Guest Post -James M's Top 10 Awesome SciFi Movies

Hey people, James M here and today, I will be giving you the top 10 science fiction movies of all time. Before we begin, there might be some stuff I will leave out like superhero movies and TV shows. But there will be honorable mentions along the way, also, Godzilla technically counts as science fiction. Heads up, most of the entries will involve aliens. Anyways lets start...

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10. Iron Sky
How can this not be a science fiction movie? Set in 2018, this action packed r rated movie directed by Timo Vuorensola in just 90 minutes tells the story of a group of Nazis who fled to space near the end of the war in 1945 and return decades later for revenge. It does include plenty of sci-fi elements for the most part, especially when it comes to space and spaceships in general. There's so much great acting along the way. While Nazis are bad news, sometimes, they can be awesome. Starring Chris Kirby, Julia Dietz, Gotz Otto and Udo Kier, this movie is fun to watch again and again.

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9. Muppets from Space
In all the years the Muppets have been around, who could've thought there would one day come a time where Kermit and friends would star in a Sci-Fi movie. Released in 1999, Muppets From Space focuses on Gonzo who figures that he's an alien and his family is coming to visit. Over he course of 80 minutes, shenanigans ensue and Gonzo is captured by a government agent who wants to know when his relatives are coming, This film contains a lot of fun stuff too; A cameo from Hulk Hogan? Who could've seen that coming??? An Independence Day reference? It makes sense given the fact ID4 came out just three years previously and Independence Day was popular by '99

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8. Galaxy Quest 
With Sci-Fi all the rage in the 90s, given the fact Spaceballs had a shot at parodying Star Wars in the 80s and Star Trek being popular, it was only a matter of time until we got this movie. In just 102 minutes, Galaxy Quest focuses on a group of actors, who starred in the defunct show Galaxy Quest (a parody of Star Trek), being recruited by a race of aliens to help survive against and defeat an evil warlord bent on destroying these aliens. While being an action-adventure sci-fi film, this movie is also a comedy as it does its best to make things a bit family friendly. Galaxy Quest is still great today, starring Tim Allen of The Santa Claus and Toy Story fame, the late Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver, who is no stranger to science fiction having starred in the movie Alien and its three sequels as the iconic character Ellen Ripley. This movie is worth a watch.

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7. Iron Sky 2 The Coming Race
Back in 2012, when Iron Sky first came out, who could've thought we would get a continuation of the Moon Nazi story that focused on dinosaur people. Set a few decades after the events of the first film, the survivors of a nuclear war have settled on the moon in the former Nazi moon base but its tough to survive when there's overpopulation going on. Things get crazier when we get into the Hollow Earth stuff and learn the Vrill, an alien reptile race, was responsible for man's creation and Adolf Hitler (who's back from the grave), as well as most of the most evil dictators of history, were all dinosaur people the entire time. Udo Kier does a great job reprising his role as Kortzfleicsh and playing the role of the man who started World War II and murdered millions of innocent lives.
If I can describe this film in one word, its... AWESOME! Watch it, I encourage you all.

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6. Treasure Planet
What's this, you ask, Treasure Island in space and Disney's into SCIENCE FICTION?
Thats right, Treasure Planet is a Science Fiction space adventure version of Treasure Island. Released in 2002, this film follows Jim Hawkings and Doctor Doppler on a trip through space on a ship to the fabled Treasure Planet. Featuring scifi elements like aliens and spaceships, even robots, Treasure Planet is the most awesome movie ever. Is it worth your time? Yes. Can your kids watch it? Sure, why not, as long as they don't get creeped out by John Silver and a ton of action scenes, just make sure they don't break down in tears or something, OK?

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5. Predator (1987)
In the years between the release of the first Terminator and the second Terminator, who could've anticipated Arnold Schwarzenegger taking on aliens from outer space. During a mission in a rain forest during the cold war, a group of commandos are attacked by an alien hunter. Most of them are taken out one by one until Dutch remains. Action packed and super epic, this film is worth a watch and is definitely a science fiction movie, regardless of its r rating.

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4. Mars Attacks
Released in 1996 just months after the movie Independence Day, Mars Attacks' plot is simple: Aliens from Mars show up to attack Earth and its up to the protagonists of the movie to stop them before they're toast and the world is destroyed. Is it stupid? Maybe. Is it good? Duh, of course it is. Worth your time? Sure, go ahead and watch this movie if you are a fan of aliens.

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3. Godzilla Final Wars
Godzilla is no stranger to Science-Fiction, he's always been a staple of science fiction. Heck, in the 1960s and in previous entries, Godzilla movies have dealt with Sci-fi staples like aliens. Godzilla Final Wars, the final entry in the saga until 2014 and 2016, is one of these movies. Aliens from Planet X attack Earth with classic Toho monsters and its up to a ragtag team to stop these aliens with help from the Big G himself. Running at 2 hours, this movie has nonstop action and pays homage to not just Godzilla's history but famous kung fu action movies and other science fiction staples as well.

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2. Terminator 2 Judgement Day
Robots are a staple of science fiction and have been for years, Terminator 2 is the most epic sci-fi movie ever and a prime example of robots learning humanity. Set ten years after the first film, the movie's plot involves a reprogrammed T-800 played by Schwarzenegger protecting a young John Connor from a shape-shifting robot assassin sent back to destroy John. Action packed, full of great moments and awesome scenes, this film is amazing.

Honorable Mentions -Before we reveal the number one pick, here are some honorable mentions...
-E.T The Extra-Terrestrial
-Starship Troopers
-Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
-Alien 3
-Ready Player One
-Independence Day Resurgence
-Wall-E
-Final Countdown
-Pixels
-Back To The Future
-Spaceballs
-Jurassic Park
-Terminator Genisys
-Independence Day
-Mars Needs Mums
-Star Trek III Search for Spock
-Battle of L.A 2011
-2001: A Space Odyssey

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1. Men in Black International
The (as of right now) latest entry in the Men in Black series, the movie is an epic, adrenaline-pumping action movie that is fun from start to finish, with a great musical score, incredible actors and acting, comedy all over, awesome action scenes and fun moments as well as Easter Eggs and nods to previous entries in the Men in Black series. This movie does not disappoint one bit. Starring the likes of Temma Thompson, Liam Neeson (no stranger to science fiction, Emma Thompson (reprising her role as O from MIB3), Chris Hemsworth and Rafe Spall, Men in Black International expands upon the world of MiB and is the best entry in the Men in Black films up there with Men in Black 3.

Thats my list, do you agree with my picks? I will eventually do another top ten at some point, maybe a top five. Who knows? But I will be back, I promise.
Until next time...
-James M.

Guest Post -James M's Review of Terminator Genisys

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Hey there people, CrazyGamerHistorian1999 here again and this time, we're talking about the 5th entry in the Terminator movie franchise, the one that changes everything, TERMINATOR GENISYS! As I just said, this film changes everything, not only starring Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, Emily Clarke, Matt Smith (of Doctor Who fame) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (for the first time since T3), but revisits the first film and takes things in a different direction.

After 2009's Terminator Salvation came out (6 years after the release of Rise of the Machines), it would be another 6 years before we got this movie. Salvation was meant to kick of a trilogy, but it didn't in the end as the studio that made T4 got sued and the rights transferred to Skydance and Paramount Studios where director Alan Taylor and writers Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier would work on the movie. The movie came out on July 1st, 2015 and while it was mostly a success, Genisys received a lot of backlash to a point where Terminator Dark Fate (the 6th movie), directed by James Cameron (who regained the rights recently), is set to happen after the events of Terminator 2 in an alternate timeline, ignoring Rise of the Machines and Salvation  as well as this movie.

However, if you watch this movie and think about it, Genisys is not that bad, its actually really good and the writers did a great job. I actually enjoyed this movie and want to see it again some point. But enough delaying, lets go over the entire plot. Major warning, spoilers are ahead...

Synopsis/Plot:
*MAJOR SPOILER WARNING*

We begin the movie with a narration by Kyle Reese (played by Jai Courtney), who talks about how the world was once a lovely place until Skynet gained sentience and took over, launching a nuclear attack on the world and annihilating three million people in the nuclear fire. After the events of Judgement Day, Skynet's forces established control of the planet and began wiping out the survivors. Things began to turn around when John Connor (played by Jason Clarke) led the resistance against Skynet and liberated many people from work camps, even saving Kyle when he was a kid.

For most of his life, Kyle has looked up to John as a father-figure, its almost ironic considering the fact that *spoilers* Kyle Reese is John Connor's biological papa due to time travel. Anyway, we finally get to 2029 where the final battle is about to begin. Yup, the first twenty minutes of Genisys is where the original timeline and the other timeline (consisting of Rise of the Machines and Salvation) converge on 2029 and we see the big battle where Skynet is defeated. The night of the big event, just hours before Operation Chrono begins, Kyle and John talk about whats going on before the leader of the resistance gives a speech which goes like this...

"The machine thinks that we cannot triumph, The machines think that we will not strike at the very heart of Skynet. Yet, here we stand, on the precipice of the final battle. If we fall tonight, mankind falls with us. I look at each of you, and I see the marks of this long and terrible war. For are children, our children's children, so they will not carry these marks. (John gestures to his scars upon his face he received years ago) But they will know who we are and what we did. That we did not bow down, we did not give in! We rose up at this moment! At this hour, willing to sacrifice everything, so that they could live in freedom! ON THIS NIGHT, WE TAKE BACK OUR WORLD!"

As John gives his speech, we see scenes of the Resistance launching its attack on one of Skynet's facilities, this is the big final battle that Kyle mentioned in the first film, the facility is the Time Displacement Equipment facility. As the attack begins, we see the interior of the TDE chamber light up as a robotic voice says, "Perimeter breach, activating Model 101". Thats right, we're tying into the first film (for the most part) as Skynet activates the classic Schwarzenegger T-800 (played by Bret Azar with digital makeup) and the cyborg walks into the time machine naked. Meanwhile, outside, John and Kyle, their forces giving it to the machines big time, head towards the facility where they end up engaging a Hunter Killer walker in battle. You know, seeing something like that, the fight with a big robot outside a big facility wouldn't feel out of place in a video game.

Anyways, its at this point that the Colorado Unit destroys Skynet's core and the machines shut down. Thats it, the war is over and everybody can relax, right? Wrong, there's still the Time Displacement Equipment and the fact a Terminator just went back to 1984 to try to eliminate Sarah Connor, John's mum. Kyle volunteers to go back to 1984 on John's behest to protect Sarah, especially after many other soldiers volunteer. After stripping naked, Kyle walks past a row of resistance soldiers, which includes Matt Smith's character Alex ,and John Connor, steps into the Time machine and it activates. As the Time Displacement Field comes online, John tells Kyle, "What you're doing right now, this is the end of the war." Thats a call back to the start of the first movie when the narration said that the final battle of the war with the machines would happen in 1984.

Before Kyle disappears in the time field, Alex (actually the embodiment of Skynet) attacks John and says in his ear in a whisper, "You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" This refers to the victory of tonight. Kyle, who is watching this with shock and horror, gets memories of an alternate happy timeline and a message from his younger self, "Remember, Skynet is Genisys. When Genisys wakes up, Judgement Day will begin." In 1984 at Griffith Observatory, the T-800 arrives and, like in the first film, goes to find clothes, even bumping into the punks from the first film. Here's how things play out...

(T-800 approaches)

Punk: Hey, hey. Whats wrong with this picture?
Punk 2: (As the T-800 walks up) Nice night for a walk, eh?

(The T-800 steps into view and stops in front of them)
T-800: Nice night for a walk.

Punk: Wash day tomorrow, nothing clean, right?
T-800: Nothing clean, right.

Punk 2: (snapping fingers) This guy's a couple cans short of a six pack.
T-800: Your clothes, give them to me, now!

(Punk 2 draws knife)
Punk 2: Hey, FORGET you, a**hole!"

*Side note: When I watched the movie on DVR, I recorded it on a channel that censors the eff bomb. The channel I was watching Genisys replaced "f***" with "forget". In the non-censored theatrical version and on DVD, the punk says "F*** you a**hole" just like in the 1984 movie.

Just before we see the T-800 attack the punks, rip out a heart and obtain his clothes (like in the original 1984 film), somebody not too far off says, "You won't be needing any clothes." The T-800 wheels around to confront... another T-800 (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), reprogrammed and on the good side. Now we don't know who reprogrammed this T-800, but for simplicity's sake, we'll just assume it was the Resistance.
The newcomer tells the T-800 that its been waiting for him and the young T-800 attacks the old T-800. Yes I said old because the reprogrammed T-800 has been here since 1973. The battle is intense but awesome, the special effects are amazing too. By the way, the concept of two Schwarzenegger T-800s fighting has been around since work on T2 began.

During the battle, Guardian (the good T-800) does get a few hits off the 1984 T-800 before the evil robot overpowers him and, just when it looks like Guardian is on the ropes, a lucky sniper shot takes out the T-800. After the bad guy machine powers down, Guardian gives the sniper a thumbs up. On the other side of L.A, Kyle Reese arrives and, like before, steals pants from a homeless guy. Unlike before, an Asian cop (played by Lee-Bryan Hung) is waiting for him. However, this is not a genuine cop, the guy in the police uniform is actually a T-1000. Kyle gets away from the liquid metal abomination and gets into the mall where he gets his hands on clothes only to run into a couple cops while trying to escape the T-1000.

The cops, O'Brien (played by Wayne Bastrup) and an unnamed cop, arrest Kyle, thinking he's a burglar. When the T-1000 attacks and takes out O'Brien's partner, Kyle and O'Brien hide from the attacking machine, leading to this line of dialogue...

O'Brien: Its gotta be like an alien from outer space.
Kyle: Its a machine that kills humans. Uncuff me...

O'Brien: No, you're under arrest.
Kyle: What part of "kills humans" do you not understand... HANDCUFFS!

(O'Brien uncuffs Kyle and tries to take out the T-1000, but guns are useless, O'Brien gets on the radio)
O'Brien: Mayday, mayday. Officer down. Its some kind of... robot."

Just when it looks like this might be the end of the line, help arrives as a truck smashes into the store and knocks aside the T-1000. The door opens and at the wheel is Sarah Connor (played by Emily Clarke), who shoots the liquid metal monster and yells at Kyle, "Come with me if you want to live, NOW SOLDIER!" Kyle gets in the truck and they make their get away. In the truck, Kyle and Sarah talk about whats going on as things have changed, given the fact Sarah knows about Terminators after the T-1000 tried to bump her off when she was a little girl and Pops the T-800 guardian saved her life. They narrowly escape the T-1000 again, after it catches up with them, and make it to an abandoned warehouse where they fight the T-1000 (once more) along with the young T-800, which reactivated with the T-1000's help.

While Sarah tries to get away from the T-1000, Kyle is left to contend with the T-800. He uses a grenade launcher to try and destroy it, the only result being the T-800's living tissue being burned off by the fiery explosion, revealing its metal endoskeleton. After a lengthy battle, the machine is finally destroyed (again) for good. As for the T-1000, well, Sarah and Guardian took care of it using acid to destroy the monster, but not before Pop's organic flesh takes damage revealing a bit of his metal endoskeleton. As we recover from the battle, it turns out Sarah and Guardian have been building their own Time Displacement machine. Their plans for it? They're gonna go to 1997 to stop Skynet from launching its attack on the world. Kyle tells them everything about his new alternate boyhood memories and the "Genisys is Skynet" message from his younger self, telling them they must go to 2017.

Thank you, Kyle. If you guys had gone to 1997, you'd find nothing. Going to 2017 makes more sense. Remember, the only time Judgement Day would happen in 1997 would be if Cyberdine got its hands on the original T-800's CPU and used it to make Skynet. Because the T-800 got destroyed and whats left of it is being used to power the time machine, we just basically delayed the inevitable and gave the world borrowed time.
 By 1997, we would have 20 years left until doomsday. Anyways, after stripping naked (Sarah/Emily looks good by the way), Kyle and Sarah get in and they depart to 2017 while Guardian stays behind to prepare for their arrival. Arriving in 2017 on a busy freeway, Sarah and Kyle are taken into custody by the police and are taken to the hospital. There, Kyle encounters his 12 year old younger self (played by Bryant Prince) and reunites with an older O'Brien (played by J.K. Simmons).

Not long after, John, who "somehow" survived the encounter with Alex/Skynet and has been there since 2014, arrives. Kyle and Sarah follow John into a parking garage where Kyle learns that he is John's father, much to his shock. Guardian, who's organic flesh regenerated over time and who has been waiting for Kyle and Sarah for 3 decades, arrives and shoots John. Turns out, John has been converted into a new Terminator, transforming him from hero to villain. The new Terminator model? T-3000.
 Narrowly escaping John, after a battle with him which ended with him caught in the magnetic pull of an MRI machine, Kyle, Sarah and Pops head off to their set up secret hideout while the old T-800 explains everything about the T-3000. Towards the end of the war with the machines in the old timeline, Skynet had been experimenting with Machine Phase Matter, which converted people on a molecular level into Terminators. While many did not survive, John is the first of the T-3000 machines.

Later at the hideout, while preparing to attack Cyberdine, John arrives and attacks the trio. During this encounter, Kyle tries to plead with John only for the converted resistance leader to say, "I cannot be bargained with, can't be reasoned with, I don't feel pity, or remorse or fear. And I will not stop, ever, until Skynet rules this world." As Kyle, Sarah and Guardian try to get away from John, he gives chase, leading to a chase sequence that takes them to Golden Gate Bridge where the cops are waiting.
While John gets away, our three heroes are captured and taken to the police station. While Kyle and Sarah as well as Guardian are interrogated, John shows up and chaos ensues as the T-800 attacks him. Oh yeah, Detective O'Brien is there too. Side note; He's basically this film's version of Peter Silberman and, unlike Silberman, he believes Kyle and Sarah are telling the truth so he sides with them in their mission.

During the chaos, Sarah meets with Kyle's younger self and shows him a straight line, just like in Kyle's vision. Pursued by John, the trio of heroes pilot a helicopter, leading to a helicopter chase which ends at Cyberdine with John getting shot down. Entering the building, John and Sarah meet this timeline's version of Skynet (aka Genisys) which is some kind of hologram kid that grows up as time ticks by. John arrives and is temporarily incapacitated by Guardian, the group head deep inside the facility, setting up bombs even as Skynet taunts them and John attacks from time to time. Eventually, during another encounter with a holographic teenage Skynet, Skynet finally morphs into a Matt Smith hologram which says, "What was that he said, I don't think so?" Kyle recognizes it at once, "Thats the thing that attacked John."

 Kyle and Sarah set up the bombs all while attempting to stop Skynet's hologram from interfering, this is not helped by the countdown and the battle between Guardian and John in the factory and in the Time Displacement PollyAlloy room. Thats right, this place has a time machine prototype. During the battle, the T-3000 loses its John Connor look, looking like an ugly muscular robo guy and Pops loses an arm as well as a bit of his skin sheath.
   The old T-800 eventually gets the upper hand and pins John in the time machine, which activates, before telling Kyle and Sarah, "Skynet is almost free, I cannot hold John Connor much longer. Kyle, please take care of my Sarah." Kyle and Sarah escape as the time machine comes online with two metal guys duking it out inside. Pops gets knocked out into a pool of liquid metal and shuts down while the Displacement Field tears John apart, setting off a huge explosion that destroys Cyberdine.

In the aftermath of the explosion, in a safe room, Sarah and Kyle are mourning the sacrifice of Pops when a liquid metal blade pries open a door. For a second they think its another T-1000 when its revealed to be an upgraded Pops. Thanks to the liquid metal, he is now a TX-esque T-800/T-1000 hybrid with who knows what kind of abilities. Kyle pays his younger self a visit and tells him take a message to always tell himself. The message? "Remember, Skynet is Genisys." Afterwards, Kyle and Sarah begin their romance with a kiss (as Pops watches) and the movie ends with them driving off as Kyle does one last narration. However, there is one more thing. During the post-credits, it turns out that the core of Skynet survived, so it looks like Judgement Day will eventually happen.

Thoughts:

Despite its mixed reception, Terminator Genisys is really, really good. Sure it might have issues here and there, but overall, its a fun ride from start to finish. The acting is incredible, the musical score was awesome (even during the end battle) and there were tons of epic special effects and CGI too. Genisys is an awesome PG-13 Sci-Fi movie and is worth a watch, so go ahead and watch it. I give it an 8.5/10. Too bad it doesn't get a sequel that continues the story, oh well, thats what fanfics are about sometimes, often continuing a story. Either way, it doesn't stop me from being interested in Dark Fate. Anyways, I shall leave you be and see you next time. When we meet again, Terminator fans, I will definitely review Dark Fate.

Guest Post -James M's Review of Hogan's Heroes + Retrospective

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Salutations fellow historians and fans of anything related to the Second World War, CrazyGamerHistorian1999 here and we will be taking a look at the 1960s-1970s American WWII-themed sitcom, the campy and sometimes serious Hogan's Heroes.
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   By the time the 1960s rolled about, World War II was partially a distant memory, yet movies and television shows set during the time of the war were very common, shows such as Rat Patrol and movies like Great Escape and The Longest Day are prime examples.
   But one show stood out in particular, Hogan's Heroes. Set during World War II from 1942 to sometime in early 1945, the show focused on Colonel Robert Hogan and his crew -consisting of Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe (later replaced by Ken Washington's character Sgt Baker), French Corp Louis LeBeau (played by holocaust survivor Robert Clary), English Corporal Peter Newkirk and Sgt Andrew Carter- as they engage in hit and run surgical strike sabotage missions against the Nazi regime of the Third Reich.

 Hogan and his crew's main base of operations is the seemingly inescapable Stalag 13, which is run by Kommandant Wilhelm Klink (played by Werner Klemperer), who is a strict and tough, yet bumbling, loyal German Luftwaffe-Wehrmacht officer and a veteran of World War I and accompanied by Sgt. Hans Schultz (played by John Banner), also a WWI veteran and the main sergeant of Stalag 13. Schultz loves chocolate and can be an idiot too, he also looks a bit like Goring.
    Being a bit incompetent and bumbling as well as fearful of being shot or sent to the Russian front, Schultz provides a bit of comic relief. Whenever he learns about Hogan's plans or sees something like the emergency tunnel, he freaks out and says, "I know nothing, nothing. I see nothing, I hear nothing!" One time, when he saw the tunnel and it was open, he chuckled and told Hogan, "You better fix that hole in the floor or somebody might fall in."

However, while most of the Germans are incompetent and not as dangerous as they usually should be, providing for some great comedy, there are still times where things really get serious whenever Klink's boss General Burkhalter (played by Leon Askins) and the SS/Gestapo, lead by Major Hochstetter (played by the great Howard Caine) get involved. Burkhalter, like Schultz, is fat and almost looks like Herman Goring, except he has a scar on his face. In some episodes, whenever he shows up, Burkhalter will attempt to get Klink to hook up with his sister Gertruda. As for the SS, their involvement can provide some major complications for Hogan's plans.

Despite Hogan and his crew's best efforts not to be caught, they did almost got exposed numerous times, Hogan's had a few spies infiltrate his group and then there was that time where the Germans got their hands on a device that could detect radio frequencies. While German dictator Adolf Hitler does not appear in the show, despite being mentioned numerous times and the fact Klink and somebody else has photos of the fuehrer, his influence and his presence can be felt throughout, even when the SS get involved. When you think about it, Hitler's probably off-screen somewhere either giving a speech, hosting a meeting or sitting down to drink his tea. Whenever the German war machine is sabotaged or there's a successful Allied air raid and it reaches Hitler's ears, he probably gets mad, throws a temper tantrum and likely orders somebody shot.

In a few episodes, however, Carter has dressed up as Hitler a few times, so Hitler does show up but its either somebody mimicking his voice or impersonating him in general. In the episode "Will The Real Adolf Please Stand Up", in order to get a film out of Stalag 13, Hogan had Carter dress up as the crazed dictator to hilarious results. Schults gave Carter/Hitler the Nazi salute and Klink acted like a Hitler fanboy, excited that Germany's "great leader" was visiting Stalag 13. In another episode, Carter did dress up as Hitler again and Klink's office did get turned into "Hitler's office". Either way, the show, running for 6 seasons and 6 years (just like WWII) from 1965 to 1971, is awesome.

Hogan's Heroes has a legacy, a legacy that will never be forgotten, and has been referenced in other media off and on throughout the years. Shortly before his passing many years after the show ended, Werner Klemperer reprised his role as Colonel Klink, whose ghost made an appearance in an episode of the Simpsons. In his brief appearance, Klink finally learned about the secret tunnel under Stalag 13 as well as the coffee pot radio from Homer, who was a big fan of Hogan's Heroes....

Retrospective/Thoughts:

In the Summer of 2014, my pop and I were discussing WWII when he brought up the show and he told me a little bit about it, even telling me about the episode where Carter dressed up as Hitler. It took a while, but I was eventually interested.  Months later, in November/December of 2014, pop and I watched the pilot episode on TV, (a rerun) and after that, we started watching more episodes (including the one where there was a Colonel Hoffman who wanted to defect from the Third Reich). I was into the show so much, mum got me the first two seasons for Christmas and we were soon watching almost all the episodes.

During Christmas season 2016, my pop and I did get our hands on Seasons three and four, they also took a while to get through. Afterwards, especially after we got our hands on the last two seasons, I became disconnected from the show and it was a while before we got back into it, again. Then in 2018, we got back into the show and, yes, it did take a while to get through season five. Finally, in 2019 (this year as of this review), we finally finished the show. Was it a fun ride? Yes. Did I have fun? Yes. Is it worth a watch? Go ahead, buy the whole series and watch it.

See you next time, people.
-James M

Guest Post -James' Double Review of Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation

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Salutations again, movie viewers.
Today, we will be taking a look at two movies. 2003's Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger along with Nick Stahl) and 2009's Terminator Salvation (starring Chris Bale and Sam Worthington), both the third and the fourth entry in the Terminator franchise. Lets start with Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines...

"Judgement Day is inevitable."

Following the success of Terminator 2, it would be 12 years before Terminator fans got another Terminator movie. James Cameron was not up to the task of doing another Terminator after T2, for him, T2 was it for the story. After the rights went from him to another studio, work on Terminator 3 eventually began. So whats the overall plot?

Its been a decade since the events of Terminator 2 and the Future War hasn't happened (yet), but after the passing of his mom Sarah Connor, John Connor (played by Nick Stahl) is living off the grid and is scared of his inevitable role of leader of the resistance. Living off the grid has benefits as machines from the future can't track him down. But thats about to change again, Skynet sends back another Terminator through time to eliminate John Connor's lieutenants. The new Terminator is a T-X, basically a female Terminator with shape-shifting powers just like the T-1000, only this time, her pollyalloy surrounds a metal endoskeleton and she's packed with weapons on board.

Upon arriving, the T-X attacks a rich woman, acquiring her clothes, her car and a gun from a cop before setting out to carry on with its mission of eliminating future resistance leaders as she picks them off one by one. Meanwhile, another reprogrammed Terminator sent from the future by the Resistance arrives. Its basically a T-850, part of the T-800 line, played by, you guessed it, Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. The T-850 pays a visit to a club where he acquires clothes from a stripper guy as well as some glasses before heading out to find and protect John Connor.

Not to far away, after getting injured in a motorbike incident, John visits a vet clinic to steal some pills so he can dosen the pain in his leg. Shortly after, Kathrine Brewster (played by Claire Danes) shows up, she happens to not only be the daughter of Robert Brewster (who is played by David Andrews), but an old friend of John from back when he was living with Todd and Janelle during the time frame of T2 before the T-1000 attacked. As they talk, the T-X arrives and attacks them, during the struggle, the T-850 saves John and Kathy. Kathy is locked in the back of a van which John uses as a get away vehicle. Seeing this, the T-X takes over several unoccupied cop cars and sends them after John before hijacking a crane and uses it to pursue.

The T-850 also pursues by stealing a motorbike from a cop. The chase goes through L.A, eventually ending with John being saved by the T-850 who takes over the truck and they get away from the T-X for now. As they drive along, John talks with the T-850 and is not only shocked to learn Kathrine B will be part of the resistance, but that the dark future is on the horizon, Judgement Day was not adverted, but merely postponed until Skynet comes online. To make things worse, the TX is advanced, rendering the T-800 models obsolete and the TX is an anti-Terminator Terminator.

Meanwhile, the TX, looking for Kathy, pays her boyfriend/fiancee/groom-to be Scott Mason a visit and actually murders him before impersonating Scott when the police come and visit him. The T-850, John and Kathy visit a maloseum in the Valley of Peace to obtain weapons from Sarah Connor's "coffin" which were left there just in case if the Future War was not adverted. The three of them narrowly evade a team of police enforcers, who were tipped off about Kathrine's whereabouts (which also notifies the TX about where she is.

During the encounter with the police, we bump into good old Doctor Silberman who hasn't changed much since T2, save for the fact he's now having doubts about if Sarah and Kyle's claims related to the Terminators weren't loony talk. As they get away from the TX, Kathy learns her (ex-) fiance is gone while the T-850 tells John that she's not just her second-in command but that Kathrine Brewster is John Connor's wife! As the trio prepares to find shelter from the nuclear war, John learns that Kathy's father is involved with the creation of Skynet and they make plans to try and stop the whole ordeal from happening... again!

Yup, after Cyberdine was destroyed during T2, what was left of it was taken over by the United States Military and Cyber Research Systems began working on advanced technology and actually worked on Skynet. So, despite the Resistance's best efforts to try and change history, the whole thing is gonna happen anyway. We kinda learn about a bit of it early on in the movie where Robert and his associates are contending with a nationwide virus (actually Skynet about to begin its attack) and are having doubts about if its time to activate Skynet. Now, with things about to hit the fan involving the Virus (while the TX infiltrates the base disguised as a millitary member to corrupt and reprogram the prototype robots), everyone decides its time to plug in Skynet, only for Skynet to "get corrupted".

Immediately afterwards, John, Kathy and the T-850 arrive and confront Robert about how to shut down Skynet, after encountering the TX who actually impersonates Kathy at first and then shoots Robert, about Skynet. As the wounded general states the virus infected Skynet, John tells him that Skynet is the virus and the reason everything is falling apart. At the same time, the Terminator prototype robots begin their attack, brutally gunning down those who could be a threat to Skynet. In his office, a barely alive Robert Brewster laments how he opened Pandora's Box and tells John and Kathy to head to Crystal Peak, leading them to believe Skynet's core is there.

After another encounter with the TX, during which the T-850 is briefly corrupted, John and Kathrine pilot a biplane to Crystal Peak and head inside the compound only to meet up with the TX, who followed them there, again as a damaged Arnold fights her one last time, allowing John and Kathy to get inside the bunker as the Terminator tells John, "We'll meet again."

Side note: The T-850 actually assassinated John on July 4, 2032 before being reprogrammed.

After ensuring that John and Kathy will survive, the brave machine destroys the TX and sacrifices itself at the same time by shoving a damaged fuel cell into the TX's mouth while saying "You are terminated" just as Sarah Connor told the T-800 just two decades earlier. The explosion decimates most of Crystal Peak but is enough to end the TX. Deep inside the bunker, John and Sarah are shocked to find not a core but a room for government and millitary officials dating back to some point during the Cold War.

It takes a while for John to figure it out as not long afterwards, a radio activates with somebody at Montana Civil Defense asking whats going on as there's a launch sequence. Accepting their fate as John and Sarah holds hands, John operates the radio and assumes command of the not yet established resistance. As an off-screen John Connor narrates everything, the movie ends with Judgement Day happening as the world engulfs in a nuclear war and we see whats left of the T-850 as John says, "The battle has just begun..."

Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines was a box office success and received positive reviews from critics back when it first came out, James Cameron even said it was great (despite his change in opinion and stance nowadays). Very few people hated this movie for different reasons, I actually liked it. Like the last two movies, Terminator 3 received an R rating despite its limited uses of the word "fuck" and very little blood, awkward considering the fact this movie wasn't rated PG-13.

Anyways, I give this film a 10/10 and with that, lets do Salvation.

Terminator Salvation
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Review/Thoughts:

Directed by John Brancato and Michael Ferris and released in 2009, Terminator Salvation is the fourth film in the Terminator series and is a shake up as we move on from the pre-Judgement Day times . In 2018, 14 years have passed since Terminator 3 and Skynet rules the world with its robotic armies even as the resistance fights to survive and defeat the machines. The pay off from so much build-up in the last three movies after seeing glimpses of the coming war is super worth it as we finally get to see the war between the human race and the Terminators. Chris Bale plays the role of John Connor, who is not yet the leader of the resistance, while Sam plays the role of Marcus Wright, a man who was converted into a human-terminator hybrid, an actual cyborg.

Kyle Reese appears in the movie in his teens, played by the remarkable Anton Yelchin. As for Arnold Schwarzenegger? He does show up and play the T-800 prototype, but not in the way you'd expect. The Schwarzenegger Terminator is played by Roland Kickinger, who stands in for Schwarzenegger and actually wears CGI make up so he could look like Schwarzenegger so that way, Arnold can be in the movie despite not being there as he was governor of California during that time. The end battle in the Terminator factory was amazing and well put together, the crew did a great job with the special effects and musical score, especially during the scene where the T-800 emerges naked and there's all this smoke and flashing lights going on.

We also meet Skynet for the first time, sort of, it kinda takes on the form of a scientist played by Helena Bonham Carter who showed up at the start of the movie. Salvation is also the first Terminator movie to be rated PG-13, theatrically that is, the Director's Cut is R-rated as it features a lot more action scenes and a small scene showing a partially naked Moon Bloodgood. Either way, Terminator Salvation is a fun watch just like Terminator 3 and is worth your time. If you have time, go ahead and watch either the PG-13 version or the R-rated version, your choice.

Salvation gets a 9/10 and. at last, I close out this double review.
See you later people.
-James M


Guest Post -James M's review of Sonic Family Life by JayFoxFire

Image result for sonic family lifeImage result for sonic family life

Hey there, James M here again and today we're gonna be looking at something different, something made by fans for the fans, we will be looking at JayFoxFire's YouTube series Sonic Family Life.

"Lets do it too it."
-Sonic the Hedgehog

For quite some time, ever since the internet began and since certain franchises like the Sonic series have been popular, fans have come together to tell their own stories revolving around either Sonic or Mario. Over time, these stories told by fans have become known as fan-fiction and it has come in many different forms like fan art, fan stories, fan comics and videos such as fan animations or fan series vids. Sonic Family Life is a prime example, JayFoxFire is an artist and has been a Sonic fan for who knows how long, probably since 1993 when SatAM was airing and Sonic was popular.

So what is the plot?

Nothing much, however, I can give you the details about the series so far.

By the time of episode one, Doctor Ivo Eggman Robotnik has long been defeated and Mobius is at peace for who knows how long. World hero Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally have been engaged, since the events of a fan-comic done by JayFox known as The Proposal, and their wedding is about to happen. Yup, they're tyin' the knot and, this time, its not a stage play like in Archie Sonic #18 or the whole Light Mobius aka Mobius X Years later saga. This is in the same universe as most of the games, half the comics and part of the Sonic SatAM cartoon took place.

*Side note: The comic serving as a prequel to Family Life is right here...]
https://www.deviantart.com/jayfoxfire/gallery/52314988/sonsal-wedding-proposal

Anyway, episode one kicks off with Sally, with help from her friends (including Julie Su from Archie), getting ready for the big ceremony and she's thrilled about it. Sonic? He's with his mum and pop Jules and Bernie Hedgehog, his Uncle Chuck and buddy Tails also getting ready. He says that he's a bit nervous only for Tails to say, "Come on, Sonic. You're marrying Aunt Sally." To be fair, Tails, loads of people get a bit nervous and excited before a big thing happens. Soon, everybody's ready. But there's a bit of a complication, Sally's pop King Max is sick, so when it looks as though Sally's gonna walk to the alter by herself, Jules (doing Sonic, who learned about Max's condition, a favor) takes the king's place in walking Sally down the aisle.

The ceremony begins and the go-between officiator is a humanoid lion guy named Leonard who looks like Simba from The Lion King (due to the fact JayFoxFire is a fan of that movie), after a little song from Mina Mongoose, Sonic and Sally exchange their vows (by reading off notes to each other) and, after the exchanging of rings, they finally become Sonic and Sally Hedgehog. Oh, I'm sorry, Sonic and Sally Hedgeacorn. Sonic tells the pastor to give them the Hedgeacorn surname, considering the fact that Sally having the surname "hedgehog" would be just weird.

After the ceremony and, later, the reception, Sonic and Sally board a plane (the same one she and King Max used to go to the Floating Island when she was young) and they head to Spagonia from Sonic Unleashed for their vacation/honeymoon. The first episode ends with them at their hotel, changing out of their formal attire and going to bed together for some shut eye. Episode two shows Sonic and Sally's honeymoon in Spagonia, sight-seeing, shopping, eating exotic meals and actually meeting Professor Pickle, who makes a nice little cameo a few minutes into the episode. Towards the end, Sonic and his beloved royal chipmunk wife head home where Sonic and his family have a big surprise for her, a brand new house, and the episode ends with Sonic and Sally beginning their new life as, well, Mr. and Mrs. Hedgeacorn.

Side Note: Even though Mobius is safe and Robotnik is gone, in this universe, while Mobotroplis is the seat of power for the Kingdom of Acorn, most of the inhabitants (including Sonic and Sally) still reside in Knothole village.

Episode 3 is where things really start to get a bit more fascinating, one day, Sonic and Sally are at Antoine and Bunnie's place for a brunch get together and they learn something that amazes them; Bunnie and Antoine are having a baby. Later at home, Sonic and Sally discuss the idea of having a baby and agree on waiting until after Bunnie's kids are born before deciding if they want kids. Months later, Bunnie and Antoine's cute and (in Antoine's words) precious bay-beez are born. Their names, Jacques and Belle. Now why do those sound familiar?

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Oh yeah, we had a Jacques and Belle in Archie Sonic during the Mobius X Years Later saga. Difference between Family Life Mobius and Light Mobius when it comes to the characters? This isn't a world where Sonic and Sally are king and queen of Mobius. Anyways, back to the episodes and what not. That night, while in their room at home about to go to bed, Sonic and Sally talk, during which it turns out Sally has decided that she's ready to have a baby. Discussing it further, Sally assures Sonic that she's not forcing him to have kids with her and Sonic says that if they get on with it now, Antoine and Bunnie's kids will have somebody to play with. Deciding its time, the episode ends with Sonic and Sally turning out the lights as, you guessed it, they have an off-screen night of sex.

Image result for sonic family life episode 4

Episode 4 picks up in the morning after Sonic and Sally's night where, as Sally is washing up, we get another Unleashed reference as Sonic holds a stuffed doll of Chip aka Light Gaia before he goes out for a morning run. Once he returns from his run, he and Sally talk about if she's prego or not. Weeks later, Sally is experiencing sickness and is throwing up so Sonic takes her to see Doctor Quack (also a character from the Archie comics), who promises that Sally will be OK and that he will be glad to see if they are having a baby (at Sonic's request that is). A short while later, after waiting patiently, Sonic meets up with Sally, who tells him that she's prego, and Doctor Quack, who explains that morning sickness is due to the fact Sally is in the first phase of the whole thing.

Later, after discussing when they'll tell the others, Sonic and Sally give Sonic's parents a gift which happens to be a letter from Sonic, telling them they'll soon be grandparents. Bernie is super happy that her son is having a baby.
"My baby's having a baby?" *Cue fan-girl squeal*

Months later, Sally's belly is huge and the baby could come any time now. One day, Sally breaks down, concerned she looks fat and ugly, only for Sonic to assure her that she's still pretty. After Sonic heads out to go for a run, thats when Sally's contractions begin and Nicole, Sally's computer, has to notify Sonic (at Sally's request). Sonic has Nicole contact his friends and family about everything before rushing Sally off to the hospital.
At the hospital, Sonic is pacing up and down the halls, completely nervous, which also makes the doctors and nurses nervous as well to a point where one of them has to ask Jules to ask Sonic to calm down. Jules and Sonic have a man to man, father-son chat where Sonic says he's concerned that he might not be a great father. Jules, being optimistic, assures Sonic that he will be fine and that he and Sally are great with kids, considering the fact Sonic took great care of Tails. so of course Sonic will be a great poppa.

As we go into the room where Sally's in, at this point, we can see Sally can't stand the pain and wants it to stop. Sonic, knowing everything will be okay, tells her to not worry and they'll be fine. Sally goes through with it, it takes a while but finally, the baby is born and its a girl. Sonic and Sally see their newly-born daughter whom they name Kristina, Kristina Hedgeacorn. Sonic's family and the rest of the others come in, Uncle Chuck says that Kristina is adorable and Rotor, who's there with his girlfriend, says she looks just like Sonic. Sally's parents arrive and are amazed by how beautiful their granddaughter is. The episode ends with everyone happy, after Sonic learns Rotor will be tying the knot with his girlfriend sometime soon.

Episode 5, the as-of-this-post latest episode is simple. Sonic and Sally are raising Kristina, a few years after she's born, they decide to have another kid so Kristina will have somebody to play with at home. Sonic and Sally's next baby is a boy, whom they name Johnathon Hedgeacorn. Near the end of the episode, during Christmastime as everybody's opening gifts, Sonic learns that his wife is prego again and that they're expecting the next baby to be a girl. The episode ends with everyone happy about the news.

Thoughts/Conclusion:
Having seen JayFoxFire's talent and writing, I say this series is really good. In fact, if it could work, the whole thing could somehow fit right on in with the Sonic SatAM show, serving as an epilogue of sorts, kind of a "where are they now" scenario, showing Sonic and his friends dealing with a post-Robotnik life after cleaning up his mess he made during his decade long rule, maybe showing Sonic tie the knot with Sally and having kids with her or something.
Either way, this is a great series and almost feels like it is a part of SatAM, due to the intro and its music, the ending credits. even the voice actor voicing Sonic sounds like Jaleel White. The voice actress for Nicole also does a great job emulating Nicole's voice from the show.

Is it worth your time? Yes it is. If you have the time, go watch the episodes, one by one.
Anyways, time for me to go now, so until next time, here is a link to YouTube...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBAF831CCAD93B63B

Peace out!
-James M the CrazyGamerHistorian1999

Guest Post -James' review of The Return of Godzilla aka Godzilla 1985



Hey there Godzilla fans, here we are again to review a Godzilla movie.
This time, we're reviewing the movie that not only commemorated the Big G's 30th Anniversary, saw Raymond Burr reprise his role as Steve Martin from the first Godzilla (in the American version of this movie) and brought Godzilla back to his roots, but was the 16th entry in the series and the first Godzilla movie in nearly ten years; GOJIRA 1984 aka The Return of Godzilla...



SKREEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOONNNK! GYAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOONKG!

Following the mixed reception of previous Godzilla movies, Toho decided it was time to go back to basics with Godzilla and reboot the franchise. So, pretend that after 1954, there were no Godzilla movies and it took a long time for Toho to do a sequel and in 1983, its announced Godzilla 1954 will be getting a sequel the following year. Crazy huh?

So, allow me to give you a synopsis of almost the whole movie. WARNING: There will be major spoilers for those who have not seen the movie. We will also combine both Japan and USA versions of the movie too, so heads up if I bring up Steve Martin, OK?

Here we go...

Right off the bat, as the movie starts with the title screen, ominous and dramatic music kicks in and we see a fiery background along with a bit of lava, the movie's letting us know it means business and its gonna be darker than the first Godzilla. After we get the title of the movie, we pick up in 1984 (just thirty years following the original movie in this timeline) where a ship is adrift and caught in a storm just miles off Tokyo Bay. The crew is trying to get everything under control but its a lot tougher as the ship is on the verge of running aground on a nearby island, as the crew sends out an S.O.S message, the island starts to fall apart and there are flashing lights and explosions as the crew screams and we hear Godzilla's roar before (in the USA version) we cut to see Steve Martin in his home after having a bad dream.

The next morning, a reporter named Goro Maki (not to be confused with the other Maki Goro from Son of Godzilla) encounters the ship (which is called the Yahata Maru) while on his own yacht at sea and investigates the ship. While on the Yahata Maru, Maki discovers that the whole crew was picked off and had the life sucked out of them by a mysterious sea louse, which attacks Maki soon after. Just when Maki is at the mercy of the monster, the louse is slain by Ken, a lone survivor. As Maki and Ken recover from what happened, Ken tells him about what happened, including Godzilla.

Back home in Tokyo, Japan, in a hospital, Ken is visited by Professor Hiyashita and they analyze photos of the first Godzilla attack from the first film to basically confirm one thing; Godzilla has returned, only its a different Godzilla. The Prime Minister and his adviser discuss Godzilla's return and agree to make sure nobody finds out that Japan's number one enemy is back. Maki, who is a reporter and journalist by the way, is not happy that his boss is not interested in publishing his story about Godzilla. It is justifiable and understandable the government and the media doesn't want mass panic, but when things hit the fan later, the story has to go public.

Sure enough, after Ken reunites with his sister, who was informed by Goro about Ken's survival and is actually Hiyashita's assistant, things do hit the fan. As a Soviet submarine is on a reconnaissance mission in the Bering Sea, it comes under attack from Godzilla and is destroyed, giving the Big G a radiation boost. When news of the submarine's destruction is made known, the Soviets blame the Americans for the attack and both sides prepare for war.

In Washington at the Pentagon, USA general Goodhue and his associate Lt Oswald learn of the submarine disaster and, considering the potential danger, they get the president (probably Ronald Regan) on the hotline with Moscow. At the same time the Cold War is about to escalate into WWIII, the Prime Minister of Japan, who was informed of the submarine attack, finally agrees to make it known to the public that Godzilla has returned.

As the press reveals to everyone about the return of Godzilla, American, Japanese and Soviet diplomats (including the Japanese Prime Minister) assemble for a meeting and discuss how to handle the threat of the giant monster at large. Of course, both the USA and the USSR want to use nuclear weapons against Godzilla should he appear on Russian or American coastlines. Oh sure, like nukes are gonna be effective against Godzilla considering the fact that nuclear weapons are the reason why Godzilla came to be in the first place.

The Prime Minister and his cabinet discuss the matter in private and, during the meeting with the Americans and the Soviets, greatly objects to the use of nuclear weapons. Of course Japan would say no, you want another Hiroshima and Nagasaki? A little side note: This is a great way to remind fans that Godzilla is meant to be a warning against nuclear power. As I said in my review of the very first movie, you do not want to mess with a country that has nuclear weapons. But of course, just in case if there's no other option, the Soviets have a nuclear missile on a satellite ready and the missile controls are on a freighter in Tokyo Bay.

Godzilla soon makes landfall, attacking a nuclear power plant on an island off the coast of Japan. Another side note; Godzilla's design is super impressive and almost reminiscent of the 1954 design even though he still looks goofy, the design is fear-invoking. Anyway, Godzilla destroys the plant and gets his hands on a nuclear reactor which increases his power, before he leaves to follow a group of seagulls who happen to just be flying away towards the ocean and chirping. Huh, that deal with Godzilla and birds might be an important in the movie later on.

After the Godzilla attack on the nuclear plant, Japan's millitary begins preparations for when the Big G arrives, even preparing to deploy their ultimate trump card, the Super X. After studying Gojira's connection to birds further, Hiyashita and Goro as well as Ken help devise a plan to defeat Godzilla; By luring him to a volcanic crater with bird noises and trapping him in Mount Mihara on Oshima Island. Good luck with that plan, I bet Godzilla's so weak and vulnerable against lava where he'll meet his end in the magma in the volcano. Yes folks, if you can't guess by now, while the plan to lure Godzilla to the volcano with birds sounds and trapping him there will work, he's not gonna be destroyed and will return in a few years time. *Cough cough* GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE *Cough* MAJOR SPOILERS *Cough cough*!

Meanwhile, the USA government, seeking to play a part in stopping Godzilla, bring in Steve Martin (who goes by Mr. Martin due to the popularity of a real-life famous comedian also known Steve Martin at the time) to advise and come up with suggestions on how to stop the mutated dinosaur before everything is screwed over. But the only comments Martin makes are... "Godzilla is like a hurricane or a tidal wave, thirty years ago they didn't find any corpse, we must try to understand him and maybe try to communicate with him." Godzilla soon approaches Tokyo Bay, forcing evacuations to get underway and the Japanese to speed up work on their plans. On Oshima Island, the Operation Godzilla Bird team is at work setting up the receiver and the bombs that will make the volcano explode once Godzilla is there.

Godzilla enters Tokyo Bay and the JSDF stand no chance, even the millitary don't stand a chance either, despite their best efforts. The giant monster makes his way into Tokyo and lays waste to the city, just as his 1954 counterpart did decades before. Meanwhile, during the chaos of Godzilla's attack (back when he appeared in the harbor area), the Soviet freighter got damaged and activated the countdown to when the nuclear missile launches. When an injured Soviet captain gets inside the room, realizing whats going on, he attempts to stop the missile from launching only to lose consciousness.

Side note: In the USA-edit, the captain deliberately launched the missile, while in the Japanese version he attempted to stop the missile from launching.

As Godzilla rampages through Tokyo, laying waste to everything, he encounters the recently deployed Super X which shoots him down with cadnium missiles. Don't worry, Godzilla may be down, but he's not d-e-d yet, he's got plot armor. Its gonna be a while before he meets his demise. The nuclear missile soon launches and news of it puts everyone on alert, the Americans fire their own nuclear missile to intercept. So what happens when both nukes in space collide? KA BOOM! The result is a blood red sky and an EMP field knocking out power. Lt Oswald explains to Steve that the high-atmosphere nuclear blast aftermath is completely harmless, leading to Martin actually divulging the most unexpected history lesson ever...

"In 1962, a high atmosphere nuclear blast test shut down all electricity throughout the world, all the way from Australia to California."

The first few times I saw this movie (the USA version specifically), I was shocked to learn this and informed my mum about it, wondering if the event did happen in '62. I was annoyed and upset when I was contradicted and mum said that it was fictitious, but in the end we looked it up and it was true that a high atmosphere nuclear test did happen in the 1960s. Who would've thought you could get a little history lesson from a fiction movie?
The nuclear blast in the sky soon creates a thunderstorm in the sky which revitalizes Godzilla and he gets back up, stronger and madder than ever. He goes after the Super X, engaging it in battle once more, delivering to viewers one of the most awesome action scenes in cinema ever with monster and machine duking it out in the ruins of Tokyo as the monster destroys more of the city. In the end, Godzilla decimates the Super X and destroys it.

Meanwhile, on Oshima Island, Doctor Hiyashita and his companions finish the bird noise machine and activates it as it buzzes to life. Guess what? The plan begins to work. Somehow, even from far away in the rubble of Tokyo, Godzilla can hear the noise and departs for Oshima, leaving behind Tokyo in ruins again probably covered in radioactivity. I dunno how but... nobody's getting contaminated with radioactivity, guess the radiation levels aren't too bad I guess. Godzilla makes land fall on Oshima and approaches the machine making the noise, which is on the other side of the volcanic crater. Once Godzilla stops at a cliff overlooking the volcanic crater. Hiyashita sets off the bombs and the volcano erupts.

As everyone watches the scene, the Prime Minister and his cabinet in Tokyo, Steve Martin and the millitary officials in the pentagon and Hiyashita and his team, Godzilla roars as explosions go off and smoke rises from the volcano. This is where things differ in the USA and Japanese version when it comes to Godzilla's roars as the volcano errupts. In the USA version, Godzilla lets out his menacing 1980s roars and when he falls into the volcano, he lets out his showa era roar before shrieking as he falls into the lava. In the original Japanese version, Godzilla lets out his menacing roar a few times before switching to his shriek-y showa era screech roar and lets it out one last time before vanishing.

Anyways, as Godzilla falls into the volcano where he will be there for a long while, he lets out his Showa era SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOONNK before vanishing from sight, never to be seen again for now. Maki and Ken's sister view it all from overhead in helicopter and Steve Martin delivers the last lines of the movie...

"Nature has a way sometimes of reminding Man of just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offspring's of our pride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of a tornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla. The reckless ambitions of Man are often dwarfed by their dangerous consequences. For now, Godzilla - that strangely innocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth. Whether he returns or not, or is never again seen by human eyes, the things he has taught us remain..."

And so the movie (in the Japanese version and the English version) ends with a view of the exploding Mount Mihara and the credits sequence accompanied by either ominous and/or heroic music or a song sung in Japanese and in English.

Godzilla 1984 aka The Return of Godzilla is a product and a legend of the 1980s. In Japan it was a big success that it eventually spawned a few more movies. In America, it had a mixed and negative reception. Afterwards, it would be a long time before America got a theatrical Godzilla release. The movie was an excellent return to basics after Godzilla's transition from menacing monster to kid-friendly hero in the Showa era during the sixties and seventies, Godzilla 1985/1985 gets a 10/10 for all the hard work Toho put into making this movie and, just like that, I close out this review.

Sayonara. G Fans.

Guest Post -James Review of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 Saturday Morning Cartoon)

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Good day, people. James M the Crazy Video Game Wizard here, and today, we will be looking at something different, a cartoon based on a video game. The cartoon in question?
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG aka Sonic Saturday Morning or, most accurately, Sonic SatAM.

In 1991, SEGA released Sonic the Hedgehog for the SEGA Genesis and, within a few years, the Sonic video game franchise was a huge success, so successful, it spawned more than video games, it brought about merchandising such as toys along with a few comic books (which included Archie) and even cartoons.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was a prime example of a Sonic cartoon, starring Jaleel White voicing the blue hedgehog.
But around that same time as AoSTH (which was an action-adventure comedy), there was another popular Sonic cartoon, one that would leave a lasting legacy felt to this very day.
The cartoon in question? Sonic SatAM!

SatAM was more unique and different from its AoSTH counterpart, despite having Jaleel White's involvement as well. How different? Well, unlike the goofy and lighthearted Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Saturday Morning was more dark and serious and action-packed. Don't worry, it was still family-friendly and allowed kids to see it.

The overall plot?
In the distant future, specifically the 33rd Century, Doctor Robotnik (and his associate/nephew Snively) has conquered Mobius, the world is all his. Yes, the main villain has already triumphed and taken over the world.
So its up to Sonic, Tails and their friends, the Freedom Fighters (consisting of Princess Sally Acorn, Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor) to overthrow Robotnik and take back what was once theirs. Sonic and his friends reside in Knothole, hidden in the Great Forest, where they strike out at Robotnik, who's seat of power is in Robotroplis (formerly Mobotroplis), which was once the main city of the Kingdom of Acorn before Robotnik came in and exiled the King, Sally's pop.
The show went on for two seasons and twenty six episodes before it came to a halt with the episode The Doomsday Machine where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters trashed Robotnik's Doomsday Machine and overthrew the fat man's rule, but not before the show ended on a cliffhanger with Snively assuming command and bringing along another villain by the name of Naugus, who debuted earlier in season two).

Originally/Initially, had the show not been cancelled, we would've gotten season three, where Sonic and his friends would have to contend with Snively and Naugus while dealing with Robotnik, who survived the events of The Doomsday Machine. Also, we would've dived into both the backstory of Mobius, Robotnik and Snively as well as Nicole. The backstory for Mobius? Its a post-apocalyptic Earth. Robotnik and Snively? They were space adventurers and time travelers. Nicole, Sally's computer? She was originally a normal Mobian girl before being converted into a computer by Doctor Robotnik (who once went by the name Julian).

Sonic SatAM is a product of the 1990s and is a great show. Is it worth your time? Of course it is. The writers of the show like Ben Hurst are legends and their legacy lives on to this day. After the show got cancelled, many of its viewers treated the Archie Sonic comics (which were going on at the time SatAM was canned) as a continuation of the cartoon. Fascinatingly, the Archie Sonic comics not only drew inspiration from the video games, it also drew inspiration from SatAM alongside AoSTH. Sonic SatAM has a respectable legacy as it brought forth many memorable characters like Sally Acorn or Sir Charles Hedgehog, who was Sonic's uncle.

As for the unfinished and unseen stories fans of SatAM wish to see, in the years since the end of the show, many fans have brought it upon themselves to revive SatAM in any way shape or form and bring to life the concepts for Season Three. One group in particular has actually been super successful in bringing about their own continuation of the show in the form of a fan comic which, as of this report, is being brought to life in animated format. The fan project in question? Sonic Sea3on. it has promise and the fans even brought together veterans who worked on SatAM to help.

I happily give Sonic SatAM a 9/10 (it would've gotten a ten had it gotten a proper conclusion) for its great voice acting, solid animation, great action scenes, compelling and fun characters, overall tone and for the lasting legacy and impression it has left on the fans.

See you later Sonic fans

http://www.sonicsatam.com/sea3on/


Guest post -James M's review of Sonic and Mega Man Worlds Collide



James M here again and we're gonna be discussing the first crossover between SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog and Capcom's Mega Man known as Sonic & Mega Man; When Worlds Collide. This was the biggest comic book event ever and it was crucial to the Sonic and Mega Man comics for multiple reasons...

1. To promote both Sonic and Mega Man to new fans
2. Help the Mega Man comics get a sales boost
3. Prepare for an Archie Sonic reboot thanks to a court case with a certain former "anonymous writer"

When I first learned this crossover would be happening in the spring of 2013 back in the summer of 2012, I was excited and interested. Heck, I was mindblown to a point where I wanted to see a full-on video game crossover where SEGA and Capcom would collab and have their properties meet on screen. As the time got closer and closer towards the beginning of Worlds Collide, I got more and more interested, all while I kinda had my Sonic fandom tested, long story.

But then the day came and once I got my hands on Mega Man #24, part one of the crossover, I was thrilled and with each passing week, day, month and portion of the crossover, I got more interested and excited for the big finale in my mind. Heck, while I was reading the story, I actually was playing a Sonic and Mega Man crossover video game... in my head. But of course, each level unlocked the more a portion of the crossover was released. When I got to the final part of the crossover, I was thrilled to mentally beat that game and I remember as I read the epilogue issues, I mentally watched the ending cutscene and credits all while classic Sonic music played.

I'm surprised this crossover got a sequel in 2015 and that was amazing. Every moment in the story, every reference and every interaction between the characters was (and still is) memorable, I will never forget it, even in the afterlife long after I've kicked over the can and passed the point of no return to this world and plane of existence.

I give this crossover a 10 out of 10 for being epic.
James M signing off.

Guest Post -James M's review of Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Image result for Terminator 2 dvd cover


Whats popping, movie fans?
Its your old friend the CrazyGamerHistorian1999, here to review the awesome 1991 Sci-Fi action blockbuster hit sequel to 1984's The Terminator known as Terminator 2 Judgement Day or T2 for short which was produced and directed by James Cameron like with the first film. But first, before we start, I wish to mention one or two things I didn't mention in my review of The Terminator. First off, the reason the T800 and Kyle had to obtain clothes is because they weren't wearing anything when they used the Time Displacement Equipment. Apparently, the Time Displacement Field can only be generated by organic tissue and you can't bring any clothes or advanced tech.

Number two, its remarkable that when Sarah Connor became prego with John Connor, she didn't get ostracized for having children with somebody without tying the knot. Well, considering the fact she's on the run after being hunted by a Terminator and is living off the grid, she's very lucky. Anyway's with that out of the way, time to get to discussing Terminator 2, which has Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising their roles and sees the role of John Connor played by (at the time) young actor Edward Furlong, who was 13 years old when picked to play 10 year old John.

So where do we begin with the plot?

It's been 10 years since Sarah Connor narrowly escaped termination at the hands of a Terminator sent from the future by the rogue A.I known as Skynet and she's been preparing John for the day he will lead the Resistance in the Future War against Skynet and its robotic armed forces which will unfold after the events of Judgement Day, the day Skynet nearly wipes out the human race. But by the time of 1995, Sarah has been sent off to a mental institution after trying to blow up a factory associated with Cyberdine, the very company responsible for eventually making Skynet, and for trying to warn everyone about the looming robot apocalypse. What about John? He's OK, he's been living with foster parents Janelle and Todd Voight for quit some time.

It's not long before things change for Sarah (again) and John. One night in Acton, California, after a truck leaves, a Time Displacement Field appears with crackling electricity and an energy bubble and as things come to rest, we see a mysterious figure kneeling in the crater close to a partially ruined truck. One look at this guy and its Arnold Schwarzenegger, back in his iconic role. That's right, Skynet sent back another Terminator just in case the T800 in 1984 failed its mission. So what does the T800 do? It heads straight to a bar to not only seek out a transport but clothes. Why? BECAUSE ITS NAKED! Walking inside the bar, Arnold finds the perfect outfit but a guy is already wearing it, leading to this exchange.

T-800: I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.
(Bikers laugh)
Cigar Boy: You forgot to say please. (Places a smoking cigar on T-800's torso)

Cue the bar fight, which involves the T-800 gripping and breaking Cigar Boy's hand, tossing a biker (who just hit the Terminator in the head with a bat) out the window and pinning another biker to the pool table with a FREAKING KNIFE IN THE DUDE'S SHOULDER! Well, thank goodness there were no ripping out hearts this time. Anyway's, the Terminator obtains the clothes he needs, along with a pistol, the bar owner's rifle, some glasses and a motorcycle before riding off.
Meanwhile, we get another visitor from the future, Robert Patrick's character. The second newcomer takes out a cop before acquiring a police uniform and a gun before setting out to search for John Connor, who leaves his foster home by motorbike with his pal, much to Todd and Janelle's annoyance, the following day.

The T-800 and the mysterious blonde man posing as a cop track down John to the Galleria where during the confrontation, it turns out the T-800 is actually on OUR side this time and was sent back to protect John. The guy in the cop uniform? A new Terminator actually sent by Skynet to get rid of John, the T-1000, but unlike the T-800, this guy is made of liquid metal so he's super impossible to destroy. After narrowly escaping, John learns that his future self reprogrammed the T-800 and sent him back in time to protect John in the past. Side note: During the start of the movie, while getting a glimpse at the war between man and machine, we actually got a glimpse at Future John, who was actually played by Michael Edwards.

Later that same night, John calls his ex-foster parents to try and warn them about the T-1000 but unfortunately, its already too late, the T-1000 is there and actually bumped off Janelle and is impersonating her. To make things a hundred times dark, Todd, who was still alive, is eliminated by the T-1000 when the liquid metal monster stabs him... through the mouth. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHRRRRRRGH! OK, I said this before that, when it comes to movies and stuff that involves characters getting taken out, I prefer people getting knocked unconscious, blown up, shot in the head or heart or stabbed/impaled through the heart. That is worse than the first T-800 ripping out a punk guy's heart.

Anyway, after discovering the T-800 is programmed to follow HIS orders, John and his protector decide to go and bust Sarah out of the mental ward. Come on, Sarah is John's mum and they're family, they need her and she is vital to the defeat of Skynet too. As John and the T-800 make their way inside the mental ward, Sarah has already begun her shot at escaping. After narrowly getting past several guards and Doctor Silberman from the first movie, she encounters the T-800 just as it is exiting an elevator and carrying a gun. As you can expect, due to the fact she's still traumatized by what happened in the first film, Sarah screams and runs away only to get taken hostage by the doctors including Silberman. The T-800 saves her and holds out his hand to help her up while saying the iconic, "Come with me if you want to live." John does his best to make sure she knows the Terminator is on their side this time and they escape just as they have another encounter with the T-1000. Silberman? He's fine, but he is in shock from seeing a liquid Terminator guy.

After escaping and healing their wounds, plus activating the T-800's CPU so it can learn to be more human, Sarah and the group pay an old friend Enrique and his family a visit so she can gather weapons and flee to Mexico. However, while watching John and the T-800 interact, Sarah falls asleep and has another nightmare about Judgement Day, the day Skynet takes over, which is set to happen on August 29th, 1997, just two years away. I forgot to mention in a previous scene, the T-800 (at Sarah's request mind you) explained how Skynet came to be and how Judgement Day happened. How does Skynet's hostile attack happen? It launches America's nukes at Russia. Aw crap!

Waking up from the nightmare, Sarah arms herself and goes after Miles Dyson, who is working for Cyberdine and is the one who will basically be responsible for the loss of millions if Skynet is built. That's right, Sarah plans on murdering Dyson and destroying Cyberdine, all so she can stop Judgement Day from happening. Ok, Sarah, if you don't want the dark future to happen, WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME TRAINING JOHN WHEN YOU CAN JUST LAUNCH YOUR PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE ON SKYNET AND STOP THE LOOMING APOCALYPSE?!

Anyway, she tracks down Dyson and attacks his home, injuring him and attempting to actually end his life. But she stops at the last minute before she can end the injured man's life, mostly thanks to a combo of John and the T800's arrival, seeing Mrs. Dyson and Danny (Miles' son and wife) protect him and realizing Miles hasn't done anything yet. Hoping to get Dyson on their side, John has the T-800 remove a bit of its living tissue and show a part of its metal endoskeleton and everybody explains the events to come. Dyson takes it rather well, though he is horrified to learn of whats to come and, in a surprise twist, it turns out what's left of the first Terminator, the arm and CPU, is being used. Aw, crap. DYSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Anyway's, Sarah, John and the Terminator with help from Dyson get inside the Cyberdine HQ and get to work trashing the lab in an attempt to get rid of the research and save the future, even obtaining the T-800 arm and CPU in the process. But not long after, the cops arrive, leading to an epic action sequence with the Terminator blowing up cop cars while Sarah has a shoot out with the police. By the end of the battle, the T-800 has received battle damage and several cops have been injured. Dyson uses a bomb and sacrifices himself to ensure his work never leads to the destruction of the world. Unfortunately, things nearly go south as the T-1000 arrives and pursues John, Sarah and the T-800 which leads to a steel factory where the chase ends and the final battle has begun.

The T-800 has a lengthy battle with the T-1000 and ends up getting taken out of the fight, losing an arm like its predecessor and shuts down. Don't worry, our robo hero will reactivate soon. Sarah on the other hand fights the T-1000 and is badly hurt and ends up at its mercy with the liquid metal Terminator threatening to end her. Using its shape shifting powers, the T-1000 impersonates Sarah to lure John out of hiding. However, John catches on, due to the fact the T-1000 is malfunctioning, and the real Sarah attacks. driving the liquid metal monster towards a ledge overlooking a pit of lava. But when Sarah runs out of bullets, the T-1000 taunts her and thats when the T-800 returns and blasts the T-1000 with a grenade launcher, causing it to become mangled by the explosion.

Attempting to reform and repair itself, the T-1000 falls into the lava and is destroyed by the intense heat. Afterwards, John tosses the arm and CPU of the 1984 Terminator into the magma so it will never be used to create Skynet. But there is one more CPU and its inside the still-active T-800 on John's side. John begs and protests but the Terminator has no choice, Skynet must be destroyed at all costs. Stepping on to a crane, the T-800 says goodbye to John as Sarah lowers it into the molten steel. As the Terminator vanishes beneath the molten steel, it gives a heroic thumbs up to John before being destroyed as the young boy mourns the loss of his friend and Sarah hugs her son solemnly.

Here, the end of the movie goes two ways...

Ending one: We get a view of the freeway as Sarah narrates that the unknown future rolls in and she approaches it with hope, the movie ends (kind of setting up Terminator 3) with Sarah saying if a machine can learn the value of human life than so can humanity.

Ending Two: This one's my favorite, thanks to Sarah and John's efforts, Skynet and Judgement Day never come to be and by 2027 (or 2029) the future is bright and the world is safe. John is a senator and Sarah is still alive, but during her narration, she mentions that the dark future still exists for her like traces of a dream, implying that Skynet could still be built and Judgement Day could happen at any moment. But the film still ends with everybody happy.

Final Thoughts/Conclusion:

Terminator 2, like the first film, is a legend in its own time, being well received by critics who commended the action and special effects. It's also still viewed today as the best action movie of all time and the best Terminator movie out there. It was a box office success and paved the way for a theme park ride T2 3D: Battle Across Time and a sequel Terminator 3, which was followed up by Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys, which ended up paving the way for Terminator 6 Dark Fate to be an alternate sequel to T2. I found this film to be enjoyable with great acting and incredible special effects and a compelling plot. I give this movie a 10/10.

My Ranking of the Terminator films so far...
1. Terminator 2 Judgement Day -Epic
2. The Terminator (1984) -Good
3. Terminator Genisys -Epic
4. Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines -Awesome
5. Terminator Salvation -Fun

James M signing off!

Guest Post -James M's IDW Sonic Review/Retrospective




Salutations to those who are interested in comics, video games and movies out there, its your boy James M the CrazyGamerHistorian1999 aka the Crazy Video Game Wizard here once more to give his thoughts on the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog so far and how much I like it.

First off, before we get into IDW Sonic, a little history about me and Sonic.

December 24, 2010, Christmas Eve, I was opening gifts when I got my hands on the biggest one of all, Sonic Colors (the Wii version),  the (at the time) latest entry in the Sonic series, and I was instantly hooked at last even though, previously I'd given the DS version of Mario and Sonic and the Winter Olympic Games a go and got my hands on Sonic Archives Volume One and Sonic Select Volume 2. Two months later, in February of 2011, I was leaving the bowling alley after hanging out with a friend when I decided to check out the local comic shop and guess what I got my hands on...

Image result for Sonic #220 archieImage result for Sonic universe 20

Sonic the Hedgehog #220 and Sonic Universe #20 both done by Archie.

Afterwards, it was a while before I got into the Sonic comic stuff, even though I did get my hands on some of the graphic novels and, while visiting a book store, actually purchased Sonic #222, the one where Sonic and Sally officially rekindled their romantic relationship after the break up in #134. Time passed and finally, in August/September of that same year, I decided to really get into Archie Sonic, so I went to World's Best Comics (the same comic store I went to months prior) and got my hands on issues 226, 227 and 228. Following that fateful day, I went to the comic store more frequently (and sometimes less frequently depending on what was going on) and got my hands on more issues of the Sonic comics.

I found the issues and stories very enjoyable, the writers and artists did a really good job. When the reboot happened (thanks to a certain infamous stuff, shh), I shrugged it off and kept reading the comic.
Then, in 2017, things changed when, after running for over hundreds of issues, Archie Sonic finally came to an end, but in the most unexpected way imaginable, it was cancelled.

Image

But you know what they say, "All good things must (eventually) come to an end." The ending of the Archie Sonic comic series was long overdue, they did originally plan on ending the comic at issue 50 with the final defeat of Doctor Robotnik during Endgame, but nope, the comic kept going. Heck, before the reboot happened, most people expected the big finale to happen during 250 or 300.
You know what, if you want to be fair (unless you count that Chaotix story in Sonic Universe #91-94 and Genesis of a Hero in Sonic #288-290), the big finale of the comic was the finale of the Shattered World Crisis.

But then, about two days after the bittersweet end of Archie Sonic, the news came that IDW publishing would be doing Sonic comics and I was fascinated, this is where I begin to explain almost everything about IDW Sonic and my overall thoughts on it...

IDW Sonic Explained: Characters/Writers/Setting/Story

IDW Sonic is the spiritual successor to the now cancelled Archie Sonic, it is written by Ian Flynn, who was head writer for Archie Sonic in 2006 starting with issue 160 all the way to its cancellation, and most of the folks who worked on Archie Sonic return to work on the comic. The comic takes place just not long after the events of Sonic Forces, where Eggman took over the world only to be defeated at the hands of the Sonic resistance. It makes sense considering the fact that...

A. SEGA wants the Sonic comics to be a bit in line with the games
B. Sonic Forces was the latest 3D Sonic game at that point.

Anywho, the world Sonic and his friends live on currently has no name, mostly due to the whole "two worlds theory" deal and the fact SEGA has banned the name Mobius and anything related to it, mostly because they're a bunch of jerks but I digress. Sonic is that brash speedy hedgehog teen with attitude, his buddy Tails is a confident kid genius and Knuckles, who was leader of the resistance in Forces, is (for now) the last echidna and guardian of the master emerald. Amy's the hammer girl and Sonic's "girlfriend" and then there are the other characters.

Year 1 of IDW Sonic kicked things off with a mystery as to who was in command of Eggman's robots and attacking the world, not to mention what happened to the mad doctor himself. We found out what became of that guy in issue 5. After his defeat in Sonic Forces, specifically after the final boss, Eggman somehow ended up in a remote mountain village and lost his memory.
The locals took him in and Eggman became Mr. Tinker, a guy who likes to build and rebuild things and help people. Sonic was a bit suspicious, but of course, Eggman's amnesia was genuine and he had changed his ways (sort of). So, while Eggman's being Mr. Tinker, who's in charge of the Eggman Empire?

We did get glimpses of the mastermind in issue one and issue six set things up with a big cliffhanger when the big bad turned out to be... DOCTOR EGGMAN! Only, it wasn't Eggman, it was revealed in issue seven that the bad guy was actually Metal Sonic in his Neo Metal Overlord form from Sonic Heroes. The difference? Neo Metal Sonic is super loyal to the mad doctor this time.

Yup, Eggman learned his lesson after what happened in the game Sonic Heroes and made sure Metal Sonic remained loyal and obedient to him while he upgraded him into Neo Metal Sonic. Metal was meant to be Eggman's back up during the final battle with Sonic in Forces during the Death Egg Robot fight, but by the time Metal Sonic was online, the war was over, Sonic saved the day and Eggman was lost.

Neo had Eggman's vision and DNA so he used Eggman's image to attack the world, during his monologue to Sonic, he told the hedgehog himself, "I will conquer the world for Eggman as Eggman, you tell me where he is so I may hand over control to him immediately." So what was Metal's big plot in year one? Conquer the Floating Island. Luckily, Sonic and his friends caught wind of the scheme and raced on over to Knuckles' home island to liberate it and defeat the robot.

As the battle unfolded in the skies, on the surface, Eggman aka Mr. Tinker was amusing the kids of Windmill Village with a little park he called Eggman Land when he was captured by Rough and Tumble, two skunk brothers who debuted in issue three, and brought to Final Egg where he came face to face with a new villain, Doctor Starline, who is meant to be not just the IDW version of Grimer (from Fleetway Sonic) and Snively (from SatAM) but also a successor to crazy white-colored echidna villains like Zachary (also from Fleetway like Grimer) and Dr Finetivus (from Archie).

Doctor Starline the Platypus' goal? Restore Doctor Eggman and bring back the old glory of the Eggman Empire. How does Starline attempt to help Eggman get his memories back? Hypnotherapy or, as YouTuber Megabeatman would put it, mind-screw torture. Meanwhile, Sonic and his friends were able to defeat Metal Sonic, who turned into Metal Overlord again, and liberate the Floating Island.
As for Metal Sonic? He reverted back to his base form and, instead of turning him into scrap, Sonic had Tails repair him. Least its better than having Metal Sonic get destroyed and rebuilt later by Eggman, right? To be fair, SEGA does have mandates against the idea of multiple Metal Sonics and IDW is not gonna do what Archie did for a while, destroy Metal Sonic only for Eggman to build a new one.

So what happened? Metal Sonic headed straight for Final Egg and completed its mission of finding Eggman. Starline at that time had put Mr Tinker through mind-screw torture so many times, the doctor's memories did not resurface. Not even the sight of Orbot and Cubot could bring back Eggman, but soon as the former Egg Emperor saw Metal Sonic, his memories and the doctor finally returned.
Starline secured his allegiance to the Egg Emperor and Eggman got to work on preparing a new plan involving something he had put on file some time ago. Meanwhile, Sonic and his friends finished cleaning up from the battle and left with Knuckles staying on the island to resume his guardian status after disbanding the Resistance, thus ending year one.

Year two so far and Roboticization:

While IDW Sonic did its best to maintain the franchise's family-friendly image in year one, even though it was action packed, year two was when things changed and the comic went from family-friendly to being pure dark and serious on the same level as Sonic SatAM from 1993. Eggman's latest plan involved the Metal Virus, a virus that is capable of turning organic beings into robots.

A quick side note: for those who do not know or want to know, the Metal Virus is basically a new take on a concept that has existed since the 1990s. Roboticization, the process of converting somebody into a robot, mostly through a machine. The concept first appeared in Sonic SatAM and appeared numerous times in Archie Sonic and popped up in the games on a few occasions, most notably in Lost World.

Ironically and coincidentally, during the final years of the Archie Sonic comic's run, Ian Flynn wanted to do a zombie story but that got scrapped for a time. Just prior to the comic's cancellation of 2017 (after the reboot of 2013), the idea surfaced again, this time it was a robo-zombie story and the main idea was to have the Metal Virus be a replacement and successor to the roboticizer. But then the comic got cancelled and IDW picked up the Sonic license, but hey, Ian Flynn can finally use the robo zombie storyline in Sonic comic format.

Anyway's, after testing the Metal Virus out a few times, Eggman decided to unleash it upon the world. But first, there was one last test he had to pull off on it, Eggman sent Rough and Tumble after Sonic (who was with Amy in an abandoned Eggman base) and the two skunk brothers became the Metal Virus' first true victims. Sonic was able to defeat them but got infected, don't worry, he has not yet become a robo zombie as his super speed can save him.
Not long after, Eggman launched his attack with the Metal Virus using a Faceship, the first target being Windmill Village, the same village that took him in as Mr. Tinker. At this point, Eggpiss, you have gone from being a goofy cartoon villain like your game counterpart to being a super menacing villain like SatAM Robotnik and HIS pre-reboot Archie counterpart.

After hitting Windmill, Eggman attacked Seaside Village, where the Chaotix resided, and during evacuation, Charmy became a major casualty of the robo-zombie apocalypse. Next was Floral Forest Zone, where Cream the Rabbit and her mum lived. While they managed to escape, Cheese and Chocola, Cream's pet Chao, fell victim to the Metal Virus. Don't worry, Sonic was there to help, even though he had to run off the virus a bunch of times. The next attack took place in Sunset City, which was barely recovering after Sonic Forces, and things were really getting serious. Sonic got there to assist Omega (who is bent on annihilating Eggman), Rouge the Bat (who was helping out and still beautiful as ever) and Shadow the Hedgehog, who gave Sonic his own "I told you so" speech regarding Eggman.

As the group tried to deal with the situation, Shadow got turned into a Zombot thanks to his overblown ego. The behind-the-scenes reason? Ian wanted Shadow to take his inhibitor rings off and go all out against the Zombots, but SEGA said no. Remember, SEGA has mandates and restrictions enforced and they do not want another situation similar to Archie Sonic where lawsuits, reboots and cancellations unfold. I know they're jerks sometimes, but SEGA is trying to make sure Sonic does not change too much. Anyways, after tangling with Shadow, Sonic retreated with help from his friends and, so far, its gonna be a while before the Zombot arc ends...

Thoughts on IDW Sonic and conclusion:

Overall, I find this comic fun and entertaining on the same level as the games and the Archie Sonic series combined with the cartoons. Thanks to the incredible talent of the folks at IDW and the Archie veterans like Ian, this comic has the potential to make it past 290 issues and get to issue 300 if they were interested in continuing this for decades to come. So far, despite its shift in tone from family-friendly to dark and serious, IDW Sonic is the best of all Sonic media up there with Archie, Sonic Boom, Fleetway and all of the games be it classic and modern.

There has not been a single moment or story in this comic that I hate and these people have done an amazing job, I love the action, I love the SonAmy moments and I love all of the characters seen in the book. This comic is creative and brilliant, IDW is doing its best to treat the characters with dignity. If Dark Horse Comics (which is notoriously known for being dark, gritty and serious with its properties) got its hands on the Sonic book and SEGA let Dark Horse have free reign... that would be a different story. Marvel? Admittedly, I have my doubts but I love Sonic nonetheless.

As I close out this review, people are demanding for IDW to bring in Archie Sonic characters and I am perfectly sure that in due time, SEGA will allow IDW to use the SatAM and Archie characters from the old comics and the popularity of this comic will rise to great heights than it did when it all began that fateful day on April 4th, 2018 and when the announcement came July 21, 2017.

CrazyGamerHistorian1999 signing off.