Trap Master

Here’s a weird little desktop defense-style game I found recently; you take control of a dungeon-dwelling creature out to protect its “Doom Chest” from an onslaught of angry villagers (should they manage to destroy said item, the game is over). Your monster can move freely around the area to either blast away the interlopers or chow down on them to renew its energy. Clearing out the level of intruders earns money which can be used for upgrades or to purchase contraptions that will slow down or damage the enemy units.

Be forewarned; things get considerably hectic with each subsequent, ever-increasing wave of attackers. I didn’t last very long before the villagers made hamburger out of my Doom Chest, but I fully admit to being lousy at games like this. Perhaps you might fare better.

Play it here: Trap Master

Movie Review: Wyvern

Being a citizen of the Great White North and only a basic cable television subscriber to boot, I have no access to the American Sci Fi (Sorry- SyFy) Channel or its home-brewed films aside from reading online reviews or what occasionally makes its way into the video rental shelves up here. However, while I am aware that there have been a couple of forays into giant monster territory, my urgency in seeking out these movies has always been dulled by the fact that they’re somewhat notorious for being... well, bad. Still, being a fan of this genre nowadays often means that you simply take what you get whenever new films occasionally appear and as I sat down to watch Wyvern, I fully expected a repeat experience of Dinocroc: a lackluster movie that features an otherwise a neat-looking monster on its DVD cover.

Surprisingly, I was wrong in my assumption; all things considered, Wyvern is actually an okay giant monster film.

Keep in mind that I used the word “okay” and not “great”. If anything, the movie’s weakest point is that it’s yet another entry in the horror-comes-to-a-small-town formula that has been recycled endlessly since Jaws and firmly subscribes to all of its cliches. Central protagonist is a charismatic outsider? Check. Initial monster attack casualty dismissed as something pedestrian? Check. Planned town social event goes ahead despite warnings that doing so will put everyone participating in danger? Characters learn that if the monster isn’t stopped, the scope of its threat will become even more disastrous? Check. In an earlier version of this review, I had planned to include a plot synopsis but to be honest, it really isn’t necessary. If you’ve seen Jaws, Tremors, Bats, Arachnophobia, Piranha or any of a number of similar movies, this thing basically goes through all the same motions only with sightly different characters.

So what did I enjoy about the film, exactly? For one, unlike most straight-to-DVD release of this kind, the headlining creature of the film- the entire point of why I’m watching the movie in the first place- spends a surprisingly decent amount of time on-screen. No skulking in the shadows or only showing up in full view during the final minutes of the film- the wyvern is in plain sight throughout. Furthermore, the computer animation is actually quite competent as the monster moves around with a good sense of weight, even when airborne. Refreshingly, the story also opts to give the wyvern a mythological slant to its origin; although the concept doesn’t really go anywhere aside from being used as a fanciful theory for the monster’s existence, it is a nice change from the overused “escaped, bio-genetic military experiment” explanation that currently seems to be in vogue with films of this kind.

Overall, Wyvern can be best described as “competent”; in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a particularly significant entry in the genre but in terms of what it sets out to do, it does adequately. All things considered, that’s more than what could be said of many of the straight-to-DVD giant monster movies nowadays. Three out of five.

King Kong: The Happier Ending

I came across this fun little entry on the blog of Pete Von Sholly, a feature film storyboard artist, comic creator and monster enthusiast who put together a conceptual sequence of how Kong might have survived his adventure in New York and then returned to his island home. Of course it doesn’t pack the emotional punch of the film’s original ending, but it’s a neat creative exercise all the same. You check out the entire post here:

Vonshollywood: Kong Lives!

Uchusen Daikaiju Art (Part 7)

The fall 2009 issue of Space Magazine Uchusen pays tribute to Toho’s 1968 daikaiju-fest, Destroy All Monsters. Curiously, the artist has portrayed the monsters that, in the original film, had only appeared via stock footage (Baragon, Varan) or in a bit role (Manda) as active participants in the climactic fight with King Ghidorah. Neat!

Monsters Selling Stuff: Air Fresheners

Ah, Japan. We can always count on you to take a simple commercial about charcoal air fresheners and package it in an Ultraman-like context (translation note: the Japanese writing on the monster’s stomach means “smelly”).

Monsters vs Pumpkins

Next month on NBC, the characters from Monsters vs Aliens will return in a Halloween-themed television special, Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space. I suspect that this might be an exercise in “testing the waters” to see if a TV series (which has been considered) or theatrical sequel would be worth the trouble, as Dreamworks’ faith in the property was shaken when the film fell short of expectation in terms of its overseas box office performance (particularly in parts of Europe). The title alone for the special makes me wonder if the plot will be a parody of Invasion of the Body Snatchers or a lighter take on The Day of the Triffids. Something akin to the unused, original ending of the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors would be pretty awesome:

More Monstrous Music

A little while back, I was contacted by composer T. Reed with some information about one of his music projects, “Kaijusonic”; electronic soundscapes designed to evoke the spirit of classic giant monster films. You can check out an example of one of his works, “Mecha vs. Monster IV” inserted into a sequence from The Terror of Mechagodzilla over here on this YouTube video (it’s embedding-disabled, otherwise I’d post it here). For something that wasn’t composed specifically to the footage, the music inadvertently synchs up pretty well to imagery onscreen.

This particular song comes across as a more atmospheric version of the Daisuke Yano pieces from the Godzilla: Final Wars soundtrack (which, coincidentally, were also the tracks that liked the most). You can check out some further examples of Reed’s daikaiju-inspired works on his MySpace page: Kaijusonic

Since we’re on the topic of music, I also wanted to post this cool video that I came across called “Kaiju Beach Party”, which features clips from Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster set to the surfabilly song “Black Sand Beach” by The Royal Fingers: