'Dragon Ball Super': Episode 109: 'The Ultimate Enemy Approaches Goku! Now Let Loose! The Killer Spirit Bomb!'

After a week off, Dragon Ball Super returns with a double header.  It was certainly the wait as two of the tournament' heavy hitters face off: Goku and Jiren.  This was a fight that would've been best suited for the final match up, but we get it a bit early.  It's an interesting subversion, but the gods of universe 11 note that having them face off now will have ramifications later.  By seeing Jiren's power in action, the remaining fighters will likely lose the morale to keep fighting.

Before this, though, we see Goku facing off against Ribrianne.  It's not a bad fight per se, but it isn't the most active.  It's kinetic, sure, but Goku is largely playing defense and it doesn't seem like Ribrianne actually lands a clear hit.  I did get a kick out of her "love" arrows.  Not even Oliver Queen or Hawkeye ever came up with that one.

Ribrianne also stands as the first fighter to declare her intended wish with the super dragon balls: to become a god that is worshipped and loved by everyone across the multiverse.  I was surprised by how cool with this Helles was.  Even the Zen-oh's don't seem too bothered by this.

For Goku's part, he's not sure what he wants to do with the wish.  He does bring up the idea of wishing for something for Chi-chi or his family, which I thought was kind of heartwarming; but he's more excited at the idea of wishing for a strong person to fight.

While Ribrianne thinks herself to be the ticket, she is but an appetizer to the main course that is Jiren.  I rather liked the segue.  I'm surprised we haven't seen more fights like this where one is interrupted and a fighter moves onto another target, but at the same time, seeing fights complete has worked for several episodes as well.

Ribrianne's reaction to seeing Jiren was rather amusing to boot.  You might find her being reduced to comic relief a disappointment, but a little levity is always nice.

At long last, Goku faces off against Jiren.  As has often been the case, Goku opens the fight trying to gauge his opponent's power.  He attacks in his base form, in super saiyan form, in super saiyan 2, and in super saiyan god form to no avail.  The complete bypass of super saiyan 3 was noticeable, but I can understand why Goku didn't want to burn through his energy, even if the time spent in that form was brief.

All of these appear to be completely useless as Jiren is stupid strong.  Even in blue, Goku doesn't fare too well.  The only time Goku can even hold his own is when he combines blue with the kaio-ken times 20, and even that's by the skin of his teeth.  Like I said, Jiren is stupid strong.  Goku pretty much gets his clock cleaned for a good chunk of this episode.  Even Vegeta notes that Jiren's power is ridiculous.

It would have been nice to see the other universe 7 fighters back up their teammate when they saw that he wasn't getting anywhere in that fight, but this is Dragon ball and them just sitting on the sideline is par for the course.

With no other options, Goku uses his trump card: the spirit bomb.  I'm curious how this one compares to the one used against Buu.  That one had a whole planet behind it, though the few contributing now are a lot more powerful now.  Granted, Vegeta doesn't help, but Frieza does.  Even Krillin, Tien, and Roshi toss in energy.  I'm kind of surprised that was allowed, but I'm guessing the Zen-ohs were willing to let it slide because the attack was gonna be cool.

It would have been interesting to see fighters from rival universes lend Goku some strength out of sheer pragmatism.  If Jiren's that powerful and this is Goku's best bet to take him out, why not improve the odds of taking out the major frontrunner?  You could argue that it would have been moot, but again, it would have been interesting to see rival characters at least consider the idea.

Is the attack enough to defeat the powerful foe?

....

No, of course not.  This is a 2 parter.  Jiren's not going out that easy.  In fact, he rather effortlessly sends the spirit bomb back at Goku.  The saiyan does try powering up again to get the strength he needs to push the bomb to its intended target, but it doesn't work.  In fact, the episode ends with Goku seemingly being taken down by his own attack.  You could argue that it's not much of a cliffhanger, as we know that Goku is fine, but if nothing else, there's tension in the fact that Goku has no real options left against this particular opponent.

Overall, this was a very strong episode.  The Jiren vs Goku showdown lived up to the hype and the prior lived up to his reputation as possibly the most powerful fighter in the tournament (and in turn, the multiverse.)  I'm looking forward to seeing how this match up concludes in the second half of this Dragon Ball Super double header.

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'Gerald's Game' Movie Review

While I still haven't managed to catch "It" or "The Dark Tower", I did finally get a chance to sit down and watch Netflix's cinematic adaptation of "Gerald's Game". 

For a long time this was cited to be one of King's "unfilmable" books (though I think "Rose Madder" trumps it in that regard) but somebody finally adapted it.  This was a perfect fit for Netflix.  The simple premise keeps the budget low and the more risque subject matter might have been a gamble had they tried to go for a theatrical release.

The film plays into the more psychological aspects and it works well.  Even though Jessie spends a majority of the movie chained to a bed, you're never bored.  There's tension that is effectively executed and keeps you engaged in what's happening. 

The cast all do a great job.  Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood carry the brunt of the weight, but they show that they're up to the task.  Both get to play multiple iterations of their respective characters.  It gives them plenty to chew on.

The movie itself is very faithful to the source material...not that there was really much room for deviation.  Still, even little details are consistent with the novel.  It was nice to see.  Really, the biggest change that I noticed was a glossing over of the aftermath and Jessie's fear of the mysterious figure who she saw in her room.  It's touched on, and she does confront him in court to get closure, but we don't see her trying to convince others of what happened the way she did in the book.

Being such a faithful adaptation, I suppose it's fitting that the strengths and weaknesses from the book come right to the film.  Is Jessie still a strong central protagonist who proves to be resourceful, clever, and have a clear arc of evolution? Yes.  Is the book's social commentary wonky and eyebrow raising? Yep, you bet. 

Still, though, the movie does pull back from the book in some respects.  I thought Gerald came off a lot better here than he does in the source material.  The guy still has issues, but he felt more layered here.  What Jessie endures as a child is also watered down.  It's still squicky as hell, but it might undercut the dramatic weight a little.

As always, I got a kick out of the nods to other King works.  You wouldn't think that writers would find a way to reference "The Dark Tower" in a more grounded book like this, but they found a way.  I was amused.   

The run time was under 2 hours, which I think works to the film's favor.  It keeps things moving and it also makes it more viewer friendly as they'll have an easier time carving out a block of time to sit and watch it.

All in all, this was solid.  I recommend giving it a watch.  Even with all of the King adaptations, I think that this one will go down as one of the stronger ones overall.  It's well acted, well shot, well written...for the most part.  The script does get a little hamfisted at points, but all in all, I thought it worked.  I'd still say it's worth checking out.     

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'Thor: The Dark World' Movie Review

You can read my review of the film here.

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'Man of Steel' Movie Review

You can read my review of the film here.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 108: 'Frieza and Frost! Combined Malice!?'

For the first half of this episode, I was a tad underwhelmed.  Having the gods from the four "top" universes was a nice way to give them some screen time after what feels like a long absence, but it doesn't really add much to the episode or the overall narrative.

It seems like the episode is going to focus on Goku, as he fights Ribrianne, but even that is but an appetizer to the episode's main course: Gohan vs. Jimeze.  While Gohan knows what Jimeze can do, it still doesn't help him much as Jimeze's teleport spam is beyond Gohan's ability to keep up.  I was expecting this to be another instance where he uses his wits to win a fight where he's at a disadvantage, but alas, he's never really given the opportunity.

Much like how Roshi received back up from an unlikely source in the last episode, so too does Gohan receive similar reinforcements from an even more unlikely source: Frieza.

Not surprisingly, the aid isn't as clear cut.  While Frieza does interrupt the fight to give Gohan a chance to catch his breath, the tyrant immediately stands aside to let the fight resume.  It makes you wonder why he even bothered; that is until he interrupts again when it seems like Gohan is about to be defeated.

While Gohan could barely land a hit against the Yardrat, the fight with Frieza goes the exact opposite.  Even when Jimeze is, for all intents and purposes, defeated, Frieza keeps the pain coming.  It looks like Frieza aims to kill him, but he notes that he's not stupid and intentionally misses vital organs with his attacks.  When Jimeze is on the brink, Frieza finally boots him out.

Naturally, this draws nothing but contempt from the other universes.  I'd argue that it's not fair to judge the whole universe on him, but they already bore some resentment towards universe 7.  Frieza just gives them more reason to feel that way.

In a surprising (yet not so surprising) twist, Frieza turns on Gohan.  It's not surprising, as this is Frieza; yet even Beerus notes that eliminating Gohan puts him in danger.  After some speculation, the eliminated fighters deduce that Frieza aims to be the last remaining fighter in order to make a wish with the super dragon balls.  It's not clear what his wish would be, but it would likely involve the gods being destroyed.

The reveal itself was very well done.  The fact that we see Beerus legitimately afraid for his life really shows the threat that this development poses.   On top of that, Beerus is powerless to stop it.  He tries to dish out threats, but all he can do is cross his fingers and hope for the best.

This proves hard to do, as Frost joins in to make Gohan's dilemma even more daunting.  It seems the two villains have bonded over their shared grudge against saiyans and are now working together.

I did find it funny how Frost refers to Frieza as "sempai".  I've seen the term used facetiously so many times that it caught me off guard.  The fact that Frost is using it unironically (I think? It's possible it was a stealth jab, it's hard to say) made it even stranger for me.

While Frieza does offer to let Frost fight Gohan, the latter defers and we get a face off between Frieza and Gohan.  Both go to full power, and while Gohan holds his own, it seems like Frieza is about to eliminate one of universe 7's top tier contenders.

Before that, though, Frieza and Frost chew the fat a little.  Frost voices his admiration for the level that Frieza has hit, while Frieza offers him some pointers on how to tap into his own power.  It is during this palaver, that Frieza blasts Frost out of the ring.  Can I just say, "called it"?

Even Gohan knew what was up and played along.  It was a nice bit of unspoken teamwork.  I suppose that as many times as they've confronted each other, it makes sense that they can read each other's signals to this extent.

The fact that Frost was legit in his friendship was rather surprising, but it turns out that Frieza does, in fact, view Frost as an amateur.  He even goes so far as to flat out say this to Frost after the latter is sent to the bench.

Suffice it to say, Frost doesn't take this well.  The fact that he was betrayed is a sting on its own, but the insult ends up being what ultimately provokes him into attempting a retaliatory beam attack.  Before he can, though, the Zen'os erase him as outside attacks are against the rules.

Considering how easily swayed the deities are, it was nice to see them put their foot down.  They even warn universe 6 that if something like that happens again, the whole universe will be erased.

As noted, the first half wasn't all that impressive.  It was nice to get a glimpse of the grander chaos that would be a big brawl fight, but the episode really found its groove when it put the focus on Gohan.

Frieza was fun to watch as always and the episode gave him more than a few highlights.  Even though he played nice this time, it's still very likely that the suggested ulterior motive still applies and that he's going to be a problem for the main characters later on down the line.

There's no episode next week, but the week after we get two episodes in one go.  While the closing narration suggests that it will focus on Goku battling Ribrianne, the titles and preview tell us that he will be facing off against Jiren.  It's kind of surprising that they're getting to that showdown this early.  There are still a lot of fighters left, though that match up alone could last more than a few episodes, so we'll have to see how it plays out.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 107: 'Revenge F! The Cunning Trap!?'

Once again, the episode opens with the twin Zen'os wondering how many fighters are left.  Unlike last time, they don't even bother to count and just ask the grand priest to lay it out, which he does.  It turns out that there are 36 fighters left and the Grand Priest even goes through a run down of how many fighters each universe has left.  Surprisingly, universes 6 and 7 are tied with the most, though as one universe points out, quality could trump quantity as we move into the second trimester of the tournament.

One could argue that this was just a way to eat up time without having to animate a whole lot, but I honestly appreciated getting the rundown.  As I said before, I would have liked to have gotten that information the last time, so I had no qualms about them finally delivering on a brief status update.

From there, the episode cuts to the remaining universe 11 fighters as they are challenged by a fighter from universe 3 named Maji Kayo.  He's the liquid fighter that was giving Goku some trouble back when Roshi was going through his gauntlet.  His power set if very much akin to Majin Buu in that he can regenerate instantly without taking damage and can manipulate and contort his body to become a nigh-unstoppable living weapon.

It would have been interesting to see those two face off, but I can understand why the writers decided to throw in Frieza in Buu's place if they were going to use him.  The power sets are a bit redundant.

Kayo does manage to get the drop on Dyspo, but Jiren effortlessly eliminates the fighter using only the "force push" of one of his punches.  Even Goku, who is located elsewhere, picked up on what happened and seems stunned at the display.

It seems this was a bit of a detour as we jump again, this time to Roshi.  His respite is, alas interrupted, by Frost who has the old man in his metaphorical cross hairs as he seems to be on his last leg.

To his credit, Roshi puts up a relatively good fight all things considered.  It isn't enough, and the old master is forced to use the Mafuba again.

You kind of figure that it wouldn't work, though the episode holds the tension just long enough to make you think it was possible...but it wasn't.  Roshi's energy reserves were too depleted and Frost remains outside the bottle.

Interestingly, his reaction was very much akin to Zamasu's when Future Trunks hit him with the same attack.  Frost looks absolutely mortified at what he went through.  It really makes you wonder just what the hell is in that bottle or what it feels like being in that wave.  Judging by those two, I can't imagine it's anything good.

In any event, Frost proceeds to dish out some payback.  It gets a bit brutal, which isn't surprising, though Vegeta eventually enters the fray.  This is partially due to the fact that Frost goaded him a little, but Vegeta just doesn't like Frost in general.  He even makes a point of telling Roshi this, lest the old man concludes that Vegeta came to his aid out of general concern or even a sense tactical teamwork and support.

Vegeta has the upper hand, but Frost isn't without tricks of his own as he somehow summons Magetta to back him up.  As was the case with Bergamo, Frost and Magetta make a formidable pair and they give the saiyan prince a run for his money.

It gets to the point where Roshi contemplates using the Mafuba again.  It's a terrible idea, given the risk; so, of course, he goes and does it.  He doesn't botch it, exactly, but Frost is able to somehow gain control of the wave and redirect it towards Vegeta.  You'd think that Roshi being too exhausted to do it before would mean that Vegeta would be fine, but nope, it works like a charm this time.  I guess Frost picked up the slack.  I did find it a little weird that Roshi targeted Magetta with it.  The metal man never really came off as evil to me, though it's a moot point as the result would have likely been the same.

You'd think that this would be a major wham moment for the story line.  One of universe 7's strongest fighters is out of commission.  This totally tips the scales in the favor of other universes.  Unfortunately, the episode can't hold the tension for more than a minute before Roshi frees Vegeta.

It was nice to see Vegeta back in action and seeing him knock Magetta out was kinda glorious, but it still seems like a missed opportunity.  Keeping him trapped for say, a couple of episodes, could have really upped the stakes for a while before he did eventually get free.

Dirty coward that he is, Frost ninja-vanishes in a puff of smoke.  With that taken care of, Vegeta tells Roshi to drop out and get a senzu bean before he dies.  It initially looks like Roshi willingly complies, though we later see that he fell unconscious.  A senzu bean heals him right up, so he's fine.  He even managed to earn Beerus' respect, so good on him.

All in all, this was another solid episode.  Frost got a good showing and really played up the manipulative coward aspect of his character.  There were some fumbles here and there, but I was always engaged in what was happening and we did see a few more fighters get eliminated.  There's only 30 minutes and about 30 fighters left in the tournament.  Between fatigue and the caliber of fighters, it will likely be a rough go for the heroes of universe 7, but we'll see how things play out.




 

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Stephen King Bibliography: 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'

Judging by the book's general plot hook, a young girl gets lost in the woods, I was expecting something akin to a fairy tale.  That's not really the direction the book takes, however.  Though, a pop up book version of the story is available.  I am kind of interested to check that out at some point in all honesty.

While there are no otherworldly monstrosities to be seen, this book is survival horror in an almost literal sense.  Interestingly, the sense of horror works from several different angles.  You could see
this from the kid's perspective, being lost and cut off from everyone you know with no means of getting re-acclimated.  Or, you could view it from the parent's perspective, the fear of losing your kid and having them go through the nightmare that the young girl goes through here.

Our protagonist is Trisha.  She's a nine year old, who wanders off the beaten path both to go to the bathroom and to get a break from her fighting family during a road trip.

You wouldn't think that this would be that big a deal.  She wouldn't have had to go that far to achieve either of these objectives, but it's enough to throw off her internal compass and she appears unable to regain her bearings.

From here, the book really puts the kid through the ringer.  You can't help but feel bad for her.  Though, to her credit, she fares better than most kids (either her age or some even older) would fare.  She has some basic survival skills: being able to identify which berries to eat and which to avoid and she also makes a point to follow a stream knowing that it would eventually lead to something bigger.  The latter doesn't really work out, but it was still an impressive showing.

Oddly, one of my favorite parts of the book is when she stops to listen to baseball games.  After the gauntlet she went through, it was nice to see some normalcy returned to her life.  I also figured that it
would be a prime time for outside parties to find her, as she remains still for a large chunk of time.  Spoiler alert, that doesn't happen.

The first time she does this, the book spends a lot of time almost recapping a game.  It does pad out the word count a bit, but for those who enjoy baseball, you might find it to be a fun read.

The book's biggest problem, in my opinion, was the way it was structured. Some of the chapters are very long and there are no breaks.  If you can carve out a large chunk of time to read, that's fine, but if you don't, it'll be a hard book to pick up as you don't want to commit.

I was also thrown by the few sections where the narrative jumps to show what Trisha's family is doing.  These parts are fine in and of themselves, one could argue that the book could have used more of this, especially in the early portions.  The problem is that the book doesn't break to indicate a setting jump, so one minute you're with Trisha and then you're miles away with little to no segue.  I can understand the book wanting to focus on Trisha and her trials and tribulations, but if you are going to jump to another location, a sub-chapter would have been a great way to indicate that.

I noted before that the story has no supernatural elements, however, the book does try to have its cake and eat it too.  It does try to set up a sort of pantheon and there is a thing lurking in the woods.  Sadly, while the prose does well to build it all up, it falls flat as we know it's nothing.

Honestly, I can even understand it given that the protagonist is a scared kid whose imagination is running wild, but at the climax, the book tries to pull something out of thin air by suggesting that what was a black bear might not have been.  Again, from Trisha's perspective, I totally get it.  She's freaking out and was already hallucinating.  The book also makes it clear that by this point, she's running on empty, but having a nearby hunter come to the same conclusion?  No, that didn't work for me.  Maybe it was to appease readers who demand dark forces be involved, but it didn't fit with what we had seen previously and it wasn't really necessary.  The book is plenty unnerving even without some paranormal entity lurking around.

I was surprised that this was never adapted into a film.  The way the story is structured, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult and the right filmmaker could easily bring it to life.  It turns out that Romero himself was set to direct an adaptation that never came to be.  While we'll never see that, a future adaptation helmed by someone else could still be possible.  I honestly think it would work.  Adapting King's work has proven tricky in the past, but this one seems like something that they can handle.

Until then, I'd recommend giving this book a read.  It's not a King title that immediately jumps out like some of his other works, but it's a solid entry in the library.

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