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BeitragVerfasst: 14.07.2017, 18:21 
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Zitat:
Gaming Comment Castlevania on Netflix: A Virgin’s View

Verity Hartley -
July 13, 2017


Hot damn, the animated series of Castlevania was fun! I say that as someone who up until about 5 hours ago knew next to nothing about the Castlevania games. Literally nothing. I honestly thought you played as Dracula in the game and he’d got himself some kind of fancy new whip. Which doesn’t make much sense considering he’s a vampire… but I digress.

So I came to the Castlevania animated series – released just this week on Netflix – with no expectations whatsoever and it smashed through them and beyond. Which is incredible considering it has two things in it I personally think are completely overrated: Vampires and Richard Armitage.

Apologies to Richard, but I’ve never really bought into his acting ability since he first ham-blasted my TV screen in BBC’s Robin Hood series as Guy of Gisborne. Since then, he bought back some kudos with a pretty good turn as Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit Trilogy. Sadly, however, that will be forever tarnished by the unnecessarily over-the-top portrayal of the book and the fact that Thorin never once carried Bilbo out of a window. Just a little The Hobbit 1982 joke there for all you Melbourne House fans.

That said, though – and maybe this was down to the ingeniously snarky writing of the anti-hero Trevor (Seriously? Your hero is called Trevor?) Belmont – Richard Armitage was the best damn thing about the delightfully too-short series.

Trevor Belmont is a refreshing entry into the world-weary, no-fucks-left-to-give archetype, and he seriously has some of the best one-liners out there. Armitage’s voice acting is spot on and he delivers each line with such dead-pan aplomb that you can’t help but like Trevor from the start. Which is just as well, because by the end of the first episode I was siding with Dracula. Told you he was the real hero of the series!

Personally, as someone who had no fanboy template into which this characters had to fit (unlike poor Thorin), I found the portrayal of Trevor to be hilarious as he spends each episode dragging himself from one accidental adventure to the next, ostensibly seeking only his next drink. Although it is made quite clear from his very first encounter that he is clearly looking for trouble wherever he goes, deep down under all the bile, self-hatred and bitterness there is of course that cliched heart of gold.


The supporting characters are equally well written and the voice acting across the board is excellent, with a pretty chunky cast including James Callis, Graham McTavish and Emily Swallow, who all turn in great performances.

At only four episodes long, the series is surprisingly easy to binge watch in one evening. I had to chuckle at the ‘NOT FOR KIDS’ label Netflix has stamped all over the Castlevania shopfront. This is made abundantly clear from the first episode, which depicted some pretty gruesome disembowelment. Remember parents – animated does not necessarily equal kid-friendly. No, really.

Castlevania: The Animated Series is based on the third entry in the Castlevania game franchise, the NES title Dracula’s Curse, which is something I now know because I read it on Wikipedia. How accurate the depiction is and how many nods and in-jokes sailed over my head like a podgy vampire bat, I couldn’t say. I mean, I only just found out that the 2D pixelated depiction I have in my head is not Dracula, for chrissake! Besides, Netflix claims that it is only ‘inspired’ by the game series. So I guess they can take some liberties.

All of that said: it is enormously bloody, gory fun and you should definitely give it a watch.


http://ready-up.net/2017/07/13/castlevania-on-netflix-a-virgins-view/


Zitat:
Reviews
‘Castlevania’ is a video game adaptation actually worth watching

By Reviews Editor on July 12, 2017

by Emily Reuben

Japan’s Castlevania game series was once a must-own title for gamers willing to test their vampire killing abilities. Known for its relatively difficult gameplay, Castlevania is a nostalgic name for those who grew up with the NES and SNES systems, sparking memories of dark, gothic environments, whip-wielding heroes, and annoying Medusa heads. While a nostalgic title, the series has continued since the days of early Nintendo side-scrollers to feature more open-world, RPG-esque styles of gameplay which make most critics pine for the retro days of yore. When fans heard about an animated adaption of the once-beloved game series, many hoped it could compel the series to rise from its coffin of nostalgic obscurity.

Netflix’s Castlevania shares it’s name with the first entry title of the Castlevania series, however is primarily based around the third entry in the game series, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse with some additions to plot and nods to more recent titles in the series.

Castlevania starts off in the fictional country of Wallachia, in the year 1455. A woman, Lisa from Lupu, decides to seek out the knowledge of Vlad Dracula Tepes and becomes his wife. After their home is raided by the church, Lisa is burned at the stake as a witch, the clergy labeling her scientific equipment as “Devil’s machines”. Enraged at his wife’s murder, Dracula gives the clergy one year to repent as he builds a hellish army. The show then turns its focus to Trevor Belmont, the last surviving son of his family, as he continues his family’s work of destroying creatures of the night that are terrorizing the walled city of Gresit.

The additions made to Castlevania’s plot were definitely needed in order to make a mini-series. While the game is able to convey the majority of this plot in a few short title sequences, it is simplistic and focused more on gameplay than storytelling. Castlevania manages to keep the story intact for fans of the game while making it more coherent and enjoyable for those unfamiliar with the game series. The most interesting change is the role of the church. While the overarching villain of the series is Dracula, he is shown in a more sympathetic light than in the games. It can be argued that in this first season the church is the true villain of the show. The show offers an interesting take on religion and indoctrination that is not often explored in the animated genre.

Overall, the plot is easy to follow and should be entertaining enough for just about anyone. The ideas concerning a corrupt religious government is an interesting notion, especially considering that Dracula is also an entity in this world. Between the church and Dracula, Castlevania urges you to think twice on which is the lesser of two insidious evils.

The best part about Castlevania’s animation is hands down the gruesome imagery. Eyeballs are ripped from their sockets; babies are stolen by hideous Hell monsters; limbs go flying; the list goes on. Castlevania does not shy away from gross and gory animation, which makes this show a delight for horror fans. Considering this is a world in which blood-sucking monsters are prevalent, the grim reality of Castlevania’s world is made abundantly clear to viewers and emphasized in these unfortunate situations. When the viewer is able to see these terrible things unfolding onscreen, the stakes seem much higher than if they had been censored or made more “family friendly”.

On the whole, Castlevania looks great; the characters have interesting designs, and the world holds an eerie, gothic tone in almost every shot. The animators did a great job with the often intense lighting. More often than not, the most impressive bits of animation are due to the spectacular character and environmental lighting and can make even a still close-up pleasing to the eye.

While at first glance the character designs and all around gothic style are promising, Castlevania is not exactly an animated marvel. Typically the foreground of the frame holds the most action. This is not necessarily uncommon in animation or filmmaking as a whole, however, this is strange in Castlevania due to the lack of movement in the background. For example, Trevor Belmont may be engaging with another notable character, waving his arms angrily or cracking his whip in an aesthetically pleasing way, but characters in the background are frozen in time, staring silently ahead. Instead of reacting to the action in front of them, these background characters feel more dead than alive and really drag down the overall quality of the animation. Yes, animation is an expensive medium, so it is not unreasonable to have some frames containing slightly blurred, motionless background characters. However when the shot remains unchanging for more than a few seconds it becomes increasingly uncomfortable to see lifeless sacks of flesh zoning out behind the main cast, disrupting the animatic flow within the frame.

On a similar note, there is some inconsistency regarding the scope of Castlevania’s animated world due to the lack of attention to the background. The town of Gresit feels nearly empty in many shots, with only a few scattered villagers here and there. A notable scene involves the villagers forming a mob and pursuing Trevor with one shot showing a huge number of villagers posing a threat, but in the very next shot there are only three or four. This inconsistency makes Trevor’s plight seems like an easily solved problem; the man fights vampires, so he can probably take on three normal humans.

Animation flourishes when there is great attention to detail. Shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Gravity Falls make sure to include minute details to keep the viewer engaged. Often, more can be discovered in these shows by looking at the background and the smaller details hidden behind the focal point of a shot. This is something that Castlevania ultimately lacks and could definitely benefit from in future seasons. While Castlevania’s animated style and tone are quite pleasing, more attention to polishing the movements and reactions in the entire frame would be much appreciated.
The holy water burns so good

Most adaptations of video games fail and fail hard. Luckily, the first season of Castlevania has enough care for the source material to make it a fun experience for viewers. Obviously, this mini-series could have been nothing more than a quick cash grab with the name alone, but the creators paid appropriate attention to the game lore and fleshed it out enough for the animated medium. While by no means a perfect adaption, Castlevania contains enough gothic character to warrant a watch.


http://bytebsu.com/index.php/2017/07/12/castlevania-is-a-video-game-adaptation-actually-worth-watching/


Zitat:
Netflix somehow managed to make a great TV show based on a video game

Ben Gilbert, Business Insider

Somehow, against all expectations and logic, the first Netflix original show derived from a video game is very, very good. More impressive: The show is based on the "Castlevania" game series, a long-dormant game franchise most well-known for being immensely difficult to play. Its story was secondary at best, and early games involved bizarre dialogue that was mistranslated from the original Japanese.

The "Castlevania" show on Netflix, however, is both a rare example of how to successfully adapt a video game to film and it's a great show unto itself.

With writing from legendary author Warren Ellis, "Castlevania" manages to flesh out the world and characters of fictional 15th century Wallachia (modern day Romania) better than any "Castlevania" game ever has. The first season is an almost-too-short four episodes, and it spends much of that time setting up the world, its characters, and their motivations.

We don't meet Trevor Belmont, the over-confident protagonist, until more than 20 minutes into the first episode. He's not the focus, really — this is a show about Dracula, in case that wasn't clear already. But Dracula in "Castlevania" isn't just some bloodthirsty monster sneaking around at night.

Does this guy look like a bloodthirsty monster to you?

He looks like a sympathetic, dashing gentleman if you ask me. And that's basically what the show sets up from the start. Aside from living alone, and living in a menacing building, and the fact that he immediately threatens his visitors, the man commonly known as "Dracula" is introduced as an intellectual loner at absolute worst.

Forget about the literal field of human bodies on pikes leading up to his house — this guy's a puppy dog.

He's a man of the sciences, even, and he finds love through his studies — a human who wants to be a doctor, who manages to overcome the terrifying landscape around Dracula's home, and requests his help in mastering the sciences.

He grants her that help after some charming back and forth, and, well, things don't go too well from there. Such is the life of a vampire in 15th century Eastern Europe.

In the short 30 minutes of the first episode of "Castlevania," you'll find much of what makes the rest of the first season so surprisingly great: Sharp writing, beautiful art, and a thoughtful criticism of human existence. As ever, Warren Ellis brings a level of societal criticism that makes a potentially shallow piece of entertainment into something deeper than it requires. He could've just written a show about a dude who kills vampires, with pithy dialogue, and that'd probably be pretty good as well. Instead, he spends lengths of time debating the reality of institutionalized religion.

It's this level of sophistication — mixed with a healthy bit of necessary humor and gratuitous hyper-violence — that makes "Castlevania" such a success.

I'm not a fan of the game series, and I'm not a major fan of anime/graphic novel-style TV shows (with a few exceptions). I am, however, a big fan of the new "Castlevania" series; that Netflix has already renewed the show for a second season with double the episode count tells me that I'm not alone in that sentiment.

You can see the entire first season, which comprises four episodes, on Netflix right now.


http://www.businessinsider.de/castlevania-netflix-review-2017-7?r=US&IR=T


Zitat:
10 can’t-miss pieces of pop culture to catch up on this weekend
Featuring two of the summer’s best movies so far, an under-the-radar new Netflix release, and more.
Updated by Vox Culture Jul 13, 2017, 6:00pm EDT

[...]

Netflix’s Castlevania is weird, funny, and sort of a great spin on Dracula and vampire-hunting

Netflix’s Castlevania is based on the popular Nintendo video game series that so many of today’s 30-somethings remember fondly from their youth. (It launched in the 1980s but released its most recent title in 2014.) That original game was extremely difficult, but the four-episode first season of the Netflix adaptation is a little more accessible: Dracula isn’t a big fan of humans, and has unleashed his night horde of vampires to inflict bloody, bloody death upon them. The only thing standing between humans and extinction is a sardonic demon hunter named Trevor Belmont, one fabulous fur coat, and Belmont’s trusty whip. —Alex Abad-Santos

[...]


https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/7/13/15948266/war-planet-apes-haim-castlevania-broken-social-scene-demi-lovato-tour-pharmacy

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BeitragVerfasst: 14.07.2017, 18:27 
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Zitat:
Review: Netflix & Warren Ellis' CASTLEVANIA 'Bold, Beautiful, Bloody'
By Justin Partridge, Best Shots Reviewer July 13, 2017 11:00am ET

Castlevania - Season One, Episode One - “Witchbottle”
Starring Emily Swallow, Graham McTavish, James Callis, Matt Frewer, Richard Armitage, Tony Amendola, and Alejandra Reynoso
Written by Warren Ellis
Directed by Sam Deats
Airing on Netflix

‘Rama Rating: 9 out of 10

Religion, science, and ultraviolence collide in the epic series premiere of Netflix’s Castlevania. The newest animation effort from the entertainment behemoth instantly evokes the feeling and dread of the original Konami classics, with emphasis on the third installment, Dracula’s Curse, from which this series is heavily based.

Backed by maverick producer Adi Shankar (Dredd, Venom: Dirty Laundry), a stellar voice cast, and the brutal writing of Warren Ellis, Castlevania starts big and only promises to get bigger once you click “Next Episode.” While other Netflix animated shows like Voltron: Legendary Defender and BoJack Horseman have found success in adventure and comedy, the pilot episode of Castlevania unleashes a whole new kind of beast into your recommendations.

The first image of “Witchbottle” is a field of dry skeletons impaled on pikes across a barren and dusty field. So, already you are pretty well aware of what you are in for. Opening in Wallachia, Romania in 1455, Warren Ellis wastes little time throwing us hip deep into the romantically macabre world of this show and making us aware of our leading cast.

Looming over the field of the dead is a strange warped castle, the castle of Vlad Dracula Tepes, and standing at his door is a curious, determined woman named Lisa of Lupu demanding an audience with the castle’s master. Though this sounds like a pretty familiar horror setup, Ellis presents it as a meet-cute of sorts with Emily Swallow’s Lisa being bluntly aloof with Graham McTavish’s Dracula, beseeching him to teach her the “forbidden” knowledge of modern science and medicine. Dracula, in turn, is taken with the woman, who has given him a reason to tolerate humanity as well as purpose in becoming her mentor.

But nothing good can last, and in 20 years the church elders of Wallachia, led by Matt Frewer’s piously hawkish Bishop, have captured Lisa and burned her at the stake for “witchcraft” (i.e.: natural science) while her patron walked the lands “as a man.” Ellis plays the first act of this pilot reserved and surprisingly heartfelt, but once humanity slights Dracula, nothing can stand in his way.

The legendary Belmont clan, represented by Richard Armitage’s Trevor, and Dracula’s hybrid son Alucard, played by Battlestar Galactica’s James Callis, are largely absent from this first episode aside from some teasing hints, but McTavish’s performance more than makes up for their absence. Injecting wounded humanity into the role, McTavish’s smokey brogue charms and snarls in equal measure, playing the scenes with Swallow as the charming count while lording his dark powers over the Bishop with a commanding gravel.

And when I say kill, hoo, boy, do I mean kill. Director Sam Deats and Ellis cap off this pilot episode with a display of violence that is so over the top that’d be almost hilarious if it wasn’t so harrowing. This sequence isn’t for the faint of heart, but the show’s level of stylish bloodletting establishes a bold visual claim for the series, calling to mind shows like Berserk and Vampire Hunter: D. And the character work the pair engage in early on, like setting Dracula and Lisa’s first meeting in his gleaming solarium lab, does a great deal to contextualize Dracula’s rage, making it more than just mindless violence.

After breezily fun efforts like the Marvel anime features and the criminally underseen G.I. Joe: Resolute, Warren Ellis seems in his element with Castlevania, reveling in the dark science-infused magic that makes Injection so fun each month and the extreme violence of some of his lesser known Avatar Press works. Made complete by a clanging, discordant, Atticus Ross-like score from composer Trevor Morris, the first episode of Netflix’s Castlevania is a bold, beautiful, and bloody new weekend obsession for fans of the franchise, horror aficionados, and the morbidly curious alike.


https://www.newsarama.com/35253-review-castlevania.html


Zitat:
The New Castlevania Netflix Show Is Bloody Great!
By jdodson on 07/13/2017 Castlevania

The new Castlevania Netflix show dropped recently and last night I sat down to watch the entire first season. It's not hard to binge watch the whole show as it's only 4 episodes that clock in at about 30 minutes each. That said I really appreciated that the show didn't waste much time and completed it's first story arc in four episodes. My only real complaint by the end was that there wasn't more story waiting for me but Netflix has said that it's picking up another season of 8 episodes so if you liked the first season, more is on the way.

The basic premise of Castlevania is that Dracula lost his wife and wants to take his revenge on mankind for taking her life. The first episode focuses on Dracula and you really feel for him and understand why he decides to become a super villain. I was very surprised at how much I loved the story and how the choices the show creators made I didn't really expect. I was expecting some generic vampire hunter show and what I felt very fresh and original. The first season is an interesting take on religion, science and how power is used to control people. I didn't expect that Castlevania would start the show on such a pro-science bend but it does and it's an entirely surprising focus in a universe that is primarily focused on sword and sorcery. Kind of strange to consider but the Castlevania show expertly juggles science, religion, magic and monsters in such a way I was really impressed.

Simon Belmont is the main character of the show and he starts out as a defeated drifter who literally gets the shit kicked out of him when we first meet him. I really enjoyed Simon's character and the voice acting by Richard Armitage is superb. Other characters are brought in over the course of the four episodes but I don't want to spoil anything by telling you who it is.

The show feels like it's taking notes from Castlevania III and Symphony of the Night. Castlevania III is the highlight of the NES series for me but the show doesn't feel like it's a direct companion to the NES games. Frankly I really enjoy the fresh take on this universe, religion, science and the like so having the Netflix show have only light parallels to the video game is entirely fine by me.

If you have Netflix and are curious to watch the show I recommend you check it out. My only cautionary tale is that you take heed to the content as this show is very dark, bloody and contains some shocking stuff.


http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/3401/the-new-castlevania-netflix-show-is-bloody-great


Zitat:
Netflix’s Castlevania – Season 1

Posted on July 13, 2017 by alexsobecki

When I initially heard the news that Netflix was making Castlevania into an animated television series, I was skeptical. Video game properties rarely transition properly into a televised or theatrical format, though there are a few exceptions I’d make. Nevertheless, it being an animated series instead of live action gave me ease as it’s definitely easier to pull off and who doesn’t love some anime? Another thing that caught me by surprise was how under the radar this release was. I didn’t know it came out July 7th until I saw some forum chatter about it, so I quickly sat down and ran through the very short 4 episode season.

The series decides to go chronological order in the Castlevania universe, opting to cover the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which was a prequel to the first two entries in the video game series. Before this though, the entire first episode is dedicated to establishing our villain, Vlad Dracula Tepes, and just why he has tore apart the land of Wallachia. It’s actually a pretty convincing backstory, which caused me to side with Dracula for a bit until he took things far into the dark side. Lisa Tepes was the only person who had encountered Dracula and treated him fairly as a human rather than a monster. Dracula and Lisa fell in love and he taught her of the ways of science, but upon returning to her land and treating the ill, Lisa was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. In a fit of rage, Dracula gives the people of Wallachia one year to prepare for his reckoning. His plan is to unleash the demons of Hell upon the world for what they did to Lisa and figures even those that are innocent are responsible as they stood by idly. The last part is where Dracula lost me and it’s also where his son, Alucard, draws the line. The first episode ends with Alucard attempting to stop his father, but falling short.

The following three episodes of the season follow the events that occur a year later, just as Dracula promised. The demons of Hell have infested the land of Wallachia and are slowly wiping out city after city. We enter Trevor Belmont, a member of the legendary monster hunting noble family, who is down on his luck. After his family was excommunicated by the church for their practices, the Belmonts have been wanderers to the land, struggling to make a living. Trevor at the onset of the season is worn out and out of practice, but after making his way to the city of Gresit, he soon comes into contact with Dracula’s demons and is forced to take part in the war to stop them. This comes as a result of his siding with the magic users known as the Speakers, who had come to the city of Gresit to help combat the demons. The corrupt church, on the other hand, believed the Speakers to be the reason the demons keep attacking and plan to execute them all.

It is here that Trevor begins to live up to the Belmont name instead of moping around drunk. After saving the Elder Speaker’s granddaughter, Sypha Belnades, from a cyclops under the city, Trevor learns that Dracula’s teleporting tower is actually residing under Gresit (inverted castle reference?). His duty and resolve returns to his being and he assists the Speakers in hiding as he takes on the corrupt members of the church. After succeeding in the fight, Trevor teaches the locals how to properly fight against the demons, but in the onslaught, the ground collapses, causing Trevor and Sypha to fall into the depths of Dracula’s castle. It is here that they learn a urban legend known as the Sleeping Soldier actually is true and that Alucard is that soldier. Being a Belmont, Trevor takes on the vampire in a stylish duel, but it’s revealed to simply be a test from Alucard to make sure Trevor and Sypha are capable of assisting him in taking on his father, Dracula. Just as the trio starts to march off to ascend the castle, the season ends.

It’s easier for me to call Season 1 of Castlevania a prologue rather than a proper season. I’ve seen comparisons that it seems like something similar to Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, a prologue series that comes in anticipation of a game release. Except in this case, there isn’t a game to go along with the prequel. That’s not to say that Castlevania is bad, however, but it definitely ends right as it’s starting to pick up. The first three episodes of the season serve as introductions to three of the main characters of the series: Dracula, Trevor, and Sypha. We then get one more episode of some good action sequences and a reintro to Alucard and…we’re done. It’s satisfying in a way of keeping things short and sweet, but also leaves more to be desired. Luckily, a 2nd season with a extended order of 8 episodes has already been confirmed right as the series debuted. It wasn’t stated when the next season should be expected, but seeing as it’s an animated series rather than live action, it shouldn’t be too far off.

Going into more details of the series, I found the voice acting to be solid. I enjoy some Graham McTavish and he does a fantastic job of portraying the menacing Dracula here. I wasn’t familiar with Richard Armitage before this, but his snarky British voice serves Trevor Belmont well, showing a range of comedic moments and seriousness. The animation is solid for the most part, with locales and action scenes looking crisp and elegant. The one thing I have a issue with is some of the character art can get bad in certain frames, but that is typically a common issue in animes. Trevor’s minimalist beard leaves a lot to be desired though as do other portions of the character designs. Powerhouse Studios employs 59 people, but I’m not an expert on if that’s a lot or not in regards to an animation studio, so I’ll hold my thoughts. I just hope with more time, the animation can improve in the next season.

So, Castlevania has definitely piked my interest with this prologue of things to come and I’m excited to see if other games of the series will be covered after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse are over with. Also, where’s Grant Danasty?

Castlevania Season 1 – 4 out of 5

Pros:

Dracula’s backstory
Trevor Belmont’s personality
The fight scenes
Short, can finish the season in less than two hours

Cons:

Animation is spotty at times
Ends right as it’s getting good


https://thegameofnerds.com/2017/07/13/netflixs-castlevania-season-1/

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BeitragVerfasst: 16.07.2017, 11:13 
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Zitat:
The Weekly Nerd: Castlevania Review
AlbeL_88
07/12/2017


After about a decade of rumors and speculation, Castlevania has finally made it to television in the form of a Netflix original program. While the first season is only four 25 minute episodes, it still manages to tell an interesting story and set up the plot for the next season very well.

The first episode sets up the plot for the season quite well. The scene opens with a woman named Lisa approaching Dracula in his castle, asking him to teach her in the ways of science and medicine. Dracula takes an immediate interest in her bravery and curiosity, agreeing to teach her. Fast forward to the Church burning Lisa for the crime of witchcraft. We quickly learn that Dracula and Lisa had wed, so the Church has unwittingly killed the wife of the Vlad the Impaler. In light of this, Dracula is quite upset about and gives the people of this country a year to make their peace as he will rain down the armies of Hell to salt the Earth of their existence.

The show’s story is well presented and gives the viewer adequate context to get invested in the world. We are given a surprisingly sympathetic view on Dracula’s hatred towards humanity. At the beginning of the story, he admits to Lisa that he has stopped impaling people and has taken a much more passive way of interacting with the world. Lisa implores him to travel and see how the world has changed instead of staying in his castle and judging humanity from a distance. While we know little about Lisa as a person, her execution hits hard as it is the reason that Dracula decides to commit genocide. The story starts off slowly but begins to kick into gear during episode two. The story itself is quite contained. The main focus of the plot is about Trevor and a magician named Sypha trying to save a small town from getting wiped out.

While later games in the franchise have more story focus than the early titles, the show manages to take a few aspects from some of the early game’s plots and make them work for this short series. It focuses on a drunk and jaded Trevor Belmont; a man who is the sole heir of the Belmont clan. His family name, once renowned for their ability to slay demons, has since been dragged through the mud by the Church. With the demon apocalypse at hand, Trevor and a few other warriors may be all that stands in the way of the world being consumed by fire and blood. The story is fairly straightforward but surprisingly effective. It puts the various characters together in a way that sets up their mutual goal of stopping Dracula. None of these reasons are overly complex but each of them still feels distinct and brings something different to the table. While the hell beasts are a clear threat, the Church serves as an antagonist as well. Their self-interest in controlling the masses puts the heroes in as much danger as the demons do. The whole “man is the true monster” plot is nothing new, but it is used to fairly good effect. The characters themselves are all interesting but unfortunately, do not have very much time to develop. Trevor himself has a bit of an arc as he confronts his own reason to fight, most of the other main characters have little time to flesh out their personalities.

The pacing of the story works fairly well, but there is more than one instance of the characters essentially stumble into major plot points. It is an odd way to quickly move the story along and odder still that it happens multiple times. It is understandable given the limited time for the show to tell its story but it still feels strange the second and third time it happens.

The voice acting is quite interesting in this show. It is oddly understated in many cases. Rather than screaming or suffering from bouts of maniacal laughter, Graham McTavish (Preacher) takes a bit more of a subdued approach to portraying Dracula. He goes for more of a rage that boils under the surface. This gives him a sense of menace that is quite chilling. Richard Armitage’s (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) does a great job of bringing Trevor to life. He is a foul-mouthed drunkard who is clearly trying to forget the struggles of his past. Armitage is able to inject a satisfying swagger into Trevor while still maintaining a level of gravitas to his words when he gets serious. Alejandra Reynoso (Winx Club), brings a fierce energy to Sypha. As a member of the group known as The Speakers, she feels it is her duty to help those in need. She risks her life to fulfill her duty without hesitation and bolsters others around her to do the same.

The animation in the show ranged from fairly average to incredibly impressive. The colors are fairly muted during many scenes, but when carnage and flames are enveloping the land, the bright oranges of the fire, as well as the crimson tones of blood and viscera, stick out well. The scenes of violence contrast with the more dull browns, grays, and blues seen in most of the show. These visuals themselves are incredibly grisly. Castlevania does not shy away from intense violence. There are quite a few scenes of townsfolk being slaughtered by demons as well as Trevor himself taking on opponents. The intense violence works well for the series as it adds to the feeling of doom that hangs over the characters. The various action scenes throughout the show are beautifully animated. The fluidity of Trevor’s movements while fighting show that he is a seasoned warrior who is skilled at improvising. He often has limited tools when he is in combat but he manages to use them in interesting ways. As expected of a Belmont, Trevor’s skills with his trusty whip are incredibly fun to watch. Thankfully, the animators understood the importance of this weapon to the Belmonts and made sure that these scenes display his finesse. The beautifully drawn fire and magic stand out incredibly well against the muted colors I mentioned earlier as well.

As a long running Castlevania fan, it would be remiss of me not to discuss some comparisons to the game. The biggest disappointment in the show is the music. While the score is fairly moody and dark but it is a missed opportunity. I was hoping the show would manage to work in some remixes of iconic Castlevania songs from games. The eclectic mix of music featured in the game would have actually fit many of the situations in the show quite well. Another missed opportunity is the use of Monsters. Over the years, Castlevania has built up an incredible bestiary of creatures, but the show went with fairly generic demons. To be fair, they looked quite creepy and seeing them kill civilians is quite grotesque but it would have been cool to see some monsters based on the beasts from the games.


Castlevania is a great show. Its four episodes do a great job of telling a short story about the renowned vampire hunter. It sets up the next season very well and left me wanting more. As a fan of the games, there are a few omissions, but as a short series, this show is very successful. The action looks fantastic and the characters while lacking depth, are fun to watch as they are all so distinct and have great designs. This show is an easy recommendation for anyone who is a fan of animation, Castlevania and dark fantasy stories.


http://digitalfiasco.wtf/2017/07/12/weekly-nerd-castlevania-review/


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CASTLEVANIA Review

by Angelo Rivera · July 14, 2017

Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve watched my beloved video game series fall victim to Hollywood’s kiss of death countless times, but no longer!

. . . Alright, there’s no way that Netflix’s CASTLEVANIA is going to put the final nail in the coffin of absolutely god-awful video game movies, but it’s so encouraging to see a solid take on a deserving franchise. Despite its basically ancient source material (specifically, 1990’s CASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA’S CURSE) giving it every reason to be just another grimdark action-adventure throwaway, CASTLEVANIA breaks free from the lackluster storytelling and ineffectual characterization that have marred game adaptations in the past with a nuanced, thoughtful plot and some stellar voice acting to accompany its brutal action. Showrunners Warren Ellis and Adi Shankar seem to have painstakingly reproduced the tone and setting that have defined the series since its inception, making CASTLEVANIA a step in the right direction for adult fans of both the video game series and animated television alike.

An origin story of sorts for Dracula, CASTLEVANIA opens in 15th-century Wallachia as scientist Lisa (Emily Swallow) strikes up an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire lord (voiced by Graham McTavish) in order to acquire forbidden knowledge that will help her aid the sick and needy. Contrary to the classic Dracula mythos, Lisa suffers no harm at his hands, the two fall in love, and eventually they get married. It’s only when Lisa is burned at the stake by the church as a witch that Dracula’s villainous turn finally takes place, and he retaliates by summoning an army from hell to exterminate humankind. It’s left up to Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), a vampire hunter from a disgraced family, to put an end to Dracula’s reign of terror over the Romanian countryside with the help of a few unlikely allies. The premiere expertly sets the tone for the show and establishes Dracula as a sympathetic, almost Byronic villain by exploring (and subsequently destroying) his fragile relationship with man.

By the end of the first episode, it is abundantly clear that CASTLEVANIA is no Saturday-morning romp; blood rains from the heavens as the demonic hordes maim and maul everything in their path, evoking the gritty violence of anime classics like VAMPIRE HUNTER D. Often gory and visceral and leaving nothing to the imagination, it’s a significant departure for Frederator Studios (the production company behind ADVENTURE TIME), but one they handle in stride. CASTLEVANIA’s visuals are equal parts grotesque and elegant; characters and environments are drawn with meticulous detail in stark contrast to its messy, choppy, violent action scenes.

The voice cast is superb, though sometimes a bit quiet; characters’ softer lines sometimes get drowned out by effects or music as the result of some shoddy sound balance. McTavish (AMC’s PREACHER) delivers as the evil lord of vampires, supplying the character with both a quiet tact and a palpable, seething, unhinged rage. Armitage (THE HOBBIT) delights as Trevor, the typical anti-hero whose propensity for alcohol and wisecracks is matched only by his fighting prowess. The big standout of the cast so far, though, is James Callis (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), who voices fan-favorite Alucard with a solemn poise and an underlying ferocity that is only really highlighted in the season’s final minutes. Alucard, Dracula’s son, is torn between his feelings of grief and resentment toward humankind for causing his mother’s death and his obligation to protect them at her behest, and Callis’s performance reflects that struggle expertly in a very short time.

In fact, the series so far has an equally strong emphasis on personal and meta themes as it does gratuitous violence. Blind faith and its consequences play a considerable role in setting up the characters’ motivations; the church ignores Dracula’s warnings following Lisa’s death, and the despicable Bishop (Matt Frewer) who orchestrated her death believes the word of God will protect the citizenry, to predictably disastrous results. The duality between personal wishes and responsibility is also constantly at play over the course of the opening act, as Trevor struggles with his family duty to protect people from Dracula’s horrors even though the common folk openly detest him. These themes woven throughout Ellis’s script add layers of depth heretofore unseen in game adaptations, and make CASTLEVANIA both thought-provoking and a blast to watch.

If anything, the show’s lone downfall at the moment is its brevity. The first “season” is only four episodes long—at 25 or so minutes apiece, that’s only about the length of a feature film—but Netflix has already announced that at least eight more episodes are on the way. Now that much of the framework has been laid out for the principal conflict, though, it’s questionable whether or not the plot will devolve into mindless, bloody action—but at least it’s off to a solid start. I have to admit, having been burned by video game adaptations in the past, I wasn’t hopeful about CASTLEVANIA, but it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised for once.


http://www.xfdrmag.net/castlevania-review/


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Netflix’s Castlevania is the R-rated horror animated series that was promised

Four episodes of R-rated horror adventure? What better way to spend 90 minutes?

Pop Culture
By Kevin McGuire on July 14, 2017

When Netflix announced the plan to bring an animated Castlevania series to its service, it promised an R-rated story. Consider that promise fulfilled.

Castlevania is an adult animated series that fits right in with any number of horror classics. Based on the video game series that has been around since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Castlevania on Netflix dives into a story that brings together some familiar characters from the source material in a way that has never quite been done before. The four-part series lays the groundwork for introducing our main characters and leaves you hanging on at the end with plenty of anticipation for what happens next. Netflix has already renewed the series for a second season, which is reportedly set to consist of eight episodes.

The idea of an animated Castlevania has been worked on since 2007, and it may have been worth the wait. The animation style is dark, as it should be considering the story and era. Inspired by anime and the artwork seen in the Castlevania franchise, Castlevania on Netflix offers a four-episode story that is easy to get through in one sitting for fans of the horror genre. Each episode runs around 23 minutes long, so the whole series can be viewed in an hour and a half.
You won’t actually see much of Dracula after the first episode, but sure feel his impact.

The series opens up setting the inspiration for what makes Dracula the nemesis he is known to be, and it does not take long at all to find out why Dracula is hell-bent on taking out his frustrations on the local townspeople. Set in the time of the Dark Ages, Dracula’s wife, a scientist who approaches Dracula with the pure intent of learning about vampires, is accused of being a witch by the people of the town, and for that, she is taken and burned at the stake in the middle of the town. Dracula vows revenge on the people, giving them one year to make their peace before he brings down his promised justice.

As Dracula is wrecking havoc on the town and the massacre is spreading to nearby towns, one survivor manages to spread the word to a nearby tavern, where we first meet Trevor Belmont for the first time. Belmont is a bit of an outlier in his own family, a family that has little respect by the locals for their dealings in magic and monster fighting. The Belmont family has been outcast by the church, but Trevor is determined to live his own life, and it just so happens he is the leader the town needs more than ever before. He’s also sarcastic and confident, which is great.

As he becomes determined to stop Dracula’s reign of terror, The Lost Son of the Belmont family builds a small team with the magical Sypha Belnades and Alucard, the son of Dracula who will do everything he can in order to stop his father from committing genocide. Both characters should be familiar to anyone who has played the Castlevania video game franchise. But before these three can ultimately team up, they must first gain the trust of each other, which results in a brief conflict of interest at first that must be resolved. Trevor Belmont is determined to live his own life, but when called into action he follows in the family legacy with a good dose of sarcasm and foul-mouthed lines along the way.

A major theme of the series is focused on religion. Because this series is set in the times of the Dark Ages, religious leaders are portrayed as over-the-top and crazy influencers on society that stop at nothing to block scientific thought. It is the church that goes about its business in the community in spite of Dracula’s threats, and it is the church that burns those deemed to be witches. This is inspired by the acts seen during the Dark Ages, where science could be considered an act of defiance. Castlevania plays off that theme from the start and continues to use it as a plot point over the four episodes. Belmont is the lone man not afraid to step up to the church, which leads to Belmont to be more inspired to fight for what he believes is right for the sake of others.

You do not have to be a fan of the Castlevania series of video games in order to enjoy the Castlevania Netflix series, but having some knowledge of the source material may lead you to have more respect for some of the references and plot features. For example, there is one moment where Belmont does everything he can to avoid stepping foot in the water. Maybe it was not the intended reference, but water leads to an automatic death in Castlevania video games. But no, there is no whipping the walls in search of some meat to replenish any health.

As someone who has a very limited background with the Castlevania franchise (never owned a Castlevania game and have only played small portions of the franchise up through the Super Nintendo), I went into this series with a pretty clean slate. In watching it, I enjoyed the theme Castlevania aimed for and how the theme and tone carried out.

This is a dark series, with doses of humor. Make no mistake about it; this Castlevania is very much the R-rated experience that was initially promised. The violent imagery may not be for those with a weak stomach, and the language is not for kids. We may not have seen such violent imagery with Castlevania since an early issue of Nintendo Power led to the Nintendo phone lines being flooded with complaints about kids having nightmares.

Castlevania was an enjoyable viewing experience for me. This is clearly an R-rated horror adventure, but it also has a sense of humor that doesn’t feel forced and always tends to fit in at the right opportunities. The character development is also adequate even in four episodes. If you have 90 minutes to spare and are a fan of horror adventure, then Castlevania is right up your alley. So crack your whip, grab a turkey leg, sit back and enjoy. Let the kids play the games, while the adults watch the show.

Castlevania is currently available on Netflix.


http://thecomeback.com/pop-culture/netflixs-castlevania-is-the-r-rated-horror-animated-series-that-was-promised.html


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Castlevania (Season 1)
Teasing us with the whip

by Nathan Hennessy 15/07/2017

Castlevania is the latest original animated series to grace Netflix, and also their shortest offering. Adding to the slim picking for anime fans, this adaption of the 30 year old video game franchise about Dracula is as tantalising as it is fleeting.

This franchise involves the family Belmont, a once prestigious clan fallen from glory due to their sworn duty to slay vampires. Real shit kicker work that the church-led Eastern European setting would rather ignore. We’re normally used to seeing the inside of the Castle(vania) in this series, so this outer world building is a great addition. The anime-style adaption gives brief glimpses into the magical mobile castle of Dracula and his hidden humanity. The state of the world develops according to his whims, as he occupies a kind of Baron status among the peasants of its 15th century fictional fantasy setting.

When the theocracy of the day chooses to exercise their power against his family in the name of ridding the world of the profane, he proceeds to summon the legions from hell to march across the country. The series quickly builds its world state over the period of a year, but nothing substantial is elaborated on other than some key religious factions and the Belmonts’ position.

So, is this show for you? In the increasing expansion of Netflix Originals content, probably not. This is a series clearly taking advantage of a desire for more anime on the platform: drawing in those folk and fans of this franchise. If you’ve never encountered any of the Castlevania games previously, there’s little here for you.

Here’s why.

This series is only four episodes of about 20 minutes. I repeat, four episodes in adaption of a densely storied franchise that is over 30 games long. Admittedly, this is a very liberal adaption and expansion of the third Castlevania game – a relative starting point in the series’ convoluted chronology. So these four episodes only manage to accomplish the following: introduce Dracula, why he’s so broody, his nemesis, his son, and his shitty peasant neighbours. We get to meet the family and the neighbourhood – wait until next year for more.

This is a bit harsh, but not when considering that a serial season is meant to comprise some substantial narrative arc. The plot of this season doesn’t move beyond mere introduction, only serving to give us an entry point into the demonic conflict.

The strongest feature of this anime-style series is its English voice cast. This is an American adaption of a franchise that has spawned out of Japan. Richard Armitage’s (as Trevor Belmont, the vagabond hero) softly spoken quips when looking down the edge of a blade cooly sets the protagonists voice acting far apart from that we would see in an English language adaptation of a typical anime from Japan. Unfortunately, few others stand out among the cast. Save for James Callis’ (the excellent Gaius Baltar, Battlestar Galactica) Alucard, the son of Dracula, the rest are serviceable and without much emotion. Particularly troubling is the actor behind Lisa, the mysterious cult magician and Trevor’s tag-along whose accent seems to bizarrely switch between vaguely mediterranean and lazy Irish each time she appears. Yet when it comes to English in animation of this style, this would still be considered better than average.

As for the animation, this is quite a bloody series. And yet, though it teases in the beginning and of its namesake, there are surprisingly few moments of outright bloodshed in the season’s runtime. This anime will appeal to fans of both Berserk and Hellsing, but doesn’t make the mark of either series. Visually, this sits alongside these decades old franchises. In 2017, it appears to compromise its ability to dazzle with flashy effects in favour of animated fidelity. The fast paced kinetic flurry of blades and whips is wonderfully directed and choreographed, but the scenes often look stilted outside of the action. When less than half of the first season’s runtime involves action, the otherwise lacklustre visuals become glaringly obvious.

For fans of the brutally hard Castlevania games like myself, we shall have to exercise our trained patience for another year and see what’s really in store. For the rest, you will really have to enjoy vampires and gore to get much out of this.

Rating: 6.5/10


http://www.togatus.com.au/7109-2/


Zitat:
July 15, 2017
Review: Castlevania – Netflix


What a very strange thing this is indeed. Based around the classic series of video games and more specifically Castlevania III, the show aims to resemble anime art and animation style as well as including more gore and adult themes.

What led me to watch it was three factors:

It is written by Warren Ellis and Ellis can write interesting things.
I still forgot to cancel my Netflix subscription for another month.
I was stuck on a train without a book.

Point number 3 is why I watched more than one episode. Part way through the third episode (of four in total) I decided that I maybe had started to not dislike it quite so much.

Episode 1 doesn’t make much sense. Its focus is on Vlad Dracula Tepes who is a vampire (obviously) but also some sort of holder of advanced technology and a scholar who used to (but for some reason doesn’t bother so much now) impale people on stakes. He lives in Wallachia and it is the 15th Century. The last few bits plunge the story into an uncanny valley of alt-history. The initial direct borrowings of historical and geographical setting given an initial impression that the setting will be a kind of alt-history (which would be ok) rather than a video game fantasy world (which would also be ok). The net effect though, is a sense of historical cluelessness (e.g. why are there apparently Catholic priests in Orthodox Romania?).

The plot of the first episode is as corny as hell. Dracula falls in love with a doctor who has sought him out because she wants to use science to heal people. She convinces Dracula to explore the world on foot (maybe…I didn’t quite get that bit) and while he is away she gets burnt as a witch by the church. When Dracula finds out he warns the people of Wallachia that he will return in a year with a demonic army and lay waste to the land.

So Dracula is a bit all over the place as a character. A whole episode to give him a nasty fridging back-story to show that he isn’t all bad but yeah, he’s basically all bad. Also, he’s a high-tech (or at least Victorian steam-punk tech) evil vampire with hellish powers. Rather than emotional depth for a corny villain, this is a weird info-dump for the video-game setting. In later episodes, characters will need to explore buildings that have electric lights and mechanical traps as well as hell beasts, so Episode 1 spends its time laying this out as a premise. Probably would have been better saved as a mid-story explanation of what is going on.

The next three episodes work better. Firstly it becomes clearer that this is a bizarro fantasy world – which is good. The anachronisms aren’t what they seem and the history isn’t actually shonky, it’s just a generic fantasy world of taverns and magic and walled cities and improbable architecture. That includes a whole extra made up religion (the ‘Speakers’) and magic users so as to include a character who was a playable character in Castlevania 3.

The main hero is Trevor Belmont, an ancestor of Simon Belmont (the more regular re-occurring hero of the video game franchise) – played as a sarcastic reluctant hero by Richard Armitage.

The secondary bad guys remain a corrupt and bigoted Catholic Church. Given it is actually a completely different world, I guess it is just a church that happens to look like the Catholic Church (down to priest’s dog collars). I guess it is punching up but it still feels like a lazy cliche. There is an implication in the last two episodes that there is something else going on there and that some of the knife wielding priest-goons aren’t actually priests. Even so, I can sympathise with Catholic if they feel the show is just using the trappings of Catholicism as a simplistic way to create mortal bad guys.

By Episode 4 the season is over – so in total it is about the same length as a movie. By the end, the three characters who will fight Dracula have been introduced and that’s about it. Some bonkers but fun action sequences and fights have occurred and maybe the whole thing begins to look like it makes more sense than it does.


https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2017/07/15/review-castlevania-netflix/


Zitat:
Castlevania Season 1 Review – Netflix Original Paint-by-Numbers
Mike Cosimano
Jul 12, 2017

The most interesting part of Castlevania comes in the first handful of minutes, as the show condenses a Beauty and the Beast-style tale into a single scene complete with the sort of ending you might find in a grim & gritty fairy tale reboot. Enjoy it while it lasts, because the Netflix Original, Castlevania will never get any more compelling than that. Ultimately, the show is little more than a trifle; four chunks of gothic gore and mediocre storytelling that will consume a good hundred minutes of your life, leaving you no better or worse than when you first sat down to watch. The fact that Castlevania is not an abhorrent waste of time certainly earns it a top spot in the canon of video game adaptations, although I don’t believe that makes it worth watching.

Castlevania (the Netflix show) manages to hit the broad strokes of Castlevania (the video game franchise) well enough—Dracula is there, he’s got a wild-ass castle, there’s a Belmont, said Belmont has a whip, and Dracula’s son Alucard has a complicated relationship with his old man. I’m told the show is a straight adaptation of Castlevania III, which means almost nothing to me since I have not played that game.

I’m also told that Castlevania (the Netflix show) reportedly started out as a script for a direct-to-DVD animated feature—which explains why I kept thinking to myself, “Boy, this feels like a slightly above par direct-to-DVD animated feature somebody chopped into quarters.” Castlevania is emblematic of the big problem with streaming television: these shows are designed to be binged, which means episodes blend together or lack the basic tenets of episodic dramatic structure. Individual Castlevania episodes just sort of happen to the viewer, rather than having a beginning, middle, and end. When the credits rolled on an episode, I didn’t want to see what happened next—I wanted the other half of the episode I just watched.

When you watch an episode of regular TV, a single episode is meant to get you through the week. Unless you’re an experimental auteur like David Lynch or Noah Hawley, each installment of a serial should probably conform to your standard three-act structure. If you’re really good at your job, each episode will fit that structure, along with the individual seasons and the show as a whole. (See also: Gravity Falls, the first three seasons of Arrested Development, The Wire)

I don’t mean to put storytellers in a box; you can break all the rules you want if your story calls for it and if you can make each individual episode still feel satisfying. But Castlevania is no Fargo; it’s a stock dark fantasy show that offers little in the way of new ideas. I don’t think Castlevania is conducting some grand experiment with the serialized format, I think Castlevania is this way because it’s a repurposed movie script and because House of Cards gets away with the same kind of thing.

It’s not even a very good Netflix movie, though. If you knew nothing about Castlevania (the game), you would be confused as to why the first season of this show ends on a cliffhanger that somehow managed to completely forget about the main conflict of the season finale. I’m not on the edge of my seat waiting for Season Two—I’m sitting here confused, looking for the rest of Season One.

Castlevania is a paint-by-numbers dark fantasy, with an added bonus of having Christianity as the evil religion rather than some proprietary belief system. Protagonist Trevor Belmont is a Jack Sparrow-alike; a sour-tinged nominal hero who is more concerned with getting drunk than saving lives. Bet you’ll never guess where his stock anti-hero character arc goes! There’s a lady magician whose gender is supposed to be a surprise, as is the fact that she can take care of herself. Peasants are Cockney-accented louts who have loud conversations about bestiality, and Trevor’s establishing moment takes place in a bar fight with those peasants. Unless this is your first dark fantasy, I guarantee you’ve seen all this before.

Familiar as it may be, at least Trevor has an arc—a beginning, a middle, and an end. The rest of the characters are thinly sketched, perhaps intentionally homaging NES-era non-player characters. Maybe the already-announced second season will develop the supporting cast.

There’s so little flavour to Castlevania’s script that the visuals and animation have to make up the difference. I’m not the kind of person who can excuse weak storytelling in favor of great visuals, but I can at least appreciate Castlevania’s gothic horror aesthetic. What little we see of the eponymous castle does a good job of translating video game mechanics to visual design, even if the real meat of the castle has yet to be explored. The much-ballyhooed gore never stops being fun to watch, especially during the opening instalment. The action is well choreographed, and often reflects the values and emotions of the characters involved. Castlevania is a very well directed production; it just doesn’t have the script to back up the visuals.

Look, you could do worse than Castlevania, especially since the first season is so truncated. It’s a low time investment, even if the show is kind of crummy. But I don’t know that I can recommend a show based on the fact that it hypothetically could be worse. If you have the Netflix subscription required to watch Castlevania, you already have access to a king’s ransom worth of content. Find something better to watch, unless you’re absolutely dying for a hundred minutes’ worth of animated dark fantasy.

5.5
Castlevania’s first season is both a well directed animated feature and proof that binge-ready television has ruined episodic storytelling.


http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/castlevania-season-1-netflix-original-tv-series-review/


Zitat:
Anime Review: Castlevania Season 1 (Netflix)

Jett Vincent SiaJuly 14, 2017

Through multiple attempts at adapting video games into a show, whether it be for a CRT TV (if anybody still knows what this is) or for the silver screen (note that silver is a true vampire weakness), Castlevania gets it right. It is bloody with tons of gore, violently poetic, and beautifully bold in its pursuit of what makes the Castlevania games awesome back in the day.

WARNING: May Contain Spoilers

Castlevania is an anime series based on the game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse which is part of the Castlevania series by Konami. When I first heard about the news that Netflix was gonna make an anime adaptation of the game I was excited and was definitely gonna add to my list of anime to watch. Then when it was released, it was a real treat to watch.

In the beginning you couldn’t help but feel sorry for Count Dracula, angry at the church, and pity for the blindness of the common folk. Vowing for revenge due to the loss of his wife, Dracula made his presence known to all in Wallachia, and in a very theatrical fashion I might add. He allowed all humans one year to say their peace until he summons his demonic army and when none listened, he summoned an Apocalyptic Nightmare that displayed the series’ uncensored brutality where even infants were depicted in a gory light.

While the series is actually faithful to the game’s premise, it greatly expanded on certain aspects that the game doesn’t show since you start fighting your way through hordes of monsters almost as soon as you start. They gave character to Trevor Belmost, where we see him as a drunk who roams the countryside in exile while not caring what the demons were doing. They expanded the lore of the series. And they didn’t take themselves too seriously when they talked about bestiality and had a lot of nuts getting kicked around.

Heading to the end of the beginning, the series showed poetic justice being done to the men who had caused the wrath of the iconic Count with some exceptionally brilliant dialogue to boot when the demons came. Then when everyone banded together we saw Trevor’s knowledge on fighting demonic forces, and eventually it reached a stage where it became a platformer much like in the game. All of it leading down to the “Final Boss” in the series where the swordfight was just visually gorgeous and fluid as a whole.

The series does have a few flaws however. In terms of visuals my only concern was during the final fight sequence the swordplay looked lagging causing the swords to look wider, whether it was intentional or not it was something I personally found odd. Then upon seeing the criticism some people online had where they wished to watch it in the Japanese language, I couldn’t help but feel that some people believe that anime created by westerners shouldn’t be in their local language but to a language they are more accustomed to even if they do not understand it. Another thing is one character has yet to show for the fans who have played the game, though there is a big chance he will show up in the next season.

And lastly we have the biggest flaw of the series, the length. Pacing was something I found to be perfect but with only 4 episodes and 8 for next year, I couldn’t help but be annoyed. Had they released this adaptation as an introductory movie it would’ve been more understandable and forgivable or they could stack up all the episodes and release them in one go instead of making us anxious with waiting.

Overall the series was, in the simplest of words to use, short but sweet. It is a treat for the long-time fans of the series and is easy enough to get into for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the series. It is a stylishly gory mess filled with a dark dreaded atmosphere, but one I found to be intricate in design. If I were a vampire this would not have been enough to sate my thirst, it only makes me want for more.

7.9
The Verdict



http://sirusgaming.info/2017/07/anime-review-castlevania-season-1-netflix/

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BeitragVerfasst: 16.07.2017, 11:14 
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Und der 2. Teil der Zusammenstellung. Der Beitrag war zu groß, um in einem Zug hochgeladen zu werden: :lol:

Zitat:
TV Series Review: Castlevania – Season 1
July 15, 2017 The Disc


Castlevania’s first season is more like an extended prologue, a setting up of the characters, surroundings & circumstances. Each episode is about 25 minutes long roughly with the season being only 4 episodes long. Happily though, a second eight-episode season has been confirmed already.

Based off the Konami game series of the same name but particularly the 1989 game, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. The series follows Trevor Belmont of the fallen Belmont family as he tries to defend the lands of Wallachia from the hordes of Dracula.

The series begins by showing just how & why Dracula unleashed his army of Hell demons on the people of Wallachia. An interesting & thoughtful approach to the character, it makes for a compelling watch to see Dracula driven by emotion. As his army spreads across the land, the people place the blame on the kingdom’s noble families, including the Belmonts.

Episode 2 introduces Trevor Belmont who is trying to stay incognito because of the hatred towards his family. After a fight in a pub he ends up in the city of Gresit. The city is under attack from Dracula’s minions on a nightly basis. Trevor meets the Speakers, a group who travel city to city offering aid. However they are due to be executed this night by corrupt priests. They blame their use of magic as the reason for Dracula’s rage.

Trevor tries to get the Speakers to leave but they refuse as one of their own is missing having gone into the catacombs to find the ‘sleeping soldier’. A fabled legendary warrior who can defeat Dracula.

The third episode is the slowest of the 4 as Trevor finds the missing Speaker but battles a cyclops in the catacombs. He discovers they are in Dracula’s castle & that it can be transported wherever the vampire wants.

After defeating the cyclops, Trevor meets the Bishop of Gresit who turns out to be closely linked to Dracula. Planning to kill the Speakers tonight, he offers Trevor a deal. Leave & he’ll restore his family name. Trevor refuses & prepares to face off against the mob the clergy have arranged.

The final episode sees night fall on Gresit & Dracula’s monsters entering the town. Along with the townspeople, Trevor fights the monsters but the ground crumbles underneath him sending him deep into the catacombs.

It’s here he finds the sleeping soldier & wakes him. Unfortunately for Trevor the legend wasn’t quite accurate as the man he finds is a vampire. They do battle & after a lengthy & well matched fight the vampire relents revealing himself to be Alucard & agreeing to help fight Dracula.

That ending! Absolutely loved it, the reveal of Alucard isn’t that much of a surprise for those who know the series well but it’s still handled fantastically well. While this season might be geared towards fans of the game, you don’t have to know anything about it to enjoy it.

Visually Castlevania goes with a Japanese Manga style with art that bears similarities to the Symphony of the Night game. Aimed at an adult audience, the blood & gore flies & there’s a hefty amount of bad language used. It’s very flashy which can get a bit tiresome during some of the lengthier battles but it’s a lot of fun to watch.

That’s really helped by the quality voice cast. Richard Armitage giving Trevor Belmont a sarcastic edge is a highlight while Graham McTavish’s Dracula exudes coldness.

As enjoyable as Castlevania is, it does have a few problems. The first & most glaring is that we’ve seen it all before. While watching you’ll get a familiar itch that deepens as it goes on. Eventually it’s maddening & you have to scratch it. Castlevania isn’t doing anything particularly original. A few too many times it will make you think of Vampire Hunter D.

The second major issue is the pacing. The first episode packs in so much that during the latter half of the second & whole of the third not a lot goes on! Once Trevor is introduced, it goes a little flat. It doesn’t quite grab the attention in the same way.

Thankfully it pulls it back for a frantic fourth which leaves you wanting much more from this story. A very positive start, the issues here can be easily rectified for the second season.

Castlevania lives!


The Final Score - 7/10


https://gbhbl.com/tv-series-review-castlevania-season-1/


Zitat:
Castlevania: 8 Things That Worked (And 7 That Didn’t) On Netflix
07.14.2017
by Renaldo Matadeen in Lists Comment


Fans were excited when Netflix announced an adaptation of Konami’s popular 1989 video game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. This game focused on Trevor C. Belmont, an ancestor of the franchise’s original hero Simon Belmont, working together with the pirate, Grant Danasty, as well as Alucard (Dracula’s son) and Sypha Belnades, a young sorceress. This Castlevania adaptation would change things up a bit but under esteemed comic book writer Warren Ellis, who crafted a dramatic and powerful story. Ellis brought the creative dynamism he employed to other adaptations, such as G.I. JOE: Resolute and the Marvel Anime series involving Iron Man, Wolverine, Blade and the X-Men.

Along with Ellis, Adi Shankar was one of the executive producers on the project and after working on things such as Karl Urban’s Dredd and short films involving the Punisher and Power Rangers, you know the degree of violence you are about to get into. However, as flashy as the four episodes were, there was still a lot of tension and substance added in to the horror story. In fact, it had elements that made you wish it were made for cinema or a television live-action adaptation. That said, it also had its flaws, so CBR decided to look into what worked and what didn’t!

15. WORKED: THE ACTION

The action sequences in this show threw anime fans back to epic battles found in properties like Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D and Blood: The Last Vampire. Powerhouse Animation Studios worked with Shankar’s team and Frederator Studios, and brought its own expertise over from Mortal Kombat X and DC Universe Online to the mix.

What we got was something that felt and looked like classic anime. It was super fluid and had a retro ebb and flow, while still feeling as fresh as, say, the new Voltron cartoon ( which is on Netflix as well). Seeing Trevor cut down monsters, Dracula’s raids on humanity, and the overall effects of the world of Wallachia as it became torn by war and violence gave us gritty and action-packed sequences, leaving fans familiar with the property both aghast and in total awe.

14. DIDN’T WORK: TOO SHORT

This series felt like one movie chopped into four chapters and it was clear when you saw how abruptly each episode ended. The first one delved into Dracula’s backstory, with the remaining chapters expanding on Wallachia and how it was affected by his reign. They also informed us about Trevor as the last of the Belmonts, the Church as the main antagonist, as well as the Speakers (disciplined wielders of knowledge and magic).

We also got insight into Alucard and his family dynamic with Dracula. What these other episodes did was set up the sympathetic villain in Dracula, the real villain in the religious order and also, the protagonist team (including the spellbinding Sypha) to go after the vampire. However, the finale ended right when they headed off to Dracula’s castle and left us on a cliffhanger that won’t be resolved until 2018.

13. WORKED: THE ADULT THEMES

If you’re familiar with Ellis’ body of work, you’ll know he doesn’t pull punches in his stories. Castlevania was packed with profanity (as you’d expect from the writer) and revolved around very taboo subjects including… well, we’ll let you find that out for yourself. Then there was Trevor, who came off like a drunk Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. His character development was pretty spot on, but apart from all this cursing and talk of sex in the bars he frequented, we would rather focus here on all the bloodlust in the show.

The gore was off the charts as we saw men, women and children dismembered and skewered by various beasts from hell. Basically, the show held nothing back and left very little to the imagination, while at the same time packing in as much of Ellis’ nightmare fuel as possible. These adult themes undoubtedly left fans wondering how they would be pushing the envelope in 2018.

12. DIDN’T WORK: LACKED THE BELMONT BACKSTORY

Simon Belmont’s story is a huge thing in the Castlevania property. Diehards would have loved more insight into him and the rest of Trevor’s ancestors, their fallen House and just what the Belmont crest went through in the past. We knew they were once befriended by the Church before their unorthodox (and at times magical) methods saw them branded as heretics and enemies, so flashbacks, or even a dedicated episode to this past would have really helped. We wanted to see how the killer whip came to prominence!

We also wanted to witness how Trevor ended up like this, and the Belmonts’ history with the forces of Vlad Tepes, Dracula’s human identity. A fall from grace needs to be placed into context, especially as we saw that Trevor cared for humanity and wanted to be a hero. Also, watching Dracula take Trevor’s bloodline apart would have added to the rivalry.

11. WORKED: THE ANIME STYLE

This reminded us of what Netflix did for Knights of Sidonia and its Voltron reboot. However, Castlevania felt more polished, like Samurai X, really pushing us to petition Netflix for more series like this. This particular style was fit for action, sci-fi and horror, which begs for video game adaptations as well as comic book movies. Marvel and DC have echoed such a style in the past but they couldn’t find the right balance of look and story like this did.

Shankar is helping bring an Assassin’s Creed animated series to life at Netflix so hopefully, this style opens more doors of promise for the likes of Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear, The Legend of Zelda or Doom. The possibilities are endless when you can tap into such a polished yet fluid style of animated and art.

10. DIDN’T WORK: LACKED A STRONG FEMALE PRESENCE

Sypha (a Speaker) was a pretty interesting character. We saw her evolve from a damsel in distress, rescued by Trevor, to someone who used her magic to help him avoid a mob. She grew stronger and threw verbal barbs as well, but it took a while to come. That said, apart from her, there’s no real female presence on the show.

Lisa (Alucard’s mother) would have offset this and she seemed set to in the premiere episode as the story opened up with her and her love for science drawing Dracula in. She was brave and bold, leading to a romance, but just when we started to feel for the duo, the story cut to her being burnt alive by the Church, which would incur her husband’s wrath upon the world. Such a male-dominated series deserved more fleshing-out for its female leads.

9. WORKED: THE MESSAGES

Ellis packed the story with so many deep layers. The message of man versus beast came out emotionally when Dracula tried to remain composed and in love, only for the very humans he hated to rip it away from him. Alucard then trying to restrain him in Lisa’s name further compounded the tragedy. Also, there was the story of redeeming a family’s name with Trevor.

These were great threads, as was the arc of religion being a tool that could be used to lead blind men astray. Ellis smartly wove in this modern-day issue between religion and science, too, with the latter being seen as a form of sorcery back then — showing that mankind were the true architects of the Dark Ages, and more so, they fooled innocents to perpetuate war.

8. DIDN’T WORK: LACKED DRACULA’S FAMILY

This was something that shouldn’t have been glossed over. We saw Dracula humanized through his meeting with Lisa, so a bit more insight into their romance and marriage could have built him up more. We’re supposed to be empathizing with him so things like his first kiss with her, their vows, Lisa announcing the pregnancy and the birth of baby Alucard would have truly painted them as a family torn asunder — and not just him as a man.

We also would have gotten more background into why Alucard was so stoic like his mother, as opposed to just one fatherly squabble that put him on ice for years. The backstory with Lisa would have also expanded on the traits of the father and son, so that when they meet we connect with all their despair. One episode was all we got to cover this ground.

7. WORKED: AWESOME MONSTER DESIGNS

You would expect an anime-influenced piece to go overboard with the monsters, especially in a vampire-driven story, but that wasn’t the case here. The bat-like creatures, as well as the Cyclops (with its Medusa-esque powers) looked simple yet badass. These subtleties really painted the show as one that wasn’t trying too hard, but which was still pulling off the cool factor.

Make no mistake, they were demonic — as seen when one of the bat-hounds held a baby in its mouth. However, for every gruesome aspect of their design, they looked unique while still having the essence of the video games. Maybe that will change when we see Dracula shift his true form from that of flames into something much more sinister. He may also have more armies from hell to unleash.

6. DIDN’T WORK: SLOW PACE

Don’t get us wrong, the slow pace didn’t kill the series but it could have been charged a bit more. The character development was great, the plot advancement was fine but at some points, the show dwelled on certain things and lagged. The bar fights, the meetings with the Speakers and some of the Church’s antics could have been run through faster.

Sacrificing these would have given us room for other threads such as Alucard and his daddy issues, or Lisa’s history with Vlad. Alucard’s fight with Trevor was a prime example of how speeding up the plot worked. If there were more episodes, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but given that only four were thrown our way, we’re seeing some fat that should have been trimmed.

5. WORKED: DARK TRAGEDY ANGLE

This was a fantastic twist because the dark tragedy gave us a villain we could have sympathized with and also, it really gave everyone ammunition to justify their war. It felt human as well, because this is a loss so many people endure in the real world. Thus Dracula had some justification to his actions.

It also lent so much to the Tepes’ family saga and drama, while placing all the chess pieces where they needed to be — namely the Church. With one romance burnt, Ellis also cleverly decided not to push a romantic agenda with Trevor and Sypha, keeping a love lost as the only one that matters… thus far, anyway. At the heart of every war is love, so as a catalyst, Lisa’s death hit the mark!

4. DIDN’T WORK: WALLACHIA SEEMED SMALL

Apart from Gresit, we really didn’t dive into Wallachia to see the extent of Dracula’s war, the reach of the Church, and how widespread the Speakers were. These things would have expanded the realm of Wallachia and really illustrated the struggles of the people, and just how dark things got when Dracula’s monsters began their reign.

What we saw kind of looked the same throughout the show, so next season, let’s hope we see some diversity in the people, the towns and maybe some rebellions here and there. Seeing the greater world frames things differently for us and shows the transition from a glorious time to one that’s now mired in blood. Ellis is great at world-building so next time around, this is one dimension that has to grow.

3. WORKED: VOICE CASTING

The voice casting on Castlevania was perfect. Richard Armitage really brought a sense of virtue to Trevor and it’s no surprise given how awesome he was as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy. His voice sent shivers down our spines in how regal it was. Graham McTavish (Preacher, Dwalin from The Hobbit) did the same, but with a sense of dread as Dracula.


James Callis (of the recent Battlestar Galactica stories) also impressed as Alucard, with Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha and Matt Frewer as The Bishop, all giving a cinematic resonance to the characters. In fact, fans compared the show’s sound to that of Game of Thrones, in that it suspended your disbelief because it felt like something real and close to home, even while being a nightmare far away.

2. DIDN’T WORK: NEEDED MORE DRACULA

Let’s be real, one episode with Dracula cutting loose just doesn’t cut it. We wanted to see him unleashed. After all, this is a hellspawn who lost his truest love to his greatest enemy! Also, a bit more of his fight with Alucard should have been shown so that we could have seen his grief and felt his anger. After all, taking out your own son illustrates the torment mankind is putting you through.

We loved how powerful he was depicted as being, especially on the magical side of things, but we needed a rabid beast. Something along the lines of 30 Days of Night would have been amazing because as scary as he was, we never truly got to watch him getting his hands dirty. Dracula should have been the one killing the Bishop that executed his wife. Also, is he asleep in his castle? Or just sulking? So many details were left obscure.

1. WORKED: WARREN ELLIS

Warren Ellis’ resume is stacked. He’s done work for so many comic book publishers that you would be hard-pressed to pick any specific one that stands out from his material. Be it at DC Comics, Marvel or even on the creator-owned front, he’s done some of the best-regarded stories in the history of comics.

His knack for sussing out what makes characters resonate with heart and soul rears its head once more here, from the inner-battle with Trevor, to his redemption story, to Sypha seeking justice, to Alucard wanting to follow his mother’s dream. Then there’s Dracula being relatable in his quest for revenge; and of course, the politics of the Church through the Bishop. Ellis’ plot rolled and roiled from there into a tapestry of death, tragedy and maddening redemption, or something very much like it. As always, he proved to be a master of the game (in any medium) and left us thirsty for more.


http://www.cbr.com/netflix-castlevania-worst-best/


Zitat:
‘Castlevania’ Review: Does Netflix Do The Series Justice?
By Jeffrey Scott on July 15, 2017 in Horror, Reviews

Castlevania is one of those series that, despite consistent and stellar releases, has never reached beyond a fairly niche audience. I mean for fucks sake, there’s a damn genre of video games named after it (Metroidvania), but unless your fairly into retro gaming (or badass soundtracks) there’s a solid chance you’ve never really experienced the masterwork that these games are.

While there is some variation, the basic premise is you’re a vampire hunter, often of the Belmont family, who storms Dracula’s castles with your magic whip, murdering monsters, minions, and freaks of all shapes and sizes, occasionally busting open a stone wall to eat the (most likely rotten) ham inside.

For me, and I’m guessing for a lot of others, the best part about Castlevania is the monsters. From the MAN-EATER, a giant insect living inside a skull, to a mirror teleporting jester who cackles madly as he shoots lasers from his fingertips, these are some of the most creative bosses and enemies in gaming history, and an absolute joy to fight against for any fan of the macabre and grotesque.

And that’s the reason Netflix’s new Castlevania series falls a little flat.The action, done in that slick style only anime seems able to accomplish, all looks and feels great, but there’s just so little of it. Beyond Dracula himself, a few flying gargoyle like creatures. and an excellent fight with a Medusa/Cyclops hybrid these four episodes feature very little of the beasts that make the video games iconic.

Granted four episodes isn’t a lot of time to accomplish much of anything. More episodes are promised to come next year, but the streaming giant might have done better to keep this one in their money lined pockets until they had more to show.

The character work is pretty rudimentary as well. Our hero, disgraced Belmont clan member Trevor, is a witty enough protagonist, despite the occasional tacky one liners, but his two companions magician Sypha and Dracula’s do-gooder vampire son Alucard aren’t much more than their wikipedia descriptions.

I never played Castlevania 3, the game this tv show is based off of (my experience with Castlevania is mostly the Playstation era and above), so I couldn’t tell you if their more faithfully portrayed there. I also can’t say whether or not they will grow as the series moves on because, like I said earlier, this is just four episodes.

I didn’t hate what Netflix has gave us so far, but I didn’t love it either, certainly not in the way I love the games. With the crew assembled and Dracula’s demise imminent, I think next season has a shot at being a lot stronger. But until that season does come out, proceed with caution. Right now we don’t know if this series will be sharp as a whip, or moldy as wall ham.


http://horrorfuel.com/horror/castlevania-review-netflix-series-justice/


Zitat:
TV Review: Castlevania
Brad WestonBrad WestonJuly 14, 2017

Like many others, hearing the announcement that there would be an animated Castlevania series evoked a number of concerns within me. Even after seeing the most well-established plot-driven video games fall to Hollywood’s curse of horrid adaptations, I was beginning to think that no franchise would break the voodoo that seemingly lurked over their heads, especially not one based on a game from 1986. How well can that possibly translate? What level of authenticity would it display, if any, and can it capture the magic of the timeless franchise that’s as old as gaming itself?

The answer is yes, yes it can.

It’s not perfect, but Castlevania’s jump to Netflix restores some faith in me that a video game story can successfully make the leap to television or film. Its wickedly intriguing villain, enthralling dark medieval fantasy setting, and solid voice acting and animation put it on the elite list of Netflix originals. It’s a faithful adaptation whose shortcomings come in the form of its limited episode cap and clichéd story devices that stop the season one short of excellence, but manages to tick most of the right boxes.

Adi Shankar, a man all too familiar with dark adaptations of older IPs, producer behind the R-rated Power Rangers bootleg, Punisher: Dirty Laundry, and many others, forms a perfect team with genius Warren Ellis, writer of countless violent animated series such as Wolverine, Blade, and 2009’s hit horror video game Dead Space. Both Shankar and Ellis appreciate what makes the original property so special, but they also clearly understand what elements are and aren’t needed to convey a drab world that still manages to contain a little fun and humour.

As I’ve said before in other reviews, a story is only as good as its villain, and Vlad Dracula Tepes may be the most recognisable villain in all of dark fantasy. Castlevania’s Dracula isn’t just an all seeing benevolent evil, he’s a broken soul. After experiencing a heinous tragedy and witnessing the loss of his greatest love, Dracula swears vengeance on mankind — and, as the audience, can we blame him?

It’s this sympathetic element that makes Dracula’s revenge so satisfying to watch. I don’t necessarily like the fact he’s butchering thousands of people and opening the pits of hell, but I understand his motives. Voicing Dracula with a deep crispness is Graham McTavish (Hobbit, Preacher), who does a stellar job of conveying the pain and wrath of the prince of darkness. It’s truly the standout voice of the series so far, and may be one of the best voice acting performances in recent memory.

In later episodes, Dracula loses all screen time. In contrast to the immortal vampire is the series’ alternate antagonist: the Church. The Bishop and the rest of the clergy goons are all-around evil, and as much as it makes sense with the themes of “fearing what is the unknown,” the church kind of seems evil just for the sake of it. The Bishop, who is voiced by Orphan Black actor Matt Frewer, is a down-right sinister man whose sole objective seems to simply be burn anyone who he thinks God doesn’t like. He’s an asshole with no real depth or purpose beyond being a brainwashed egotistical menace who makes you say, “Oh I really can’t wait to see this dude die” whenever he is on screen.

In most dark fantasies that involve vampires and eastern Europe, the protagonist is a shining champion of justice, destined to rid the land of evil. Here? Not so much. Ellis brings his signature grim satirical style to the series’ protagonist Trevor Belmont, who fits the antihero mould completely. He’s not just a wise-cracking and cynical drunk, however.

Castlevania continues the theme of fear and loss with Belmont, whose family has been persecuted by the church and deemed by the public as unholy monster killers. Trevor no longer cares for the follies of man, but through a clichéd turn of events, he again takes up the sword and whip for good. The voice behind the whip-branding monster slayer is Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Hannibal), who does a mostly decent job of conveying Belmont’s constant brash and cheeky attitude, though sometimes his voice almost sounds too subtle for the character.

Joining him in his journey is the good-willed Sypha Belnades, voiced by Alejandra Reynoso (Winx). She’s not a female character shoehorned in for diversity and a neat tie-in to the original game, though; she acts as Trevor’s only positive influence and a morale bridge back to what his family stood for. She holds her own and serves as the conduit for some of the shows better lines.

Season one does a lot of character and world establishing in its four-episode run, but occasionally, Castlevania displays some more visceral moments as well as a few smooth animated action sequences. There isn’t a lot of over-the-top combat exactly, but the glimpses we get at the higher quality of animation stands out as perhaps Castlevania season one’s best instants that promise additional shining moments in the future.

Castlevania also shows off worthy character design of a series that oozes a legendary gothic style, especially that of the vampires in the show, who move and appear like vampires should. They’re graceful in a terrifying manner and maintain all the qualities a classic vampire should possess.

As you can imagine in a show with vampires, slaughter, talk of sex with animals, and the occasional F-bomb drop, Castlevania isn’t a show for the faint-hearted or the young. That said, Castlevania never oversteps its boundaries, despite how much Shankar and Ellis would like to push it. Instead, it actually utilises the shows gratuitousness nature in a stylistic manner, mainly in the form of its colour palettes and framing. An assortment of different shades of red constantly treat the eye, and the intelligent use of simple shots — like one of the Bishop’s hand slowly gripping tighter and tighter as he talked about his control on men — really unveil that the showrunners put thought into every aspect of every episode.

Containing only four episodes that run a little over 20 minutes each, Castlevania season one seems to be entirely devoted to establishing its core cast of characters as well as the factions within it. I could imagine doing so much in a four-episode frame would be a difficult feat, but a mature animated show based on a video game from the ’80s is probably a hard sell, so I understand Netflix’s hesitation to allow a grander first season. Unfortunately, this leaves Castlevania season with a lot left to be desired in the terms of a solid payoff.

The first season of Castlevania restores (if only a little) faith back into the idea that a video game can indeed break ground and successfully make a good story told via television or film. Luckily for audiences, however, season two has already been greenlit and will contain double the episodes, meaning there’s a lot to look forward to. For now, we can only hope the showmakers take the positive aspects of season one and step on the metaphorical pedal, capitalising on the shows violence, style, and deliciously dark setting.


http://www.geekbomb.net/tv-review-castlevania/


Zitat:
AD: Netflix’s Castlevania Review
Published by Irina Curovic on July 12, 2017

So, I just finished Netflix’s Castlevania and I need to get some things off my chest. Let me start by saying that I am not a gamer and I haven’t played any of the Castlevania video games. I cannot comment on the quality of this adaptation in terms of its authenticity to the source material. Therefore, I will be looking at the show as a stand alone feature.

As you may have noticed I’ve been carefully avoiding the word anime. That’s because I cant’t in good conscience call Castlevania an anime. Anime, for me, has always been something that came out of Japan. I can’t exactly give you a valid reason for this belief. That’s just how it is. But, Castlevania does look like an anime. It feels like an anime. And to some people it probably is anime, regardless of the fact that it was made in the United States.

But, anime or not anime, I have to give credit where credit is due. Castlevania is actually a solid series. The story is intriguing enough, albeit all we got was the introductory part. The characters are interesting and show a lot of potential. The animation is of surprisingly good quality. The voice acting is superb. I guess the only big qualm I have with Castlevania is the music, because it doesn’t really accomplish anything.

Story & Characters

Castlevania starts off with a brief story about the vampire count Vlad Dracula Tapes. Dracula’s wife is burned at the stake after being falsely accused of witchcraft. Upon finding out about her death, Dracula unleashes an army of monsters and demons upon the people of Wallachia as punishment.

Distrust spreads through the country and people start living their lives in fear of Dracula’s wrath. Enter Trevor Belmont, a disgraced demon hunter, who unwillingly teams up with a Speaker magician – Sypha Belnades. The two set out to stop The Bishop’s misguided plan to sacrifice the townspeople to stop the demons from coming back.

Anyway, shit goes down, a fight ensues and Trevor and Sypha are plunged underground where they find Alucard, aka Dracula’s son. Distrustful toward the sleeping vampire, Trevor attacks Alucard and they end up inches from killing each other. Sypha then saves Trevor and Alucard pulls back. Alucard reveals the truth about who he is and what his plans are. With that out of the way, the trio sings kumbaya and heads off to slay Dracula and save Wallachia.

There is an obvious discrepancy between the first episode and the remaining three. The first episode recounts Dracula’s background story, setting the foundation for what’s to come. The main storyline begins with episode two. Even though, in such a brief time the show only manages to introduce the story and main characters.

It’s a minor pacing issue, which could have been avoided. For example by telling Dracula’s background story through a flashback in one of the latter episodes. But, considering the length of the show, pacing issues were to be expected.

Because the show is only four episodes long, there wasn’t that much time for character development. But, we still got to know them a bit. I liked Trevor’s cynicism and humor, Sypha’s devotion and strength and Alucard’s charisma. I trust they will have a good dynamic once they actually start their journey.

Animation & Sound

The animation is surprisingly good with shots that look downright gorgeous. The backgrounds are rich in detail, the characters look vivid, the action scenes are rather good and the show generally looks polished. So, despite the fact that there were instances where the animation was a bit lacking, Castlevania still gets a passing mark.

Now, when it comes to music, I have to say I’m disappointed. Not because the music is terrible, but because it doesn’t really accomplish anything. It just falls flat and you don’t even notice it’s there. The opening theme does stand out compared to the rest of the soundtrack, but it’s nothing extraordinary. The animation for the opening, on the other hand, is splendid.

Now, the dub for this show is impeccable. The entire cast did an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. Richard Armitage‘s performance as Trevor Belmont is absolutely flawless. James Callis‘s posh voice fits Alucard to a T. And Matt Frewer was the perfect choice for the voice of The Bishop.

Concluding Thoughts

So, what is my final say on Netflix’s Castlevania?

Well, it’s worth the watch. Castlevania has its shortcomings, but it also has potential to be a decent show. These four episodes succeed at introducing the story and the characters. Castlevania certainly peaked my interest and I’d really like to see how the story unfolds. Good news is, the second season, which will consist of eight episodes, has been announced for 2018. Hopefully, Castlevania will make use of its potential and come back even stronger.


http://mydevzone.com/animediscourse/index.php/2017/07/12/ad-castlevania-review/


Zitat:
CASTLEVANIA Recap: (S01E02) Necropolis

Posted by Renee Lopez | Jul 11, 2017

In the first episode of Castlevania, we were introduced to our main cast of characters. We know Dracula’s motivation for seeking vengeance upon the people of Wallachia and why Alucard will be the one to try to stop him. We got our first glimpse of Trevor Belmont and we also got an introduction to the Bishop, a man who will undoubtedly play a key role in this story. Now we’ll see where all of this takes us in episode 2, “Necropolis.”

This episode starts where the first one left off, in the tavern in the small town of Murdenu. Bosha is still complaining about the Belmonts, much to the unnamed man’s chagrin. Just as Bosha starts to rile up him companions, the man stumbles his way to the bar and asks for another drink. The bartender is disinclined to give him another until he’s produced some coin. Fumbling through his clothes, the unnamed man doesn’t seem to have any luck, but unfortunately Bosha sees the family crest on his shirt. He identifies it as the Belmont crest right away, but the man tries to diffuse the situation.

It doesn’t work. Bosha and his cousin Kob come after him, and we get a little backstory about the Belmonts. The story goes is that the Belmonts were excommunicated by the Church and lost all of their lands because of their dealings with black magic. Bosha blames the Belmonts for bringing evil into the world and for the rise of Dracula so he finds this as the perfect opportunity to rid the world of one of them, but he demands a confession first. The unnamed man refuses and tries to set the record straight, and tries to leave.

Bosha stops him and an altercation ensues. After kicking the unnamed man right between the legs, the man admits his name: Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), the last son of the Belmont clan. After that things get a little comedic. Trevor does his best to fight off the four men, but being inebriated doesn’t help his fighting moves. After a few punches to the face and yet another kick between the legs, Trevor tries to fight back. “I’m Trevor f-ing Belmont, and I’ve never lost a fight to man nor f-ing beast,” he says as he wipes blood from his face.

The second wind is short lived as he is tripped and falls to the ground. Kob grabs a chair and slams it down on Trevor.

Somehow Trevor is able to stumble out of the tavern, perhaps he was the victor after all.

The next morning, Trevor awakens in a forest and he is a little worse for wear. Coming to a clearing he sees the ruined city of Gresit down in the valley. Knowing that this is the only place where he can find food for miles, he prepares to make his descent. Off in the distance he sees some stragglers from Dracula’s demon army leaving the city and he hears the screams of some of the townspeople. “Here we go,” he says, resigned.

While he’s in the town Trevor is able to buy some food and talk to the townspeople. He learns that Dracula’s army comes at night and attacks the people, but there are no defenses in place. The only people there to help are called the Speakers. Some townspeople hope that the Bishop will be able to fix their demon problem, while other people believe that the Sleeping Soldier will awaken from his slumber to battle the demon army.

Either way, Trevor is not too interested in the townspeople’s plight. He seems to have a complete disregard for some of their troubles, even going to so far as to spit as he passes by a mass grave. However, something does stop him when he comes across an old Speaker being harassed by two men of the Church. He warns the men to leave, but they refuse to listen. Trevor, being “stone-cold sober,” rather adeptly (and brutally) teaches them a lesson.

The older man introduces himself as the Elder of the Codrii Speakers (Tony Amendola) and leads Trevor to the Speakers’ house in Gresit. Curious as to why the Speakers are there, Trevor questions their motives, and the Elder tells him about what has happened in the town, the death of Dracula’s wife, and the Speakers’ need to aid the townspeople.

As keepers of oral histories, the Speakers are also there for another reason: they are looking for the Sleeping Soldier. Unfortunately, they lost one of their own, the Elder’s grandchild, who went down to the catacombs looking for this hero of legend.

The Elder wants to know what Trevor plans on doing next, and Trevor, still intent on leaving the townspeople to their fate has come up with a plan to sit on a tall tree and watch the city burn. This appalls the Elder, but to Trevor the Church has made it clear that they don’t need the help of the Belmonts to fight off the monsters.

Knowing that the Speakers will face the same fate as the townspeople, Trevor tells them to leave, but they have made up their mind to stay in the town. Trevor makes a deal with them: if he retrieves the Elder’s grandchild, then they will leave before nightfall. The Elder reluctantly agrees.

Before Trevor leaves, the Elder imparts some wisdom, “It is not dying that frightens us. It’s living without ever having done our best.”

“I don’t care,” Trevor says before he walks out.


Deep Thoughts:

Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont is just perfect. You want to dislike him, but you can’t. It’ll be interesting to see his character evolve from an uninterested, uncaring drunkard to the Hero. It makes me look forward to his meeting with Alucard.

We got to meet Trevor and learn about him. I can only assume that in the next episode we’ll meet Alucard and learn more about him.

Did I already mention that Richard Armitage is great in this?


:mrgreen:

http://www.geekgirlauthority.com/castlevania-recap-s01e02-necropolis/

Zitat:
TV Brew – Castlevania Series 1 Review

Posted on July 12, 2017 by belleburr

We need more!

Belle’s Non-Spoilery Review:

Confession time: I vaguely remember playing Castlevania back in the day. I knew the game existed, and would play it if I were with my cousins, but it wasn’t one of the ones I was obsessed with. So, coming into this series, I had only the barest idea of what it was about. Guess what? That absolutely doesn’t matter.

Written by Warren Ellis, this series comes out the gate telling you exactly what it is and then snatching the rug out from under you regarding those expectations. From the badass ladies (yes one of them dies, but even that was on her own terms, because of who she is, not because of the men around her) to the villains, who elicit unexpected sympathy even as you know that they’re completely in the wrong, this series is strongly written, beautifully animated and filled with social commentary that is brutal.

As for the cast, everyone brings their A-game: Emily Swallow, recently of Supernatural, combines warmth, intelligence and a no-nonsense attitude to give us scientist Lisa Tepes, whose love of learning and ability to see the good in anyone is the catalyst for the events of the series. Graham McTavish, who is everywhere nowadays, is genuinely terrifying as Dracula; you immediately know it’s about to go down when he shows up. Richard Armitage (apparently it’s a Hobbit reunion up in this piece) is brilliant as Trevor, a gigantic dork who’s exceptionally competent with pretty much any weapon you place in his hands, hiding behind alcohol and apathy to disguise a deep well of pain.

Rounding out the cast is the legendary Matt Frewer as The Bishop, the kind of man who gives religion a bad name, who honestly believes his own hype and is shocked when things turn sideways due to his own behavior; Tony Amendola as The Elder, who is his polar opposite and a reminder of all the good belief can bring; Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha a badass bookworm of epic proportions, and James Callis as Alucard, who is tied to all of the above in unexpected ways.

This series left me wanting more; I was literally yelling at the television “That’s it?!” – and made me want to get into the game so I could know what twists and turns might be coming next. In other words, well done Netflix, well done.

5 fields of bone out of 5.

Ashley’s Spoilery Review:

When it comes to original anime, Netflix has been killing it! From Voltron: Legendary Defenders to Cyborg 009, Netflix has been breathing life into beloved series and drawing in a new crowd to anime. Castlevania, a series of action-adventure horror video games by Konami, is no different.

I’m deadly invested in Castlevania right now. Everything that was packed into those 4 episodes was just what I needed. You have Dracula going on one heck of a revenge bender because the Catholic Church burned his wife at the stake. He literally opens Satan’s screen door and lets all the air out in the form of ravenous bat-gargoyle things who pick humans off like unruly eyebrow hairs. He slashed his own son across the chest, causing him to go into a coma for a year because his son basically said he was being too petty. Man, what?!

Unlike Voltron and Cyborg 009, Castlevania is a video game series that has had many spinoff games since ‘86. For me, I was concerned how Netflix was going to take a game with a rich history and story and do it justice. I was not disappointed. Netflix dropped season 1 a few days ago and I was too ready! Before I even started, I already knew there were only 4 episodes and heard how some people were upset. Not me though.

In terms of Netflix series, we’re accustomed to getting 10-24 episodes in a day and binging all episodes before the day or weekend is up. This short season of Castlevania reminded me of my middle and high school days when I used to buy manga or japanese graphic novels/comic books. You would drop $10 or so on a book with 4-5 chapters, and be told at the end to wait a month for another 4-5 chapters. The wait was brutal especially since the last chapter always left on some kind of cliffhanger: Did the evil stepfather come back? Did the lead male’s horrid past come back to bite him? Sometimes you would have to wait 2 months just to see if the main couple held hands for the first time! As much as it sucked, it made me excited, pumping me up for the next book. I would look forward to picking it up and raving over newly formed friendships or character development. Even better, I would look forward to the discussion it led to with friends to talk about the what-ifs and endless possibilities.

Yes, I could use more than 4 episodes of Castlevania. Yes, I kinda wished there was a full season but at the same time I don’t. Instead of ending a beautiful moment in an instant, Netflix is stretching it out just like how you would with a manga or a video game. Some things are best enjoyed in pieces so you can take in the craftsmanship and appreciate the beauty in it’s story. You totally get that in 4 episodes and I’m satisfied for now.

Good job Netflix; you caught my attention. I’m over here waiting on season 2 like how I stalk my Amazon purchases that give a tracking number. This is how series are supposed to be, spaced out so discussion can happen and excitement can build. THIS is how you create buzz around a series that is a trailblazer in its own right. Speaking of season 2…is it dropping next week or nah?

Rating: 4.5 burning wives outta 5


https://popcultureuncovered.com/2017/07/12/tv-brew-castlevania-series-1-review/

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Kaum zu glauben was für Begeisterungsstürme dieses Projekt ausgelöst hat und immer noch auslöst. Da hat Richard in Sachen Projektwahl mal wieder den richtigen Riecher gehabt. Es ist schön, dass die Computer-Geek- und Anime-Fraktion seine Arbeit so schätzt. :daumen:

Solche Reviews liest man einfach gern! :sigh:

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Ich fühle mich von der Quantität und der Begeisterung geradezu überrollt. :irre:

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Da gebe ich dir recht, es ist wie ein warmer Regen!!! Und so gut wie alle loben und preisen ihn explizit. Hätte ich nie gedacht, dass das so einschlägt. Aber es ist um so besser, weil es so unerwartet war.
Mir war allerdings auch nicht klar, wieviele Leute in diesem Computerspielgeschäft zuhause sind...

Danke für's Posten der vielen Reviews, Laudine!


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Und noch eine umfangreiche Lobeshymne:

Zitat:
Review – Castlevania Season 1
July 18, 2017 Jonathon Wilson

What’s this?

The result of almost a decade of development hell, which is fitting. In the four chewy, 22-minute episodes of Netflix’s Castlevania, written by Warren Ellis and based on Konami’s Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, from 1989, you get a lot of hell: swirling columns of hellfire; the gnashing teeth of bloodthirsty hellbeasts; and Hell’s very own Count Vlad Dracula Tepes, the lovesick embodiment of evil.

Four episodes? Doesn’t sound like a lot.

It isn’t, but luckily the beefier 8-episode second season of Castlevania was commissioned on the morning that this season was released so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Okay. What’s it about?

Love, of course. And vampires and demons and such. But mostly love.

It starts with love, anyway. Dracula (Graham McTavish), being an old romantic, falls for a scholastic human woman, Lisa (Emily Swallow), who is promptly burned at the stake by the church on suspicion of witchcraft and collusion with otherworldly entities – the latter being a crime that she’s definitely guilty of, but I digress. Vlad, in response, descends on Wallachia and delivers an ultimatum: Either everyone clears off within a year (he’s very specific about the timeframe, as though he’s worried the people aren’t really taking him seriously) or he’ll send his frothing minions to butcher everyone. Fast-forward a year or so, and you can more or less imagine where we’re at.

That’s it?

More or less. This first season is largely scene-setting preamble for what’s presumably coming next, introducing characters and magic and mythology such that you understand who’s who and what’s what going forwards. To that end, each episode largely pivots around one character: the first, “Witchbottle”, being a rather sympathetic introduction to Vlad (although it admittedly starts raining viscera before the end); the second, “Necropolis”, our proper meet-and-greet with Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), the pissed-up antiheroic descendent of the monster-hunting (and disgraced) Belmont family; the third, “Labyrinth”, a showcase of Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), a spell-slinging magician of a heretical order known as the Speakers; and the finale, “Monument”, finally revealing Dracula’s son, Alucard (James Callis). That last one might constitute a spoiler, but most people who’re interested in this already know the story of the game, and for the rest the name won’t mean anything anyway.

Any good?

It’s mightily weird, and the dialogue is sometimes quite appalling, but on the whole it’s a really competent introduction to a world that is… well, mightily weird, now that I think about it. It doesn’t have that exclusive, insiders-only feel that a lot of adaptations do, either – there’s fan-service, sure, but nothing that feels as though it would be discordant for anyone unfamiliar with the lore. I was slightly disappointed that nobody found and ate a full roast chicken hidden behind a bricked-up wall, but when you drag a property across mediums, I guess concessions must be made.
Ah, yeah. It’s a video game adaptation.

It is, and judged by the standards of most of them it’s pretty much a masterpiece. It does occur to me that episodic television (especially animated episodic television) might be the best way to adapt video game stories; a TV season is slightly more reminiscent of a game’s length and structure, and you can hand-draw and animate things that would be financially or artistically untenable in live-action. Castlevania has that going for it, certainly.

Is the animation any good?

It’s fine – reminiscent of traditional Japanese anime and Ayami Kojima’s artwork in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I’ve heard people complain about it, but I imagine most viewers with less die-hard sensibilities won’t give much of a shit either way.

Some of the character designs are a bit flat, but the various supernatural beasties are lavished with attention, and the action sequences are surprisingly practical-looking for a show about lords of Hell and the undead.

How’s the voice work?

Generally pretty excellent, although that’s mostly to be expected with such geek-savvy casting. Richard Armitage lends Trevor a dry wit, but also flashes of his snatched nobility; Trevor’s characterisation is one of the show’s best elements, and Armitage sells every moment of his redemptive arc. It’s a great character who runs the emotional gamut from drunken bravado to snarky disinterest to good, old-fashioned, stern heroism. Bit of anger and frustration here, bit of wise-cracking and hopefulness there, and, ladies and gentlemen, we have a character worth following around.

Elsewhere, Matt Frewer plays the villainous church Bishop with lip-licking evil enthusiasm, and despite how nakedly, unnecessarily evil Wallachia’s church seems to be, Frewer plays up their blind dogma as though it’s something worth believing in. His exchange with a chatty demon in the fourth episode is a particularly wonderful scene, which felt, to me, like a distillation of almost everything worth adapting about the Castlevania property.

So, was it worth adapting?

All available evidence seems to suggest yes, it was. It’s obviously difficult to tell in only four short episodes, especially when the finale feels so rushed, and if you were in a particularly picky mood you could list a hundred things that don’t work. (The music. Good lord, what have they done?)

But there’s so much to enjoy here – the absurdist church exchange, a wealth of gory action, a monumental rallying-cry to Wallachia’s peasant population – that it would be impossible for me not to recommend Castlevania. If you’re a fan of the games, fill your boots. But even if you’re not, this is solid, competent television with a fair helping of charm and a lot of promise. I’ll see you in one year – that’s one year, okay folks? Twelve months, a year – for season two.


https://readysteadycut.com/2017/07/18/review-castlevania-season-1/

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July 18, 2017 • No Comments
Review: Netflix’s Castlevania Stuns With Graphic Flair And Flawless Cast
castlevania netflix review
The following review contains spoilers for Netflix’s Castlevania season 1.

Rating:
Coming in at the length of a short movie, Netflix’s Castlevania, is being hailed by many as bringing in a new age of video game adaptations, and for me, the only downside is that there just wasn’t enough of it. With only four episodes and each of those episodes averaging about 23 minutes, we’ve only just scratched the surface of Trevor Belmont’s story. Indeed, just as the story starts to kick into gear, we are forced to wait until season two. And although I really enjoyed this jaunt into more Dracula mythology and Wallachia, there just wasn’t enough.

In the opening episode we learn about Dracula’s origin within Wallachia, specifically, voiced by a charismatic and vicious Graham McTavish, we see Dracula fall in love with a scientist named Lisa, who he then marries. To Vlad, she is the best that humanity can offer and the only thing redeemable about the whole species. Unfortunately, Lisa is accused of witchcraft by an evil bishop and burned at the stake. Wallachia has become corrupt with religious power and the bishop is seemingly at the core of it. Killing Lisa reveals the worst side of Dracula, and despite his son Alucard’s plea to go after the bishop, he’s ready to blame and punish all humans. He warns the people to

Killing Lisa unearths the worst side of Dracula, and despite his son Alucard’s plea to go after the bishop, he’s ready to blame and punish all humans. He warns the people to flee from his lands and gives them one year. No one listens, in fact, a year later on the day of Lisa’s death, they hold a celebration. Dracula spares no mercy and calls up demons from hell and begins to exact his blood-soaked revenge.

As Dracula’s demons ravage the land, the citizens blame aristocratic families and those who practice magic. Our hero, Trevor Belmont, is from one such family. Impeccably casted, Richard Armitage lends his velvety timbre and dry scarcastic tone to Trevor, who looks one part JRPG hero and another part Jon Snow. He’s the classic reluctant hero, physically capable, morally tough, but emotionally fragile. We watch him easily deal with thugs and guards, and then he saves the life of the leader of the Speakers.

Speakers land somewhere between nomadic magicians, monks, and the Peace Corps. They are another scapegoat for the locals of Gresit to blame for the attacks of Dracula’s demons. I would blame Dracula, but hey, that’s just logic. Trevor makes a deal with the leader, voiced by Stargate alum Tony Amendola, wherein he will go and seek out the leader’s grandchild and in exchange, the Speakers will leave the town before the people turn on them.

Descending into the catacombs of Gresit, Trevor encounters Sypha Belnades, the granddaughter of the leader of the Speakers. Voiced by Alejandra Reynoso of Winx Club fame — a show, I’m not ashamed to say, I’ve watched more than once unironically — Sypha is a powerful magic user and, unlike Trevor, believes firmly in the urban legend that says beneath Gresit lays a “sleeping soldier” that will protect them.

The Speakers do not want to leave Gresit in its time of need, despite knowing that a mob is coming to kill them and blame them for the demons. Unwilling to let the Speakers simply be killed, Trevor forces them to go hide in the catacombs while he deals with the mob and the guards as night falls. The demons come down and come into the church where the bishop is and tells him, much to my satisfaction, that this is all his fault and that the demons would not exist without him and then kill him.

Still running from the mob and guards, Trevor is cornered by the masses but he is saved by Sypha, who displays her magical prowess. This gives Trevor an opportunity to speak to the people and turn the mob on the priests by vindicating the Speakers and revealing the bishop’s actions in killing Lisa. Unsurprisingly, mob mentality takes over and the townspeople turn on the priest/guards. With the people on his side, Trevor and Sypha battle the demons with the townspeople’s aid. In the process, they fall through the ground and into the catacombs.

Here, they meet Sypha’s “sleeping soldier,” who Trevor recognizes to be a vampire. The two fight, with Trevor assuming he could be Dracula because of the design of the catacombs with its mechanical elements and electrical lights. After going toe-to-toe with each other, the soldier reveals himself to be Adrian Tepes, aka Alucard, aka the son of Dracula. Voiced by none other than Gaius Baltar himself, James Callis is only around for a brief moment in the season compared to Reynoso and Armitage. But we’ll be seeing more of him in the second season as Alucard reveals that he’s is determined to defeat his father for his mother and to do so he needs a scholar and a hunter. The season ends with the trio united and the fate of Gresit still unknown.

As far as plots go, Castlevania isn’t winning any awards for originality. It’s a formulaic and predictable plot with archetypal characters, but that’s not where the strength of Castlevania lies. The strength of the adaptation lies heavily in the art of the animation. Bloody, graceful, and vivid, the art of Castlevania is heavily influenced by Japanese animation styles and it does the show every favor. Action scenes like Trevor’s whip fight with Alucard, or Sypha’s magical casting, or Dracula’s vengeful fire form demonstrate the potential of the show.

Another strength of this adaptation is its characters. Although they’re typical, the chemistry between them is undeniable. The voice cast is gilded by Armitage’s snarky delivery and Trevor’s tall, dark, and heroic character. It’s genuinely exciting to watch the show, and it makes for a great video game adaptation. Ultimately, four episodes are hardly enough for the first season of Castlevania and that’s our only real complaint. Thankfully, the next season will be doubling that with eight episodes, and hopefully, give us more of what we love.

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Lob für das Format, ohne Nennung beteiligter Stimmakrobaten ;) :

http://mithicalentertainment.com/thejew ... d-netflix/

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TheJewphin Raves About: Castlevania and Netflix

By: TheJewphin

Earlier this month, Netflix released Castlevania, an anime based on the game of the same name. Castlevania has received a fairly positive reception, receiving a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 71 on Metacritic, and a stellar review written by Mithrandiel which can be found here. While Castlevania seems to be enjoyed by a wide array of audiences, most reviews I have seen identify one fault with Season 1: it’s too short. While I would always prefer to have more of a good thing, I would argue that Season 1 of Castlevania is a perfect length and that Netflix would strongly benefit from more shows like it.

Season 1 of Castlevania serves as both a pilot season and an introduction and does both without feeling rushed or forced. Generally, television shows produce pilot episodes as a proof of concept before releasing the actual show. When the show is finally aired, the pilot episode always feels like one of the weakest. This is because a pilot episode needs to do a few things in a very short period of time. First, a pilot episode needs to introduce you to the main characters and establish their relationships. Second, the pilot episode needs to establish a plot similar to what is going to be shown in the rest of the show. And third, the pilot episode needs to introduce the themes and overall purpose of the show. If the show is a comedy, the pilot needs to have representative jokes. If the show is action, the pilot needs to have representative action.

As an example, think about the pilot episode to Rick and Morty. In the episode, the show establishes that Rick is Morty’s grandfather, that Rick takes Morty on adventures for “purposes,” that Jerry is Morty’s father and is against these adventures, that Beth loves her father and concedes easily, and that Summer exists. This is a lot to pack into a single episode, and the pilot suffers because of it. While in other episodes, there is an actual concrete purpose to the actions of the characters, in Episode 1 the adventure to gather seeds for “science” feels more forced.

The first season of Castlevania is able to successfully perform the functions of a pilot while still providing episodes that feel worth re-watching. Episode 1 of Castlevania takes its time in establishing Dracula’s character, making the audience actually understand the villain of the story and his motivations. The show spends a little more time in establishing Trevor Belmont’s character and transforming him from an apathetic loner to the hero of the show. In the span of four episodes we are given the time to slowly get to know the characters, their relationships, and their struggles while also doling at the action of the show at a reasonable pace.

If Castlevania’s introduction was limited to a single episode, we’d have to lose something. Either Dracula’s backstory, Trevor’s redemption arc, the verbal sparring between Trevor and Sypha, or the action of the show. Yet if the first season were longer, we’d either have a drawn out version of the show’s introduction or a sharp change in the pacing and tone of the show as a new arc begins. By setting the first season of Castlevania to four episodes, the producers were able to deliver an introduction to the show that feels like it will be on par with the rest of the seasons.

While the writers, directors, and producers of Castlevania deserve much of the praise for making a compact but worthwhile introduction to the series, Netflix also deserves praise for breaking us free of the bonds of universal episode and season lengths. Netflix’s unique structure allows for the production of shows that don’t fit the mold in either the number of episodes or the length of the show.

Most shows on television are either twenty two episodes long in order to fit into a half-hour block with commercials, or forty four minutes long in order to fit into an hour block with commercials. Exceptions such as Robot Chicken or Game of Thrones alter the usual length to eleven minutes and an hour respectively, but are still confined to a standardized block. Because Netflix does not need to fit its programming into a television schedule, they are able to produce television shows where episodes vary in length based on how long the episode needs to tell its story in the best manner. An excellent example of this is Aziz Ansari’s Master of None which features episodes ranging from thirty to fifty minutes.

It seems Netflix is slowly becoming more comfortable releasing shows that break the oppressive standardization requirements imposed by modern television. Castlevania’s four episode season is just one example of what television can become without the limitations of old. I look forward to seeing the changes in the art of television production that streaming services like Netflix can bring.



http://fantasy-faction.com/2017/castlev ... ies-review

Zitat:
Castlevania – TV Series Review

Monday, July 24, 2017


Castlevania (cover)You know, when I first heard that Netflix was doing a four-episode animated Castlevania TV series, I have to admit, I wasn’t really all that interested. I mean, let’s face it, video game adaptations don’t exactly have a great reputation these days. And, even without having actually played the games, I could tell that a dark fantasy like Castlevania would be damn difficult to adapt in an entertaining way. Okay, sure, the trailer looked great, the animation was nice and famed comic writer Warren Ellis was attached to the script, but would the final product really be up to scratch?

Well, I’m here to tell you that the answer is yes, very much so. Netflix’s Castlevania is a fantastic watch, regardless of whether you’ve played the games or not.

The series, in case you’re unfamiliar, revolves around the actions of Vlad Tepes Dracula, a powerful vampire whose wife is burnt at the stake by a corrupt church. In his vengeance-filled grief, Dracula summons an army of demons to lay waste to the country of Wallachia and slaughter all who dwell there. Caught in the middle of this is Trevor Belmont, voiced with Han Solo-esque charm by Richard Armitage, a down-on-his-luck monster hunter from a prestigious but disgraced family line, who ends up in a city under siege from Dracula’s monsters.

The first thing I will say about this series though is that it is dark. Very very dark. And I mean that in terms of content, not lighting. This is not some cheerful kids cartoon, this series is brutal as all hell. In the very first episode, you see people violently ripped in half, disembowled and killed in gratuitously gory ways. Dracula’s rampage itself begins with blood and stillborn demon foetuses raining from the sky. Admittedly, it becomes a bit tamer after the first couple of episodes, but still it’s easy to almost see this as a throwback to the sorts of ultraviolent anime OVAs from the 80s and 90s.

Fortunately, gratuitous gore isn’t the sole thing Castlevania has going for it and I was glad to find both a strong emotional undercurrent beneath the series, as well some very charismatic and likeable characters. I mentioned Trevor Belmont having Han Solo-esque charm and I think that’s a very good comparison. Trevor is a bit of an asshole, but he’s fun to watch and you know he has a good heart underneath. And that deserves a lot of credit to both Ellis’s writing and Armitage’s performance. Together they managed to gift the character with that perfect mix of down-on-his-luck roguishness and likeable charisma and create a fantastic lead with it. The supporting cast is fairly strong as well, the occasional dodgy accent aside.

As for Dracula himself, well, he only really appears in the first episode (since the series is acting more as a prologue for the 2nd season than a complete story in itself) but damned if he doesn’t make a good impression. His relationship with his wife, Lisa, is only covered in a couple of scenes, but they have such good chemistry and work together so well that his sheer fury and grief after her rather brutal death is both understandable and downright heart-breaking. I’ve always thought that some of the greatest antagonists are the ones who are genuinely sympathetic to the audience and that’s this Dracula to a tee. You entirely understand why he’s doing what he’s doing, even with all the death and destruction that it causes.


Unfortunately, while Dracula may be a fantastic and nuanced antagonist, I can’t quite say the same for the other main villain of the series, specifically the Church. Now, I’m not Christian myself and I recognise that the medieval Church did a lot of terrible terrible things in the past. And in some ways, this series can be considered a somewhat accurate depiction of some of that. But when almost every single priest character is portrayed as a cartoonishly evil bad guy and almost every problem in the series, from Dracula’s rampage to the Belmont’s disgrace, is the Church’s fault, it really does end up feeling a bit much. Considering how they did such a good job making Dracula such a sympathetic and well-rounded villain, did they really have to resort to cartoonish stereotypes for the Church instead?

The other issue I have with the series is that the score is a bit…meh. It’s not distractingly bad, mind, it’s just sort of there. Unmemorable and uninteresting. Like I said, I’ve not played any of the Castlevania games, but I have listened to some of the soundtracks and there is some great music there that really would’ve felt appropriate and could’ve elevated some of the actions to even higher than they were. Still, I suppose, ultimately, it’s a bit of a minor quibble.

Speaking of the action, though, it’s a lot of fun. The series was animated by Frederator and Powerhouse Animation Studios and they I’d say they do an excellent job all round (minus a few quibbles here and there) they do an especially nice job with the fight scenes. From the slow, bumbling bar brawl in Episode 2, to the polished, exciting action of Episode 4, each fits the mood perfect and are a lot of fun to watch.

Ultimately, I have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised by Castlevania. I was expecting to either be lost, bored or just plain irritated, but instead I got a fantastic dark fantasy tale with strong characters, excellent animation and a story that makes me very interested in what comes next (especially as the series leaves things very open in the last episodes). Hopefully, they’ll be able to recapture the magic with the next eight-episode second season that has already been announced. And hopefully, I won’t have wait too long for it.

Rating: 10.0/10 (2 votes cast)



https://www.obilisk.co/castlevania-netf ... -approved/

Zitat:
Castlevania Netflix Series: What is a Man?

In Features by Hannah Alexandra/July 22, 2017/


(The first portion of this article is spoiler-free!)

Castlevania is a much loved game series for many, including myself. When I heard Netflix was creating an animated Castlevania series, I was both curious and slightly apprehensive to see how it would turn out. After watching the first few episodes, I was not disappointed.

Season 1 consists of 4 episodes, each around 20 minutes long. During those, we are introduced to a handful of the well known and loved characters from Dracula to Trevor Belmont, Alucard and even Sypha. Each episode seemed to fly by thanks to both the anticipation of seeing more new characters and the fast-paced storyline.

I found it an intriguing choice to use Trevor as the main character, as he has not been the protagonist in a game since Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. I personally like this choice, as for me, Trevor was not a well known character and I feel both Warren Ellis and Richard Armitage brought another side to his character with his dark humor, coarse language and apparent lack of care for many things. He certainly isn’t your average white knight hero, which is apt for the Castlevania series where morals are never black and white.

Trevor succeeded in lightening the dark story in many moments. Though I have seen some fans unhappy with this, I feel his personality was needed to combat the generally dark tone of the show. Even still, his humor is quite dry and could easily be considered dark humor.

The animations were beautifully done, with smooth transitions and compelling compositions. Each character was well designed to match the descriptions from the games. The locations were very well done throughout, with Dracula’s castle in particular having impressive atmosphere. The colors and tones of the series are Gothic-inspired with a focus on red and black, while the characters were often at a contrast with the background scenery. There were many intense and violent scenes too, of course, which absolutely suits the series but might be overwhelming for some viewers.



I was incredibly excited when I heard some of my favorite actors would voice some of my most loved characters, and I have to admit, the thought of hearing them is what enticed me to get over my apprehension and actually watch the first episode. Voice-acting in many ways is different than traditional acting, with your facial expressions and body language having no effect. Instead you have to convey the wanted emotion through voice alone. I have great respect for voice-actors and all who try to master the difficult craft. And I must say that the voice-acting in this series, while slightly wobbly at first, was one of the main things that kept me watching. It was endearing to hear the actors’ talent and skill, and they succeeded in bringing the characters to life to the point where I was seriously hooked.

I wondered how the writer, Warren Ellis, would handle the detailed plot, though it was encouraging to learn that he was a Castlevania fan himself. He, along with the others who worked on the show, brought an intriguing twist to the series, with the forces of science, religion and magic grappling against one another. There were some changes to lore, which I will explain down in the spoiler part of his article. But overall, the series should be very satisfying for all longtime fans of the series. I spent the entire first season eager for any glance at Dracula or Alucard who have always been my favorite characters, and I must say that Trevor has quickly grown on me. Season 2 can’t come soon enough.

Talking about lore could bring us into the realm of fan theories, so I am going to talk about things based on the modern lore from Lords of Shadow wherein Trevor is actually the same person as Alucard. He was Dracula’s (Gabriel Belmont’s) son. When he came to confront Dracula, he was killed and came back as Alucard before Dracula realized he was his son. I should note that this has never been set in stone. In the older games, many argued that Trevor and Alucard were different people due to Alucard having a mother named Lisa (the wife of Dracula in the Netflix series), however, Dracula was also married to Marie Belmont. It might be that Warren Ellis is going along with the lore that states that both could be children of Dracula, but different people — following the story of Dracula’s Curse.

Now for Easter eggs. The first notable one was during the fight where Trevor uses three sub-weapons: dagger, axe and holy water. A surprise Eater egg, and one hard to miss, was the Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings swords behind the seller as Trevor speaks to people in the market: Longclaw, the sword Commander Mormont gave to Jon snow, and Andúril, Aragorn’s blade. A few smaller Easter eggs were the links to Vlad the impaler, and the confrontation between Dracula and Alucard on the matter of showing mercy to humans. And while there are many more, the most important Easter egg would definitely have to be the meeting between Sypha, Trevor and the cyclops , which was in order with Dracula’s Curse. Eventually they teamed up with Alucard, though we’re missing a character named Grant who was found in the clock tower.

Lastly, I’d like to talk briefly about what I would like to see in Season 2. It would be exciting to see more characters from the game universe. In accordance with the last episode — the fight scene with both the hell beasts and the battle between Alucard and Trevor — I would like to see more realistic combat between the main characters. I’d also like to see more of the humor between Trevor and Alucard, which had me chuckling. “Killing you was the point, living through it was just a luxury.”

Finally, I know many fans are looking forward to one line in particular, so I will end with:

“What is a man?”


http://diezukunft.de/node/10637

Zitat:
Bloody Appetizer

Die erste Staffel des Netflix-Originals „Castlevania“

von Alexander Schlicker

Lesezeit: 4 min.




Nachdem bekannt wurde, dass die von Netflix geplante Castlevania-Animationsserie unter der künstlerischen Leitung von Allzweck-Waffe Warren Ellis entstand, der schon für den Horror-Shooter Dead Space im Game-Bereich als Autor brillierte, war die Vorfreude nicht nur unter Ellis-Jüngern alles andere als gering. Denn wenn es jemandem gelingen konnte, den nicht gerade einfachen Sprung dieses Klassikers ins TV-Fach zu bewältigen, dann wohl Ellis. Schon lange vor all den (pseudo-)modernen Vampir-Sagas und entsprechender Hypes im TV wie auf der Leinwand, bediente die Game-Reihe Castlevania seit den 80er Jahren blutige Gelüste und setzte sich mit extrem vielen Ablegern auf verschiedenen Konsolen ein bis heute sehr virales Denkmal.

Die sehr freie Adaption des gängigen Motivs „menschlicher Jäger bekämpft Dracula“ fand innerhalb der Reihe meist in einer düsteren Mittelalter-Version ihre Aufführung und setzte auf typische Versatzstücke wie alte Burgen, beschworene Dämonen oder eine machtbewusste Kirche, die sich gerade hinter den Kulissen der ohnehin oft reduzierten Story alles andere als christlich benahm. Action stand in den Games immer deutlich im Vordergrund und Draculas ewige Wiederauferstehung in fast jedem Titel nahm zunehmend sogar einen fast slapstickhaften Charme an, der in einigen Klassikern wie Symphony of the Night (1997) sogar mit einem Augenzwinkern kommentiert wurde. Dennoch stimmte fast immer das schaurige Grundgerüst des Horrors und so überstand das Franchise selbst den ein oder anderen Flop.

Die Serie nimmt sich auf dieser Basis die notwendige Freiheit, seinen Schwerpunkt vorwiegend narrativ zu setzen und nicht einem auf Areal-Erkundung oder Jump´n´Run-Elementen ausgerichteten Aktion-Gameplay zu folgen. Seit dem 7. Juli ist das Ergebnis der mit vier halbstündigen Episoden nicht gerade üppig ausgestatteten Staffel verfügbar. Dass die Serie bereits jetzt verlängert wurde, gilt ja gerade in Zeiten des Absetz-Booms bei Netflix schon als kleine Ehre. Der Plot der Serie orientiert sich nah am Original am Grundkonflikt zwischen Dracula und dem Familienclan der Belmonts, die über Generationen hinweg die Menschheit vor den Untoten beschützt haben, ehe sie von der Kirche exkommuniziert wurden. In dieser Gemengelage sticht speziell die im Vergleich zu den früheren Games deutlich komplexere Verflechtung zwischen gut und böse hervor, wie sie zuletzt auch in modernen Game-Ablegern wie Lords of Shadows (2010) konzeptionell verfolgt wurde.

Dracula ist in der Netflix-Serie dann auch kein stumpfer Blutsauger ohne tiefere Motivation, sondern ein von der Menschheit enttäuschter Rächer, der die sinnlose Ermordung seiner menschlichen und vor allem moralisch reinen Ehefrau durch die Kirche nicht verzeihen kann. Darin liegt eine der Stärken der Serie, die sich in ihrer Auftakt-Episode ausschließlich der Erzählung dieses Grundkonflikts widmet, ehe erst zum Schluss Familienheld Trevor Belmont ins Spiel kommt. Dessen Etablierung als Held könnte – völlig betrunken in einer Barschlägerei, bei der er auch selbst ordentlich einstecken muss -, im wahrsten Sinne kaum verlotterter ausfallen und markiert auch auf dieser Seite der Geschichte sehr eindringlich, dass es der Serie nicht um strahlende Helden ohne Abgründe geht.

Denn Trevor ist aufgrund seiner eigenen Erfahrungen mit der menschlichen Natur alles andere als ein Philanthrop und schwingt zunächst nur in höchster Not seine Peitsche für die Rettung der Schwachen. Anderen Figuren wird dabei bisher nur wenig Raum gegeben, sich außerhalb markanter Stereotype wie „machtgieriger Bischof“, grausame „Kirchenjünger“ oder „idealistische Helfer“ zu entfalten. Es bleibt also abzuwarten, ob neben Trevor und Dracula auch andere Figuren wie etwa der bei Kennern der Reihe höchst beliebte Dracula-Spross Alucard so zum Zuge kommen, dass aus ihnen abseits einer simplen dramaturgischen Funktionalität ebenfalls spannende Charaktere mit einer gewissen ambivalenten Tiefe werden können.

Letztlich ist die erste Staffel somit eher eine gut geölte Exposition, denn weder wird ein Konflikt gelöst noch sollten Fans trotz einiger schmissiger Monsterfights zu sehr darauf hoffen, nach rund 90 Minuten Gesamtdauer die sich anbahnenden Konfrontationen zwischen Trevor und Dracula zu sehen. Zwar ist jede Folge mit einer soliden Mischung aus gut choreografierter, unverhohlen expliziter Action inklusive düsteren Story-Sequenzen gut ausbalanciert, doch auch aufgrund ihrer Kürze steht eine möglichst prägnante Etablierung der Story-Welt und ihrer Akteure offenkundig an erster Stelle. Konsequenterweise endet die vierte Folge dann auch mit einem Cliffhanger, wie er für die nächste Staffel kaum teasiger hätte ausfallen können. Man stelle sich vor diesem Hintergrund mal den riesigen Ärger der Fans vor, wenn die Serie nicht bereits verlängert oder gar eigestellt worden wäre. Ellis darf also glücklicherweise noch weiterbasteln und das unbestrittene Potenzial entfalten.

Unterm Strich serviert uns Ellis mit dieser Staffel also einen gelungenen, in schickem Düsterstil inszenierten Appetizer auf weitere Folgen, die hoffentlich dann auch etwas mehr Story-Elemente durchziehen als nur weitere Figuren und das Setting aufzubauen. Da sich die Serie nicht nur mit ihrer pikanten Ästhetik und dem Umgang mit Gewalt stark von der Vorlage emanzipiert, ohne den Geist der Games zu verraten, sollten alle Fans erwachsener Comic-Action dem ohnehin kurzen Vergnügen eine Chance geben. Biss hat das Konzept auf alle Fälle. Dass Trevor im Original dazu von Hollywood-Größe Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) vertont wird und auch Stars wie James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) dabei sind, darf ruhig auch nochmal lobend erwähnt werden.


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BeitragVerfasst: 27.07.2017, 14:35 
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Zitat:
Richard Armitage wields whip in Castlevania

Justin Burke
The Australian

It’s hard — but not impossible — to know how many people are watching a particular streaming video on demand series.

US firm Parrot Analytics is like the Claytons Nielsen ratings for SVOD: the ratings you have when you’re not having ratings. Its methodology is somewhat arcane, measuring total audience demand “via desire, engagement and viewership, weighted by importance”. But sometimes its US top 10 throws up a surprise.

In last week’s No 1 spot, beating The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange is the New Black, Glow and others, was Netflix’s Castlevania, an anime-style US adaptation of the 1980s Konami video game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It is a co-production with Adventure Time’s Frederator Studios.

The four-episode premiere season begins with a woman accused of witchcraft being burned at the stake by the medieval church. She turns out to be the wife of Vlad Dracula Tepes, who curses the province of Wallachia and inaugurates a reign of demons and terror.

Richard Armitage (The Hobbit trilogy, Spooks) voices the character of Trevor Belmont, the last surviving member of a disgraced clan of vampire hunters. He is a reluctant hero who, with the aid of his awesome whip, nonetheless ends up joining with others to rid the land of Dracula’s terror.

The themes of religious control and the demonisation of science come through strongly. And the action sequences are sublime. It’s pretty great and Netflix thinks so, too, having immediately renewed it for a second eight-episode season.

In other animation news, the godfather of the medium, Matt Groening, has announced a new series with Netflix. Groening is well known for his comic takes on the American nuclear family in The Simpsons and science fiction in Futurama; now, in this age of Game of Thrones, he gives the fantasy genre a turn with Disenchantment, set in a crumbling medieval kingdom known as Dreamland. It is expected to debut next year.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/television/richard-armitage-wields-whip-in-castlevania/news-story/4e6a9b5f887d13753f5f9f33cc7a0b3c

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BeitragVerfasst: 29.07.2017, 21:34 
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Zitat:
Castlevania (Season 1)

July 27, 2017 / Michael Carter

So, one day I was digging through sites looking for my morning news and that's when I saw the title that I had to click on. I somewhat remember Ominous music filling the air as I read the article and yet this is all I remember reading, Netflix is giving us a... Castlevania series! Yep, long article, but that's all I retained from it, but really that's all that mattered. Beleive it or not, the Castlevania craze all started back when the first video game Castlevania (1986) dropped for the NES. Over the years Castlevania has built a serious fan base that has seen the Castlevania (video game) series hit practically every gaming platform there is. Be it console, PC, arcade and even mobile, Castlevania has had a game on it. Once word got out about the animated series, everyone was watching the calendar and (im)patiently waiting for its release, least I was.

Another reason so many people were stoked about the news is that this project had been sitting in limbo since around 2007, due to development issues. It wasn't until 2015 that forward motion was finally able to happen. Thanks to Frederator Studios, Powerhouse Animation Studios and Netflix the series was able to get some help with funding and the project was able to finally get moving. Then in July (2017), the series hit Netflix and the fans jumped on to watch! That's when everyone found out that the first season was... four twenty-five minute episodes. Yep, the first season has four freaking episodes. I'm not gonna lie, I was/am a bit pissed about it. Now, two things have (somewhat) helped calm my nerves, a little. One, word has already dropped that the second season is planned to hit Netflix in 2018 and it has an eight episode order this time around. Second, even though it was only four episodes... they were four killer episodes!

Now, the story for the series is based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989). After Dracula's wife, Lisa Tepes, is burned at the stake due to accusations of being a witch, Dracula declares all of the people of Wallachia will pay with their lives. Dracula's army of monsters and demons quickly over run the country. Even though the town doesn't want to ask for his help, Trevor Belmont grabs his whip and heads out to take on Dracula's army... with some help.

From the very opening, the visuals are eye catching and set a dark tone for the series. Now, I was surprised by the amount of gore that was in the show. Don't get me wrong, I dug it and it looked great, but I guess I was kind of expecting Netflix to keep it toned down for some reason. I'm glad they didn't because the gore made some already cool looking fight scenes even better. The story was really good and with everything going on during the show it held my attention the entire time. I'm a fan of binge watching, but this time it wasn't a choice, the series hooked me. As soon as the credits started rolling I hit the next episode to see what was going to happen next. I was impressed with how well the story played out. In four episodes they were able to set everything up, introduce all the characters, give some backstory and still have time for some fight scenes. Yeah, other animes have done it also, but some of them end up feeling rushed or things seem crammed into the story by the end it. Where as Castlevania found a good balance for all of it.

Aside from the great animation and story, the cast lineup was also really cool. You get to hear the voice work of Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) as Trevor Belmont, James Callis (Batterstar Galactia 2004) as Adrian Tepes/Alucard, Alejandra Reynoso (Winx Club) as Sypha Belnades, Tony Amendola (Once Upon A Time) as The Elder, Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) as The Bishop, Emily Swallow (Supernatural) as Lisa Tepes and Graham McTavish (Preacher) as Vlad Dracula Tepes. Out of everyone in the cast, Armitage was my favorite. From the tone he gave his character to the way he delivered his lines, Armitage was a perfect choice as Belmont.

Overall, Castlevania is definitely worth checking out! Upside (trying to think positive), it's only four episodes so really you're really burning out about the same amount of time as a full-length movie.

4 stars


http://www.emeraldgoresociety.com/carters-anime-reviews/2017/7/27/castlevania-season-1


Zitat:
Netflix’s Castlevania takes aim at religion
Warren Ellis’s script takes the game’s themes to a new level


by Eric Weiss Jul 29, 2017, 3:20pm EDT

When I first sat down to watch the four short episodes of Netflix’s Castlevania series, I did not expect to walk away with a newfound distaste for organized religion. I mean, why would I? The show started out as a straight-to-DVD animated film, and for the most part, it hits all of the usual beats of the genre. Castlevania is a competent anime-style adaptation with decent action, solid animation and a reasonably compelling arc in which Trevor Belmont must overcome his apathy to save the city of Gresit from Dracula’s demon army.

The following contains spoilers for the first season of Netflix’s Castlevania.

What’s odd is that Dracula is only nominally the villain for much of the first season. After several appearances in the pilot episode, he unleashes his army and then drifts into the background, a looming presence akin to Sauron in the early stages of The Lord of the Rings. Warren Ellis’s script instead makes the Church the primary antagonist, positioning organized religion as a malevolent force that perpetrates cruelty and evil.

Though the specific sect is never identified – the iconography and the late medieval time period suggest a generic Catholicism – the Church is the source of much of the misery depicted in the show, and is directly responsible for the inciting incident. When Castlevania opens, Dracula is a recluse living in voluntary exile. The skeletons on his front lawn indicate that he is still dangerous, but he does not present an imminent threat to the rest of Wallachia. His demon army is an outpouring of vengeful grief, summoned only after an unnamed Bishop accuses Dracula’s human wife, Lisa, of witchcraft and burns her at the stake for her alleged crimes.

In truth, the execution is the first hint at the show’s brazen anti-religiosity. Lisa is not a witch, but a compassionate doctor practicing modern medicine while attempting to kickstart the enlightenment. Unfortunately, the Church has established itself as the final authority on all matters both worldly and divine, and therefore tries to expunge chemistry, curiosity and anything else that would challenge its intellectual hegemony. The Church is portrayed as a political body that prioritizes fealty over service, rejecting anything that would benefit its citizens if it contradicts the existing dogma.

The subsequent catastrophe is a manifestation of the Church’s rigid attempts to maintain control, and leads to an official response that exacerbates the situation. The Bishop claims to speak with the will of the divine. When he finally encounters Trevor, he tells him, “The people of this city are mine and our Lord’s now, and they’ll do as I ask in his name.” By elevating himself to godhood (the Bishop later declares, “I will be the Church”), he claims the right to enact policy without any checks on his authority.

That gives marginalized groups no recourse when those policies turn out to be monstrous. The Speakers are a nomadic minority residing in Gresit. Convinced that they are unholy, the Bishop plans to murder them in order to cleanse the city, a brutal scheme that does nothing to address the demonic presence.

"The Bishop will doom everyone to annihilation before admitting fault, and thus cannot be trusted to protect the interests of a secular population."

As a result, the Bishop makes those lives significantly worse, exposing Gresit to repeated attacks from the undead through his own actions and his refusal to accept assistance from those he considers unholy. Prior to the show, the Church excommunicated the Belmont family for using holy relics to combat demonic forces, thereby alienating the only clan with the practical knowledge needed to defeat Dracula. Even as Gresit crumbles and the body count rises (Castlevania can be jarringly gruesome), the Bishop perceives Trevor as a destabilizing threat rather than an ally. The same is true of the Speakers, whose knowledge the arcane is equally useful against Dracula.

Of course, the Bishop’s proposed massacre has little to do with Dracula or Christianity. Channeling unrest towards vulnerable scapegoats allows him to take advantage the instability, manipulating people’s fear in order to consolidate his own power. His efforts fail, but not before the loss of countless innocent lives, a preventable act that speaks to the collateral damage caused by zealots (once again, the Bishop is culpable for Dracula’s grief -- and the subsequent rampage).

That’s the basis of the show’s critique. The Bishop – and by extension, the whole religious infrastructure – will doom everyone to annihilation before admitting fault, and thus cannot be trusted to protect the interests of a secular population. His comeuppance drives that home with particular violence. The leader of the demon army enters the cathedral and devours the Bishop at the altar, but not before forcing the Bishop to confront his own hypocrisy and recognize that he is an arrogant, ignorant and ungodly human being. Castlevania’s message is not ambiguous: Organized religion is an instrument of evil that leads straight to Armageddon.

It’s not the most nuanced take on the subject matter, but it is a welcome one given the circumstances. The shock is not that Castlevania is so explicit – though that is a surprise – but that Castlevania takes a stance at all, because it’s not as if Castlevania is known for being a socially conscious franchise. Though the games have religious iconography, the series is more famous for pioneering the Metroidvania style than it is for any anti-religious tendencies.

At the same time, Castlevania is a more interesting show – and a better adaptation – thanks to that bravado. If nothing else, it gives viewers something to talk about. A conversation about any of the Castlevania games can focus solely on gameplay, as players trade secrets and swap strategies for overcoming the game’s toughest bosses. The same is not true for something presented in a non-interactive format. A TV show needs some thematic substance, and the stark anti-religiosity seems like a mark of clear authorial intent, especially given Ellis’s public declarations of atheism in interviews and his other works.

It turns what could have been a disposable distraction into a blunt allegory with modern implications. Organized religion can still operate in much the same fashion, as reflected in Prosperity Gospel televangelists like Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar, who asked for $65M in donations because god wanted him to have a bigger private jet. Castlevania does not have any immediate bearing on current events - that would be a stretch - but the patterns depicted in the show are still evident today. Influential people frequently use religion as a PR tool to achieve personal or political goals.

That’s ultimately what makes Castlevania so effective. Ellis’s portrayal of the Church is not subtle, but it fits the genre and the obvious parallels feel appropriate on a modern television show set during the middle ages. Even though our knowledge of science has improved, we still fear what we don’t understand. When someone in a position of authority demands obedience, it usually expresses a desire for power rather than a promise of salvation.

Despite the anti-Church sentiment and Ellis’s own leanings, Castlevania is not truly atheist, or even strictly anti-religious. During the final showdown, Trevor enlists a “properly ordained” priest with the ability to make holy water, an act that introduces a traditional weapon from the games and suggests that there is indeed a divine being with some kind of connection with Christianity.

However, that small act makes the critique of organized religion all the more scathing. It implies that the corrupt priests we’ve seen up to that point – the ones bullying civilians in back alleys – are not observant members of the clergy. Rather, the Bishop is knowingly staffing his ranks with hired thugs, placing loyalty over charity. Directly or indirectly, the Church is responsible for nearly all of the destruction that happens in the first season, standing as a far more immediate threat than the distant Dracula.

It’s unclear if that will remain constant throughout the show. The Church as an organization seemed to die along with the Bishop (one of the villains needed to fall in the first season), potentially removing the Church as a central player or creating space for a more sympathetic representation. Either way, Dracula will likely take on a more prominent role in future seasons, evolving into a more conventional supervillain imbued with unholy powers.

The point is that Castlevania has already set itself apart, giving the lie to the persistent notion that games (and game adaptations) should not be political. Castlevania is compelling precisely because it’s not afraid to skirt controversy, enhancing the source material in a way that will drive debate and keep fans satisfied long after they’ve consumed the brief first season.

Future game adaptations would be wise to take note of that success (Castlevania was renewed for a second season on the day of its release). Good TV needs to have something to say. A show based on a spooky video game about killing Dracula should be no exception.


https://www.polygon.com/tv/2017/7/29/16062578/netflix-castlevania-religion-corruption-warren-ellis?utm_campaign=polygon&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

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Zitat:
Castlevania: A Review

by
Laura S Hammond
posted on
31st July 2017


Netflix’s new original anime is the eagerly anticipated Castlevania, adapted from the franchise of games by the same name. The season is incredibly short, just four episodes at barely ninety minutes in total. But for all the shortness of the series, it packs in a lot of action, gory violence, as well as a surprisingly large amount of plot. In these four episodes the creators of Castlevania have managed to create and immerse viewers into a world where the church is in control of a medieval era state, plagued by hordes of demons. History has thus far told us that TV shows and films created from games are a bit of a disaster, cast your mind back to such delights like Doom or Prince of Persia. Castlevania however, has broken this unfortunate tradition and is actually worth watching.

Episode one is sets the scene, but bizarrely sets up the world and situation we find our main characters in rather than actually introducing us to them. In fact the ‘hero’ of the series, Trevor Belmont doesn’t appear at all until episode two. Despite this, episode one is a succinct and detailed introduction. It draws in viewers and sets the scene well, admirably creating two baddies simultaneously. And so we come to the big theme of the series, the evil acts and creations of organised religion. Someone, somewhere in the creation of this series really has it in for the ‘Church’ (reportedly scriptwriter Warren Ellis), I say this in inverted commas because while not particularly specific in the religion they demonise, Castlevania calls upon God, the Church, and has bishops and priests performing its evil acts.

While the demonization of religion is nothing new, it turns out it benefits Castlevania in ways that the creators may not have imagined. For one, it’s turned out to be a big talking point for reviewers, and a positive one at that. The four-episode long series comes across as a massive vendetta against any organised religion, but it gives the series a sense of purpose. This may be what other game adaptations have failed to grasp, that a TV series or film needs something bigger than the basic plot and characters, something to draw from and build on. Dracula is technically the demonic evil that has unleashed his army of nasties upon the land of Wallachia, but the backwards, witch burning zealots from the Church are to blame for his break down in the first place.

The series has a great voice cast including Richard Armitage, James Callis, Graham McTavish and Alejandra Reynoso. Once our main cast appear in episode two, we get into the grit of the series. For what little time and space they have Castlevania has managed to include a variety of dramatic action sequences, including everything from a vicious cyclops attack to falling through an underground clockwork security system. The action is interspersed by some great witty dialogue from Armitage, relayed with his dry British sarcasm, it actually gives the episodes a beneficial light layer that improves its tonal variety.


http://www.thenerdx.com/castlevania-a-review/

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Review: Castlevania Season One (Netflix)
August 1, 2017 Patrick Crellin

Castlevania is the classic horror platforming video game series. The games centre on the various members of the Belmont family as they hunt monsters and battle Dracula. Producing Wunderkind Adi Shankar and comic book writer Warren Ellis (not Nick Cave’s soundtrack composing partner) teamed up with Netflix to produce an animated series based on the game series. While the series is only two hours long (four half hour episodes), there were high hopes that this series would break the video game to film/TV curse.

Before I tell you what I thought about the series, I want to first talk about the reasons I think that video games do not translate well to the screen. I think that the main draw with video games is interactivity. The problem with making them into films and TV is that you lose your control. The decisions the characters make on screen do not align with your own necessarily and so you gain nothing from the experience. Assassin’s Creed was terribly dull, Warcraft was too dense and so forth. You are forever asking yourself the question “Why aren’t I playing the game instead of watching this”. So, does Castlevania break the curse? Yes, I believe so.

Firstly, animation seems to be the perfect medium for this programme. It is detailed and stylised and brings the gothic buildings and fiery skies to gorgeous life. I don’t believe this series would have worked as a live action film or series. The budget would have been too large and the CGI would have to be brilliant to convince as well as the series does. The world is immersive and textured and this is definitely due to the animation.

The writing is also excellent. This definitely isn’t a children’s cartoon and the dialogue is salty, profane and fast paced. It feels like a Game of Thrones episode and I would really recommend this to people who love Thrones. It has that grown up fantasy epic feel but is markedly different in many ways.

The voice acting is also fantastic. Richard Armitage has a fantastic voice anyway, but he gives Trevor Belmont a world-weariness and an edge which makes his character interesting and complex enough to root for. Graham McTavish voices a sympathetically portrayed Dracula in the first episode and then disappears for the rest of the series but his presence is felt throughout.

The thing this series really gets right is the tone. The world feels lived in and the lore and history is rich. The characters are fun and the action is well paced and directed. I could do with the series being a bit longer, as four episodes of 30 mins each is too few. However, as an experiment, to test the waters, this is very successful. Shankar and Ellis are also creating an animated Assassin’s Creed series which I am looking forward to.

Overall, Castlevania is a entertaining and well thought out series which captured the best elements of the video games whilst also creating something fresh and new. The Castlevania games were fairly linear to begin with and weren’t massively cinematic in terms of graphics (not to the extent of something like The Last of Us or Tomb Raider) so there are plenty of ways to make the plot flow in a other direction and visualise certain elements from the games in a different way. Roll on season two!


http://www.theyorker.co.uk/arts-and-culture/review-castlevania-season-one-netflix/


Zitat:
Comrade Detective’s Commies and Castlevania’s Clergy Run Western Civ Through the Wringer
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 8 a.m.
By Alan Scherstuhl

Only slowly does it become clear that Comrade Detective, a star-driven meta-prank cop-show curio, isn't supposed to suck. This fact hit me early in the second episode, a full hour into this squirmiest of prestige streaming series, when the comedy's winking premise — that we're watching a well-regarded but propagandistic Romanian cop show from the 1980s, dubbed over with earnest new performances by Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jenny Slate — suddenly flowered into something fascinating.

Shot in Romania but voice-acted by a second cast here, Comrade Detective plays, in its pilot, like a concept in search of an execution. There are some visual gags about Jordache and Pepsi and teensy Eastern-bloc cars, and the villain is a serial killer in a Reagan mask, but the show we're watching has been crafted to resemble the show the premise purports it is: a grim, dated procedural. That means that the pilot deadpans through underwhelming action and familiar police-drama beats, punctuated with scenes of unconvincing brutality — lead cop Gregor (embodied by Florin Piersic Jr. but voiced by Channing Tatum), a proud Communist and nationalist, kicks the hell out of every suspect and informant. The violence isn't as explicit as today's TV standard, but the voice cast noisily commits to the victims' screams and gurgles. I kept cranking down the volume and wondering whether I was supposed to be laughing.

But then came Monopoly. The second episode is a marked improvement, opening with a tense border-crossing standoff that reveals creators Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka (and series director Rhys Thomas) finding both their tone and their subject. Considered from the other side of the Iron Curtain, played-out Cold War suspense scenes actually have some play left. Soon, our detectives — Gregor and his country-boy Russian colleague, Iosef (the body of Corneliu Ulici and the voice by Gordon-Levitt), behold shocking contraband somehow smuggled into Romania: a copy of the famous Parker Bros. board game. (Gregor pronounces it "Mono-Poly.") Recognizing this as a potentially dangerous tool of American indoctrination, Gregor turns to a pair of convicted enemies of the state, whom he knows will have expertise in the specifics: his parents, West-curious intellectuals locked up because he himself informed on them. Their verdict: "After the financial collapse of America, the Great Depression of 1929, the populace began to lose faith in the capitalist system. So they invented this game to rebuild trust.” And: “Only when your opponents have no money left and are completely in your debt — then, and only then, do you win the game.”

Comrade Detective is not a sendup of Romania, home of some of the world's great filmmakers and also many cheap-o Hollywood productions. Instead its satiric target tends to be propaganda itself, the Communists' idea of the United States as a racist, materialistic cowboy cocainescape. (They’re not always inaccurate.) And it's also about the blunt artlessness of the Communists' own propaganda efforts. The heroes — their dialogue purportedly written 30 years ago to please apparatchiks — often tout the modern amenities of life in Bucharest. When a suspect gets shot, one cop sneers, “You happy? Not even our health-care system can save him now.” Another notes, when the case seems to be pointing back to their own department, “There’s no such thing as a corrupt police officer in Romania. It could be the work of subversives.”

Some of the best scenes concern the detectives' efforts to shut down a priest's Bible-smuggling ring. A secret Christian church service is lit and shot something like the dramatized satanic rituals of an ’80s Geraldo Rivera special, all ominous chanting and goblets spilling red fluid. Interrogating a Christian baker, one of the detectives insists, between nibbles of bread, that transubstantiation is “an absurd superstition.” The baker freaks the cops out by responding, “Let’s hope so — or the two of you will have just eaten the flesh of a man.”

The jokes are more prickling than hilarious, though I do cherish the recurring gag of the extras — street vendors and security guards — being given the dopiest lines, voiced by the weakest actors. (During a fiery sequence of vehicular mayhem, one incidental motorist exclaims, “If we don’t get these cabbages to the hospital, that child is going to die!”) But the series becomes more persuasive, more cutting, more twisty and resonant as it goes. Sometimes it seems to be satirizing the very idea of the grim-dumb cable TV noir, the True Detectives of the world, in which embittered cops are all that’s holding back the end of human decency itself. As in True Detective, the concerned officers are rewarded with the bodies of nude women, sometimes dead — is that a joke about Romanian TV? About today’s cable? A mandate from the producers to help secure financing?

In the end, the show’s subject is something more pressing than the goofy stiffness of Communist culture, or the neon wantonness of capitalism. Instead, the series lampoons a terrifying commonality: a yearning for authoritarian fantasy that knows no boundaries. It’s no shock to see TV cops whaling on everyone they deem wicked, but it is a surprise to be reminded that, even in a canny put-on like Comrade Detective, you can be bludgeoned into cheering the beatdown of your own values.

A cheerier East-meets-West blasphemy, Netflix’s brief, entrancing, wickedly bloody animated Castlevania, finds cruel and corrupt church leaders in the 1400s burning Dracula’s wife at the stake — a choice you don’t need to have lived through an enlightenment to realize is a bad move.

Hell rains down, of course, and a hero soon rises, as one must in all narrative entertainments based on video games. But the vivid perversity of it all — demon attacks, showdowns with bishops, airborne viscera, corpses on spikes, gilded crosses yanked from basilicas to crush peasants and priests — is a continual marvel, the violence a feat of the imagination. The animation is in a minimalist anime style, all spiked hair and struck poses with little movement between them, the flourishes saved for the big moments. These often are the crisply staged fights; with his whip and his swords, the hero, Byronic vampire killer Trevor Belmont (voiced with surly weariness by Richard Armitage), faces off against a cyclops, a pitchfork-wielding mob wielding, wicked representatives of the church, or an undead lordling he calls “Floating Vampire Jesus.”

It’s rare that a TV series touts its writer as prominently as this adaptation of Konami’s vintage vampire-killing platformer does: Here, “Written by Warren Ellis” is practically part of the Castlevania logo. The storied comics author (Transmetropolitan, Planetary and many more) is working within the slapdash lore of a mostly nonsensical game series, but he stamps every scene with his big ideas, expansive action and earthy — even filthy — wit. Both this and Comrade Detective feature too much discussion of “goatfucking,” but here’s credit where it’s due: When things get really nuts, Ellis has Belmont coin the phrase “snake-fuckingly crazy.” It fits.


http://www.miaminewtimes.com/film/comrade-detectives-commies-and-castlevanias-clergy-run-western-civ-through-the-wringer-9533197

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BeitragVerfasst: 03.08.2017, 09:54 
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Flavorwire’s guide to indie movies you need to see in August: http://bit.ly/2uVPgt2


https://twitter.com/flavorwire/status/892739275724398596


Zitat:
Flavorwire’s Guide to Indie Movies You Need to See in August
Our capsule reviews of 11 new releases, including "Detroit," "Logan Lucky," and "Ingrid Goes West."

Film | By Jason Bailey | August 2, 2017

August is traditionally one of the deader months in mainstream movie-going – studios tend to schedule their big summer blockbusters early in the season, before explosion-and-sequel fatigue sets in, while holding their higher-quality stuff for the awards-friendly environs of fall. But no one’s slouching on the indie front, so we’ve got a wide variety of dramas, comedies, and documentaries to recommend. Here we go:

[...]

Pilgrimage

RELEASE DATE: August 11
DIRECTOR: Brendan Muldowney
CAST: Tom Holland, Richard Armitage, Jon Bernthal

This moody and muddy 13th century tale of monks, invaders, crusades, and relics is a grimier item that the clanging epic you might expect; it’s smaller, more personal, and thus more disturbing. Top-shelf performances all around, particularly from your new Spider-Man, Tom Holland, as the young monk who loses his innocence fast, and your new Punisher, Jon Bernthal, as a mute monastery hand who turns out to be a bit of a fighter. (Gory indie period pieces are apparently what actors do between Marvel projects.) It’s impressively mounted, taking advantage of the Irish locations and their rolling hills, misty boggs, and dank forests, but a film that’s decidedly unsentimental in its worldview, especially by the time it reaches the particularly un-Hollywood ending.

[...]


http://flavorwire.com/608841/flavorwires-guide-to-indie-movies-you-need-to-see-in-august-3/7

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