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These are the 10 best moments of the Star Wars prequel trilogy

From Pod Racing to Lightsaber duels, there was a lot to love about the Star Wars prequels!

At best, most people have… mixed opinions about the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Admittedly, there’s a lot to dislike: cheesy acting, writing that left a lot to be desired, and of course, Jar Jar Binks.

That said, the prequels added quite a lot of depth and richness to the Star Wars universe, and had their fair share of undeniably iconic moments and characters. Love them or hate them, here are the 10 best moments of the Star Wars prequels.

The 10 best moments of the Star Wars prequel trilogy

10. All General Grievous scenes

star wars episode 3 general grievous — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

First appearing in Episode III, General Grievous is the intimidating leader of the Separatist Droid army. Grievous is a masterclass in character design: despite having comparatively little screentime, he still left an indelible mark in the minds of every Star Wars fan. From his deadly looking exoskeleton to his gravelly, vaguely Russian accent, Grievous is admittedly a pretty cool villain. The coolest part? He’s got four arms, which he uses to wield the captured lightsabers of the Jedi he’s killed.

This makes for some creative and heart-pounding fight choreography that upgrades Grievous from a run-of-the-mill villain to a formidable foe.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

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9. Showing us the Jedi Council

star wars prequels jedi council — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

Until the prequels, all any Star Wars fan really knew about the Jedi Order was gleaned from the stories and hints about them from the original trilogy. The prequels showed fans the Jedi up close and personal, detailing exactly how the Order functioned.

This included never-before-seen Jedi, the tenets of the Order itself, and a look inside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. One of the best parts of this up-close look at the Jedi was getting to see the Jedi Council in session: the wisest and most powerful members of the Jedi Order, putting their heads together in a spectacular council chamber to decide the fate of the galaxy.

8. The Coruscant space battle

star wars revenge of the sith space battle — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

Episode III gave Star Wars fans one heck of a space battle. The movie opens with a tense dogfight above Coruscant, with massive capital ships and tenacious fighters going at it on an epic scale.

VFX technology made battles like this possible on a scale that would have been impossible for the original trilogy. This allowed George Lucas to finally realize the grand scope of his vision for the Star Wars universe.

The battle is quite a spectacle to behold, and also includes some clever hints at where the space technology of the original trilogy came from: the fighters and capital ships have a definite resemblance to TIE fighters, X-Wings, and Star Destroyers.

Frame-by-frame breakdown of the Star Wars Episode IX trailer

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7. Order 66

star wars order 66 — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

One of the prequel trilogy’s most spine-chilling moments comes in the form of Order 66. This hidden command is given to the Clone Army by Emperor Palpatine himself, causing them to turn on their Jedi Masters. Even though viewers already know the Jedi are all but wiped out by the time of the original trilogy, it’s still goosebump-inducing seeing it actually happen.

The sequence takes the form of a montage showing the Jedi that fans have come to know and love over the course of several movies brutally murdered by the troopers they know and trust. The Order 66 sequence is essentially an opportunity for fans to watch the rise of the Empire in real time.

6. Battle of Geonosis

star wars geonosis battle attack of the clones — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

The massive land battle on Geonosis is not only an epic battle sequence but also a groundbreaking showcase of visual effects technology.

Pretty much all of the sequence is digitally created, and yet it still holds up against a lot of modern CG. From the dynamic lighting to the sheer number of soldiers on the field to the destruction of the fleeing capital ships, it’s easily one of the best parts of Episode II.

5. Yoda

star wars prequels yoda — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

By the time fans meet Yoda in the original trilogy, he’s already reached his twilight years. Yoda in his prime is a far cry from the somewhat absent-minded, doddering mentor of Luke Skywalker. Yoda is a formidable fighter and the infinitely wise leader of the Jedi Order.

Whether pondering events from the council chamber or taking on opponents with his lightsaber, getting to see Yoda at the height of his powers is truly awesome to behold.

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4. Mustafar Duel

star wars revenge of the sith mustafar duel — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

From the fiery backdrop to John Williams’ score to the mind-numbingly fast fight choreography, the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar is cited by fans far and wide as one of the best moments of the prequels. This duel is essentially the moment that the prequels were leading up to: Anakin’s final descent to the dark side and his rise to power as Darth Vader.

Watching Obi-Wan land the final blow on his old friend and former Padawan and witnessing the horrific burn scars that lead to Anakin being encased in Darth Vader’s armor are probably some of the most heartwrenching moments of the Star Wars series.

3. Pod Racing

star wars phantom menace podracing — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

Young Anakin got his start as a Pod Racer on Tatooine. This unique sport is dangerous, high-stakes, and infinitely entertaining to watch. Like a lot of the prequel trilogy’s visual effects, the Pod Racing sequences still stand up against modern movies.

It’s also undeniable that the fanbase loved Pod Racing just as much as Anakin did. It has since spawned several video-game adaptations and has become a central fixture in the Star Wars universe.

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2. Darth Maul

star wars phantom menace darth maul — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

What’s not to like about Darth Maul? Though he’s a man of few words, this Sith assassin is known for his trademark double-bladed lightsaber and terrifying facial features that were inspired by the Devil himself.

Even after his (apparent) end in Episode I, Maul has since returned in several Star Wars spin-offs and most recently in a cameo role for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” We wouldn’t be at all displeased if we got to see more of Maul in the future.

1. Palpatine

star wars revenge of the sith palpatine — Image courtesy Lucasfilm

Before he was the cloaked embodiment of evil and head of the Galactic Empire, Palpatine was a seemingly mild-mannered Senator from Naboo. Seeing Palpatine’s origins played to perfection by Ian McDiarmid is an absolute delight, and fleshes out the character of Darth Sidious as more than just a villainous caricature.

Of particular note is a moment he shares with Anakin at the opera, telling him the Sith legend of Darth Plagueis. It becomes painfully easy to see how Palpatine was able to sway Anakin to the dark side and solidifies his status as one of the most sinister characters of all time.

Wrapping up

It is undeniable that the Star Wars prequels had their fair share of missteps, but they also had their fair share of iconic moments as well. If you’re ready to give the prequels a second chance, check out Softonic’s Where2Watch site to start streaming right now.

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Power Rangers is getting a new movie with a new cast

With Hasbro at the helm, the Power Rangers are getting a new movie with a new cast.

Dacre Montgomery, the Red Ranger from the 2017 Power Rangers movie, has announced that there will be another Power Rangers movie, but it will star a new cast.

Montgomery spilled the beans in an interview with IGN. If you didn’t see “Power Rangers,” you probably know Montgomery from his role as Billy on “Stranger Things.”

Last year, Hasbro purchased the rights to Power Rangers from the entertainment company Saban. Hasbro is working with Paramount Pictures to make the new movie. A release date has not been set.

This is a bit worrisome as Hasbro doesn’t exactly have a good history with making movies. Does anyone remember the Battleship movie or the Ouija movie?

Woof.

Still, Hasbro hit a box office grand slam with the loud, noisy, stupid Transformers movies. Maybe they’ll ring that bell again.

We’re going to keep our expectations low. They were low for the 2017 film, but clearly, they should have been subterranean. Hopefully, Hasbro sees the error of their ways and writes a better story, uses better actors and actresses, and gets a budget for better CG.

8 killer facts about The Shining

Discover what you never knew about this horror masterpiece.

“The Shining” is a classic in the horror movie genre and one of the most well-known films in the entire world. Adapted from the novel by Stephen King, “The Shining” tells the story of up and coming writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) who takes a job as the caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. Once he, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) move to the hotel, Danny’s unique gift to see into the past is discovered and soon after, creepy things begin to happen to the family. Check out some interesting facts that you might not know about this 1980 horror masterpiece.

8 killer facts about The Shining

1. Danny was cast based on how he spoke

According to Stanley Kubrick’s biography written by Vincent LoBrutto, the film’s casting department searched for young actors in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Denver. The reason for this was because they wanted to find a child whose speech patterns were a mix of Shelley Duvall’s and Jack Nicolson.

2. “Here’s Johnny!” was almost cut

Jack’s famous line delivered when he’s trying to get to Wendy, who’s locked herself in a bathroom, was almost cut from the film. Kubrick didn’t know that the phrase was Johnny Carson’s introduction on “The Tonight Show” and didn’t understand why it was so significant.

3. The film was supposed to be much longer

On many occasions, Kubrick had to cut out scenes because Warner Bros. complained that it was too long. The European version of the film is 25 minutes shorter than other theatrical releases. Warner Bros. also said that the film was far too ambiguous, and Kubrick said that it was “not well received”.

4. It received Razzie nominations for “Worst Actress” and “Worst Director”

Early reaction to the film was generally negative. Many critics claimed that the film was disappointing, confusing, and lackluster, and it was one of the few Kubrick films that did not receive any Oscar nominations. Shelley Duvall was nominated for a Razzie for “Worst Actress” and Kubrick for “Worst Director,” so the public had trouble understanding the vision.

The Shining

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5. Stephen King hated Kubrick’s adaptation

Stephen King was not a fan of many aspects of the film adaptation of his book. He said that it was the only one that he can remember hating, and that “spending three hours watching an ant farm would be more emotionally uplifting.” He also disagreed with a lot of the casting; of Shelley Duvall’s portrayal he said, “She’s basically just there to scream and be stupid, and that’s not the woman that I wrote about.”

6. Outtakes from the film were later used in “Blade Runner”

Ridley Scott revealed that at the end of the “Blade Runner,” the panorama shots were actually pieces taken from the beginning of “The Shining,” which he received permission from Stanley Kubrick to use. “I know you shot the hell out of ‘The Shining,’ can I use some of the stuff?” he asked.

Blade Runner

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7. Kubrick’s secretary witnessed the moment that he selected “The Shining” for adaptation

After the failure of “Barry Lyndon,” Kubrick searched for something that would be more palatable for the average audience. His secretary said that he was brought stacks of horror novels to read, and would hear him throwing them across the room to land in the reject pile after reading only the first few pages. She said that after not hearing books hitting the wall after a few days, she went to check on him and saw him deep into “The Shining. ”

8. Shelley Duvall said the filming process was unbearable

The stress of dealing with Stanley Kubrick, his style of directing, and the working conditions proved to be too much for Shelley Duvall. One scene would take weeks to film, and Kubrick would force actors to work sometimes 13 hour days, repeating the same scene. “Going through day after day of excruciating work. Almost unbearable,” she said, “And in my character, I had to cry for 12 hours a day, all day long, nine months straight, five or six days a week.”

Spooky hotels, an overly eccentric director, and a writer who hates the film that came from his book – we’ll leave it up to you to decide what’s scarier, watching the movie, or filming it.

Deepfake swaps Jack Nicholson for Jim Carrey in The Shining

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8 best movies about musicians

Looking for a great movie about musicians? Try these.

Try out a few of these legendary music biopics!

Personally, we believe there’s a lot to experience, learn, and enjoy in the tales of great creators. And among famous artists, we have a soft spot for the subcategory of music superstars! With a bit of added Hollywood flair, these films spin amazing tales about real people whose existences were verifiably extraordinary.

Top movies about music legends

A Star is Born

The title “A Star is Born” has been used many times over the years: the original came out in 1937, then three remakes landed in 1954, 1976, and 2018. Every version follows the fictional tale of an aspiring female musician who is discovered by a guy who eventually succumbs to substance abuse as the starlet’s fame whisks her away. We should now mention:

Yes, the 2018 version is the best! That’s the one we’re talking about.

The familiar tale plays out better than ever thanks to emotionally gripping performances by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. If you’re not a fan of bittersweet tales, this may not be for you. But if you enjoy stories with so much relatability, depth, and humanity it hurts, watch this!

[Spoilers] The “guy” dies in every movie. In 1937 and 1954, he drowns himself. In 1976, he drives too recklessly and crashes his car. In 2018…

A Star Is Born

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Get on Up

We’re not sure if Get On Up started the tradition of beginning a musical biopic with a musician walking toward the stage with people chanting their name, but it certainly killed it! The movie begins and ends with James Brown walking down a hallway to his new performance, and the scenes between are meant to be his memories playing out beforehand.

It works beautifully.

Rather than telling events in order, the film explores multiple themes through James Brown’s perception: loving a musician, band relationships (prepare for more of this theme), childhood abuse, race relations, and more.

Oh, and if you were wondering… Chadwick Boseman plays James Brown. Yep, Black Panther! Dude’s got an excellent range of acting ability.

Bohemian Rhapsody

We love Queen! It will forever be one of our favorite bands, and the movie only fell so low because the article has no order whatsoever.

The movie focuses on Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen whose visionary songwriting led to such amazing songs as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which still sounds unlike any other song out there.

Unreleased Freddie Mercury song will give you chills

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When he wasn’t making music, Freddie deals with drugs, souring band relationships, and his the cultural ramifications of his sexual preferences.

[Spoilers?] If you know the story of Queen, you won’t be surprised that Freddie’s contraction of AIDS leads to his death. Luckily, the movie ends on a mostly happy note, but still… why do so many of these movies have to include a sorrowful farewell?

Bohemian Rhapsody

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Rocketman

Elton John rose to stardom like many others: in the face of drugs, pressure to conform to cultural norms, and resistance from the band members that he left behind on the road to stardom.

Unlike others, however, Elton John’s story culminates in the total, absolute acceptance of his own personal flair on a level so admirable, you may just buy an eclectically colored bird suit when you’re finished watching the movie. Never say never, friends.

Rocketman

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Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton is a stunning and powerful biopic that focuses on three artists from South LA – Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube – as they forge their futures in one of the most dangerous cities in America.

When the trio forms the music label N.W.A., their “gangster rap” music sparks controversy on all sides for its use of profanity and violent themes (especially against police officers). Under the pressure, they deal with bad managers, violence, and the loss of friends.

If nothing else will convince you to watch this movie, see it because it started the legendary string of “Straight Outta…” memes:

Elvis

Introducing: the king of rock and roll!

This movie was released two years after the death of Elvis Presley, and sadly does not cover his death, it ends before. Sad, but not surprising: director John Carpenter intended to highlight a great musician he cared about in order to explore a film genre he hadn’t yet tried.

Unlike the other movies, this one feels more like a biography and less akin to a story; there’s not much of an arc over the beginning, middle, and end. Still, in spite of that, Elvis’s life through music, enlistment, movies, and more has a lot to offer.

Amadeus

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (yes, that’s Mozart’s full name) led a far more interesting life than you probably realized! Seriously, we’re talking Van Gogh levels, somewhere between “I can’t believe this guy cut his own ear off on purpose” and “FDR really saw Winston Churchill naked by accident?”

True story, bro.

The movie follows Antonio Salieri, a decent composer who desperately prays to God for greatness, believing music to be a love letter to the almighty. Mozart, a depraved musical prodigy, shatters his religious paradigm and sends him on a quest to destroy the composing genius, his friend and greatest enemy, in any way he can.

If that sounds like an interesting story, that’s because it 100% is.

Bonus: This is Spinal Tap

If you weren’t aware that the phrase “turn it up to 11” comes from this movie, you need to educate yourself.

This very, very real documentary biopic (so real) follows the legendary British rock band Spinal Tap on their perilous road to glory. If you like idiot savants, bad hairdos, meddling girlfriends, outrageous outfits, band members disappearing, big bottoms, managers laying down the law, and amps that go up to 11, then have we’ve got a show for you…

11 facts about ‘This is Spinal Tap’

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Conclusion

We live our lives with musical inputs from our phones, stores, laptops, and more. We believe it’s important or, at the very least, highly entertaining to examine the lives and times of the creators!

Netflix tries making devices vibrate during shows

The Netflix Project Rumble Pak offers haptic responses in line with what you’re watching on the screen.

Netflix, like all good tech companies likes to encourage its employees to let their creative sides run wild every now and then. The online streaming company runs regular hackdays to give workers the chance to try and come up with ideas that could make it onto the app or simply grab people’s attention with their quirky ingenuity.

Netflix hackday — Image via: Netflix Tech Blog

At the latest Netflix hackathon there were a few impressive ideas but one in particular has piqued our interests. It is our favorite not least because we think it is brilliant, but also because it is the idea most likely to find its way into our everyday Netflix viewing experience.

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The Netflix Project Rumble Pak offers haptic responses in line with what you’re watching on the screen

If you’ve ever played on a PlayStation or an Xbox, you’ll know what haptic feedback is. Most phones even have it for certain functions and for quite a few generations now the iPhone has used haptic feedback to simulate the feeling you get when you press a button. Haptic feedback is exactly that, simulated movement that aids immersion. It works for phone buttons, it works for video games, and there is no good reason why it couldn’t work for movies and TV shows.

This is the type of thinking that was behind Hans van de Bruggen and Ed Barker’s entry into Netflix’s most recent hackathon, The Project Rumble Pak. The Netflix Tech Blog has this to say about the pair’s ingenious innovation, “The Project Rumble Pak hack day project explores how haptics can enhance the content you’re watching. With every explosion, sword clank, and laser blast, you get force feedback to amp up the excitement.” It seems to work too, as the video below shows.

The Rumble Pak uses Immersion Corporation technology to synchronize Netflix content with the haptic feedback responses offered by modern smartphones. The result is cool vibrations in line with the action on the screen. Would you like to see this feature coming to Netflix on your smartphone?

The other entry from the recent hackathon that we think deserves some credit is Get Out! although this isn’t a feature that we’ll see on Netflix. If you’ve ever been stuck outside the meeting room you’ve booked because the meeting before you has overrun, you’ll appreciate this. Basically, Get Out! allows you to hijack the meeting room’s sound system and play music similar to that they play at the Oscars whenever somebody’s speech is going on too long. The Oscars nod is the only real connection to Netflix this feature has but we still love it.

Will these two cool innovations from Netflix employees make it to the full version of the app? If we hear anything more about it, we’ll let you know straight away.

10 movie tie-in games that are actually good

Movie tie-in games have a bad reputation, but we have 10 that are actually fun!

Bringing up movie tie-in games around any dedicated gamer is bound to elicit a cringe. Games based on movies have an arguably well-deserved reputation of being notoriously bad. However good the source material is, movie games as a whole tend to be nothing more than half-finished cash grabs attempting to capitalize on a film’s success. For a while, movie tie-in games fell out of favor, but may be about to enjoy a comeback. If the newly announced Avengers game is any indication, we might be on the verge of a movie tie-in renaissance in the gaming world. As such, we’re taking a look at 10 examples of excellence in this otherwise less-than-stellar genre.

10. Enter the Matrix

Enter the Matrix took the term “movie tie-in” to the next level. Released at the same time as “The Matrix: Reloaded,” Enter the Matrix had a lot of the same team working on the game’s story, namely The Wachowskis themselves.

The game was intended to be a companion piece to the movie, and the two stories weave together in a way that adds a shocking amount to the plot of the movie. The game’s live-action cutscenes were filmed alongside the movie itself using the same actors, so in essence, Enter the Matrix acted as an entirely new Matrix movie.

In addition to the well-crafted story, the game played extremely similarly to PS2 classic Max Payne. Though Max Payne arguably did a few things better, the gameplay was still solid and made players feel like part of the movie. Ever wanted to see if you could hold your own against an Agent? Enter the Matrix let you put those skills to the test.

The Matrix

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9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

harry potter and the sorcerers stone game — Image courtesy EA

Released back when Harry Potter was first making a splash in the U.S., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone took the hype to new levels. Built around platforming and puzzle solving with a dash of spell-based combat for good measure, this game’s real highlight was the setting.

Hogwarts was a fully realized, massive location. The sprawling castle included familiar areas from the books and movies as well as several original locations that drove home how massive the wizarding school really was. One of the best parts of the game was the positively ridiculous amount of secrets, easter eggs, and collectibles tucked away in hidden areas around the castle. Years later, and we’re still not sure we found them all.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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8. Ratchet & Clank

ratchet & clank 2016 — Image courtesy Insomniac Games

This one’s a bit of a chicken vs. egg situation. The original Ratchet & Clank first dropped in 2002 for the PS2, and was an action platformer focusing on the titular intrepid heroes and their efforts to save the galaxy from a nefarious dictator.

In 2016, Ratchet & Clank got a movie and a new game as a tie-in. Not exactly a reboot, the game was billed as a “reimagining” of the original that coincided with the events of the movie.

Though the movie left something to be desired, the game was fantastic. Combining the best of old and new, Ratchet & Clank merged all the improved gameplay of more recent entries in the series with classic characters and settings from the original. The game was a definite nostalgia trip and a solid entry in the franchise, whether or not you played the first game or saw the movie.

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7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

lord of the rings return of the king game — Image courtesy EA

They don’t make them like this anymore. Built on a well-realized backbone of hack-n-slash combat and some RPG elements, Return of the King let players live out the events of the movie, and the best part? You could do it with friends. The game was fully equipped for couch co-op. Players could select from a roster of iconic characters from the movie, each with their own unique fighting style and abilities. Then, you and your buddies could slice and dice through hordes of orcs in some of the film’s most iconic battles, with Howard Shore’s epic score blaring in the background. If anybody at EA is listening, may we humbly suggest that this game is due for a remake?

Who are you in the Lord of the Rings fellowship?

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6. Alien: Isolation

Playing Alien: Isolation is, without exaggeration, like stepping into an Alien movie. The level of immersion in this game is incredible; set some time after the events of the original “Alien,” you play as Ripley’s daughter aboard the space station Sevastopol, investigating your mother’s disappearance. It soon becomes apparent that the Xenomorphs have made it aboard the Sevastopol as well, and almost from the moment you set foot in the game, you’re engaging in a tense fight for survival. From the distinctive 70s futuristic aesthetic to sound effects and music taken straight from the movies, this game is a love letter to “Alien” fans and a must play for anybody who enjoys a solid survival-horror experience.

Would you survive Alien?

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5. GoldenEye 007

goldeneye 007 game — Image courtesy Nintendo

Is there any movie tie-in more quintessential than the classic GoldenEye 007? Originally created as a tie-in for the 90s Bond flick “GoldenEye,” the game’s popularity exploded and it soon took on a life of its own. Though it did include a single-player campaign based on the movie, multiplayer was where GoldenEye 007 really stood out. You and your friends could pick characters from classic and modern Bond films, tweak game rules to your liking, and then try to gun each other down in a number of distinct arena locations. Though the controls are a bit… clunky by modern standards, GoldenEye remains the gold standard for local multiplayer games to this day.

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4. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

chronicles of riddick escape from butcher bay game — Image courtesy Starbreeze Studios

Way, way before Vin Diesel was Groot, he was Riddick. Riddick was the antihero protagonist of the early 2000s “Chronicles of Riddick” franchise, which spanned several films and even an anime.

In the game, players controlled Riddick as he attempted to escape from the maximum security Butcher Bay prison. The plot acts as a prequel to the movies, and the game itself plays like a glorious love child of Splinter Cell and Half-Life 2. It’s a blend of action and stealth that many games still struggle with today, but Escape from Butcher Bay achieved the mix perfectly. The game was remastered a few years back for the PS3, and we highly recommend tracking down a copy if possible.

3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

star wars episode 3 revenge of the sith game — Image courtesy LucasArts

Star Wars fans still have mixed feelings about the third entry in the prequel franchise, and those mixed feelings extend to the movie’s video game companion. Despite its shortcomings, Revenge of the Sith had a lot going for it. The story played right alongside the events of the movie, allowing you to take on the role of several characters and enjoy some satisfying third-person lightsaber combat. Multiplayer also shined, letting players select characters and duke it out on Star Wars-inspired battlefields.

Revenge of the Sith is the meat-and-potatoes of movie tie-in games: nothing too fancy, but still classic and a gold standard when it comes to how to do a movie tie-in the right way.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

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2. Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie

Despite its horrendously long title, King Kong stood out among movie tie-ins as one of the best. Players take on the role of Adrien Brody’s character as he fights across Skull Island to save his girlfriend, Ann Darrow. Along the way, you encounter a rather gruesome array of monsters, from ghoulish giant vampire bats to full grown T-Rexes.

This game takes survival seriously: there’s no HUD at all, meaning you’ll have to keep track of your own health and ammo, and aim using your weapon’s iron sights as opposed to a reticle. Guns themselves are very rare, meaning players would usually find themselves improvising melee combat with spears and bones or just avoiding combat altogether.

Despite how it sounds, the game was never too difficult, but rather just the right level to be immensely satisfying. In addition, several standout sequences let you play as Kong himself, and there’s nothing we can write to quite capture how it feels to rip a T-Rex’s jaw clean off.

1. Spider-Man 2

spider man 2 game — Image courtesy Activision

It’s pizza time. Before the recently released Marvel’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 served as the template for everything that the new game got right. Players could swing around a huge open-world New York, taking on ambient missions in a style similar to GTA. Though the game did follow the events of the movie, the numerous sidequests made Spider-Man 2 into an experience all its own. Like any good Spider-Man iteration, it also didn’t take itself too seriously, and there are plenty of humorous easter eggs and encounters to discover around the city. Fingers crossed that the forthcoming Avengers game takes notes from this masked predecessor.

Is Spider-Man 2 still a good movie?

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Movie tie-in games don’t have to be entirely bad. When developed by the right team, movie games can be unique and satisfying experiences all on their own.

Would you survive ‘Alien’? (Quiz)

Do you have what it takes to escape the Nostromo with your head intact?

If you’ve signed on to work with Weyland-Yutani, you’re already running low on luck. Odds are, you’re going to run into some extraterrestrial terror during your stint with these guys, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doomed. What are the chances that you’ll live to tell the tale? In space, no one can hear you scream.

Are you the sole survivor? If not, you might want to study before suiting up for duty. Watch ‘Alien’ here!

Alien

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Who are you in the Lord of the Rings fellowship? (Quiz)

Are you more Frodo than Sam? Take our quiz to find out!

From sons of stewards to ring bearers to extremely devoted gardeners, the fellowship created at Rivendell was an unprecedented assortment of heroes from all across Middle Earth, each with their own heroic qualities and talents. Are you an elegant elf, or a rough-and-tumble dwarf warrior? Take our quiz and find out!

Happy with your answer? You could try taking it again, but do not trust a hope; it has forsaken these lands (just kidding. Go ahead and refresh the page).

Top 12 moments in The Lord of the Rings trilogy

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The Matrix: What does the cast look like 20 years later?

We know Keanu Reeves never ages, but what about the rest of the cast?

In 1999, “The Matrix” flipped the cinematic world on its ear. With its meta-paranoia, neo-goth look, and mind-blowing action, the film was hugely influential on movies to come. So 20 years later, how does the cast look?

The Matrix

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Fan petitions: When do they work, and when do they not?

What are your actual chances of getting your favorite show back with a petition? Let’s find out!

You might have heard about the fan petition to completely remake the final season of “Game of Thrones.”

With nearly 1.5 million signatures, it has gotten quite a bit of attention. However, these signatures will more than likely prove fruitless as HBO has shown zero-interest in reshooting the final season. Even the actors and actresses have spoken about how ridiculous they found the petition.

“All of these petitions and things like that — I think it’s disrespectful to the crew, and the writers, and the filmmakers who have worked tirelessly over 10 years, and for 11 months shooting the last season,” actress Sophie Turner said.

Game of Thrones finale recap/review

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Recently, fans of the MCU have created a petition to change the fate of Tony Stark from “Avengers: Endgame.” With only about 40,000 signatures, and the vast majority of fans enjoying the film, fans can’t expect this petition to make a difference either.

Since even petitions that get loads of signatures don’t go anywhere, why do fans think they’ll make a difference? Well, it turns out that sometimes they work.

How Hey Arnold! got a new movie

Around 2009, fans of the Nickelodeon series “Hey Arnold!” started to petition to end the series how the creators intended.

Initially, “Hey Arnold!” was supposed to end with a movie about Arnold and his friends journeying to the jungle to uncover the truth about Arnold’s lost parents. Though production started, the project was scrapped, never to be heard from again.

However, fans created a petition that generated about 15,000 signatures for the writers to make “Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie.” In response to the desire to bring back the show, Nickelodeon brought back the creator, Craig Bartlett, and made the movie.

So why did Arnold get a second chance while Daenerys is still cold and dead in the ashes of the city she incinerated? The answer to that might lie in the cost.

For the eighth season, each episode of “Game of Thrones” cost about $15 million. “Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie” was not released in theaters. Also, since it was animated, it cost a lot less to make.

Another thing to point out is that “Hey Arnold!” was always meant to end with this movie. The only reason it didn’t happen was because it was canceled. The ending fans got from “Game of Thrones” was the ending the writers wanted to give. Clearly, there’s a big difference.

However, there might be more to the story.

Star Trek was saved by a letter-writing campaign

Captain Kirk — “I’ll never let go, Jack”

After an abysmal second season on NBC, it looked like “Star Trek” would not be returning. However, fans of the series started a letter-writing campaign to get a third season. After literally thousands of letters for fans were sent to NBC, the network realized the Nielsen ratings they were abiding by were not as reliable as they had hoped. As a result, NBC brought back “Trek” for a third season.

After more bad ratings in the third season, the series was canceled. However, since there were now enough episodes, the series entered syndication, where it became a pop culture phenomenon.

So why did “Star Trek” get another season, but “Game of Thrones” didn’t? In this particular instance, “Star Trek” had not been officially canceled, according to an article from StarTrek.com. “Game of Thrones” is officially over. Secondly, Trekkies were able to prove that the Nielsen Ratings were wrong. In fact, according to the same article, the ratings were faulty and doctored by employees at NBC to get the show canceled.

Sure there are loads of fans of “Game of Thrones” who have been bugging the creators of the show to redo the final season, saying that the writers were “incompetent.” However, they can’t prove that anything egregious went into the making of the final season. If they could, they MIGHT have a case.

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Firefly: You might not get what you want, but you might get something

In 2002, Fox released “Firefly,” a sci-fi series that was canned after a single season in which a handful of episodes aired out of order. After it was canceled, fans of the series went ballistic. The show left a lasting impact, and fans still want to see it return.

To urge the production of more adventures, so-called Browncoats bought the series on DVD and shared the episodes with friends. The continued DVD sales and word-of-mouth campaign were better marketing than Fox ever managed. Remember, this was before Netflix pioneered the video streaming we take for granted today.

Thanks to the ongoing fanbase engagement, Fox continued the adventures with the 2005 feature film, “Serenity.”

Although we still don’t have a second season of “Firefly,” the love of the fans was what led to us getting the movie. Although fans might not get to bring Tony Stark back to life, or give Daenerys and Jon Snow the ending they deserve, a little persistence might result in something.

If a fanbase is really motivated, there’s also the Kickstarter route. In 2013, fans of “Veronica Mars” shattered records by contributing $2 million in 11 hours to bankroll a feature film. The movie ended up losing money, so maybe the network had the right idea in the first place.

Throwing the Hail Mary

In some cases, fans resorted to more creative methods of getting their favorite shows back. In some cases, fans mailed items related to the show to the studios. When “Jericho” was canceled, fans mailed peanuts. When “Roswell” was facing cancelation, fans mailed Tabasco sauce. After “Friday Night Lights” played its final game, the studio was sent lightbulbs and eye drops.

In each of these cases, the show was kept on the air. Whether or not the weirdest mail call ever was the reason why these shows stayed on the air, we don’t know. However, the studios very well might have kept the shows on just to keep the rest of their mail from getting saucy.

Learning from How I Met Your Mother

Fans of “How I Met Your Mother” were also disappointed by the show’s final season. Although there was an alternate ending to the show, it was not created in response to the fans petition to reshoot the final season.

Just like “Game of Thrones,” fans didn’t get their reshoot. Also just like “Game of Thrones,” “How I Met Your Mother” ended on its own volition. The hit show received the ending that writers had wanted for better or worse.

So what can we learn from “How I Met Your Mother?”

As the Rolling Stones have said, you can’t always get what you want.

However, as they later clarified, if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.

“How I Met Your Mother” did not give us the ending we wanted, but it did give us the ending the writers wanted.

The same goes for “Game of Thrones.” To be completely fair, although there might be endings that more people would like, there is no ending that EVERYONE would like.

Although many fans still dislike the finale of “How I Met Your Mother,” fans have grown to despise it less over the years.

Sure, a bad finale can sting. However, as the years go by, you might appreciate the finale for what it was.

Wrapping up

A petition and persistence can sometimes make all the difference. However, sometimes they’re a fool’s errand, and sometimes you need to think outside the box.

Maybe writing a petition is too bland. Maybe, if you really want HBO to remake the final season of “Game of Thrones,” you should mail them plastic dragons and bottles of wine.

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