TV review #2: The Legend of Korra (2012-2014)

Image source: http://www.designntrend.com/articles/31700/20141219/legend-korra-finale-well-received-fans-dubbed-best-2014-forbes.htm

Well this could be seen as somewhat overdue couldn't it?  If I remember correctly, the last time I did a review of a TV show was way back in the prehistoric days of this blog when I reviewed the now defunct BBC3 show The Pranker (2011).  Of course you could tell from the title, picture and just going on google for 5 minutes that Nickelodeon's 2012-14 series The Legend of Korra is a tad different in a few regards.

Now there are a few things to get off my chest before we go into this review that may come back up later on so I'll just address them now:

1) I personally think this series is better than its predecessor Avatar: The last airbender (2005-08) but that does not meant that you should not see the original as it can help to understand some plot points but don't take this as meaning it is absolutely necessary to do so.

2) Season 2 is definitely the weakest one in this show but I personally thought it was okay.

3) The finale of the show at the end of season 4 I thought was great and the romance that it implied I thought was also great.

Right, so with that out of the way I'd say its high time to get into this don't you?

Image source: http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2015/03/31/eccc-voices-of-legend-of-korra-talk-acting-and-korrasami/

Set several decades after the finale of the 2005-08 original series, Korra takes up the story of the next avatar (a spiritual herald who can master all four of the core elements of fire, earth, water and wind) after the original series protagonist Aang passes on.  Whereas Aang was a bright-eyed young man from the wind-bending tribes with idealistic ideas of peace, this new avatar and new series protagonist Korra is a headstrong, aggressive and hard-nosed water-tribe girl with ideals of becoming the most powerful avatar of all time and surpassing her own personal limits.

Before I get further into the quality of the show I should of course mention that it is indeed an animated show borrowing both qualities from eastern Japanimation and western mainstream cartoons.  You probably could've told that from the pictures at this point but I should just say for the people out there not too partial to animated shows that this is still a great series worth considering.  I can understand the trepidation that some people have about animated shows but Korra is genuinely so well animated and told that I'd probably say go check it out anyway.  It'll hardly be a waste of your time if you do and at least then you can say you tried it out.

Off the bat, even from just looking at the protagonist motivations, you can tell that this sequel series is a certain degree more personal and intense on account of how the motivation for the main character this time round is something altogether more relatable than what was shown in the original show.  This isn't of course to say that anything that Aang did in the original series wasn't without motivation as his need and want to end the hundreds year war that was raging around him was more than understandable and sympathetic.  However, I found myself far more personally invested in Korra's drive to become more powerful and balanced in her role as the new avatar and the innate desire to become stronger and more powerful in all honesty was the main thing that drew me to her as a sympathetic and relatable character.  All in all, the motivations of the main and even side characters in the original series are great but I found myself drawn each episode without fail to Korra's drive to be the best person as well as avatar that she could be.

Image source: http://www.ew.com/article/2014/06/11/legend-of-korra-trailer-season-3

Korra herself is probably the main draw for myself to this series as not only is she a highly relatable young woman with understandable personal struggles and motivations but also marks herself out as a reasonably realistic representation of someone going through their late teens and early-20s.  Korra at multiple points throughout the series does things on a sporadic spur of the moment kind of motivation and sometimes this works while at others it explodes in her face.  This is how I remember trying to approach life in my late teens and found the failures that Korra incurred from this sympathetic but also a remarkably realistic way of building her character as she not only matures past her teens but also matures into the avatar she is destined to become.

Now as mentioned above, season 2 is the weakest out of the four seasons and the reason why I bring this up now at such an odd point in the review is that during this season, Korra's personal failings do become a bit frequent for my liking and a bit tiresome.  This is primarily because the first season was intended to be a one-off but when it exploded into being one of the most popular shows on TV in 2012, Nickelodeon (somewhat understandably) freaked the fuck out and pressured the companies that they made and produced The Legend of Korra with into greenlighting and producing at least another season.  Season 2 is by no means as bad as some others make it out to be but it certainly is the weakest overall as Korra seems to inexplicably return to an immature grouch.  By the end of season 2 this is averted through some good final-minute character development but the character development for the most of season 2 is really jumbled and quite clunky.  Thank goodness this never became that much of an issue again throughout the remaining 2 seasons after this but then again I don't think the animation studio or Nickelodeon were particularly well-prepared for or expecting of the success of the original series so I can understand the failings of the series in this regard.

So you might ask yourself then, is this the only major failing that the series has as a whole?  And I'd say probably yes as most if not all other faults I could find when both watching the series for the first time and again in retrospective didn't yield any major faults apart from this bit of character crumbling in the 2nd season.  The villain in season 2 is a bit rubbish, a few of the side characters are a bit irritating like president Raiko or the plague of my existence during season 3 which was Meelo.  However, aside from the character crapping in season 2 I really can't think of anything too major to criticise about the series.  The end to season 4 is the one other major thing I've heard people criticise considering its romantic implications about two characters who I won't mention here so as to not spoil the ending for you lot.  I personally thought this ending was great and the romantic implications with it were very tasteful, believable and I thought capped off a series with such dark undertones with a hear-warming ending.  Say what you will about the sexual politics implied within it and the rest of the series but I thought it was superb.

This in turn leads into something else I thought was great about the series in that the romantic relations between characters were some of the most realistic in any animated work I've ever seen.  The way romantic couples worked off of each other and how certain relationships ended showed a surprisingly realistic understanding of young and romantic relationships on the part of Nickelodeon and the other people who helped create this series.  Its certainly nice to see this continued on from and even improved in some places from Avatar: the last airbender.  This not only comes with some heart-warming romance throughout the series but some relationships become great focal points for the development of some characters. 

Therefore, the romance is not only well done but actually helps the series move along again much like in the original show.  Some might say that this takes away from the pulse-pounding action but I'd really say its worth it for the plot being moved along which in turn helps the action to become even more engaging.  Some might disagree but I personally found the romance in accordance with the character development and action to be the other main attractions of the series.  Considering how often romance is fucked up in other children's animated series I think this is a great thing and cannot be understated.  Even more so considering I'm not usually one for romance particularly in my action shows but I can certainly make the exception here and there.

Image source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/avatar-the-legend-of-korra/images/24369742/title/last-airbender-legend-korra-screencap

The other main positives I could then reasonably mention for the series aside from the action, relations between characters, romance and following on from the original series would be the respect that the series shows to ancient ideas of philosophy as well as multiple different eastern cultures.  Korra's own culture of the water tribe is heavily based off of the Inuit people of North America and Canada while the earth kingdom is based off of medieval China, the fire nation off of feudal Japan and the wind nation off of the Buddhist people of Tibet and Thailand.  The stark representations of these cultures and the values and philosophies they entail is truly remarkable for a TV show of this kind as I found the representations of said cultures to be both tasteful and truly fascinating. 

As someone who has actually travelled to China and Thailand I can say that the representations of eastern cultures and philosophies is among the best I've ever seen on TV let alone just in the sphere of cartoons.  Even if the action isn't your main draw into keep watching this show, I should wager that you'll be fascinated by the seamless integration of eastern Asian philosophy into both the story and character development.  Truly this is a beautifully written and presented as well as animated series.

However, if there is one other thing I can complement above the action, animation, philosophy and characters of the series, it is surely the villains of each season.

Image source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/avatar-the-legend-of-korra/images/24369739/title/last-airbender-legend-korra-screencap

Even with the aforementioned weak villain of the second season (no its not the villainous Amon above, he's the villain of the 1st season and is superb) the villains for the most part are highly intimidating evil bastards with understandable and even relatable motivations particularly my favourite villain Kuvira who terrorises the whole of the earth kingdom and our heroes in the 4th season.  The aforementioned villain above Amon is probably the most subversively interesting though as his whole struggle is to remove the powers of all element-bending people to create an equal world of same-powered peoples to thus create an ultimate image of equality throughout the world with his 'equalist' movement.  I felt like this was a highly fascinating and subtle representation of communist movements throughout Europe in the early 20th century.  This representation of famous historical events and ideological conflicts is something that resurfaces multiple times throughout the series with the villainous Kuvira's attempts in the 4th season to take over the earth kingdom being particularly reminiscent of the 1911 Chinese revolution and the civil war that came in its wake. 

As someone who has spent most of their life interested in and studying history I found these reflections and elusions to major historical events very fascinating.  They didn't come as much into the development of the characters as the inherent and subtle philosophy did but even still they were truly interesting.   And if you don't agree, then the aforementioned Kuvira will mess you up good and proper alright?

Image source: http://www.hypable.com/the-legend-of-korra-season-4-episode-3-recap/

In conclusion, would I recommend this series and who would I recommend it to?  In all honesty, I can only think of maybe two or three animated shows that I've ever enjoyed more than this show and I'd really recommend it to just about anyone.  Yes season 2 is a bit of a slog at times and there are one or two episodes in season 3 where I got a little bit bored and aside from a couple of side characters I was mildly irritated by I can't really think of anything to criticise this show on.  Were I to go further on complimenting its characters and story more than I have above I would be spoiling the show and were I to go further into my criticisms I would either be lying or just scraping the bottom of the barrel.  I really cant think of anything major at all to criticise and I can easily say that The Legend of Korra is not only one of my favourite cartoons of all time but is also one of my favourite TV shows period.  All this combined with the fusion of 1930s noire animation in allot of the episodes mixed in with the style and look of the original series creates for something truly special.  If you're either looking for action, romance, realistic character development or thrilling villains I'd recommend this show in all cases.

Image source: http://www.v-gamers.com/legend-of-korra-hinter-den-kulissen/

So of course I hope you all enjoy this show as much as if not more than I do and so I want you to have fun with whatever you're doing, take care, don't do anything I wouldn't do and until next time I'll see you all on the battlefield!

Animation & presentation: 10/10

Writing/story: 9/10

Characters/character development: 9/10

Action/set-pieces/key moments: 10/10

Design/style/artistry: 9/10

Series introduction: 8.5/10

Series conclusion: 10/10

Season 1: 10/10

Season 2: 7.5/10

Season 3: 8.75/10

Season 4: 10/10

Overall rating: Like a week-long holiday in Barcelona, you might feel a bit lethargic and not sure what you're doing sometimes but the experience of watching this show is something I would recommend without a moment's notice even considering its faults and downturns which even at their worst are really not that bad.

New film review #23: Kung-Fu Panda 3

Warning: Minor spoiler warning ahead for the 2011 film Kung Fu Panda 2

Image source: http://www.liveforfilms.com/2015/08/28/kung-fu-panda-3-gets-a-star-wars-themed-trailer/

I remember way back when I did my first review on this blog on the 2011 FPS release Duke Nukem Forever that I was a fresh-faced young blogger who was possibly the biggest fan of the first two Kung-Fu Panda films (2008 & 2011) in my school.  I remember being blown away by the smooth animation and sweepingly beautiful effects and dashing representation of Chinese philosophy and culture through the adventures of a cute panda with a hearty personality and a likeable variety of sidekicks.  The first film was a truly philosophical film and the 2011 sequel was and still is one of my favourite animated films not to mention sequels in general of all time which is a precedence for myself even more so cemented by the superb work by Gary Oldman as the villainous warlord Shen.

Therefore, despite minor misgivings about a few bits and bobs of this third Kung-Fu Panda particularly of what I saw in the trailer, my hopes were high for a film that would at the least provide a good wrapping-up to that little plot twist with the panda village at the end of Kung-Fu Panda 2 (2011).  Fortunately it does achieve that latter point but aside from that there isn't a huge amount that Kung-Fu Panda 3 does more or better than the previous two films.  On a spiritual and philosophical level, this film is allot deeper than the previous two films and represents a great wrap up for the emotional and character development of Jack Black's main character Po as he brings himself closer and closer to finally becoming the ultimate embodiment of what he is meant to be as the dragon warrior.

This desire to finally encompass the full meaning of what it is to be the dragon warrior is not only the central crux of Po's motivation but also encompasses the philosophical question and inner-message of the film.  Like where the second film's internal message was about balance and the first film was about discipline and concentration, the third film goes for a more specific and deeper message in this case not only emphasising the importance of patience but also helping not only yourself but also others to be the person they are best suited to being rather than an arbitrary conclusion of their personality.  This resonates not only with Po but also with two of the major side-characters in which their realisation of the purpose that they have not only in their own story arcs and the film itself but also Po's life creates some of the most profound character development that I've seen in an animated film not to mention an sequel in general that I've seen in several years.

Image source: http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/02/po-teaches-kung-fu-in-a-new-clip-from-kung-fu-panda-3.html/kung-fu-panda-3-8

This development in turn is brought about by the new villain and former warlord of all china Kai, a towering brute of a bull wielding two God-of-War-esque chain-linked blades who once fought alongside Randall Duk Kim's master Oogway and is voiced by the great and legendary J.K.Simmons.  Po must not only embrace his past and heritage in this film but also protect his family while Kai rampages across China absorbing the power of all the kung-fu masters in an attempt to conquer the land and dispose of Po as the only one who can stop Kai's ambitions.  In this, Po must not only embrace his past and heritage but also harness the power of chi in order to finally become the dragon warrior as he was positioned and prophesised to become in the original 2008 film. 

This would ultimately be the best film in the series but unlike the second film it tends to skim a bit on the story and unlike in the first film where this was meant to emphasise the rapidity of Po being thrust into the position of dragon warrior, the quick and straightforward plot and storyline of Kung-Fu Panda 3 does seem a bit rushed and ultimately could've done with a great deal more focus like the first two films did.  On top of this, unlike the second film, the third instalment doesn't so much build upon what the previous two films are or big up the scale of the plot and action.  In all honesty, this isn't such a bad thing with the character development and philosophical musings of the film itself but the action and the narrative do both suffer considerably as a result of the much smaller scale as compared to the previous film.  This isn't of course to say that the story and action are bad as they are still vastly superior to most animated films released since the 2011 second film or How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014).

Really, the biggest problems I have with this film are all little tweaks and while it is probably the weakest film in the series so far, its still a great family outing and a hearty and innocent action film starring everyone's favourite animated animals of Chinese philosophy.  The one big weakness that I'd say this film has in comparison to the previous two films is that aside from the truly superb voice acting by J.K.Simmons, Kai is easily the weakest villain in the movies so far.  Some people criticised  Ian McShane's Tai Lung for being a bit generic and while he certainly was in places, he was still a despicable bastard who more than represented a powerhouse of feline kung-fu and represented not only a powerful physical but also mental challenge to our heroes.  While Kai certainly does the same, I never got the same level of villainous believability or inherent threat and power considering how goofy the design of the character was for a main villain not to mention how he was treated as comedy relief for so much of the film.  Kai could've been one of the great animated movie villains of the last half a decade but was ultimately done in by somewhat misguided writing and direction.

Image source: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/kung-fu-panda-3-first-teaser-reveals-villain-kai/

Even still, much like the rest of the film, this is still good enough as Kai certainly isn't a bad villain but just could've been a bit better.  In all honesty, this seems like a theme for the film as a whole in that it could've been much better if it had more focussed writing and direction but even taking this into account, the film as a whole is still a superb outing for al the family and is easily the most palatable and light-hearted film I've probably seen in a year.  It still has great action and representation of Chinese philosophy and culture and has the same great characters with the same great voice-acting that we've been adventuring across mythical China with since 2008.  The action is great and has probably the strongest final clash between villain and main hero of the franchise to this point meaning that while the narrative is ho-hum, the action rivals the second film and the end of the first film certainly in speed and intensity making for a finale that more than delivers on a good conclusion.  Therefore, for all its faults at the beginning and throughout (albeit less so in the second act), Kung-Fu-Panda 3 is a solid film for the kiddies and all the family in general.

If there is one thing that the film definitely does better than the previous two films though it has to be in the department of animation.  I always said that the animation in the previous two films was some of the best I've ever seen in a western-made animated film but the animation in this third outing easily blows the last two out of the water with a 100-megaton nuclear chi blast.  The textures on the fur of certain characters or the texture of mundane objects such as concrete walls and bowls make it seem starkly believable despite the speed and energy of the animation in general.  This allows for each movement and impact of the characters to feel wholly believable despite being animated and allows for some of the most dynamic action I've seen in a new movie since Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  So if there is one thing the third film has over the first's character introduction and music or the second's story, action, scale and villain it can easily be the visual design and animation which is about as magical as the philosophy and spirit world in this film.

Image source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2733692/kung-fu-panda-3-box-office-in-china-how-will-the-animated-film-do/

In conclusion, this is probably the weakest first act of any of the Kung-Fu-Panda films so far and is easily the weakest film in the franchise to this point but as a film in of itself and even within the franchise as a whole it is still a truly superb animated outing for the young-un's not to mention the whole family.  Sure the narrative is a bit weak but it wraps up the first trilogy of films about as well as I think we all could've hoped.  I don't think it'd be the best of ideas to make another film as this third one wraps up Po's character arc nicely.  If Kung-Fu-Panda 3 is to be the last film in the franchise then even despite all its faults it sure as hell make up for a better end to a classic trilogy than Robocop 3 (1993) or The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Hopefully you'll enjoy this as much as if not more than I did because this is a film that definitely deserves love and support so until next time, have fun, take care and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

Cinematography/camerawork/animation: 10/10

Storyline/plot: 6/10

Action/set-pieces/key moments: 9/10

Direction: 7/10

Voice acting: 8.5/10

Visual design/sets: 8.75/10

Overall rating: much like the Italian all-you-can-eat that I went to after I saw this movie, this was a bit over-priced for what it was but still deserves support and applaud and is a tasty combination of cheese, salami and green salad...wait...uh...whoops sorry...wrong summary.

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