Das ist wirrklich wie in 'Hobbit'-Zeiten. Ich werde mal mit dem "Nacharbeiten" anfangen:
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/Zitat:
Why the Castlevania TV show on Netflix tells the Belmonts' story better than any game could
By Aaron Potter a day agoNews
Exploring how Konami’s dark fantasy series bites back in a TV adaptation that forgoes video game tropes to make for a stronger story
It’s nice to be surprised sometimes. If, like me, you’re someone who frequently shudders at the first sign of having one of your long-time favourite game franchises translated into another medium, you can understand why I was fraught with worry upon learning Netflix’s intention to adapt Castlevania into a TV series. How refreshing it is to know then, that Castlevania isn’t just passable, but genuinely fantastic. It perfectly balances being a faithful adaptation of 1989’s Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse while also introducing enough new elements to raise the stakes much higher than Konami’s original video games ever could. Quite a feat.
The most noticeable way it accomplishes this is in just how cinematic this rather straightforward tale of good versus evil actually is, even by anime standards. Right from the beginning of episode 1 we’re shown the early days of an unrequited love between Dracula and the innocent-minded Lisa, only to have such promise immediately stolen from us as the cruelty of humanity results in her burning at the stake. Suddenly we find ourselves empathising with one of literature’s most infamously malevolent villains, giving Dracula a level of personal depth not often seen in other portrayals - especially Castlevania games.
As good as Konami’s original 8-bit Castlevania games for the NES were, the grand stories they attempted to weave were understandably restricted by the hardware they were forced to run on. Any narrative context was often relayed via walls of text and any gorgeously-detailed castle degradation contrasted by the necessary blacks of 1980s limitations, making it extremely tough to go back to and enjoy today. Here it’s replaced with a simple yet incredibly well-realised art style - reminiscent of its Japanese origins - that makes a good case as the best way to experience Trevor Belmont’s tale of challenging Dracula.
The Castlevania series has always been known for portraying a sickly gothic take on fantasy, albeit with a few nonsensical lore elements you’d only find in a video game. Dracula’s son’s name (Alucard) is literally his own backwards for heaven’s sake. Yet in the show any campiness makes way for an ultimately tragic tale which ups the ante and brings on the gore, largely as a result of Castlevania’s iconic weapon of choice: the whip. Villagers are ripped in half, axes are sent flying, and a particular sequence in episode 2 gives a whole new meaning to the expression ‘an eye for an eye’. For me, Castlevania is all the better for it.
Speaking to IGN earlier in the year show runner Adi Shankar shared his intention to create the series in the vein of Game of Thrones, adding that: [the show would be] “America’s first animated series for adults”. For the most part, he succeeds. The R rating is indicative of not only the tide of blood-drenched villains that come any time Trevor reaches down for his whip, but also the darker themes of unrelenting guilt and tragedy which are always at play and consistently building.
You know Castlevania isn’t going to be your typical video game adaptation fare when we’re not introduced to our main protagonist until the end of the opening episode. A far cry from the legend Dracula’s Curse would have you believe, here Trevor Belmont is very much a gun (or short sword) for hire to begin with, painting him more as the everyman rather than the hero. It’s yet another example of how Netflix’s Castlevania takes inspiration from the games, yet isn’t afraid to iterate upon it, successfully filling in another facet to a fan favourite character that never feels intrusive or disrespectful.
“Killing you was the point, living through it was just a luxury” proclaims Trevor during the height of what could arguably be deemed Castlevania’s most climactic battle, shortly before the series close, where he’s primed into the more well-rounded hero we see in the games. Such smartly-written dialogue is a testament to the tact of comic book writing veteran Warren Ellis and his ability to dabble with themes of existence, belief, and humanity. “Lies in your house of god?” rumbles one of Dracula’s winged agents of evil. “No wonder he has abandoned you”. Just a reminder, we’re still talking about a Castlevania TV show here.
It helps that the Netlix show’s voice cast seems to be made up of a who’s who of actors that have appeared in some of Hollywood’s most recognisable fantasy franchises. The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage brings a subtle charm to the otherwise roguishness of the last surviving member of the Belmont clan, while Battlestar Galactica's James Callis suits the unsettling composure of Alucard well. Even when compared to Robert Carlyle’s take on Gabriel Belmont in 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, the show’s cast simply does a better job at selling you on the plight of these characters, even those being suffered by the wider populous of Wallachia.
The Castlevania games have always been primarily a solo venture, making a point of placing you amidst the isolation of an unknown and unsettlingly ever-changing landscape. In a game this works tremendously well when wanting to balance challenge and build up a sense of dread. Here, for the first time the franchise’s characters have been given a chance to breathe (even if it is for a brief, four episode stint), and create meaningful relationships with each other. By the end we’re rooting for an ensemble bunch of underdogs that are by no means perfect.
Castlevania’s final episode sees the show crescendo into a symphony of terror as the absent Dracula’s army clenches its grip ever tighter, very much setting up the chessboard for relationships, plot points, and ideas that will almost certainly come to a head in the already-announced second season. It’s by no means perfect or even fully-formed, but Netflix’s latest original venture has created a respectful video game adaptation that nobody saw coming. It has enhanced the Castlevania franchise in ways a video game could never do, and that will forever be its greatest achievement.
http://www.gamesradar.com/why-the-castlevania-tv-show-on-netflix-tells-the-belmonts-story-better-than-any-game-could/Zitat:
Castlevania Netflix Review – Bloody, Stylish and Short
July 12, 2017
skarekrow13
The gaming world and that of other media has a bit of a bad relationship. Aside from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, film and TV adaptations of popular video games have been near universally…shitty. RIP Captain Lou. On July 7th, season one of the Castlevania Netflix series dropped, an animated take on one of the most iconic series of all time. With shoes such as these to fill, is it worth caring about the already promised second season?
Castlevania Netflix Review
Plot
The Castlevania video game series took a dash of historical accuracy, a sprinkle of Bram Stoker inspiration and combined that with at least a gallon of “this sounded cool at the time.” Set in the land of Wallachia, Dracula and his army of the damned lay siege to the ordinary folk. The Belmont family seeks to stop his evil. Starting with this basic premise, the game series expanded to include Dracula’s family, a long chain of Belmonts and an odd assortment of other characters.
Castlevania Netflix
Assortment!
I was pleased to see that the animated Castlevania Netflix series stays pretty darn true to the overarching story of the games. Dracula’s Castle is found by a woman named Lisa and they marry, showing a softer and kinder Dracula. Then she’s burned as a witch and Dracula basically says, “man, **** ya’ll” and unleashes Hell. In a very real and flesh ripping sort of way. Dracula’s son, Alucard makes an appearance and of course we need our Belmont. I don’t mind sharing any of this, because it’s directly from the games and gets carried over into the series.
Our Belmont, Trevor, is the last of the family line. A line whose name is now tarnished. We meet Trevor in a less than noble location and situation, but of course fate pushes him toward his monster hunting roots. And that’s where I’ll bid farewell to this section before I spoil anything major. It’s not the exact plot of the games, but it’s a good spin on it.
Art and Aesthetics
Artistically, it’s what most people would consider anime, or at least inspired by it. Labels aside, it’s a style choice that, for Western audiences at least, is generally considered closely associated with cartoons made for adults. Character designs appear heavily influenced by Symphony of the Night, which is a great choice as it’s the best Castlevania.
If you’re in the mood for action, you’ll find no shortage here. Even a short scene with Dracula and a nice old woman manages to go awry. Stylistically, Castlevania is blood and guts eye candy, with over the top scenes that make 80s action flicks seem tame and realistic in comparison. It’s guilty pleasure at its finest for the action fan. Toss a short sword in the air and watch it spin faster than a propeller? Sure, why not! Have Trevor Belmont then manage to kick this sword (mid-spin mind you) and make it fly perfectly like a dart? Why stop there? It’s preposterous, but in a fun way.
I mentioned the gore, but it needs a more thorough shout out. Even though it’s a cartoon, Castlevania is not for the squeamish. Blood and guts are used to showcase what Dracula’s army is capable of and it’s not pretty. And to be fair, Trevor does his fair share of mutilations along the way.
Overall
Purists might find something to hate. Maybe Dracula’s beard is 19% less saturated with midnight blue than the games or something like that. But I felt it did justice to the source material and was a pretty good ‘toon even without being purely Castlevania.
A couple notable problems did stand out. The first I would call a matter of scope. The second is a problem brought about by the brevity of season one.
In the matter of scope, Castlevania titles started exploring the concept of Dracula as more than “could be The Devil.” In fact, his marriage to Lisa in game is used to create a sense of humanity and draw some sympathy to what could ultimately be a tragic figure. Sure he’s a diabolical maniac hellbent on genocide. But he’s also sad on occasion. The series isn’t shy about this angle, and in fact they might lean a little too heavily on it. In a four episode season, I found myself actively rooting for Dracula through at least the first two episodes, which muddles the tension.
The fact that the Castlevania Netflix season is only four episodes of about 20 minutes each leads to the second major issue for me. I feel like there’s a solid story behind major characters, but there’s simply not enough time for complex character development. I’ll do my best not to spoil it any more, but there’s one character in particular whose motivation changes nearly like a light switch. It’s a perfectly logical plot device, but felt rushed. Similarly, sub plots that could be used over time to make the story richer are wrapped up before they can do more than simply tell you the facts.
http://fextralife.com/castlevania-netflix-review-bloody-stylish-short/Zitat:
What a Terrible Night to Have a Curse: Playing Castlevania 3 after watching the series
Jul 12, 2017 | Posted by Nate Perkins | Game & Dad
After watching the excellent Castlevania Netflix series I started playing Castlevania 3. The Netflix series is a prequel for Castlevania 3 and while the series is adult only, feel free to enjoy the game with the kids as the game does not have the level of violence.
This is a game of patience
Castlevania 3 is breaks a few conventions of the franchise: you can switch between the protagonist Trevor Belmont and three other companions. Castlevania 3 offers different paths which means that at the end of certain levels the player picks which level to play next. These elements mix with the classic play scheme that the original is known for: fight through a level, kill a boss, etc.
Castlevania 3 is one of the most unforgiving games that I have ever played. Trevor Belmont controls like a stone and most of the companions have some pretty big drawbacks. There is no good way to attack oncoming enemies while climbing stairs. The game compounds this frustration by throwing enemies and projectiles while the character is traversing stairs. Another key frustration is the jumping is incredibly unforgiving. The game might be kid friendly, but the words that come out of your mouth after the 20th cheap death won’t be.
Its hard to play…literary
Another difficult thing about Castlevania 3 is finding a way to play it. The only way to play this on a modern console is to download it on the Wii U and 3ds for 5 bucks. An original cartridge can be tricky because it has technology in it that makes it hard to play on modern clone consoles. Original carts go for about 40 bucks which pretty expensive. I would not go to great lengths to try this game unless you have some nostalgia for the game.
So what’s good about it?
The game has an impenetrable difficulty. If you do fight through you will find a game full of amazing pixel art and soundtrack. It might sound crazy but these elements almost make the difficulty worth it. Despite my seemingly negative review, I do find parts of this game to be enjoyable. I do not think that most people will enjoy the game unless they are really into difficult NES games.
The Netflix Series is amazing, the game is hard to recommend
The Netflix series takes the story from Castlevania 3 and modernizes it in a really cool way. Unfortunately, the source material does not hold up as well. I think that Castlevania 3 has some neat ideas but it gets bogged down with unforgiving controls, frustrating enemy placement, and bad platforming. If you want to play some retro Castlevania I recommend the first and fourth entries into the series.
https://www.thesiouxempire.com/terrible-night-curse-playing-castlevania-3-watching-series/Zitat:
Julie Muncy
culture
07.13.17
11:00 am
Netflix's Castlevania Is the Future of Videogame Adaptations
Dracula's wrath is no small thing, as the city of Targoviste can attest. Blood pours from the sky; people scream; the archbishop–the camera lingering on his long, claw-like nails–is consumed by flames. Those were simply heralds, though. When the dark lord himself appears, he overtakes the screen, a living effigy of fire proclaiming Wallachia's doom. This land has wronged him, and every mortal will pay.
The Castlevania videogame franchise has been around for 31 years. Thirty-one. In that time, Konami has released 30 different titles that span more than a millenium, for all manner of game platforms—yet, while similar franchises have jumped to screens both big and small, we've never seen the beloved sidescrolling adventure game do so. Until now. Last weekend, Netflix released the first season of an anime-styled adaptation; the new Castlevania is Van Helsing meets Heavy Metal, loudly and wildly stylized and juvenile, excellent in its sharply crafted absurdity. And, knowing Netflix, it might be the future of videogame adaptations.
One Belmont Too Many
The Netflix series, which may have started its life as an abandoned film script—itself drawn from the 1990 game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse—tells a tale of vengeance in the Romanian region of Wallachia. After priests murder his human wife for supposed witchcraft, Dracula seeks retribution. It's historical fantasy turned dark and bloody as hell, rife with butchering monsters and indifferent, evil clergymen imposing a pseudo-fascistic order on their parishes.
Netflix
Like the games it's based on, the real stars of the show are the Belmont clan, an ancient family of monster hunters locked in a blood-feud with Dracula and his supernatural ilk—a feud that has gotten them excommunicated and shunned even as they've saved Wallachia countless times. The Belmonts persist throughout the franchise, but the Netflix series takes place in 1476, and finds Trevor Belmont, the clan's last surviving son, drunk and despondent as Dracula's hordes bear down on the countryside.
What follows in this first season's brief four episodes is stylish and stupid. That's not an insult: I absolutely love it. It embraces the pulpiness of the game series' visuals, alongside some of the basic mechanical ideas that pull those games together: exploring of arcane spaces; challenging combat; a thin veneer of medieval aesthetic fascination. In doing so, showrunner Adi Shankar, writer Warren Ellis (who boasts a lifetime of over-the-top clever comics, TV scrips, and novels) Ellis, and their collaborators have created something that is both entirely unlike a Castlevania game and completely true to the spirit of one. And it does so with the glee of smart people creating what might otherwise be thought of as lowbrow culture—simply because it's a blast to do so.
It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that this is one of the best videogame adaptations of all time. That's because it's a very, very, very low bar. But Castlevania is in the process of raising it.
The Netflix Method
Castlevania seems to be a success for Netflix as well. As always, the company is cagey about its viewership numbers, but the order for Season 2 has already been raised from four to eight episodes, and it's been largely well received by critics and fans in the precise demographics it's meant to cater
As a media business, for a long time Netflix has embraced a very simple strategy. If it works, keep doing it. When prestige dramas like House of Cards took off, Netflix rebranded itself into a relentless creator and promoter of an entire line of peak TV originals. When reviving Arrested Development worked, Netflix became a reanimating messiah for cancelled TV shows and neglected sequel ideas looking for closure. Instead of just making worked, Netflix became a reanimating messiah for cancelled TV shows and neglected sequel ideas looking for closure. Instead of just making Daredevil, it made four other Marvel shows.
So the success of Castlevania means we might be in for a whole line of high-wit, mid-budget videogame adaptations. Shankar, in fact, is already attached to develop an original anime series based on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise. While that project has no official home yet, Netflix already seems to be staking its claim as a preferred destination, optioning the immensely popular Witcher series. So if you see a whole bevy of videogame adaptations take Netflix by storm in the next couple of years, don't be alarmed. It just means the model is working.
https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-castlevania-future-of-game-adaptations/