BLOOD WORK: January 2020

The mysteries of the ocean depths are something that has fascinated and terrified humanity since the dawn of time. What things lurk beneath the surface? What unknown terrors await in the black depths below? In the ocean remains perhaps the last unexplored areas of our planet and is still largely a "no man's land," where humanity isn't meant to live. But other things live there, things with teeth, barbs, and claws.

The CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON was my first encounter with aquatic horror cinema and remains a favorite to this day. The same can be said for JAWS, a film which legitimized water horror films as potential box office juggernauts. Even with such classic horror films as these, the number of underwater horror films is relatively small, fewer still are the number of truly great underwater horror films. Needless to say, when I saw the trailer for UNDERWATER I was instantly sold and determined to see it in a movie theater.

On a personal note, I haven't been to a movie at the theaters since JOKER in October. It's about time I saw a new movie! I've always been interested and fearful of the ocean. The joy of swimming, an obsession with sharks, and an intrigue with prehistoric aquatic beasts and monsters, the ocean is such a rich environment for both mind and body. The prospect of a new underwater horror film that's potentially good was too juicy to resist.

I LOVED IT! I thought it was great! The couple seated beside me thought it was pure garbage. The one other movie goer I talked to while there thought as I did and enjoyed it. If that tells you anything this might be a polarizing experience.

THE PLOT

A massive underwater drilling facility in the Marianas Trench suddenly experiences power outages followed by total section shutdowns. The pressure of being so deep begins crushing each section as they lose power. The few workers able to get to the deep sea diving suits must cross the pitch black ocean floor to an as of yet still functioning underwater facility to reach functioning escape pods. But while crossing the open ocean depths the water churns around them. Something swimming in the black waters brushes against them. One by one something in the deep begins taking them.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I had my first real opportunity to go to the theater the other day. My choices were Star Wars or Underwater. Star Wars would be there another week or more. I wasn't so sure about Underwater's longevity at the theater and my horror love won out... as it usually does.

Underwater reminded me specifically of two films, THE DESCENT and SUNSHINE, neither of which are aquatic horror. First off, the film is absolutely terrifying just with the idea of being so far down beneath the ocean. There's a great sense of claustrophobia and the environment around you being your enemy. Just like being in a tiny spaceship surrounded by the cold uninhabitable vacuum of space, being on the bottom of the ocean surrounded with nothing but murky pitch black water and such high pressure as to kill you instantly. The setting itself is wonderfully frightening without the benefit of scary creatures.

Then the introduction of the monster was like pure icing on the cake. I'm a huge sucker for monster movies and these monsters were scary and effective. And when these monsters get their big moment it is epic.

That aside, I enjoyed the acting and the characters. The way the film was shot kept the camera really close to the actors. As a result I felt the heightened tension and frenetic chaos of the situation. Their dire and hopeless situation felt palpable with the camera being so close to them. The tension created in this film is one of its strongest elements.

However, there is a distinct lack of wider shots showcasing the environment. That's not to say that there aren't wide shots, they're just fewer and far between. And then there's the high levels of darkness that make it difficult to see much in the film. I'm sure the darkness is representative of how dark that environment really is, but cinematically it made the visual experience rather limited. I would've like to have seen a few more clearer shots.

Even with the murky darkness I thought it added a frightening element to the film. That said, I enjoyed this film very much and would love to add it to the home video collection. First off though I need to track down the out of print blu ray for the 1989 underwater horror epic LEVIATHAN from Scream! Factory.

THE VERDICT

I loved Underwater. I thought it was put together well and provided a more novel film experience than what we're usually getting nowadays. It feels like a low budget high concept horror film from the 80's, assembled very well given the limited resources available. It's not like most spectacle films lately and that there may evoke polarizing reactions from viewers. Personally I'm growing a little tired of the trendy Hollywood films dominating theaters today. Underwater felt like a breath of fresh air as opposed to drowning in big budget spectacle.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10

Go see it if you can because it looks like it won't be in theaters for long!

TOP TEN STREET FIGHTER CHARACTERS

Like with many video gamers who came up in the 80's and 90's, STREET FIGHTER II: THE WORLD WARRIORS was my introduction to fighting games. This particular genre of video games became an obsession and remains one of my favorite, if not the favorite, kind of games to play. I'm no good at them, mind you, at least nowhere in a competitive capacity. I'm a bit more than a normie when it comes to fighting games, but not much.

I've found that there is much more to love about fighting games than just competitive play (although that is perhaps the greatest aspect of them all. Without good gameplay there isn't much reason to play, is there?). Some fighting games have epic storylines (such as Persona 4 Arena, King of Fighters, and Guilty Gear to name a few). Some have rocking music that gets your blood pumping (Guilty Gear being the most standout in that respect). For me it is all of the above, but maybe more important than any other being the characters.

I fell in love with fighting games because of the characters. The concept of individuals devoting everything to training their bodies and honing their skills to nigh perfection, then pitted against each other in combat to test those skills, I find fascinating. A master of Muay Thai against a master of Tae Kwon Do. The greatest boxer in the world versus the greatest Sumo wrestler in the world. Of course these ideas are taken to super hero extremes, and me being a fan of super heroes and comic books, fighting games feel like a natural fit for my sensibilities.

And through the medium of video games you the player get to be these amazing characters for a little bit. Yeah, Ryu is sorta the main characters, but really any of these characters could be the protagonist. It all depends on who you, the player, take to. In fighting games there are your "mains," the characters who you are the best with and enjoy playing as. You control the outcome of these characters' stories in a way, and in a way, you shape these characters. Some may look at a character like Zangief as complete trash while another player sees Zangief as the hero of the franchise (and they can destroy anybody they play against as Zangief too!).

Street Fighter is the fighting game franchise I've played the longest and it is, perhaps, the best fighting game franchise in existence (debatable). And while I think Street Fighter has the best balance across all of their characters (meaning nearly every character is well made and capable of being played well), I don't necessarily feel Street Fighter has the best characters. Just like any game, I feel some characters are better than others, some designs are better than others, and some play better than others. What I'm trying to say is that while Street Fighter may be my favorite fighting game series, I don't have as strong of an attachment to the characters as I do other games.

Anyway, after my many years of playing Street Fighter, here are my favorite characters, either in design or gameplay.

Enjoy!

THE BONUSES

#12

ADON

Debut Game: Street Fighter (1987)

I never thought much of Adon until a friend of mine got real good with him. I mean competitively good (something I've never been with anybody in the game on my best day). Watching my buddy kicking ass and taking names with Adon inspired me to give him another try. And I found some really fun moves and a new appreciation for the character. He is the Muay Thai prince who constantly boasts with a reach sometimes beyond his grasp. He first appeared in the original Street Fighter and later returned in the Street Fighter Alpha series where Capcom reinvented him in a big way, giving him an impressive moveset. And Super Street Fighter IV made him even more deadly.

#11

JULI

Debut Game: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)

A Cammy clone, sure, but right out of the gate Juli was differentiated from Cammy with an array of new special moves. Her base moves and design were clones of Cammy's but within her special moves and super combos lay a unique fighter. Having a solid base moveset is key to a good character, the special moves come in later. I liked her because I could play well with her and her design and story, albeit extensions of Cammy, were cool too. It would be cool if Capcom brought her back with a new design and made her completely her own.

THE TOP TEN

#10

BLANKA

Debut Game: Street Fighter II (1991)

The only reason why I even wanted to play Street Fighter in the first place was because of this guy. When I first saw Street Fighter II in arcades as a child I was intrigued because I had never seen a game like it before. When I saw Blanka, a green feral monster thing, was when I decided I wanted to play. Now, I admit, Blanka is nowhere near my best character (maybe not even in my back up mains), but I still have fun playing as him. Now, Street Fighter has such a weird and archetypal cast of characters, but Blanka was and still is a little far out compared to most of his classmates. And if his story is any indication of what Capcom thinks of him (a joke), I think he continually reappears only because of nostalgia.

JURI HAN

Debut Game: Super Street Fighter IV (2010)

Easily my favorite of the new characters added from the Street Fighter IV series, Juri is Street Fighter's first Tae Kwon Do fighter. She has a completely unique fighting style and moveset and is the only character of the new SF4 cast that I could play well with. Her design is interesting and her character personality is twisted and over the top (which I guess is common for Street Fighter characters). All this combines for a fun character and welcome addition to the roster. Her story is intriguing too, a villain to be sure, but a complicated villain with designs of her own.

ROSE

Debut Game: Street Fighter Alpha (1995)

Rose is one cool character and totally unique among the Street Fighter cast. From a design aspect I think she is one of the most interesting and inspired designs among all of Street Fighter, maybe their best. Now, I'll admit that she wasn't the easiest to play with at first, but neither was she maddeningly difficult to grasp. Dedicating enough time playing as her I unlocked her moves and found out she plays as cool as she looks. She became one of my secondary mains in SF Alpha 3. I was stoked to see her return in Super SF4. Added to all of this is her intriguing story and mysterious personality. There isn't an aspect of Rose that I don't like.

SAKURA

Debut Game: Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996)

"Ever wonder what Ryu would look like as a cute school girl?" asked Capcom.
"Please no," we all said.
"You're welcome!"

Sakura has a cute design, a fun personality, and is easy to play as. What's not to love? The ironic thing about Sakura is that she is far more fun and interesting than the character she's riffing (in my opinion). The brilliance of Sakura is what she represents: Us. At least us players back when we were in high school. She's the kid who played and worshiped fighting games only to become one of the fighters herself. That kind of meta connection she has with us players makes her infinitely more relatable than Ryu. Although she's a character we never asked for (c'mon, who wants more clones of Ryu?), Sakura is more than welcome.

SAGAT

Debut Game: Street Fighter (1987)

The original final boss of the Street Fighter franchise, Sagat is a relatively simple design with some brutal scars. I have to admit that I didn't really think much of Sagat until his reinvention in the Alpha series. He went from being a taller, skinnier, stiffer version of Ryu to an imposing powerhouse. I love his Alpha sprite. His Tiger Uppercut became a 7 hit combo with devastating effects. His moveset felt more refined, quicker, and tighter. And his voice grew deeper and scarier than his previous iterations. And then there's his story, a hero's journey complete with his fall from grace at the fists of Ryu, becoming an agent of evil, and his eventual redemption. It's a classic story for sure, but a compelling story nonetheless.

GUY

Debut Game: Final Fight (1989)

Final Fight was an arcade Beat Um' Up game from 1989, but it was originally going to be the sequel to 1987's Street Fighter. It seems only natural that Final Fight and Street Fighter both take place in the same world with characters from both series crossing back and forth between franchises. Guy (and a Final Fight boss named Sodom) was the first to cross over and made his fighting game debut in Street Fighter Alpha in 1996. It was cool seeing a crossover character in Street Fighter and I liked seeing how they integrated his moves from Final Fight into a fighting game moveset. I like Guy's unique moveset and his sleek personality. I have a soft spot for ninjas and I like Guy's retro-modernist ninja design.

AKUMA

Debut Game: Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994)

To be totally honest I'm not much of a "karate guy" fan. Ryu and Ken are staples of the genre and great characters in their own right. Without them the fighting game genre wouldn't be what it is today and Street Fighter wouldn't be the popular franchise that it is. While I respect Ryu, he is not one of my favorites.

If there is a "shoto clone" that I like it is without a doubt Akuma. When Akuma first appeared he came out of nowhere, defeated M.Bison with one move, and proceeded to kick my ass. His entrance onto the Street Fighter scene was epic and striking. The irony of it all is, while I'm not a fan of Ryu, Akuma is made all the more interesting by his juxtaposition to Ryu. And Ryu's most interesting facet as a character is what Akuma brings to the table. I love Akuma's demonic persona and his brutal personality. My favorite Akuma was in Street Fighter Alpha 3. The tweaks they made to Akuma's moveset in Street Fighter IV made him a far worse character to play with, at least for me.

FEI LONG

Debut Game: Super Street Fighter II ~ The New Challengers (1993)

One of the staple archetypes in fighting games is the "Bruce Lee" riff character. Fei Long was the first and Capcom made no attempt to hide it. He's basically Bruce Lee by another name. And really, in a story about the greatest martial artists in the world, where else would Bruce Lee be? If you couldn't tell I think the world of Bruce Lee and when Fei Long showed up in Street Fighter I couldn't wait to play as him. Fei Long is quick, agile, and full of that patented Bruce Lee personality and style. His iteration in SF Alpha 3 may be my favorite of his, especially his "secret" super combo (which looks so badass). His arrival in Super SF IV was welcomed and well done too. No matter your ability with the character, Fei Long is a wonderful homage to the legendary Bruce Lee.

IBUKI

Debut Game: Street Fighter III ~ New Generation (1997)

Like I said earlier, I have a soft spot for ninjas. And for anyone whose been to this blog this shouldn't come as a surprise. I like the Street Fighter III series a lot. They're fantastic and underrated SF games. I remember first seeing SFIII and wondering "who the hell are these people?" when it came to the characters. Street Fighter as a whole, for me personally, doesn't have a whole lot of visually striking character designs. Most of the designs are solid but simple and take some time to grow on you.

But when I saw Ibuki for the first time I knew exactly who I'd be playing as first when I got to play SFIII. Ibuki has one of the coolest character designs in the whole franchise and one of the best looking "traditional" ninja designs in any medium, video game or otherwise. Her personality is the typical bubbly anime girl who gets all serious when it's time to fight. Her fighting style and play is unlike any other character in the series. She's quick but as a result hits lighter than most. And sadly she can't take a punch either. All of this makes her a challenging, but rewarding, character to play as. She's like Chipp Zanuff from Guilty Gear in that respect. Anyway, I love Ibuki and she is one of the characters I look for in every SF game now.

CAMMY

Debut Game: Super Street Fighter II ~ The New Challengers (1993)

Best Street Fighter character ever. No contest... in... my... opinion. Cammy was the first character that I really took to. As a kid just starting to play fighting games in the 90's, without a mentor or sensei, you got beat up. A lot. In the game, I mean. Not in real life, I got beat up in real life for other things. Anyway, with SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS I found the characters that would cement my love for the series. With Cammy I found myself actually winning matches and, what's more, actually having fun playing Street Fighter.

Cammy is my number 1. She's my main. She's the one I pick if I want to win (and boy does it sting when I lose as her). Cammy and Ibuki bring out my competitive side when playing. Design-wise she's pretty simple (like most SF character designs). The green stood out to me (like it always does). But more than anything it was her playability. She has a decent reach and her moves are quick and strong. Then she has one of the more interesting stories of the SF cast. Once M.Bison's elite enforcer (and possibly a genetic clone of him?!?) and one of several "Dolls" along with Juli, Juni, DeCapre, and others. And then, after Rose freed her mind from Bison's control, she was recruited by MI6 (British Secret Service).

Anyway, Cammy was the character that made me the Street Fighter fan I am today. She is an essential character I look for in every new installment in the franchise.

And there you have it!

My top ten favorite Street Fighter characters!