The Lord Inquisitor and Future 40K Media

This article is the second part of a two part series discussing the development of Warhammer 40,000 in popular media.

“I am the hammer.

I am the point of his spear.

I am the mail that is faced.

I am the bane of his foes and the woes of the treacherous

I am the end.”

–The Lord Inquisitor “Grey Knights” Teaser

Shivers. Shivers, ladies and gentlemen. I love Warhammer 40,000. It’s a rich universe filled with potential. Not only has the extensive history of 40K been widely detailed by Games Workshop and its Black Library writers, Warhammer slowly creeps into more and more modern media. Last week we talked a bit about the Ultramarines movie and how this film, while decidedly flawed in many ways, gave us hope for a future filled with more 40K movies and video games. Ultramarines did something right; it provided fans a mode of entertainment that allowed us to see some of our favorite warriors of the universe voiced by sublime talent and kicking serious butt. For any war gaming man or woman, this prospect further attaches and drives him or her farther into a fandom. To know that a company treasures its creation to such an extent that they want to project this creation into every form of entertainment available speaks bounds about the dedication of a fan-base.

Games Workshop, however, has not always practiced good business with retailers and its customers. The power creep present in every edition, the constant update of Codexes and price hikes of models, the utter inability to understand the power of online retail, and the absolute refusal to move the universe forward dissuades some and disillusions others. Few universes have the depth and history of Warhammer 40,000. Fewer still have the blatant mismanagement commonly known to Games Workshop. Do you remember how I said that 40K has such potential? With their superb Black Library authors, talented support staff, and a dedicated base of fans, Games Workshop could become a global juggernaut with the right maneuvering.

Do you know what I want to see? I want to see a Warhammer 40,000 movie on the big screen. I want to wait in line surrounded by fellow fans to see the epic premiere of a phenomenal film about some of my favorite fictional super soldiers. I want to see the hard work and dedication of people who not only get paid to do what they do, but people who want to do what they love!

Then, a man named Erasmus Brosdau walked into the light and declared that he had a wonderful idea. A Senior 3D Artist and Art Director at Crytek (the same people who made games such as Crysis and Warface), Brosdau began developing an idea. In 2010 he called upon talented artists and designers to begin development of a simple trailer. Currently at 1.8 million views at the time of writing, fans and curious minds alike devoured the beautiful animation and adored the potential. Titled The Lord Inquisitor, work has continued and a projected release date (April 2017) for a full film has been set. Since then, he has made a variety of other trailers, one being about the Grey Knights (the Inquisition’s personal force of Demon Hunters who are given the best equipment and tasked with annihilating the demonic threat without and within), and another showing the main character of Brosdau’s film, Marcus Allenbrisk. The quote at the beginning of this article is from the Grey Knights trailer (I also own a small force of Grey Knights in addition to my Raven Guard) and channels the dark science fiction nature of the intellectual property.

The attention to detail is absolutely dazzling.

Brosdau and his team clearly adore this universe. You can feel the painstaking care to which they crafted every frame of these trailers, forged every line of dialogue, and selected each song. Warhammer 40,000 can become this! Ultramarines gave us the example. Men and women like Brosdau can lead us forward into a new generation of 40K media. Anyone can appreciate an idea like this, not just fans of the 40K universe.

On the gaming side of things, Warhammer 40,000 has continued to make strides into the gaming medium. Probably one of the larger hits, the Dawn of War series created by Relic has seen substantial commercial success and opened up 40K to a larger audience. I’ll be honest with you all; playing Dawn of War II is what piqued my interest in Warhammer! I found the gritty science fiction themes utterly attractive and enjoyable. As I delved further and further into the history and the myriad factions involved, I found several friends who played the tabletop war game and invested in a few models to start.

Now I’m hooked. Games like Dawn of War and the wonderfully underrated Space Marine give us yet another form of enjoyment. It allows us to transpose ourselves into a world or a galaxy that we absolutely enjoy. Do not think that I discount the glorious work of the capable Black Library writers! Warhammer fiction, too, influences all of these mediums. Yet with a video game, a man or woman is able to place him or herself directly in control of a character’s actions and influence the outcome of a storyline. In my opinion, this greatly enhances the immersion, second only to actually playing a tabletop roleplaying game such as Dark Heresy or Deathwatch. Created by Fantasy Flight Games, these represent another way for fans and interested parties to dive into the lore and truly become a part of the universe.

The Warhammer 40,000 universe, however, can only survive as long as men and women continue to appreciate and relish the evolving content created by Games Workshop. With the new release of the Space Wolves’ Wulfen codex, it appears as though GW may finally begin to advance the storyline and give gamers the content they so crave.

As it has been shown by the men and women in Brosdau’s creative team and the many video game developers working on the newest Warhammer 40,000 title Eternal Crusade, enough dedication and passion for a project and lead to incredible results.

Happy gaming!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

The Originals S3E14 – ‘Takes Us All For a Ride’

The Originals – A Streetcar Named Desire

Written By: Julie Plec & Diane Ademu-John

Directed By: Matthew Hastings

I know I’m starting to repeat myself here but…

If you’re not already watching this show, why not?  There’s no answer that good enough.  Seriously.

I was wondering how they were going to continue on with their story line while also managing to wrap of Stefan’s (Special Guest Star Paul Wesley) visit to New Orleans, but they did it quite nicely.

This season has been all about Klaus’ and Elijah’s sire lines trying to de-sire themselves so that they can take out the vampires that made them.  Leading the charge are The Stricts (from Elijah’s line) and Klaus’ old flame (who really puts the CRAZY in Crazy Ex Girlfriend) Aurora (from Klaus’ line).  The prophecy said that the three remaining Originals would all fall… one by family, one by friend and one by foe.  Several episodes back, Rebekah handled the “family” part of the prophecy by demanding Elijah “dagger her” and put her in a box, safely hidden from their enemies, telling her brother that with that part of the prophecy out of the way he could quit worrying about Klaus putting a dagger in his heart.  Thus leaving Elijah and Klaus to worry about their foes…and their friends.

In this episode, Davina has gotten all the pieces together for the spell that would de-sire her friends from Klaus…and, oh yeah, Elijah’s sire line as well, since Aya is demanding that before she’ll make The Strict’s Coven help Davina bring back her boyfriend, Kol from the dead.

Thanks to Camille taking what was left of the white oak that had been carved into a little statue of a knight on horseback as a gift from Klaus to Rebekah, Aurora got her hands on enough of the white oak (the only thing that can kill an Original) to make bullets with which to take out Elijah.  Aurora agrees to work with Aya and finish this game.  Aya has one of her witches send Aurora’s mind to the magical place where her brother Tristan’s mind is residing instead of his body which is locked in a shipping container and resting at the bottom of an ocean somewhere so that he drowns over and over again (yeah, that’s what happens when you piss off the Mikaelsons).  This same witch manages to use “representational magic” to put Elijah and Klaus there too.  They have to figure out what is in that room that represents them and destroy it to escape, all while dealing with jagged barbs being thrown their way from the other siblings inhabiting the room with them.  It’s in that room that the best line of the show is uttered.  Usually, the greatest lines come from Klaus, but this time it’s Elijah who gets the juiciest tidbit.  Tristan is berating him for not paying more attention to the vampires he has sired, to which Elijah sighs wearily and asks, “Would you mind terribly, if you spared me the dead beat dad lecture?”

While Elijah and Klaus are in magical time out, Marcel, Hayley and Freya are racing to try and save them…along with help from Stefan Salvatore.  Stefan figures that he sort of owes Klaus this one.  Besides, Stefan is in Klaus’ sire line, so if they do manage to take out Klaus before the de-sire-ing can occur, then Stefan will die as well.  I just loved the scene with real life couple Paul Wesley and Phoebe Tonkin (Hayley) in the trunk of Marcel’s car as he drives them right up to the front steps of The Stricts lair.

I did see what happened next coming before they ever made it to the front steps of the lair.  Stefan removed the magical bandage that Freya applied to his wound to keep Rayna from being able to track him and basically sicced The Huntress on all the enemy vamps causing the much needed distraction so that they could rescue the Mikaelson brothers.

Davina begged Marcel to trust that she could remove the sire bond and save him, but he couldn’t put his fate in the hands of a teenage witch with substitute spell ingredients.  He helped Stefan and Hayley save the Mikaelsons instead.

But, he didn’t stop Davina from getting the ingredients she needed to achieve her long sought after goal.

There’s another new episode next week.  And, I just have to ask if after reading this review if you caught the pun that is the title… because I only caught it while I was writing it.

The Vampire Diaries S7E14 – ‘Goes To the Big Easy’

The Vampire Diaries — “Moonlight on the Bayou” — Image Number: VD714a_0217.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Paul Wesley as Stefan and Joseph Morgan as Klaus — Photo: Annette Brown/The CW — © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Vampire Diaries – Moonlight on the Bayou

Written By: Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec

Directed By: Jeffery G. Hunt

This is another one of those shows where I have to ask if you’re not already watching it…. why the hell not?

The fans have been waiting for this episode since S5E11 when Katherine was “dying”.  Dying is in quotation marks there because she didn’t really die, but that’s a whole other episode and review.  We’ve all been waiting for another visit from everybody’s favorite, love-to-hate anti-hero Klaus Mikaelson (Special Guest Star Joseph Morgan) to show up again.

And, boy, did he make an appearance…

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

All season, we’ve been given glimpses of “Three Years From Now”.  It started in the season premiere with Stefan opening a casket “Three Years From Now” and waking a desiccating Damon by announcing that his scar has reopened and he needs his brother’s help.  You’re probably asking the question the whole fandom’s been asking almost all season… What scar?

Well, it’s come full circle and we finally know what’s going on three years in the future.  Stefan is running from The Huntress Rayna Cruz (played by Leslie-Anne Huff) who has marked him with the Phoenix Sword.  But, before that, he ran to New Orleans to get help from our favorite Original… Klaus.

However, Klaus recognizes Stefan’s wound for what it is and throws a typical Klaus like tantrum.  How dare Stefan bring Rayna Cruz to a town filled with vamps for her to kill, some of which are his family and people he cares about?  He orders Stefan from the magically protected bar, threatening to kill him if he doesn’t leave.

While Stefan is busy hiding in Klaus’ favorite bar that’s warded with magic to keep locator spells from working, Damon and Bonnie are being introduced to Enzo’s new employers, The Armory.  The best line of the episode (as usual) goes to Damon.  Enzo says, “They’ve taken great pains to keep themselves out of history”, to which Damon quips, “And for 3 easy payments of just $19.99, we too can be a member.”

Enzo turns on Damon and Bonnie… and boom boom bang… he loses his hand, Bonnie saves Damon from being Tyler’s doggie bone (oh, did I forget to mention that Tyler was in this episode too?), but not before Tyler manages to drive some points home with Damon.  Tyler tells Damon that everything is all his fault.  That Stefan is being chased by The Huntress because he saved Damon, and that if Bonnie manages to get the door unlocked and saves him, it will be too late and Tyler will have turned into his werewolf alter ego and will hurt her too.  Oh, and that will be Damon’s fault too.  In the end, Damon sees Tyler is right, and we get to see a tiny peek of how he ends up in that coffin “three years from now”.

After Stefan leaves the bar and his phone behind, Caroline calls.  After seeing her name in the window, Klaus can’t resist answering.  They share a sweet moment while Klaus gives her baby advice and then promises that he’ll keep Stefan safe.  So, of course, he then saves the younger Salvatore in the nick of time.

This was a fast paced episode with a lot of information crammed into one hour (including commercials).  With this episode we start to see how all those things they’ve been showing us in those glimpses of “three years from now” came to be.  We’re no longer wondering why Stefan left Caroline or how she ended up engaged to Alaric.  We know how Damon ended up desiccating in a coffin in New York City.  Although, I’m still a little sketchy on how Bonnie ended up in a romantic relationship with Enzo, I mean she did just cut off his hand.  Awkward.

But, I’ve got to hand it to the writers (yes, that’s an intentional pun).  They’ve neatly handed (oh, what do you know, there’s another one that I didn’t even notice at first) us three years of our favorite inhabitants of Mystic Falls’ lives all in one season…. without any of the boring after taste.

And, there’s another new episode next week to look forward to!

Supernatural Series 11 – EP 15 Goes Beyond the Mat

Supernatural 11.15 Beyond the Mat

Written by: John Bring and Andrew Dabb

Directed by:  Jerry Wanek

If you’re new to the show – Why aren’t you watching already?  No, seriously, if you’re new to the show, there’s a few things you should know.  First, it’s about two brothers named Sam and Dean Winchester who are hunters… not the normal kind of hunters.  Hunters that hunt all the things that go bump in the night.  And second, that Family Don’t End With Blood…. that’s actually the overall theme of the show.

Now… why aren’t you watching the show?  Not a good enough answer.

Warning:  There be spoilers ahead!

This episode was what the fandom refers to as a Monster of the Week (MotW) episode.  The guys took a break from fighting the Big Bad for this season (The Darkness – Amara, played by the talented Emily Swallow) to handle a petty demon.  Because as Sam says “The world’s still gonna be screwed tomorrow, right?”.

Dean sees an obituary for a childhood hero, and the boys decide to make “the day’s drive” to pay their respects.  But, of course, paying their respects turns into a case.  At the funeral, Dean and Sam meet some of their childhood heroes.  In the funeral scene be sure to look for the cameo appearance by Clif Kosterman, J2’s bodyguard.  Turns out, one of those heroes, Gunnar Lawless (played by guest star Aleks Paunovic) isn’t all that heroic.  Special guest star, Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin plays newcomer upstart  wrestler Shawn Harley.

Throughout the episode we get glimpses of Crowley’s ‘Summer Vacation in Hell’ with Lucifer/Castiel.  My, how the mighty have fallen.  We see the former King of Hell on his knees scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush, no less.  As the Crowley Capers play out, we see glimpses of the old King of Hell as he tries to make his play and take out Lucifer.

Some of the best scenes of the show involve Dean fanboy’ing over ‘Top Notch Wrestling’, complete with his playing in the ring….played so well by Jensen Ackles.  But, let’s not forget Jared’s Sam who manages to get all gushy over his first crush, former ring girl Rio, played by Jackie Debatin.  I giggled over Dean calling Sam out for having a poster of Rio over his bed when he was a kid.  Gunnar Lawless gives Dean the advice that you “gotta keep on grinding no matter what you do”, which leads to Dean’s speech at the end of the episode … The Keep On Grinding speech that fans have heard in previous promos for the show.  Misha Collins gets to channel his best Tommy Lee Jones as Lucifer/Castiel quotes The Fugitive with the Hen house, Outhouse, and Dog house speech.

But, the best line of the episode goes to Jensen Ackles as Dean says, “Did he get in a tickle fight with Edward Scissorhands?”

The worst part of the episode is that it’s the last new one until March 23.

An Interview With Actress Robin Shelby (Slimer)

It’s time for another interview, this time it’s with Hollywood Royalty YES Holloywood Royalty! The one and only actress Robin Shelby. Robin is best known to us as Slimer, yes Slimer, from the Ghostbusters franchise. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am a HUGE Ghostbusters fan. So this is a massive coup for the site, and I am so happy to say that I can count on Robin as another celeb member of the #SkatFamily !

Although I am a huge Ghostbusters fan, I wanted to give Robin the chance to talk about herself, her past, present and future. Let’s find out more about the incredibly nice actress that is Robin Shelby 🙂

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1) How did you get into acting?

I started doing children’s theatre in Northern California when I was about 11.  My first role was…wait for it…a Munchkin in ‘The Wizard Of Oz’.  I was hooked from that moment on.  By the time I was 16, I was getting my first pay check doing what I loved to do.

2) You achieved a cult status in the film Ghostbusters 2, playing Slimer, how did this come about and do you have any interesting stories from your time on set?

At the time I was working on Ghostbusters 2, I knew I was stepping into some pretty big shoes with this character that was loved by many.  I tried to put that out of my mind and focus on the job at hand and what they needed from me to get what they had envisioned for the character.  The people at ILM are really the best of the best, and being in that atmosphere and learning from these ultra-talented people was such an incredible experience.  A fun fact, I really was not able to eat while in costume.  (Yup, Slimer was unable to consume food while working!)  ☺  It was safer to avoid food because of the time it took to get in/take off the costume.  If I had been working and swallowed something that went down the wrong way, it would have taken some time to get out of the suit…so no food for the spud.  ☺

3) What’s your thought on the new Ghostbusters film?

I’m hoping the fans will love it, and it will turn out to be a fantastic addition to the Ghostbusters franchise.  I have a positive open mind because they have some very talented people in the film and behind the camera.  I’m hoping to laugh and be swept away with everyone else this summer. ☺

4) You were also in 80’s film ‘Willow’, how did you find this experience and with the spate of 80’s films being remade do you think a remake of Willow could work?

I was able to be thought of to audition for Ghostbusters 2 because of working on ‘Willow’.  It was truly my first opportunity on a larger scale to work in the industry, and was an incredible experience.  The first day of work, I woke up with the stomach flu and running a fever.  My Dad packed me into a car that day and drove me to ILM.  Had I called in sick, it’s very possible I never would have been thought of for ‘Slimer’.  I’m a lucky girl.  

I think ‘Willow’ is such a special, sweet film the way it is.  I’m sure in the right hands an updated film would work, however, I know what the film means to me and it will always have a special place in my heart.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you and why? And what would it be called?

I am a huge fan of both Cheri Oteri and Patricia Heaton, and people have told me that I have reminded them of both of these actresses.  I would be over the moon if either one of them were to portray me.  It would probably be titled “It’s not easy being green”.  ☺

6) Could you tell us about ‘Far From the Tree’ ?

‘Far From the Tree’ is a web series that I created, and my husband, Sean Spence, wrote and directed.  It’s loosely based on people I know and love, just taken to a much more intense scale. ☺  I am very proud of the episodes that we shot, and the cast and crew we had were all amazing.  

7) What can we expect to see from you in the 2016?

We’re developing a new Web Series, I have two projects (‘Demonic Attachment’ and ‘The Gloaming’) that will be coming out soon, and you never know, there could be some unexpected new projects.  Stay tuned to http://www.robinshelby.net as I always put any news on my site so people know what I’m doing. ☺

8) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

When I was about 8, my older brother said he didn’t think I could fit inside a suitcase, and dared me to try.  Not being one to turn down a dare like that, I curled into a ball inside the suitcase to show him I could fit.  He then shut the suitcase with me in it, and carried me around.  He realized he then needed my Dad to let me out.  

9) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming actress?

If you can be happy doing anything else, do it.  If you can’t and it’s your passion, don’t let anyone tell you not to go for your dream.  It really is possible to get work, just be prepared so you’re ready when the opportunities come.  Take workshops, classes, network with other people in the industry.  If you don’t have a lot of credits, consider doing student films to get some experience, meet some new and upcoming directors and get some film on yourself.

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There you go readers, Robin Shelby

Follow her on Twitter she’s http://www.twitter.com/actressrshelby and tell her ‘Skatronixxx sent you!’

‘Pacific Rim 2’ Finds A New Director

Pacific Rim 2 may be back on track but at the expense of Guillermo del Toro, who has handed over Directorial duties to Netflix’s Daredevil Showrunner Steven DeKnight.

According to Deadline, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer writer and Spartacus creator will make his Feature Film Directorial debut with the 3D sequel while Del Toro will remain Producer on the epic Kaiju vs Mechs franchise. Prometheus (2012) scribe Jon Spaihts will pen the movie based on characters created by Travis Beachman and Del Toro with Legendary’s Warcraft executive producer Jillian Share also on board.

Little details are known about monster and machine beat ’em up sequel besides the tentative title Pacific Rim Maelstrom and the announcement that leading man Charlie Human is expected to make a return as hero Raleigh Becket. But curiously enough, Del Toro favourite Ron Pearlman has also been rumoured to step back into the Golden Tipped Boots of Hannibal Chau as well, even though the blackmarket Kaiju dealer met his gristly end in the first instalment.

The news marks the first piece of positive information regarding Warner Bros. and Legendary’s planned franchise after the films dogged history in getting a sequel off the ground. Only last November did Del Toro disclosed that shooting had been postponed with reports also indicating that the film had been cancelled indefinitely.

Pacific Rim was a surprised hit for Legendary, grossing $411 million worldwide with 75% of that figure due to overseas market, proving a big hit with China where it made $111 million.

For all your Beast-And-Bots-Battle-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Martin Freeman’s Role Announced for ‘Captain America: Civil War’

Martin Freeman’s role in Captain America: Civil War has finally been announced to eager fans everywhere!

Ever since the announcement of Martin Freeman joining the cast for Marvel’s next highly anticipated blockbuster, the internet has been in mass speculation about who he could be – wonder no longer internet, we finally have a reveal!

Freeman will be taking on the role of Everett Ross.

Everrett K. Ross worked for theU.S. State Department; his job was to escort foreign diplomats on American soil. One of his duties was to escort T’Challa during his visit to New York City – so this can more than likely fit him beautifully into Black Panther and lead him to a broader contract in the future.

It’s also been revealed that in Civil War, he will feature as a member of  Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Germany – the Russo’s say that this return to Germany for Cap will bring him full circle and be one of his most challenging moments yet – rough.

It’s set to be that Captain America: Civil War is going to be the heart-breaker of the year from Marvel comics – and it hits cinemas in April. Catch the trailer below:

 

Deadpool & His Red Suited Booty

(Alternative title: Why Deadpool and His Red Suited Booty Deserve Everything)

It’s safe to say that Deadpool is one of the highest anticipated movies of 2016, and with damn good cause.

The Deadpool movie has been in the works for over 11 years now – work on the movie began in 2004. 2004. That is an insane amount of time for a movie to remain in development hell, especially a movie that was so wanted and begged for by the fandom.

There were multiple issues with Deadpool and the studios that were interested – could we make it an R-Rating? How do we not repeat the same mistakes? How do we introduce all these elements from the Deadpool comics, namely his fourth-wall breaking? Over and over again, Deadpool seemed to hit a brick wall. IMDB would tease dates, at one point reading 2014 before resorting back to those Godawful “????” they put in the place when nothing is decided. It honestly looked like fans were never going to get this damn movie, and they seemed to accept it bitterly.

Until that faithful day in July 2014. When some sweet, beautiful, adonis of a human being leaked the Deadpool test footage online. You know the one I mean.

That’s right. And try as they might to get it off the internet (and oh, they did try.) no one seemed to be able to stop it – this awesome two minute long piece of everything fans have been begging for. So Blur Studio did what anyone would do in that situation – they said “fuckit.” and released this footage officially.

And thus, from there, the high demand, the excitement and the now renewed desire of the fans became too much to ignore, and little more than a month later it was announced that Deadpool was officially in production.

And now here we are. It’s February 2016. And Deadpool has broken a tonne of Box Office Records in North America, including 20th Century Fox opening weekend (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith held it before then, let’s just all think about that.), R-Rated Opening Weekend, and R-Rated Opening Weekend (last held by The Matrix: Reloaded). And let me tell you: it goddamn deserves it.

It’s not just the sheer amount of time it took to even get this movie made (11 years. Most pets don’t live that long. I was twelve for Christ’s sake.) but the marketing strategies were pretty damn great.

You already knew from the go that Deadpool was not going to be like other superhero movies – it was going to be a lot cruder. From the moment they revealed the costume in a photoshoot which involved Ryan Reynolds lying on a bearskin rug to the 12 Days of Deadpool, to awesome PSA’s like this;

I can safely say Deadpool had a solid, clear marketing strategy from day one. It was so perfectly executed, and because of that, and because of the sheer perfection of the film itself – it deserves every record it broke upon release.

And hey, if you want to know exactly how awesome the film is, my lovely friend wrote a pretty sick review here.

Fare thee well,

Fran

(All images were taken from the official Deadpool Facebook Page!)

Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie

This is the first part of a two part article about Warhammer 40,000 animation and media, where it’s been in the recent past, and what we can look forward to in the coming years.

You all have to trust me. I’ve locked him away. I’ve attached him to adamantium chains that even a Primarch couldn’t break. Who am I talking about?

That Warhammer fanboy that likes to break out of his imposed exile and muck up the place when anyone even says the words ‘Raven’ or ‘Guard’ in a sentence (let’s be honest, a paragraph) together. I promise that I locked the door and threw away the key. But he has his ways.

You’re all probably wondering why I chose to discuss a movie made in 2010. It’s simple, really: We have to understand the past in order to move forward into the present. If this is the first time you’ve ever heard of Warhammer 40,000 (sometimes affectionately called ’40K’ by its fan base), then you have quite a lot of catching up to do. Go look it up on Google. There’s a whole wiki dedicated to the universe and let me tell you, it’s incredibly substantial. Go ahead! I can wait…

Finished? I doubt it. No worries, however, for I can give you a quick version of the universe. Don’t tell my boss this, but it just might be the best thing the British ever made. 40,000 stands for the 41st millennium, a time when humanity exists within a stagnating futuristic society ruled by the Imperium of Man, the literal juxtaposition of the Medieval Catholic Church and Medieval Europe tens of thousands of years into the future where mankind numbers in the trillions and is constantly beset by aliens, traitors, and the forces of the Chaos gods. In the 31stmillennium, this spectacular individual of legend called ‘The God-Emperor of Mankind’ began his Great Crusade to reunite all of the scattered vestiges of humanity under one rule: his. Using his own supernatural DNA, he created 20 sons called Primarchs in order to assist him in his mission. The gods of Chaos, understandably upset that the Emperor wanted to rain on their parade, tossed his infant Primarchs into the void and each one landed on a world far away from Holy Terra.

Does this stop the Emperor? Of course not! He instead creates superhuman warriors using parts of each Primarch’s DNA and calls them ‘Space Marines’, with each Primarch getting his own legion of warriors that shares his specific DNA. The Emperor eventually reunites with all of his sons, a LOT of bloodshed occurs, fully half of his sons (and their respective legions) betray dad, and while the Emperor and his loyal sons win this event called the ‘Horus Heresy’, the Emperor is critically wounded and forced to remain on the Golden Throne, an advanced type of life support. Humanity understandably panics and in a moment of brilliance, they decide to do the only natural thing that anyone would do: completely throw away the Emperor’s desire to create a society based on science and reason, become a feudal religious state where human life is worth practically nothing, and the Emperor is worshiped as a god (thus the God-Emperor). This creates 10,000 years of stagnation where technology barely advances (and in some cases, regresses) and things slowly escalate.

*I apologize to any Warhammer veterans who may read this article. There’s a great deal of information and background to this universe and I hope that very short version provided enough to enlighten the nonbelievers. Let’s move on to the movie.*

Created in 2010 and directed by Martyn Pick (Evil Never Dies), Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie follows the story of a squad from the Ultramarines chapter of Space marines who respond to a distress signal sent by some of their brothers from the Imperial Fists chapter. Written by Dan Abnett, a prolific writer heavily involved in many of the Warhammer novels, the movie does a reasonable job at staying true to the lore of the universe while providing fans of the tabletop game with several iconic set pieces: Humanity vs. Chaos, weapons nearly as large as a normal human, and the obsessive warrior tradition of the Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines).

If Ultramarines accomplished anything as a film, it was the voice actors who lent their talent in order to breathe life into the characters. Known for his roles as the Prophet of Truth in the popular video game series Halo and Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace, along with many other superb characters, Terence Stamp plays Captain Severus and truly helps bring depth to this movie. Along with Stamp, John Hurt (you Potterheads know him as Mr. Ollivander) voices Chaplain Carnak and Sean Pertwee (Alfred Pennyworth in Gotham) plays as Brother Proteus, the obligatory headstrong warrior who wants to prove himself in the field of battle. The story has predictability to it and without the superb cast of actors, along with the impressive musical score by Adam Harvey, I feel as though Ultramarines would have failed spectacularly.

The story itself doesn’t present anything new or dynamic to this long running, fictional universe. I sometimes wonder if Games Workshop wanted to pander to a wider audience with this film; while certainly not horrible, I am familiar with Dan Abnett’s work and am well aware that his storytelling can significantly eclipse anything Ultramarines set out to accomplish. The animation helped set the mood for the dreary situation in which the Ultramarines find themselves and though certain portions of the animation had stunning detail (did you see Chaplain Carnak’s armor?!), the environmental details of the Shrine World felt bland, and the facial and body animations made the Space Marines look like the plastic models you assemble out of the box. Perhaps Martyn Pick, Games Workshop, and the production team set out to intentionally create the movie in this manner, or maybe they couldn’t afford anything more. The latter reason has plagued many potentially wonderful projects in the past and detractors can levy little blame against the production crew. The former, however, asks for criticism. 2010 saw phenomenal animation in the form of superb hits such as How to Train Your Dragon and Batman: Under the Red Hood; either style could have been modified and adapted to the grim future of Warhammer 40,000.

Despite all of this, I adore this movie. I really shouldn’t. It’s about the Ultramarines, Games Workshop’s poster boys for the franchise (who are apparently, according to the movie,are the “best” of the Space Marines). It’s incredibly predictable, the combat looks like a Nintendo 64-era fighting game, and it accomplishes absolutely nothing in terms of the greater storyline of Warhammer. Yet I want to watch it again. By the Emperor, the fanboy is loose! It’s a Warhammer  40,000 MOVIE! How many of these do we get?

Not many. Ultramarines, however, had potential. This potential can be realized. With a dedicated animation team willing to create beautiful content, actors who burn with a passion for their craft, and a talented production crew, fans could very well get the Warhammer 40,000 movie they deserve. It’s not that it might happen…

It can happen.

What does the future hold?

Hopefully a lot of grimness and darkness.

And Erasmus Brosdau can help.

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

Stay tuned next week when we talk about The Lord Inquisitor and the potential for the Warhammer 40,000 universe in the digital medium.

‘Deadpool Vs. Gambit’ Comic Book Series Announced

As Wade Wilson continues to dominate the Silver screen, X-Men mainstay Remy LeBeau looks to rain on his comic-book parade as Marvel announces Deadpool Vs. Gambit comic book mini-series coming this Summer.

The news was revealed at the recent ComicsPRO comic book submit explaining that the five-issue series will explore Deadpool and Gambits “secret, shared history”, with ComicBook.com elaborating that the two conmen worked together “just long enough to stab each other in the back.“

Celebrated She-Hulk artist Kevin Wada will bring his talent to the covers with Danilo Beyruth providing the artwork across the pages. Thunderbolt writers Ben Acker and Ben Blacker will script the story as the Merc-with-the-Mouth takes on the Cajun-sensation when the first issue debuts this June.

Marvel looks to capitalise on 20th Century Fox’s record breaking success with Deadpool’s solo movie and are surely hoping that Channing Tatum’s Gambit film will do the same when it is released in 2017. With Deadpool 2 having already been green-light however, expect more R-Rated 4th-wall breaking shenanigans to come.

For all your Comic-Book-Showdown-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx