Vert's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Gravitaxis ++]

...

... mesmerizing and all out amazing. Vinnie, I really, really love your work (I'm always eager to see your next movie!) and this is the perfect example of why. Creatively stunning and original, really brilliant. Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphics are top-notch, as always. You're very close to belonging to the group of the very best animators on Newgrounds, which means you're very very good, despite using a relatively economical way of animating. This is because you make sure everything is polished and well done and looks good. Your drawings are also remarkably detailed and your backgrounds are all out excellent.

But, really, what stands out in your animations, time and time again, is your fantastic character design. I honestly believe that your characters, which we usually see only for a second or two, stand out marvelously and seem unique and really interesting, visually. This remains your greatest strength and it helps make the worlds your create seem so more alive and interesting because of this.

This aspect of your animations, ever since Hoy Te Amo ++, has always been excellent and you've even improved from your first animations, so I can't really find anything significant to criticize. It remains exceptional.

- Sound-wise, great tunes! I think that your soundtrack fit in perfectly for this movie, couldn't have been better, and it really helped create a great ambiance for the movie. Oh, and you've managed to time the on-screen action with the music perfectly.

- Story-wise, well, just extraordinarily creative and interesting. You've managed to have an utterly original and interesting idea and then executed it in an even more interesting and original way. It does leave us wanting for more, more explanations as to exactly what we just saw, what was going on, who the characters were, but sometimes doing that makes things even better.

The flow of the movie was great, the length too. And the images you created because of your movie, many so dammed evocative, are exceptional.

So, overall, a great, great movie that stands tall among your other work. Great animations, great music, great story/premise, making for an exceptional movie that I can honestly say, I have no real criticisms towards.

Massive cheers and kudos for this one and many, many thanks for keeping creating your wonderful animations.

[Serial Environmentalist]

...

... as always, Matzerath, your twisted sense of humour shines through brilliantly. The graphics are also improved from previous movies, although I do have slight qualms concerning the voice acting. Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphics, as I said, are improved from previous movies, specially the animation, which has more action than usual. I mean, normally your animation is too limited, many times with just mouths moving, but in this movie there's always something moving in a way that keep things 'realistic'.

The overall style of the drawings is quite similar to your previous movies and looks pretty good, but the 'fuzzy' look that everything has when you zoom out was a letdown, as it obscured some details and just felt wrong. Still, overall, it looked good.

- Sound effects, although limited, were effectively used. The voice acting, however, was a bit problematic. I mean, you're an effective voice actor, with a good delivery for your jokes and the recording quality of it is very good, the problem lies with the fact you opted to do both characters yourself.

Now, some people have a wide range of voices they can pull off, see egoraptor for one, but I feel that you sadly don't belong in this group. What I mean is that you have a quite unique voice and when you play two different characters, it becomes far to obvious that it's a single person doing them. I'd recommend, for your next movie, if you are going to have two or0 more main male characters, to try and find a good voice actor to do one of the voices (try searching the audio forum, there are a few topics there that'd help you).

- Storywise, pretty funny throughout. I didn't quite bust my gut laughing or anything, but I did chuckle a lot and was genuinely pleased with it, as I usually am. You have a pretty bleak and unique sense of humor that works pretty well, no small part due to your execution. The pacing of the movie was pretty good and the overall length too. Oh, and I loved the satirical edge of the movie too, you really know how to make clever humor! This is probably the best part of this flash.

So, overall, a fine and funny movie that could have used a second voice actor (and a zoom effect that didn't produce fuzziness), but was funny, clever and satirical. Kudos!

Matzerath responds:

Thank you for your in depth review!
Yes, I realize that my range of voices is limited - unfortunately I've always thought it was funny to do all the voices in a cartoon, even (especially) when there's four or more characters. It's a personal problem, I'm afraid.

[Apples.]

...

... cute, sweet and fun, I remember watching this movie when it first came out and wanting to leave a review... I guess its better to be late than never! Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphically, its pretty good. I love the character design in this movie, love it to death. Who'd thought a guy with a sack on his head and a purple thingy could look so darned adorable and fun? Not just that, backgrounds and everything else have a pretty unique and interesting look, which makes for a movie that's a joy to watch, specially given the level of polish you've incorporated into the drawings, making sure everything looks good.

Animation, while sparse, is used precisely (you know how to create excellent lulls in the action!) and is very well done too, being fluid when necessary. When its not (i.e., the truck), it looks even better!

- Music is awesome. I mean, it really gives life to the movie, and the combination of kazoo and acoustic guitar is just perfect for giving the movie a rural, child's game and fun feeling. I'd honestly say that this is the movie's greatest strength.

Sound effects were spot on, no complaints from me! In fact, I actually really liked that the airplane engine sound was done by humming, it sounded slightly silly, which is perfect for a movie like this. =]

- Storywise, well, it's not the most complex movie ever made, obviously, but fun to watch. I get the feeling that you had a very specific objective that you wanted to accomplish, to make a simple, short, but fun story, and I think you accomplished it well.

The length is probably right, neither too long, nor too short, the pacing is excellent (again, great use of short lulls!) and the scenes are appropriately fun/funny.

So, overall, a short, simple movie that's polished like hell/very well made, with a great soundtrack, very good animation and drawings, in a very simple storyline. Kudos!

SWiTCH responds:

Awesome, thanks for coming back with an in depth critique and some kudos. :)

[Ultra Sheriff - Nemesis]

...

... style, style and style! The emphasis of this flash is all on making things look stylish, no matter how over the top and exaggerated it makes things, and it works. Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphically, that was excellent. Animations were very well done, for the most part, drawings were very polished and, well, stylish, with good use of colours as themes for both sides. Character design was interesting, although somewhat derivative, and the backgrounds were pretty good too, because although their faded look didn't fit the action that well, they are very well done and I loved the 'moving parts' of them!

It wasn't all perfect, though. While character animation was excellent, a few times it was evident that you cut corners a bit and re-utilized an animation or two (but it was no biggie), and I felt that the main ship could have used more 'movement'.

- Music was good and fit the movie very well, the timing of the on-screen action with the tempo and movements of the music being spot-on. Sound effects were very effective and sounded right, I particularly loved the scream of anger the 'boss'. Overall, top notch in this aspect.

- Storywise, well, it's a very simple story, but this is more of a movie video, so no biggie really. The length of the movie was very good, neither too short, nor too long, and the overall pacing was probably right too.

So overall, a great movie, fun to watch and polished. The only real criticism is that maybe, just maybe, it could have been a little more original and ambitious. I mean, I really liked this movie, but I get the feeling that it could have been something extraordinary, instead of 'just' great, had you tried to be more creative and ambitious storywise, although would require a longer song, probably.

Nah, forget it, I'm being silly. As it is, this is a great movie and you can hold your head up high! Cheers and kudos!

UltraSheriff responds:

whoa, thats what I call a review! thanks for taking the time to write in such detail, it is very flattering and very helpful!
i absolutely agree with you regarding the weaknesses of my film, so dont say ur being silly:) I was hoping it would be less evident where i`d cut corners to save time, but I guess the contrast between the shots I really put my heart into, and the more static ones, is too big. and its true that one cannot compensate for a weak storyline with pretty lights and explosions, like so many hollywod movies should have taught me:)
Thanks again, it is feedback like this that helps me improve my skills, and it is infinitely helpful and hugely rewarding to get these kinds of responses from people! Cheers!
-torjus

[Pencilmation #4]

...

... I'm really enjoying your updated Pencilmation series, Ross. Its kind of silly and, unfortunately, repetitive, but still fun and very likable. Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphics are the highlight of the movie, probably. Very, very simple, as it must be to conform to the basis of the series, but very well animated and with some surprisingly good details. And, of course, the pencil coordination with the drawings are spot-on, which is vital. I also like that you've mixed up the drawing style for this movie, as it makes things seem fresh. I do have a suggestion, however: why not use other types of paper, for different pencilmations, conveying a different author and/or situation?

- Music is pretty good and tends to fit the mood well. I mean, its not rocket science, but its not hard to mismatch animation and background music., and you certainly don't make this mistake. Special effects are well done and used excellently, no complaints here.

- Stories are pretty good, quite fun to watch and of the right length, which is important. Such simple stories don't really lend themselves to something longer, under the risk of becoming tiresome. However, the stories themselves seem to be repeating too much, with another guy looking to win the heart of a girl, the rival... we've seen it before.

Given the overall theme of drawings being abused by the artist, which lends itself to some funny situations easily, surely you can come up with material that's more different? Not that you've exceeded the limit now, but you're starting to go there... and if you can't, try changing the theme somewhat.

On a more positive note, the humour of this movie was spot-on. Hardly laugh-out-loud sort of humour, but the sort that brings a smile (or a smirk) to a face.

So, in the end, a pretty good movie, well animated, with good music and sound effects and, overall, polished, but slightly repetitive when compared to previous movies from the series. Cheers!

[War, Snow and Fire]

...

... funny, really, the story is about as cliche as one can get. The instant certain events started happening, I immediately had a good idea of what the overall outcome could be. Yet the execution is so good, it overcomes this limitation magnificently. Let me detail my review:

- Graphics were great, pure and simple. I love the texture effects you put over everything with colour, I'm not sure how you did it, but it adds a great touch to the drawings and make everything look unique. It reminded me a lot of a similar effect found on "People's Mario", but was different enough so as to not look like a mere copy.

I also liked the character design and although the choice of making them mostly black is a 'lazy' one, as it makes it easier to animate them, they still fit the movie really well. And the animation itself was top-notch. Finally, the backgrounds were very good too, specially by the level of detail they have. Overall, I'd say this is the movie's strongest point.

- Music, well, its a very contradictory point. On the one hand, the music fit the action perfectly, changing in tone and instruments right on time, as the story itself changes, which is something extremely rare on a flash animation, even rarer being a single piece of music! Such precise pacing and timing deserves accolades and recognition.

But, on the other hand, I found the music slightly too, well, chirpy? I'm not exactly sure what bothered me about the music, but something did. I think that, perhaps, the high-pitch sound that made the basis of the melody was what bothered me, but maybe it was something else, I really can't be sure. The end result is that, despite being technically flawless and well made, the music bothered me enough to actually detract from the overall experience.

- Storywise, well, as I said before, nothing but cliches here, that have been done a million times. The sole point originality, the placing of story in (what I assume to be) Soviet Russia (or, at least, Russia), did make things more interesting, specially by providing some different characters and backgrounds.

I guess I can say that despite this lack of originality, it still was an enjoyable story. The pacing was good and the length was spot-on, neither too long nor too short, which helped overcome this deficiency.

So, overall, a fine movie, well made and quite enjoyable, with great quality in the drawings and animations, but with the drawbacks of being unoriginal and with a musical background that, despite technically good, I couldn't really appreciate. Cheers and kudos!

[Claveman Ep. 5/5 Betatron]

...

... as I promised, this is my review for this movie. And, as I said, its everything I expected, and nothing like what I imagined. What do I mean by that? Well, its Claveman, where the unexpected and twisted lies everywhere, but how its going to surprise us is the joy that awaits. Allow me to detail my analyzes:

- Graphics, well, they're actually a step up from previous animations, Cladicus in particular looking significantly better. The 3D effects were a nice touch and the new character has an interesting look, that fits the series. Of course, there's an absolute lack of animation, but hey! That's something we expect.

- Sound-wise, well, music was the fun metal screaming of usual and the sounds effects were top-notch. But the real kicker was the great voice acting. I mean, Cladicus sounded slightly different from usual and we could have certainly used more of the narrator (who is great!), but this was more than made up by the excellent voice of the new character (I'm being vague for spoilers). Seriously, it was a shock at first, somewhat incomprehensible too, but after seeing the movie again, well, it was just perfect.

- Storywise, well, there's a whole lot to talk about. The story is very, very anti-climatic and at first, quite confusing (in part due to the new voice). It also has a bit of a pacing issue, too much action at first and not enough in the end. But seeing it again, I came to realize the sheer cleverness of it all, as well as the references to tropes and other works of fiction throughout, and came to appreciate, nay, love it all.

Whats more, how else could you subvert our expectations if not by being completely anti-climatic? You've done it before (on the Yokemon episodes) and it works excellently. Its a fitting end for the Claveman series, even if it doesn't seem like that at first. Speaking of which, I think this is a episode that requires its viewers to see it at least twice, to really appreciate it; this can be considered both its weakest and strongest point, paradoxically.

Also, the dialogue, the milestone of the Claveman series, was great. Really great, filled with meta-references, randomness and punctuated with screaming! Fun, in other words.

So, in the end, what do we have? A really good Claveman episode, that ends the series in clever and appropriate way, and in a high note, being funny, smart, meta, random and interesting. It's not quite as brilliant or as funny as some of the previous episodes (such as the best of the best, Dr Seuss episode), but its still very, very good and highly enjoyable.

For all the great episodes, for providing us with lots of enjoyment, for challenging us with sheer randomness and for finally moving your arse and actually completing this great series, all that's left for me to say is this: thank you for the laughs, cheers and kudos to you and I look forward to seeing what kind of things will come from your next series!

[A Bid For Freedom]

...

... wonderful, just wonderful. I'm at awe at the creative and down right clever writing, as with the illustrations and the narration. Allow me to detail my analysis:

- First off, hats off for the exceptional writing. I really mean it. You've got an amazing talent for adjectives, inserting them at the exactly right place, providing us with a constant smile and making the world you create a rich and interesting place.

The sarcastic descriptions are fantastic (and very british-like), while the mix up of the normal with the abnormal into a coherent story, while at the same time making both sense and sounding an awful lot like one big allusion, was really clever.

But not only that, the dry wit, the great flow and build up, culminating with a climax both anticipated and unexpected, and a resolution utterly appropriate and funny, makes for some great stuff. In all honesty, reading this story is one of the most fun I've had with a flash. Just great, great stuff.

- And, of course, the illustrations are just down right breathtaking. Nacho Rodriguez, well, I've always known how talented you are, since the Mr Coo series remains a landmark in flash animation and the drawings in this flash are excellent, with great looking characters (I love the faces!) that fit the story really well (i.e., they look like how the book describes them) and atmospheric backgrounds.

However, it was Cecilia DesHayes' watercolours that were an immensely pleasurable surprise. Cecilia, you've taken your boyfriends backgrounds and helped them make them not only atmospheric, but down right haunting. On pages 9 to 13, this is a literal statement.

So, overall, the drawings were nothing short of eye candy of the finest order. You know, not just a mere Mars Bar, not even a refined mint chocolate you take after a cup of coffee, but a genuine, 'haute cuisine'-like profiterole with a serving of dark chocolate sauce.

- The narration is excellent. Sarcastic when necessary, providing us with a feeling that our main character is, above all, a somewhat cynical, but ok guy. I think that you managed to convey a lot into the movie thanks to you great voice acting. And, of course, Sasuya also provided some great voice work too.

So, in summary, this about as good as it gets. A wonderful, clever, amusing and witty story, with truly exceptional and haunting illustrations, with great voice work. You've just set the bar for the other storybook flashes very, very high.

I can honestly say that there's not one element of this flash that I would change in anyway, which explains why this is such a poor review, as I've failed to provide a single, valid criticism. In my defense, I can only say that you guys shouldn't have done such a perfect job in the first place.

Immense cheers and kudos to every one of you, you've deserved it!

[Science!]

...

... utterly silly and not all that well made, but fun. Lots of fun! This is a great example of a movie that technically isn't all that great, but more than makes up for it through creativity and humor (and a little bit of fanservice too). Allow me to detail my review:

- Graphics weren't all that good, to be honest. Your drawing technique is ok and it looks good enough, not too mention that it has a interesting sense of style, but the white backgrounds are a bit of a letdown and the animation is far too sparse. Character design, although cliché, was also pretty good and fun.

You obviously used anime-style shortcuts to give the impression of more action then there actually was and this movie could have used a little more 'real' action... so, overall, this is the movie's weak point. It doesn't make the movie bad, by any measure, just the impression that it could have been better.

- Music was very good! I'd never heard the Dandy Warhols before and they don't disappoint, it's a fun, catchy song that doesn't take itself too seriously and works very well with the animation.

- The story is quite humorous and made me smile throughout. It's all very silly, but in a good way, and although not all that original (I'm pretty certain I've seen Victorian era Velociraptors before, and Einstein styles scientists are hardly new), the elements mix well, in an original way, and it makes for a satisfying movie. Oh, and the fanservice (i.e., the science supervisor), although blatant, worked too.

So, in the end, this is a silly movie that although technically not very impressive, nor amazingly original or with an impressive story, works well by not taking itself seriously and being fun! Cheers!

[Don't Worry, Son]

...

... that was stagerring brilhant. You never, ever stop amazing me with the sheer raw crazy awesome of your work. Let me detail my review:

- Graphics were, as always extremely good! In particular, the faces of your characters are really detailed, can't think of any other flash with that much detail, and are very well drawn, with excellent animation and oozing expression. When a character of yours smiles, we can really see him/her/it smiling! That has always been the high point of your technique.

But its not just that, your character design is creative and interesting, each looking unique but fitiing in well. Your overall animation, sans faces, though usually somewhat sparse, is smooth and well done. And everything is polished and looks great!

- Sound wise, well, just fantastic as usual. Your voice actors are great, with really expressionate voices, and its all very well recorded. Music too is just excellent, the Greasy Moose band knows how to make great music, that fits so dammed well! Finally, sound effects are spot on. Top notch in every aspect, really.

- Storywise, well, its so dammed crazy awesome, so random, so epic, that it works magnificiently... I mean, where else are you going to find a crazy scientist and son duo experimenting with elephant DNA? And the horrific/awesome/OMG consequences of their actions?

Also, as in all your movies, the pacing of the jokes are great. Since your jokes are usually centered around dialogue, it's important to pace them well and to make sure that the punch/non-sequitur happens at the right time, which is the case of this movie.

What else can I say? I mean, I should provide some criticism now, but I'm not sure if I have any. Honestly, I'm such a huge fan of your work, and this movie fits in so well, that its hard for me to see anything that could be improved. Not even the movie's lenght, really. I mean, its short, and leaves me wanting more, but it also allows you to concentrate everything and avoids the movie losing steam.

So, in short, this movie is a worthy addition to the Greasy Moose series, with pretty much everything just right and I can't really provide any relevant criticisms.

Cheers and kudos for this (and the other) great, great movies you've created. I dare say that you might very well be my favourite flash artist, you're just that good.

Sexual-Lobster responds:

thanks a lot Vert for taking the time to write a detailed review, and I'm glad you liked it!