So one of my passions is Role-Playing Games and I don't think I've talked too much about this in my blogging time, so if you aren't interested, skip to the film review, because I bet you it'll be better than the last few.
I was first introduced to Role-Playing Games by one of my science teachers back in Secondary School. Mr. Stainrod, you wacky man you. There was a lunchtime club for D&D and I joined with a group of regular players.
And it was awesome.
I remember my first proper character was called Xan, he was a Male Human Fighter (which is something that most people tend to curl their lips up at, but if I had my way it's the only thing I would ever play) and he was pretty suicidal. This I recall with great fondness. That game never really finished, which is pretty much the curse of most games, I've found.
I ran my first game when I was still in school, using many of the same players and including my brother as well. I've got so many story fragment memories tucked into the back of my mind and I'd love to relive them or write them all down some time, but I'm just not sure where they all fit in anymore. But me and Jon will always remember Elath Wild, won't we.
Over the years I kind of forgot roleplay games, I went to college, then to university, I kept up with Warhammer and 40,000, but they weren't quite there to fill the gap properly. When I moved back to newbury in 2004, my friend Andy (from school, with whom I used to game), re-introduced me to gaming and I must thank him forever more. I shouldn't have left it behind.
I'm now more of an ST than I am a player, ST being Story Teller, sometimes known as Game Master or Dungeon Master. Basically, it's my job to come up with the plot, the world, the bad guys and the situations, while my regular core of players (Marsh, Andy, Ade, Jon, Tim and yes they're pretty much all male) come up with characters that fit into that world... then proceed to blow up most of it in alarmingly spectacular fashion. When you find a gaming group that works, well, hold onto them, because there's nothing better than having a group fulfill a storyline that you created, but they have warped and changed into their own. It's really one of the best feelings I've ever had.
Some people would dispute the term 'gaming' with me. I mean, it's a game, as are many other things, but a lot of people who are dedicated to video games would disagree that what we do is 'gaming' compared to them. I guess all I really have to say to that is that imagination has been around a lot longer, and essentially all we're doing is adding dice rolls to the make-believe games you used to play in the schoolyard. In another arguement to the superiority of pencil-and-paper games over computerised role-play games, computer games are limited. They can only cope with so many options, there's only so many things you can do with the decisions presented to you. There's no limit on what we do.
I'm a Role-Player til I die, I will check your Armour Class, I will figure out my Skill Specialties and I will measure my range modifiers against any call of 'nerd' or 'geek' in my general direction. Because it's all in the game. Yo.
THOR
You know, I really wasn't expecting much of this film either. I didn't think that they'd do it much good, many people were saying that the trailers didn't look inspiring (I wisely avoid all trailers that I can, since all they do is ruin movies, as I'm sure I've ranted about already). And you know what, they're wrong. This film was good. It was good.
It wasn't great, it wasn't brilliant, it was mind-blowing, but it was good. It was fast-paced, funny, had the right amount of action and ridiculousness and it did what it set out to do. I believe that it is indeed aimed at a slightly younger audience than Iron Man, but I can live with that, it doesn't talk down to anyone and it certainly works for all viewers.
Thor, the impetuous son of Odin, is cast down to Earth for violating a treaty with the ancient enemies of the Asgard, the Frost Giants. Now these aren't quite the creatures and Gods of Norse myth, quite deliberately so, they do not resemble the legends, they're an advanced society whose time appears to run slightly differently than ours and they dress preposterously.
This is all good as far as I'm concerned. I seem to have found myself awash with 'the ancient Gods live among us' theme lately (which is why I'm working on my own Role-Play adaption for it, because, you know, I haven't ripped off enough stuff for my games), and this film seems to work with it quite well, especially since it's very well aware that the whole different worlds and magic hammers and rainbow bridges is just one part of a massive universe that includes men flying around in iron suits, turning into green genetic accidents and wearing flags on their chests. Oh yes, the Avengers is going to be AWEsome.
The cast is great, the script is great, I happily went to see it twice after saying that I wasn't sure about it the first time round and the great super-hero summer season is begun. With X-Men, Captain America and the dreaded Green Lantern films all hitting the screens soon, I wonder when the next summer blockbuster that doesn't feature a man in a cape will be?
Also, after the credits scene is a must and 3D was a waste of time, but what's new? Oh yes, Hemsworth. He's new. And he's good for it.
Next up: HANNA
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