a suit that has the ability to shrink some one down to the size of an Ant. Scott soon discovers that he was chosen to use the suits technology in order to stop a man called Darren Cross from using the same technology to make a super weapon.

Ant-Man has some fantastic effects and cinematography, as you can imagine a film like this uses a lot of CGI but where it may normally look good but not realistic Ant-Man takes this to whole new level allowing the imagery to look almost real, the soundtrack is pretty good but it’s nothing to get excited about none of the music really sticks but it’s still quite fun to listen too, it’s the charm of Ant-Man that really makes it so great, in a similar manner to Guardians of the Galaxy there is no need to take this one too seriously which is obvious once you notice all of the forced clichés and comedic moments and that’s fine in a movie like this, the sillier nature works well for Guardians and the same can be said of Ant-Man an unusual way to end a phase of the MCU but it’s a still good none the less.

Thankyou for reading this brief look at phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

By Padawan

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Cuphead (2017) Review

January 3, 2018 ragglefragglereviews3 Comments

Two cups lose a bet against the Devil and in order to save their souls they must capture the souls of every other resident on their home island.

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I think we will kick start 2018 with a review of one of the mos popular video games of last year a small indie title known as Cuphead don’t deal with the Devil.

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Cuphead is a run and gun sidescroller inspired by the cartoons of the 1930’s, Cuphead and his pal Mugman both take inspiration from Mickey Mouse and Oscar the Lucky Rabbit.

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Cuphead offers three main level types, the first is a classic run and gun scenario similar to old arcade games, you will need to get from point A to point B without dying, this is extremely difficult due to the barrage of enemy types that constantly attack you, enemies do not often die without respawning and the army of creatures that target Cuphead and Mugman is relentless, some of these stages do have a mini boss which will need to be defeated however these bosses are nowhere near as difficult to beat as the games main challenges.

d41ac18a-aa8c-42d3-ab90-aaf9a10d0ad5_Cuphead_Baroness_Von_Bon_Bon Boss Battles are another game type available for players to tackle, these boss battles are extremely tough and only the most patient and level headed players will be able to triumph in these scenarios, these boss battles are the best part of the game in my opinion, the animations make it seem as if you are watching an old cartoon and its just as wonderful to watch the game as it is to play it.

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The final level variant in the game are on scroll shooters, these level types take obvious inspiration from the old space scooters of the day, Cuphead and Mugman enter aeroplanes and take on bosses who will constantly morph into different forms, many smaller enemies will spawn for our two heroes to take on while also taking aim at the levels boss, I had the most difficulty with these level types.

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Cuphead and Mugman pack some pretty wild finger guns, the standard gun is powerful enough to get you through most of the game however if you feel like you wanna spice things up a bit then why not spend some of your well earned coins on some new ammunition or perhaps some new abilities

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I don’t think I really need to emphasise just how outstanding the visuals are in Cuphead, as previously stated the game takes inspiration from 1930’s cartoons and the games artists have done an excellent job of making the game emulate this extremely well, not only does the entire game look like an old cartoon but its the smaller touches such as static on the screen which really help to make this game even more beautiful than its needs to be.

The soundtrack is just as wonderful as the visuals, a few tracks use vocals sang by a barbershop quartet but personally I prefer the frantic instrumental tracks during the run and gun sections, although its all very well done and well worth a listen.

Cuphead is one of the most creative games I have ever played and if you enjoy old cartoons and high reaction intense game play then this is the perfect game to add to your library, but if you don’t enjoy difficult games or if you are only just starting out as a gamer then this is one to skip as the game is very challenging, I really enjoyed Cuphead however it is a bit too short for the price the developers are asking for it costs 16 pounds for what is no more than a six hour experience so knock it down to a tenner and you’ve got yourself a bargain 9/10.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Cuphead for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

Want me to review a specific game/movie/product or do you have a general question you would like me to answer? if so please email me at ragglefragglereviews@gmail.com

The Invisible Man (1933) Review

October 13, 2017 ragglefragglereviewsLeave a comment

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The Invisible Man is a bit of a cheat this month, it is part of the Universal Classic Horror collections but most people would say its belongs more in the Science Fiction Genre as it doesn’t do to much for it to be considered a Horror movie.

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Claude Rains plays the scientist Jack Griffin who is the Invisible Man, for most of the picture Jack Griffin’s face is covered completely in bandages but I find he is more fun when you cant see him, this is due to Claude Rains past work as a theater actor, he had only worked in silent movies before he was hired by James Whale for the titular role of the Invisible Man, a fun fact of the casting process for the movie is that everyone thought that Claude Rains audition for the film was over the top and generally quite terrible however James Whale couldn’t stop laughing at how funny Claude Rain was and it convinced him to hire Rains for the leading role of the film.

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Two of my favorite performances are by E.E Clive who plays the innocent and witty constable Jaffers and Una O Connor who plays the emotional bar owner Jenny Hall, she gives a very over the top performance filled with screaming and crying, a lot of people would likely find this annoying but in a weird way I find it charming.

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The effects in the Invisible Man were ground breaking back in 1933, this was before green screens and CGI so getting an invisibility effect to work was extremely difficult, when the Invisible Man had no clothes on the effect of him being in the room was done using cleverly placed wires which can be pulled to drag furniture and other objects, but when a shirt of trousers were to float in mid air and move as if they were being worn by an invisible person the effect was done by placing Claude Rains in a black velvet suit against a black background and it was very tediously pulled off using multiple shots in a matte process.

The Invisible Man is not a very scary film but it is a very impressive piece of cinema history, the effects are amazing, the acting is very over the top but also very funny and the wonderful cast really helps to make the film a beloved classic.

The Blu-Ray is unfortunately lacking in special features it does have one documentary and one commentary track however compared to the last three movies we have taken a look at this is rather disappointing.

you can purchase the Universal Classics Monsters Collection on Blu-ray here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Essential-Collection/dp/B008H45YSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-1&keywords=universal+monster+collection

A DVD version can be bought here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-CLASSIC-MONSTER-COLLECTION/dp/B001GQWT24/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-2&keywords=universal+monster+collection

You can contact me at ragglefragglereviews@gmail.com

Frankenstein (1931) Review

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017 ragglefragglereviews2 Comments

Original-Frankenstein movie poster

Frankenstein is not the first ever movie about Frankensteins Monster that achievement goes to director Eugenio Testa with his 1921 short film Il monstro di Frankenstein, however the 1931 film starring Boris Karloff is the adaptation which helped to shape and develop the monster into the horror icon he has become.

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The movie is filled to the brim with Iconic peformances such as Colin Clive who plays the mad doctor, it was he that first screamed the lines “HES ALIVE, HES ALIVE”, both Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan make a return from Dracula this time with Frye playing Fritz the doctors hideous assistant and Van Sloan playing Doctor Waldman, Dr Frankensteins previous teacher at the university but even with all of these wonderful performances the best performance is given by none other than Boris Karloff who plays the title role of the monster.

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Karloff played the monster as a lost puppy type of character, the monster was dangerous but his bursts of anger and destruction came from his confusion and the way people reacted to seeing him more than it was his own decision, the monster wasn’t cruel it had just never had the chance to experience kindness, there is a very powerful scene in the movie where a young girl gives the monster a flower and unfortunately she is killed by the monster when he accidentally drowns her in a river while they were playing.

maxresdefault An interesting piece of trivia about Frankenstein for those who haven’t seen it is that the film first begins with a warning from Edward Van Sloan its a chilling warning that im sure would have set many people into a fit of fear back in the day, the opening dialogue is as such” How do you do? Mr. Carl Laemmle feels it would be a little unkind to present this picture without just a word of friendly warning. We’re about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation: life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now is your chance to, uh… Well, we’ve warned you”.

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Frankenstein is an amazing piece of history that still stands the test of time, it is one of the most enjoyable of the older Universal classic horrors and its performances went on to inspire multiple books, stage adaptrations and newer Frankenstein films, its a monster of a movie which has enough heart and fright for any movie fan, the Blu-Ray has many features including three documentaries and two commentary tracks.

you can purchase the Universal Classics Monsters Collection on Blu-ray here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Essential-Collection/dp/B008H45YSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-1&keywords=universal+monster+collection

A DVD version can be bought here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-CLASSIC-MONSTER-COLLECTION/dp/B001GQWT24/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-2&keywords=universal+monster+collection

You can contact me at ragglefragglereviews@gmail.com

Dracula (1931) Review

October 7, 2017 ragglefragglereviews1 Comment

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Dracula is one of the most influential horror movies ever made and it was Bela Lugosi’s performance as the sexy and manipulative Count Dracula that really made the film as successful as it was and it was, the way that Lugosi acted out his role with his Hungarian accent and struggles with the English language that allowed him to give such a unique performance and it is Lugosi’s accent that most people copy when trying to imitate the famous vampire.

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Dracula is a classic tale of a malicious vampire from Transylvania who moves to England to seek some unsuspecting women so he can drink their blood and take control over their minds and bodies.

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Many people love the peformance of Dracula given by Bela Lugosi however my favorite performance in the picture is that of Dwight Frye who plays Renfield, Renfield is the real estate agent who meets with the Count to sell his castle before moving to England Renfield is bitten by the count and becomes and insane maniac, its Renfields laugh in the movie that sends chills down my spine.

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The rest of the cast each give fantastic peformances but no one stands out more than Edward Van Sloan who plays the Monster Hunter Van Helsing, Van Helsing is also a professor of science in this interpretation of Bram Stokers classic tale.

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As I have previously stated Dracula is an excellent movie which really helped inspire many of the popular horror directors of today, the performances are chilling and the atmosphere is dark and eerie, you can really appreciate how far movie effects have evolved by watching this film, there is a scene where Dracula transforms into a bat and how they pulled this off was a rubber bat attached to a fishing rod and it still looks good, I love Dracula its one of my favorite older horror films and its the perfect flick for this Halloween, the Blu-Ray of Dracula is filled with special features including an alternative score, two documentaries a commentary track and the original Spanish version of the movie.

Dracula is a classic horror which needs to be seen its part of a Blu-ray box set which can be bought on Amazon and its this box set which I am using for my reviews this month

you can purchase the Universal Classics Monsters Collection on Blu-ray here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Essential-Collection/dp/B008H45YSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-1&keywords=universal+monster+collection

A DVD version can be bought here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-CLASSIC-MONSTER-COLLECTION/dp/B001GQWT24/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506697249&sr=8-2&keywords=universal+monster+collection

You can contact me at ragglefragglereviews@gmail.com

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PC) (2002) Review

March 13, 2017March 13, 2017 ragglefragglereviews2 Comments

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A year and a half ago I reviewed a mediocre Philosophers Stone game for the PC, it was a fairly bare bones 3D platformer that was way too short and it skipped over many of the best moments from the film and the original novel, today we will be taking look at the PC video game of the second book in the series Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

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You play the game as Harry Potter the boy who lived who is attending his second year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just like the first game this is a 3D platformer where the objective of the game is too attend classes and beat challenge maps, a huge difference here is how you learn spells, in the first game learning magic was awkward because you needed to trace over shapes with your mouse and with such a limited amount of time performing this task became very difficult, thankfully the game designers have taken a different approach with the sequel as now instead of tracing we instead need to hit corresponding keys on the keyboard in a specified order in the style of a rhythm game.

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Quidditch matches have also been heavily modified and I don’t like the changes they have made here, instead of having complete control over your broom so you can fly freely the game controls the broom for the player and all you need to do is bump into the enemy seeker until you are close enough to catch the golden snitch, its boring, it has no challenge at all and the worst part of it is that it feels like the game designers were just being lazy and were trying to rush out the game.

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The graphics are impressive when compared to the first game, everything is smoother and less pixelated but for a game from 2002 they are still pretty bad, on the bright side the level designs are more detailed and are genuinely more interesting to explore, the best part of the game is finding all of the secrets around Hogwarts castle and the castle grounds, through out the game you will learn an array of spells which can be used to defeat enemies and open up secret passageways where you may find a famous witches and wizards card.

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The first game had only 25 cards to collect and for doing so all you would receive was a slightly extended ending, this game has a whopping 101 cards which is the staple for the majority of the Harry Potter games, the cards come in three categories, gold, silver and bronze, the bronze cards are common and for every 10 you collect you will gain an additional health bar, the silver cards are uncommon and for every ten of those you find you will come one step closer to accessing a bonus area which can only be accessed once the player finds all 40 of the silver cards, the bonus room is a platforming level, which is full of enemies and puzzles, the player has a set amount of time to try and find the 11 rare gold cards in the game, again I don’t think its worth going out of your way to collect these but honestly it was much more fun to do so here than it was before.

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You can buy cards from other students around Hogwarts by using Bertie Botts every flavoured beans which can be found throughout the game, this isn’t necessary since every card can be found hidden inside and around the school but it is helpful if you don’t want to back track later on, the best way to collect beans is by entering the bonus bean room which you can only access if your house has the most points during the segments of the game where Dumbledore tallies up the house scores.

The music in the game is what can be expected from a cash grab title that was made to help push DVD sales but its fun to listen too and not once is it annoying nor does it take away from the game play experience.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the PC is a fun little game that is worth picking up if you manage to find it really cheap but if you cant your really not missing out on much, I can quite happily say that this is a good game but its far from a great Harry Potter gaming experience 6.3/10

I hope you enjoyed my review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the PC

If you respect my opinion, I will respect yours

By Padawan

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