Drainar's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP]

Please keep doing this! I'd love to see you grow as an artist! Very well done!

~D.

RockaIFB responds:

Ok, I will :D

[The Ultimate Showdown]

The rating isn't for the animation, it's for the song. Though the "tooning" isn't perfect, the music and lyrics are so classic it's hard to give it anything lower than four stars. We all know them, we'll never forget them.

Videos like this are what MADE Newgrounds. It can be that way again.

[Castle Repercussions - D2]

General, you're back!

I was going to give it four stars, but that ending pumped me up too much. The writing team deserves a powerful handshake for making this series as good as it is. Oscar has created a world filled with intrigue and mystery. I don't know who or what the current political powers are in his universe, but they are there, no question about it.

Boomer's monologue is well/not-so-well delivered. It's strange. There are moments where the way in which he speaks, the simple candor of it, works, and there are moments where it makes the lines sound unnatural (not in a good way). The monologue alone would have left this at four stars, since it left me thinking, "That could've been stronger. We could've really GOTTEN how nuts Boomer was thanks to the whispers of Demon-Alien Mechalord." That being said, there WERE times where the way he casually talked about tearing the "castle zombies" apart made his insanity seem authentic and dispassionate.

The rest of the episode was basically a reunion of the entire cast of "Repercussions." And was it good? Oh yeah, REALLY good. Even with it being as brief as it was, the emotion behind it was genuine and put a smile on my face.

I'm glad this episode WASN'T what I predicted it would be in my review of "D1." It's a well told part of a well told story that I'm glad to watch unfold.

Now, I've heard there's another chapter in hidden parts of the Net. I shall seek it out. Until then, here's to Boomer, Roberts and Some Other Guy.

~D.

[Castle Repercussions - D1]

Okay, I know I'm going to get disagreements regarding this, but, I've gotta say, Boomer has to be the creepiest character in this series next to chief villain, who has yet to fully reveal himself. His strength is unnatural, the way he smiles eerily in the face of danger is eerie in and of itself, and he just seems too damn certain AND too damn lucky. I don't know why yet, but he feels like the enemy to me, even though I know he's not. Ah well, we'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Mullins is back in this one, although his voice sounds different in the first half than the second. Different voice actors, perhaps? Or maybe my theory that these were all recorded and created backwards in correct, "D2" being made first and "A" being made last. Something I'd have to talk to Oscar about if I ever meet him (which would be terrific).

*MINOR SPOILER IN NEXT PARAGRAPH.*

I'm PRETTY sure it was Richards who was killed, which is good because I'm always a fan of the "red shirt" making it out alive. Some Other Guy is officially one of my more appreciated characters.

I hope the next chapter is longer so we can see what the hell happened in that colorful opening in "A." With these being short, it's hard for me not to believe the next one won't be a rushed expository speech followed by everyone dying followed by the demon-alien's victory/defeat with the General getting exactly what he wants. We'll see.

~D.

[Castle Repercussions - C]

Okay, so at first I felt like, "All right, this isn't going to develop the story any further. It's going to be purely action, just like the last one, and probably just as brief ending in Mullins' demise. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the result.

*SPOILERS BELOW!*

Oscar's doing impressive work now, crafting more layers, digging a deeper story for us. Mullins is again one of those highly intriguing characters, on par with Ray in terms of depth and care. I genuinely didn't want him to die, even though I anticipated such a fate as being the inevitable. His cold, mercenary outlook as regards the mission and integrity make him a true "badass," even topping Boomer (though Boomer's been a pretty thin character thus far).

I think my favorite line in the entire series so far has GOT to be, "Boomer, Roberts, some other guy." Classic writing right there, and the editing makes it a perfect moment, as well as Mullins' delivery.

Speaking of which, whoever did Mullins' voice deserves more V.O. work, maybe even a Newgrounds award or something. He did a fabulous job conveying various emotions without straying from that "Garrus Vakarian" vibrating accent. Ray's voice work was good too, gaining my sympathy when he thought he'd killed one of the only friends he might find. Truly good work.

The development of this demonic creature, whatever it is, is going very well. It appears he might be of alien or inter-dimensional nature. I hope the next chapter reveals his motives, as well as his origins.

[Castle Repercussions - B]

Good, but a little short. I mean, I get that these are sort of "DLCs," if you will, to the overall "Castle" story line, but this could've gone on a while longer. I mean, there was so much to tell from the pilot's perspective which will now have to probably be crammed into another chapter of the series.

Very dramatic, very tense, but too brief to really sink your teeth into.

[Castle Repercussions - A]

This is by far the most suspenseful installment in the series, at least thus far. The tension and creepiness of the first chapter of "Repercussions" sits with you for a bit afterwards. I can't wait to see the next part.

A nice change in colors comes in at the beginning, with more oranges and blues versus the usual red on black lighting. The world feels a little more alive and hopeful, though we still understand there is a distinct LACK of resources. The opening is great, although damaged a little by the overly dramatic music. If a soft piano had been played it would've made the moment when we see Ray's face for the first time more poignant, or even no music at all in order to establish a contrast between the life of the scene and the lifelessness of the world around the mystery character in the beginning.

As for Ray himself, he is arguably the most compelling character in the "Castle" series. He's the regular soldier, a guy cartoons, and shows in general, rarely ever delve into. And because of that, even though he's clearly a soldier, he has a sort of innocence about him. It's strange. When he was afraid, or under attack, I genuinely felt for him and wanted him to get the HELL out of there. And whoever did the voice work on him was spot on in terms of delivery.

The moment when Ray awakens is really creepy, and that feeling remains throughout this entire installment. The only other problem I had was REALLY minor, so much so that I feel getting into it might be considered pointless by some. But it matters to me, so I'll mention it: the way "Private Ray Williams" comes before the main title bothers me. I don't know why, but it does. That little thing doesn't in any way detract from a 5 star rating, it's just something I found a little annoying.

Other than that, FANTASTIC work! I hope the rest is just as good.

[Castle III part D]

Here we see Oscar's fantastic setup for "Repercussions," with excellent action, pacing and music. The scene after the credits leaves us with an eerie foreshadowing of what is to come, and the only fault I could find was Beecher asking about Etrius in the beginning. It didn't really make sense to me why he mentioned it at all, considering his "predicament."

All in all, this is yet another example of what made old Newgrounds great.

[Castle III part B]

The "Castle" series has been good thus far, but this is the part where things start to really get tense. Throughout the chapter we get an authentic sense that this is a military op and that the soldiers being sent in are experienced and calculated, not just cannon fodder.

And because there's not a lot of action, we get a chance to really immerse ourselves in the world they're traversing, which, by the way, is BEAUTIFULLY designed. You really get a sense of the size and scope of the castle during this long trek, and, if you're appreciative of the little details thrown in regarding the architecture, it NEVER gets boring.

One hindrance in this chapter lies in the voice acting however, as we see the quality and delivery of most of the characters isn't up to par with most other cartoons, not just on Newgrounds but in general. The only two voices that stand out are Romanov's and Etrius', and I'm fairly certain they're the same person. Because of this problem, the other characters are hard to get into and care about, and therefore forgettable. That being said, the design of the characters handles the memorability problem partially. Each character has a unique look to them, giving them some individuality. This doesn't totally make up for the voice acting, but it helps.

The animation is terrific in this chapter. The lighting (especially the red against black shots) is superb and creates a "dead world" sort of atmosphere. Even though it's a bunch of stick figures, everything feels believable. I never sat there watching it and thought, "Yeah, it looks that way because they're stick men." These feels like real human beings, complete with facial expressions and hand motions that any normal looking human would have/do.

Great development story-wise. I've seen it before, but I still love the way the "Castle" parts unfold, leaving us in mystery all the way up to the last bits, and then POW! This is a perfect example of what made classic Newgrounds cartoons TEN TIMES better than what comes on nowadays.

Bravo to the creators!

[Mafia]

First thing: I didn't see the title's connection to the content, so that was a bit distracting. That being said, even with the lack of story, the animation is very slick and and it's apparent the creator really put their heart and soul into the work.

Three stars from me, if only because of the "heart" bit.