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Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Doctor Who: The War Machines Review


Companion departures in Doctor Who are more often that not a very tricky thing to get right as the you have to make the audience both feel sad for the old companion leaving the show and yet at the same time excited for the new companion or companions that are joining the show. With the episode that i'm going to be reviewing for you all today being one such an episode and so then join me as I review the episode that sees The Doctor loose one companion but gain two more with the episode in question being called simply just "The War Machines" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is The Doctor and Dodo arrive in sixties London where the pair uncover a scheme to take over the world via a bunch of machines. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad but at the same time it's not a plot that's all that good either with this episodes plot being nothing more then OK at best as while the premise does lend itself a good and fun plot it's in the execution where the plot fails as what could have been a fun plot is now suddenly dull and boring with there not really being anything that makes this episodes plot stand out from alot of other Doctor Who plots at the same and heck even the hook of seeing a companion leave the show isn't really woven into the plot of the episode all that well thus making it feel more like an afterthought when it's something that should have been the emotional hook of the episode and while the idea for the episode is a fine and idea and one that could have worked really well in a better episode this is a plot that really did need to be more fully developed and have alot more time given to it in order to make it work and be the best that it could have been with the plot of this episode not really being really rather entertaining and nor is it really rather engaging either in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.  


Starring in this episode is William Hartnell as The Doctor , Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet and Anneke Wills as Polly. Also starring in this episode is Michael Craze as Ben Jackson , John Harvey as Professor Brett , John Cater as Professor Krimpton , William Mervyn as Sir Charles Summer , Alan Curtis as Major Green , Sandra Bryant as Kitty , George Cross as The Minister , Kenneth Kendall as Himself and Gerald Taylor as A Machine Operator and The Voice Of WOTAN.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in al honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. As it's clear as day that all of this episodes actors really do know how to turn in a really good performance in this episode as it's something that we see all over this episode with really the only bad acting coming from Gerald Taylor who really doesn't give WOTAN much of a voice outside of just saying characters names and that's really it and because of that the character's voice isn't that threatening as it oddly sounds a bit to robotic which would be fine if he was voicing a Cyberman but here there should have been more of an effort into giving WOTAN a more threatening and commanding voice with the best actor in this whole episode being William Hartnell which is something that does make sense he's been in the show for close to three years at this point in time and it's his acting that really does carry the episode not that alot of the other actors in this episode are bad because there really not it's just that he was truly phenomenal in this episode with the acting that's in this very episode not really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so bad as it gives none f this episodes actors absolutely nothing to work with interms of what it is that there actual characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does effect the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode. 


As was mentioned at the start of this review this is the episode that sees The Doctor gain two new companions in this episode. With them being Ben and Polly with the two characters not really being the best characters in this episode as Polly spends the first half of the story being Dodo's friend and then the other half being under hypnosis which means that we don't really get to see why she belongs in the TARDIS outside of the fact that she's a deeply caring woman and that's really it with Ben being the action man type character which given the fact that William Hartnell isn't as spry as he once was does make some sort of sense to bring him on board from the point of view of the show but from a storyline point of view we don't really get to find out all that much about him other then the fact that he's a sailor and that's really it which is fine as it's typical of the show to do something like that at this point in time but given that William Hartnell was due to be leaving the show in just a few episodes time in the first place and that Ben and Polly leave not long in the second doctors era it would have been nice if we got to find out more about there characters and what there hobbies are as even tho those seem like things that would get in the way of the plot of any given episode of the show they are also things that would go along way into making us the audience care about there characters and want to see them make it out of each and every episode alive and well and yet because of the fact that we don't get to find out all that much about them in this episode it does make it hard for us the audience to find a reason to cheer for them when they do join the TARDIS full time.


There have been many companions leave the show with this episode perhaps being one pf the worst examples of how to handle a companion departure. As not only does it happen OFF SCREEN it's also something that's not even build up at all and actor Jackie Lane doesn't even appear in episodes three and four of this story with her final on screen appearance being near the end of this stories second episode and while there was a logistical reason for this as the production team were caught of guard by the fact that her contract for the show ran out during the production of this stories second episode there really should have been someone checking this sort of thing out as she was a co-lead in the show and that way they could gave given her a proper send off instead of just having Polly mention it at the end of the second episode but given the fact that Dodo was never really that well written as a character giving her this weak send off does oddly fit with how the show treated her as a character with her departure being something that very easily could have been fixed by having her say at the start of the episode she longs t leave The Doctor but won't do so until she knows that he's in good hands something that she can see is the case along the episode with Ben and Polly only for her to discover that she actually doesn't want to go because she does genuinely care for him with The Doctor rather begrudgingly telling her to go because he knows that staying with him isn't what's best her with this being something that is true to both characters.

With one of the many things that really does let this episode being the fact that from a technology point of view just isn't that good. As there is some really bad looking projection  shots in episode three which might have looked good back in the sixties but now just look laughable at best and while this episode does get alot of credit for actually being the final William Hartnell serial to fully exist in it's entirety there should be alot of effort into making this episode look as good as it could be for it's various home media releases and if that means getting rid of the bad looking projection shots then so be it as all they do is make the scene that there in look cheap and while yes granted the BBC wasn't really used to using projection in the sixties as it was still a fairly new thing in it's own right the fact that they went that route and chose to use it does say that they at least had some knowledge of how to do it on a budget and yet they just chose a way that makes it look cheap and really dated and it's something that should this whole series of the show ever see a Blu-Ray release should be improved upon as while yes Doctor Who was always on a wish and prayer alot of the times you couldn't really see just how cheap the show was to make alot of the time where as here despite the fact that there is some really impressive looking location shots alot of the stuff that was clearly done in the studio does look cheap and yes that does include alot of the projection shots as well but to be fair tho it was still a bold move for the makers of this dhow to try some ne technology on the shows very tiny budget it's just one that really didn't pay off all that well for them.


As you can all no doubt work out by the above image the main villain of this episode is the super computer WOTAN with WOTAN standing for Will Operating Thought ANalogue. While it is a good idea for the main villain of the episode to be a super computer as computers themselves were just starting to become more of a thing back in the sixties as a villain it's not all that interesting as we never really get to find out why it wants to take over the world and nor do we find out why it needs The Doctor's help to do so both of which would have gone a really long way into making the character a really good villain as then we could have had some really good scenes with WOTAN trying to convince The Doctor to join it and hep it out thus giving The Doctor a sort of moral crisis and you can have WOTAN threaten to have Dodo killed should The Doctor fail him thus forcing The Doctor to have t think on his feet but because of alot of the time we don't get to actually see WOTAN in action we also don't get to see why it's meant to be taken seriously as a villain and as the villain just isn't that interesting it also means that The Doctor himself isn't that interesting as he's not being forced to outwit WOTAN and while the idea of having a super computer be the main villain for this episode it's not one that's fully developed enough to the point where the character is believable as the villain with the episode not even taking that full advantage of the fact that it's main villain is a super computer which is something that does make sense as we didn't really know just wat it was that computers could do in the first place but at the same time it is something that really does make WOTAN seem like a really weak villain.

Now then while I cannot for the absolutely life of me remember what ever this episodes grand total running time even was I do know for a fact that this episode really does have an exact grand total running time of roughly one hour and thirty minuets. With this episode being four episodes which is something that really does effect the plot of this episode as this episode not only have more the  enough plot there to really cover it's current episode count and running time but it's also something that could have done with a being a few episodes longer as it's current form the episode really can't use it's running time all that wisely as none of the character get any form of character development whatsoever and both Ben and Polly who are characters that are meant to be replacing Dodo in the TARDIS and yet there not really being given all that much of a personality and Polly isn't given a reason as to why she should be allowed on the TARDIS in the first place where as Ben is and all of which are things that would be fixed if this story was say five or six episodes long as by giving this episode even just those extra two episodes it would mean that the characters and the plot as a whole could be come alot more fleshed out which is something that really would make the episode be whole lot better then what it currently is because as things stand those things really just aren't that well done in this episode because of the fact that this episode is as short as it is but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.


So now then as this is ana action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presenetd to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. With this episode having two action scenes in the story with the first one being a small fight scene between Ben and random person a club and the second one being a huge scale action scene between members of an army unit and a war machine with that episode not only being the best action scene in the whole episode it's also one that's wrongly placed as it happend near the end of episode three when an action scene that's this good and this well done should have been placed in the fourth and final episode and it's also an action that's really well done as we get to see a small group of army people plus Ben try to take on one of WOTAN's war machines in a warehouse only for alot of them to be very easily defeated and heck it even has The Doctor standing up to one of these war machines which really is just such a cool thing to include in an action scene but because it was placed in the third episode it means that anything that comes after it is really just going to fail in comparison where as if it was placed in the fourth episode it would have been a really cool way to end the threat of the war machines as it's just a really well done action scene and something that really does work well within the context of the episode as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall while this might not be all that good an episode and it's certainly not all of that good a departure episode there is some good things to be found in this episode but you do have to sit through alot of the bad things to find them tho but when you do find them they do make this episode really worth watching in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly  6 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies ad gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official Doctor Who fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Doctor Who fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Doctor Who fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Friday, 28 March 2025

Ewoks "Rampage Of The Phlogs" Review


For a while Star Wars was seen as something that would only ever produce things in live action as that's all we got and heck even the first time that Star Wars appeared on television it was in live action with THAT holiday special. Yet people seem to forget that when Star Wars was at it's height in the eighties we actually had some animated shows and since it's been a long while since I last reviewed anything from this show I thought that now was the right time to delve back into the world of this show and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Wicket trying to rescue a giant baby with the episode in question being called simply just ""Rampage Of The Phlogs" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when a member of tribe of giant beings known as Phlogs is kidnapped and his kidnapping is blamed on the Ewoks it's to Wicket and friends to prove there innocence and return this lost baby to his own people. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about thew actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad as it was the kind of typical kids animated show plot that you would find in a typical eighties kids animated TV show but at the same time tho it's done with a unique Star Wars type twist that it makes what could have been seen as being a tired and worn plot with the villain kidnapping someone kind of important and then blaming it on the good guys seem new and fresh again but at the same time tho there's really nothing new added to this episodes plot either and as such you really do know where the plot of the episode is going the second that it starts which does make this episode feel rather pointless as who ants to watch an episode where you can predict what's going to happen in it's plot and while this isn't always a bad thing it is something that does make this episode stand out as this franchise normally doesn't do predictable plots at all with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this episode is Jim Henshaw as Wicket Wystri Warrick , Melleny Brown as Urgah and Jackie Burroughs as Morag. Also starring in this episode is George Buza as Chirpa and Nahkee , Doug Chamberlain as Logray , Alyson Court as Malani , Don Francks as Umwak , Dan Hennessey as Gorneesh , Taborah Johnson as Latara , Joe Matheson as Zut , Eric Peterson as Teebo , Diane Polley as Dobah , John Stocker as Hoom and Cree Summer as Kneesaa A Jari Kintaka.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. With the actors that you expects a good performance from like Cree Summer , George Buza and Alyson Court to name but a few giving us exactly that and that is something that really does go to show you not only how good these actors are in this show but also in general as they knock it out of the park every single time with it really being hard to say just who the true standout performer is for this episode as realistically anyone f this episodes actors could lay claim to that title and it would totally make sense and whole this episodes acting is on the overall really high there were some performers like Jim Henshaw as Wicket Wystri Warrick and Eric Peterson as Teebo for example who really just felt a bit off not that they were bad because they weren't it's just that they were better in other episodes of the show with the acting in this episode feeling like it was the first episode to be produced and so the actors were still trying to find there character with the acting that's i this very episode not really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so bad as it gives none of this episode actors absolutely nothing to work with interms of what it is that there respective characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does effect the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.


Doing the animation for this episode is Nelvana , Cuckoo's Nest Studios and Wang Film Productions Company. Now then  inters if what I personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad as it does does look a lot better then the animation that you'd typically find in a kids animated TV show for the eighties but at the same time tho it's lacking that extra something that alot of animated shows from the eighties seem to have and it's something that really is hard to pin point as while yes granted the episodes animation does look really good with there being no animation errors there's also no charm to it with the episodes animation coming across as being bland and boring instead of grand and spectacular and while it does make sense this episodes animation is really good as both Nelvana and Wang Film Productions Company are known for turning in either really good animation or animation that's so weird and out there thar you kind of have to respect for at the very least trying to be different and trying to be new where as here it felt like that they were playing it to safe and granted there's not much that you can do to make your animation in a weekly show seem good each and every week but there could some attempt to at the very least be different and unique instead of just playing it safe like they do in this episode.


For some strange reason even the Dulok race are meant to be the sworn enemies of the Ewoks here in this episode they have them just babysitting. Which given that this is a kids show does somewhat make sense but the same time tho in the context of the story you do want them to be acting more sinister as while there plan does make sense as having a Phlog believe that the Ewoks took one of there own is a good idea it doesn't really make them all that threatening as villains when you take into account that the spend the rest of the episode just looking after this baby when that's not in there character to do so and while you can't really show them being abusive to the kid there could have been a work around that allowed them to be threatening villains and still allow them to be fun and goofy characters as that's what alot if not all of the villains in kids eighties animated TV shows where they were characters that could be fun and goofy when they needed to be but also be really serious when they had to be as well and that is something that did make them believable as villains and yet here with these characters while there believable enough to be goofy characters with them even making a joke about who's going to change the baby there not believable as villains and that is something that does make them seem less of a threat which wouldn't be a bad thing if they where just villains for this episode but there the villains for the whole show and so they should have some menace to them just to make them seem alot more believable as villains.

What is something that both does and doesn't work for this episode is the fact that they gave Wicket kind of subplot. Which is something that doesn't work in the fact that given that he's the main character he should really only be involved with the main plot of the episode we don't need to see him taking on a subplot where he has to learn not to be so mean to one of the Ewoks as that's a spot that could have been used for one of the characters and it does work in the way that given that he is the main character of the show or is at the very least the mist well know character coming into the show it does make sense to have him be a huge part of both plots as he's the character that alot of the audience that are watching this show know the best thanks to his appearance in Return Of The Jedi and the two live action Ewok films that came out both before the during the run of this show and in that regards it does make sense for him to have a bit more screen time but at the same time tho that does mean that alot of the other Ewok characters can't be fully developed when Wicket doesn't really nee to be due to the fact that he's already appeared in three live action films and these characters are just making there debut in the world of Star Wars it would be like if either R2D2 or C3-PO took part in both the subplot and main plot of there own animated show "Droids" when they really wouldn't have needed the extra screen time either due to them being in all of the Star Wars films sometimes less is more and that would have very much have been the case with the Wicket character in this episode.


For those of you who have no idea what a Phlog even is in the first place to put it simply they are giant humanoid creatures who mostly wear no shirt and a loin cloth and that's really it. As we get to find out next to nothing about these creatures that the Ewoks are supposed to be afraid with the only reason that the Ewoks are afraid of them is the fact that there taller then the Ewoks and that's really it as none of them have nothing unique about them which is a shame as exploring what life is like on Endor for creatures that aren't the Ewoks and are actually taller then them is something that on paper could work really well but you'd have to develop the characters enough so that we the audience actually want to see more of them where as here even tho they do appear in a future episode of the show we the audience aren't left with that feeling of wanting to see more of them as there's nothing about these characters that makes them standout an that makes them unique out side of the fact that there basically giant size and that's really it and that's not enough and heck for alot of the episode there treated like the villains of the episode when in actuality it's the Dulok's who are the villains and it's the Phlogs that attack the Ewok village for no reason even tho the Ewoks are actively tryin to rescue a member of there tribe the characters aren't bad but they just needed to be written better and be put into a better story as on paper these characters could have worked alot more better then what the already do and if they were better done characters then who knows perhaps they could have been featured in a movie all there own instead of just being characters in this show.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty three minuets and forty seconds. Which is pretty much the exact grand total running tom for this show and to this episodes credit it really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time but at the same time tho this episode really doesn't use it's running tie all that wisely as the main conflict of the episode isn't set up all that well and Wicket's subplot of learning not to be mean to one of the Ewok's just feels tacked on as it adds nothing the overall plot of the episode and feels more like that it was there just to pad out the episode as a whole when if the makers of this episode really wanted to pad this episode out all they had to had to do was just develop the main plot of the episode and that's really it as while this episodes episodes isn't that strong of a plot by any stretch of the imagination it's more then strong enough to hold up a bogstandard twenty two minuets kids animated TV show for the eighties and that's really it and that's all the makers of this episode really had to but since thy really wanted to give Wicket a pointless subplot we are not stuck with a subplot that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the plot of the episode outside of the fact that it really gives the Ewoks a reason to go looking for one of their own after she runs off and that's really it and a plot that would have been so much more better then it already is if it was the main focus of the episode and not exactly fighting for screen time with the pointless subplot but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.


So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us n this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. AS this is a kids animated YV show after all and so with that in mind you can' really expect this episodes action to be on par with that seen in any of the live action Star Wars movies both theatrical and made for TV and to this episodes credit it does do the best that it could have done from an action point of view by showing lot of the Ewoks having to band together to survive an attack from one of the Phlogs while Morag watches on from the side and as this episode really only has the one action scene near the end of the episode it makes sense that it be that action scene that is the best one in the episode as seeing alot of the Ewoks band together is always going to a fun tie no matter who it is that there attacking and trying to survive as these characters are clever characters who are able to think on there feet and seeing them do that all the while trying to survive an attack from someone who could very easily crush them all with one his pinky toes does make for a really fun filled action scene that was a really fun to watch in this very episode and to be frank makes it alot more fun then what it really had any right to be as by all rights this episodes action shouldn't have been all that good and yet it turns to be alot more better then what it really had any right to be in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall this was a really good but at the same time tho it's not the best episode out of the three episodes that i've seen and reviewed as this episode just feels like that it could gave been an episode of any eighties kids animated TV show and not something that's unique to the world of Star Wars in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally use in this very review from the official Star Wars fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Star Wars fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Star Wars fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Sunday, 23 March 2025

Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League Film Review


When people think of animated Batman films the one film that people don't think about is Batman's first ever anime film Batman Ninja. Yet the sequel to that film has just been released to very little to no fanfare which is to be expected as these animated direct to DVD Batman movies don't get talked about all that much but when even the people who love anime don't talk about this film then it makes it feel all the more special as it's like you've discovered something for the first time and so then join me as I review the film that alot of people most likely forgot was even a thing in the first place with the film in question being called simply just "Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League" enjoy.

The plot of this film is one day after the events of the previous Batman and Robin discover that Japan is missing and hidden in time and so have to travel to a hidden in time Japan where they have to stop a mostly evil version of the Justice League and restore Japan to it's proper place in time. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad as it's aa plot that fully embraces the fact that it's a comic book movie and just has fun with that fact and while the plot of the first Batman anime film wasn't that serious either in this film it felt like it was kicked up a notch and because of that this films plot is a really fun plot to see play out in this film but at the same time tho this kind of plot isn't one that works best with the Batman character as when you think of Batman you think of him having to solve a crime and not him trying to restore a country to it's proper place in time as that feels more like a Superman plot and with the new Superman movie coming out this year it would have made sense for the plot of this film to revolve around him and not around Batman as it's plot that does feel a bit to far fetched for this character but would be perfect for a character like Superman or even any Green Lantern for that matter with the plot of this film also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this film is Joe Daniels as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Aaron Campbell as Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman. Also starring in this film is Annie Wild as Jessica Cruz / Green Lantern , Benjamin McLaughlin as Barry Allen / The Flash , Bryson Baugus as Damian Wayne / Robin , Cyrus Rodas as Arthur Currey / Aquaman , David Harbold as Alfred , David Matranga as Jason Todd / Red Hood , Houston Hayes as Dick Grayson / Nightwing , John Swasey as Ra's Al Ghul and Yakuza , Karlii Hoch as Harley Quinn , Molly Searcy as Diana Prince / Princess Diana / Wonder Woman , Nathan Wilson as Tim Drake / Red Robin , Scott Gibbs as Joker , Andrew Love as Ubu and John Gremillion as Commissioner Gordon.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. As all off this films actors do turn in some really good performances in this film which was shocking as alot of them are a bunch of really unknown voice actors and as a result of that is the fact that it would have been very unwise to expect good performances from any of them in this film and yet that's exactly what they give us with a special shoutout going to Joe Daniels as Bruce Wayne / Batman as he does make for a pretty good Batman with him putting on a pretty good Batman voice with him even managing to turn in a good performance as the character but with that said Karlii Hoch as Harley Quinn just doesn't work at all not due to how the character is written or acted but rather because of the fact that the previous film had regular Harley Quinn voice actor Tara Strong play her and to recast her in this movie just feels like a complete and total downgrade which is not a knock on the actor playing her in this film it's just that Tara Strong is one of the best voice actresses going and so of course anyone who plays Harley in this movie is going to always be compared to her with the acting that's in this film really being helped by the fact that this film script is just so good that all this films actors have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very film.


Doing the animation for this film is the legends and the greats that are currently over at Kamikaze Douga. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad but at the same time tho this films animation wasn't all that good either as while it does have all of the detail that sets anime apart from western animation it also lacks that extra special something that sets anime apart from western animation as while this films animation isn't bad any stretch of the imagination it's also something that could have been done alot better if they just stuck to either doing it fully 3D CGI like what they did in the Godzilla anime films or if they just stuck to doing traditional 2D hand drawn animation as this film looks like that it's trying to do both as there are scenes that do look 3D but then they have 2D explosions happen in the exact same scene and it creates this disconnect between us the audience and the film as there two styles of animation that just don't go well together and while both styles of animation work well enough on there own combing the two is something that doesn't work and if you want an example of good animation in a DC anime then you need look no further then Suicide Squad Isekai which went with the fully 2D style and just with it and while the show has it's own set problems it's animation certainly wasn't one of them.


What does make this film feel alot more fun is the fact that it does get to show us some different designs for members of the Justice League. Alot of which do fit there character really well with Aquaman , The Flash , Green Lantern and Superman all wearing Kimono's that are colored after there main hero colors  and Wonder Woman wearing something that does look like a Kimono as well but not emblazoned with Red , Gold and Blue with instead being brown with small bits of white at the top and bottom but the biggest and most fitting costume change goes to Harley Quinn who in this film wears a traditional Japanese school girl outfit which is just so out there and so wild that it perfectly fits her character as it's something that her character would indeed wear just for the fun it with all of the heroes looking good in there villainous outfits but at the same time tho the film really doesn't all that much with them as the villains and a result of that is the fact that it feels like that the members of the Justice League were only turned evil just for marketing purposes as them being evil has very little effect on the plot of the film and instead felt more like an after thought alot of the time when something that's this cool and this interesting should have been the main focus of the film and not something that the film doesn't nothing cool or interesting with in the first place as the whole idea of them being turned evil would have been more then enough to carry the whole film but for some strange reason the makers of this film wanted to include Ra's Al Ghul as the films main villain which while that is good to see him getting some love from Warner Bros it makes the whole idea of the Justice League being turned evil alot less interesting or impactful either.

While this film does have some bad things for it it also alot of really good things that are going for it as well. Like the fact that this film does actually have alot more humor in it which does make the film feel very tongue in cheek with one of the films best jokes being the fact that when Alfred is showing the Batfamily and Batman how to fly this new plane that he's built for them he does so by showing an anime inspired how do training video complete with seventies or eighties inspired animation and song which gives the whole video the look of it being from a mecha anime with it even coming complete with it's title card which was just so funny so much so that I had to rewind the film just to watch that entire segment over again and then they bring it back in it's own unique way by having Diana be in a romance style anime opening this time taking inspiration from either the nineties or early two thousands romance anime only for them to then turn it on it's head by giving Harley the microphone to sing the rest of the rest of the theme song which granted wasn't as funny as that Batman training video joke but it was something that does show you that the makers of this film knew that they were making a comic book movie anime and so they just decided to lean in to it and just have fun with those kinds of ideas and that is something that does make the film a whole lot of fun to watch as for alot of the time this film is super serious which is fine as that is something that does work for both mediums but at the same time tho it's also nice to see them lean into the idea of this film being a comic book movie that just so happens to be an anime movie as well.


While this film does give Harley and Diana a romance anime inspired joke there not meant to be a couple in this film. With them being nothing more then friends and that does make for an interesting dynamic between the two characters as in alot of media these two characters never really share the screen and very rarely the page together and yet here they are in his film having entire scenes together and seeing them just talk to each other is more then enough to want to see more of them together as they do make for an interesting pairing with Diana being the kind of character who thinks of every single outcome before she even takes a single step and Harley just being a complete and total whirlwind of destruction it does make for an odd couple type of pairing and it's one that Warner Bros and DC would be smart to get using as there are alot of stories that you could tell with both of those characters being just good friends and nothing more then that and heck given the fact that Harley is pretty much an anti-hero now in the comics anyways it would make sense for her to team up with Diana be it as a member of the Suicide Squad or solo on her own adventure and while yes the new pairing would take a while for some people to get used to as we see in this film there pairing is one that can not only give us comedic gold but also give either character some good dramatic moments as well and while granted neither character gets a big dramatic moment in this film that's more due to the fact that they don't really need one in this film but in say an episode of the Harley Quinn TV series or perhaps even a comic book then they could have those big dramatic moments that would work for either character as both characters have been through alot of stuff.

Now then this film has / had an exact grand total running tie of exactly one hour and twenty nine minuets and four seconds. Which is pretty much the exact running time that you'd expect a film like this one to have and to this films credit it really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time but at the same time tho this film really does use it's running time all that wisely as the film doesn't really take the time to flesh out it's versions of the various Justice League members nor does it take the time flesh out Ra's Al Ghul either as while we do get to find out why he wants to destroy Japan in this film and how he's going to use Japan as a whole to destroy Gotham none of that makes him an interesting character in his won right as we don't get to find out anything about his character that's unique to him outside of the fact that he likes Sushi and that's really it as even his plan could have been the plan for any Batman or DC villain and it would have made sense for any character if the makers of this film wanted us the audience to buy into the fact that he's this films main villain then they should have gone out of there way to make him a more developed character and not rely on the fact that he's evil because of the fact that he was evil in the comics as that's just not that good screenwriting as all it does is make the writer of this film seem lazy as all they would have to do is have a few scenes with him on his own that really fully develop his character and that's really it and it's the same thing for alot of the members of the evil Justice League as well as all of them apart from Wonder Woman don't really get alot of time to put across what it is that there is personality really is meant to be like in this film either but I really will admit that this film really does have some really good pacing to it tho.


So now then as this is an action film that really does mean that I have t actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. With this films action being alot of fun alot of the time so much so that we even get to see Batman basically in a mecha just to fight the evil version of Superman which just that idea alone makes this film worth watching as it does show that the makers of this film aren't afraid to lean into anime tropes and just have fun with them this films best action scene being it's truly epic third act battle scene as we get to see the Batfamily plus Diana and Harley team up to take on Ra's Al Ghul and the evil Justice League all while trying to stop Japan from slipping through what they call a time fisher and landing on Gotham City which does make for a pretty epic fight scene and while we do get to see the tired fight of Batman takin on Superman in a fight that's eerily reminiscent of there fight scene from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 they do add enough to it that it makes it seem fresh and new again like the fact that the evil Superman does accidently help Bruce out by aligning the machines that Bruce had set up to aid him in his fight with Superman something which is used to great effect and it's stuff like that does make this films third act fight scene that best action in the whole entire movie in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 


Overall this film is a pretty good film but at the same time tho it's a film that could have been alot more better then what it actually was but at the same time for only the second ever Batman anime film this isn't that bad of a film as they do do a decent job with the characters an the animation it's just a film that really could have been alot more better then what it actually ended up being in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very film in this very review and a such that really does mean that this very film really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7 out of 10 from me,

Now then as for where I personally got all pf the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official DC Universe fandom wiki page , IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very film that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very film with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Game Of Thrones: The Dance Of Dragons Review



Game Of Thrones was a TV show that for the first seven seasons was actually pretty good with the les about the eighth and final season the better. Yet people myself including seem to not talk about season five all that much and well I thought that i'd kill two birds with one stone here as I also haven't reviewed anything from Game Of Thrones in quite a while and so then join me as I review the episode that sees a beloved character die in a horrific way with the episode in question being called simply just "The Dance Of Dragons" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is Stannis finds a way to gain advantage in the war to come while Arya meets up with someone from her past. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad as it was one of the more better plots from the latter half of this shows existence with alot of that coming down to the fact that it not only sticks to the plot of the book like glue but also from the fact that it does try to shocking and actively leave you guessing as to what's going to happen next and it's that kind of storytelling that does bring you back week after week as you just have to watch the next episode of a show to find out what's goin to your favorite characters and while the ninth episode of this show is usually when things go belly up for our heroes here because of the fact that the plot of the episode is relatively small in scale when compared to other episode nine plots this episodes plot does also oddly enough feel alot more personal then alot of the other episodes as we're getting to spend alot of time with these characters that we already know and love and get to spend alot of time just trying to see how they think and feel about certain events that are going on in there plots with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this episode is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister. Also starring in this episode is Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen , Kit Harington as Lord Commander Jon Snow , Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon , Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth , Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre , Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand , Maisie Williams as Arya Stark , Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn , John Bradley as Samwell Tarly , Kristofer Hivju as Tormund , Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar , Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis , Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei , Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont , Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne , Tara Fitzgerald as Queen Selyse Baratheon , Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris , Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell , DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah , Joel Fry as Hizdahr Zo Loraq , Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant , Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell , Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett , Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand , Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand , Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand , Nell Tiger Free as Princess Myrcella Baratheon , Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell , Kerry Ingram as Princess Shireen Baratheon and Brenock O'Connor as Olly.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. Which is something that's really not all that new for this show as this show has always had some really good acting in it even in all of it's bad episodes which is something that does go to show you just how good all of this shows actors really are as they constantly brought there A game to each and every episode of each and every season of this show with this episodes being of no exception to that rule as even actors who are fairly new to the show like for example Mark Gatiss who is a really good actor in his right more then holds his own when it comes to acting against people who have been in this show from the very beginning with it being really hard to find one single great performer in this episode but if push comes to shove then the best actor in this episode is Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon as he really has to make his character not only seem justified but also make you understand where his actions really are coming this is despite them being really heinous and that's something that really only a top notch actor can really go and do with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actors really have to do is just say the lines as they lines as they are written and a good performance really will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode. 


Doing the CGI for this episode is Rhythm & Hues Studios , Mackevision , Rodeo FX , Atomic Fiction , Image Engine Design , Clearcut FX , Screen Scene , Cadence Effects and Pixomondo. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good and was more the up to the already high standard of visual effects that the show already had with the episode making great use of set extensions and adding in crowds of people so much so that you really wouldn't notice which members of a crowd was CGI and which were real people as there both done so well with all of this episodes visual effects looking so good as they all look like that they were on set filming with all of the other actors and while yes granted alot of this episode CGI is looking a bit more dated especially when compared to only the more recent season of Game Of Thrones but also it's prequel show House Of The Dragon as well that's something that was always going to happen as the world of visual effects moves so quickly but that doesn't mean that the effects in this episode are now bad by comparison as there really not heck if anything alot of this episodes effects look like they done just yesterday as that's how good alot of them do still look where as effects in even the more recent Marvel live action shows do look dated already when there being compared to effects from this episode as that's just how well the effects in this episode do still hold up.


If there's one thing that this episode is quite famous for it's the fact that this is episode that does see a kid character get burned alive. With the character in question being Princess Shireen Baratheon while her father and mother just stand by and watch it happen and heck in the case of her father he made it happen in the first place and to give this episode some form of credit they don't actually show the kid being killed of as even for this show that would have been a bit to much to show but the very fact that they went there and even have the mother try to stop it from happening was what makes it a tragic scene and even more when you take into account that the episode does show Stannis wrestle with the choice of is this something that needs to be done or not which then makes us the audience see things from his point of view not only from leader a general and King but also from the point of view of a father as well as he's been told that she ha to die for things to improve or him in this war and yet even tho he knows that killing of his only daughter is a bad thing to do the reasoning behind it does make it more understandable and even the fact that Shireen herself even has a scene in this episode with her father where she openly states that she'll do anything to help him win this war something that a good daughter would say and in this case do as well with her death being all the more tragic by the fact that the makers of this show spend the best part of this season building up her friendship with Davos with her teaching him how to read and showing them becoming genuinely good friends with her being a really likable character because of that fact.

There are is one thing that I really didn't like about this episode and that's the fact that even tho this is big ninth episode of the season which is usually where they have something big and important to the plot happen. Here in this episode tho nothing really all that big and important to the plot of this season does happen as even the death of Princess Shireen is something could have happened in either the previous episode or in the following episode as it's just that big enough to be something that happens in this episode and heck really the only thing that's big scale wise that happens in this episode is the brawl that breaks out in the Dragon Fighting Pit and that's really it and even then it's not really something that's built up all that well all throughout the episode as those scenes only come into play near the end of the episode which makes you wonder why the makers of this show couldn't come up with a bigger episode nine as heck even the previous episode had the Massacre At Hardhome which is something that really would have been great to see in this episode and it's something that really does make this episode come across more as being a filler episode like the makers of this episode knew that they messed up by making the massacre at hardhome take place an episode earlier it very easily could have taken up the whole of this episode just by itself with alot of the episodes other scenes including the scenes with Dany and friends being better served as being in the final episode of the season as they feel like the end of the characters arc for this particular series and therefor would have been better of served being in the last episode of this series rather in this basically nothing episode.


While Arya herself is a good character she's not really used all that well in this episode as all that she does is see someone from her death list and follow them around for a bit and that's really it. Which to be fair is pretty par the course for the character at this point in time but at the same time tho it would have been nice to see her get some sort of revenge on Ser Meryn Trant for him killing her water dance teacher in series one of this show and yet she doesn't do anything which does seem out of character for her as she is someone who would strike first and ask questions later and yet here she's spending a good few minuets just watching this person that she already knows that she hates and wants to kill all for no reason which is something that really does make her inclusion in this episode feel pointless as while yes granted her plot in the book does go pretty much the exact same here the difference is tho it that in a TV show you only have so many hours of television to fill where as with a big you can spend as long as you like showing Arya spy on Ser Meryn Trant and it would still work as it would feel true to the book version of the character however the TV show version of the character wouldn't act like that and therefor it would have made more sense or her to get revenge on him in this episode and then have the following episode either not feature Arya at all as there would be no point to feature the character in that episode or deal with the blow out from this episode either one is something that would have worked and would have felt true to who the character is in this show.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly fifty two minuets and twenty three seconds. Which is the bogstandard running tome for this show to have and to this episodes credit it really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running and while in once respect it really doesn't use it running time all that wisely as it has several other episodes n which the characters and the world can then be fully fleshed out but it does it's running time really wisely in another respect in that it does take it time it's telling it's plot and by doing that it means that us the audience can get a better idea of just what it is that the characters are thinking at any given moment in the episode and there for it is something that does allow us to form a connection with these characters all other again something that the makers of the episode really didn't have to do for something that is basically a filler episode in the grand scheme of things but it's something that does make the episode stand out a little bit as it now means that would have been seen as being really rash choice by Stannis now seem like something that he really doesn't want to do but feels like that he has to do because of the fact that the makers of this episode included a scene with him talking to his daughter and it's a scene that does make her death all the more tragic as she's basically telling her father that it's OK if he kills her in this episode but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.


So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty i in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film not that bad. However at the same time tho this episodes action wasn't really all that good either as thanks to the episodes editing it was quite hard to tell what was going on alot of the time but when the edition does make it far easier to make it out what's happening this episodes action is really fun to see as seeing all of Team Dany trapped in a circle with countless people closing in on them is always going to be something that's quite tense to see and to the episodes credit it does build up that tension really well by openly showing that there's nowhere for these characters to run to in the dragon fighting pits which is something that does make there fate all but sealed until Drogon comes in and saves them by burning everything that he can do to the ground all the while taking arrows to his side and back and while he does only rescue Dany even that is something that does make sense as she is his mother and there for of course he would rescue her and while this episode might have been a little bit better off with more then one action scene in it it would be hard to fit in another action scene into this episode and there for only having the one action scene take place in this episode was the right call to make on part of the makers of this show in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall while this was still a really weak episode of this season it was still a really good episode in it's own right it's just one that doesn't really advance the plot of this season and as a result of that is the fact that this episode does come across as being more like a filler episode instead of being a must watch episode of the show in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now the i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a gran old score of exactly a 7 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and ad well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official Game Of Thrones fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Game Of Thrones fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Game Of Thrones fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! "Hassle In The Castle" Review


It's been quite a while since I last covered anything from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! which is such a shame as this sow is one that alot of us really did grow up watching. As such I thought that it was only about right that I put an end to this dry spell by reviewing the very next episode of the show with this episode being a really fun and creepy episode that really does bring the horror aspect of the show to the front and centre of the episode itself and so then join me as I review the episode that has alot of images from the shows intro in it with the episode in question being called simply just "Hassle In The Castle" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when the gang find themselves stranded on a mysterious island they find themselves being haunted by a ghost and have to solve the mystery of who this ghost is before it's far to late. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual episode that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt tat the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad as thus episodes plot while it could be seen as being rather generic for this show it also was early enough in this shows run that it does get away with it as well with this episodes plot being a bit more horror focused then the rest of the sows plots had been up until this point in time which is something that does make this episodes plot more of a must watch for fans of supernatural horror films and yet still somehow being more kid friendly then what it really had any right to be but at the same time tho this episodes plot really isn't all that good as all it does is give you the bare bones of a plot and that's really it and while that might be par the course for this show it is something that is still an issue with the plot of this episode at it makes the plot of the episode as a whole come across as being really weak when that's simply not even close to being true at all with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 


Starring in this episode is voice acting legend Don Messick as Scooby-Doo , The Phantom , Bluestone The Great and The Police Officer. Also starring in this episode is Battle Of The Planets star Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers , voice acting royalty and legend Frank Welker as Fred Jones , Here Comes The Grump star Stefanianna Christopherson as Daphne Blake and The Trouble With Girls star Nicole Jaffe as Velma Dinkley.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. Which is something that's not really all that surprising as all of this episodes actors are not only some really good voice actors in their own right but are so well known for voicing these characters that for many they simply are the voice of these characters and heck out of all of them only Frank Welker is still with the franchise to this very day and is still playing Fred Jones as well as that's just how good of a voice actor that he really is with the actors acting in this episode being just as good as you'd really want it to be with it being clear as day that there all getting alot more comfortable in their roles which is something that really does shine through in the final cut of the episode with the true stand out performer in this episode being Don Messick as he has to play several characters and make them all sound unique and distinct enough that your not going to get them confused with any other character and still put in a really good performance in this episode which is something that really does do really rather well in this episode with the acting that's in this episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is just so good that all this episodes actors really have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the greats that are currently over at Hanna-Barbera Productions. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation thats actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty shockingly good with there not really being any animation errors in this episode and even more shockingly for a Hanna-Barbera project there was very few if any any repeating backgrounds with this episodes animation really making the creepy looking castle look gothic and quite creepy and while yes the characters do have there usual fluid animation when it comes to there walking they also get really fluid with the animation when Daphne falls down a trap a door which whilst it does look good it does also seem an odd place to put some really good animation but at the same time tho this episode does have one error that highlights just how cheap Hanna-Barbera really was as there is a room in this episodes main setting that despite being shown to match the color scheme of the whole castle in previous scenes for one brief shot with Scooby-Doo near the end of the episode it's shown to have these really garish pink walls and grey boards both of with nothing lighting it which is something that could have been fixed if the animators took another pass at that one simple and very easy to do shot but because of the fact that Hanna-Barbera was so cheap we do end up with alot of shots like this one in alot of there shows and movies as well.


As was mentioned at the very start of this review this episode does give us quite alot imagery from the shows opening intro. Be it Daphne walking away before a ghostly hand reaches out for her to the gang getting warned by The Phantom it's all in this one episode and it's all something that does make the episode worth watching if you were wondering where those scenes came from or even if you just someone who really loves Scooby-Doo as they are some great scenes and heck the the scene with gang getting a warning by The Phantom is so good that they makers of this episode chose to literally repeat the exact same scene which works for and against the episode as a whole it works for the episode as it does help to establish the fact that this character is meant to be a genuine threat to the gang but it against the episode for two reasons the first one being we just saw this exact same scene a few minuets ago and so of course we the audience are going to notice that it's really quite literally the exact same shot as before and secondly it makes Hanna-Barbera look even more cheap then what they already are as they could really could have fully animated a brand new scene to get across more of the fact that this character really is meant to be a threat to the gangs life with this having the added bonus of making the episode look better because of it and yet even really tho the fact that they repeated the scene really doesn't take away from the episode as a whole it still does add an air of cheapness to this episode as a whole as well.

There are some bad things about this episode tho like the fact that they don't really give The Phantom much in the way of personality. Heck we don't even get to find out why he's scaring people until right before the end credits start to role which again is pretty par the course for this show but the same time tho the other episodes usually have alot more supporting characters in them so you can kind of forgive them as there trying to make the mystery aspect of the episode as good as it could possibly be but here because of the fact that there are no supporting characters to make you wonder who it could be and heck we don't even get to meet who The Phantom is until he's unmasked and therefor the makers of this episode really should have put alot more effort into making The Phantom have more of a personality and while the episode does gets credit for at the vert least trying to make him creepy with the creepy looking castle and the fact that he's a ghost when you look at his costume however it doesn't make you scared of him it just makes you laugh at him as all it is is basically someone's bedding with eye holes and thats really it and while that might be great a Halloween costume for a Scooby-Doo villain where you can go and be a little bit more creepy and scary that's not enough and while granted this show is made for kids and so you can't really scare them all that much but at the same time tho kids love to be scared and therefor having a villain that looks a little bit more creepy would work really well in this episodes favor.


Oddly enough one of this episodes biggest weaknesses it's mystery aspect as they not only don't have anyone that you can say is a suspect in the episode but there's also no to build up with the gang realizing how The Phantom travels around the castle. With that part coming right at the end of the episode and it's right of nowhere almost as if it was more of an afterthought then something that the makers of this episode did intentionally while the episode does show the gang not only looking for but also finding clues they don't exactly set up for the main culprit of the episode is thus making it more of a surprise when they do the big reveal which is something that they do explain away in a way that does make some sort of sense for the episode but at the same time given the fact that a mystery does require suspects having the main villain be set up at the start of the episode outside of his Phantom disguise is something that would have made alot of sense even if he's just seen in the background somewhere and yet by not doing that there robbing us the audience of a chance to work it out for ourselves which does in turn make this mystery feel like the type of mystery that they'd put in a later Scooby-Doo movie rather then something that they would have done in an episode of the show as the movies don't typically set up who the main villain is either and yet the show would typically show of who the main villain is at the start of the episode which makes it all the more odd that they went and did it not only in this show as well but this early on in the shows run as it's something that doesn't really work not only for this show but for this franchise as a whole either.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty minuets and fifty seven seconds. Which is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this shoe to have and to this episodes credit this episode really does have the right amount of plot there to really over that amount of running time however tho due to the fact that this episode really doesn't have any suspects to it whatsoever this episode really can't use it's running time all that wisely as not only do we not get to see more of the castle which would have been great to see as it would have made the episode feel alot more creepier and bigger then what it actually is but they also don't flesh out the mystery aspect of the episode by giving us suspects which would then allow for us the audience the chance to work out for ourselfs who did and to work why they did it as well and yet because of the fact that the episode didn't bother to do any of that it means that they have to pull something out of nothing when it would have made alot more sense for there to be more suspects and heck they could even have kept the same motivation because the police officer at the end of the episode even states that the gold that this episodes criminal was after is also really sought after by other people and so it would have made perfect sense for there to be alot more people there at the castle during this episode then what we ultimately ended up seeing but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 


So now then as this is a comedy that really means that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. AS there some really funny moments to be found in this episode alot of which oddly enough do include Scooby-Doo himself with very few of them including quite literally anybody else in the gang which is something that does make sense as afterall the show is named after Scooby-Doo and it therefor does make sense that he would get alot of the episodes jokes with the best one being the joke where Scooby pretends to be ill just to avoid being bate for The Phantom which works not only because of the fact that it was set up earlier on in the episode where he tried a very similar tactic only this time it was avoid looking around a creepy looking room but also because of the fact that it does feel like it was in character for Scooby-Doo to do something like that and it's something that movies like Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo , Scooby-Doo . Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed and Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock And Roll Mystery forgot to do despite alot of them being good films and having there own funny moment with Scooby-Doo in them where as here alot of his jokes felt in character for him and because of that they all came across as being really funny jokes in there own right in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall this episode was a decent but flawed episode as it doesn't really give the mystery part of the episode all that much attention when it's something that should have been getting more attention then what the actual comedy part of the episode was getting as people come to Scooby-Doo for the mystery and not the comedy in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and a such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all o the images hat I personally used in this very review from the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.