opinionateddinosaur

[opinionateddinosaur]

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) - Honest Review

As I type up this review I am currently listening to the soundtrack of  Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga which goes to show how this review is going to go. I liked it. Hear me out though, this film is enjoyable, fun and a nice distraction from the current state of the world. It’s very easy to watch and considering the film is over 2 hours long doesn’t feel like it. However it’s not perfect and I think I know why. 

To quote an episode of South Park “ Simpsons Already Did It” there are a lot of factors in this film where you get a sense of deja-vu that this has already been done. There is a scene in  Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga where they have a song a long (a scene that is campy, fun and if you’re a fan of the ridiculous you will love). This scene is a mashup of songs, in the vein of the riff off scenes in the Pitch Perfect films. Pitch Perfect already did it.  Greatest Showman, one of the most uniquely popular musicals of the last couple of years has powerful ballads.  Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga has a powerful ballad that almost sounds exactly like “Never Enough” in the Greatest Showman. Greatest Showman already did it. Though the Greatest Showman’s story is weak, Eurovision trumps that with having an actual good story considering how basic it is. 

The film is about aspiring musicians Lars (a primal screaming Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (played fantastically by Rachel Mcadams) given the opportunity to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for. That’s it, that is the plot and I can bet very similar to the actual stories of Eurovision contestants. The top notch cast are absolutely fine, Dan Stevens as the Russian candidate stealing almost every scene he is. One criticism is they did waste Demi Lovato, giving you the impression she was only free for a few hours but still you manage to hear bely out a tune.

Even with the brief synopsis there is nothing groundbreaking in this film, the humor is there but do not expect a Blades of Glory Eurovision film, there is heart in this film and you can see that Will Ferrell has penned a love letter to Eurovision rather than a spoof. The film is funny though but writing what happens would actually ruin seeing them on the screen, but you won’t look at elves the same way again.

To summarize, the film is a love letter to Eurovision not a spoof. It has a lot of heart and warmth with some comedy thrown in and a decent soundtrack to bop to. Can be uplifting at times but then will also make you go I have seen this before. Just leave your mind at the door, don’t take it too seriously and enjoy. It is a breathe of fresh air in this current climate and I say a must watch on a rainy day. 

6/10  

[opinionateddinosaur]

Checks out

[opinionateddinosaur]

She’s actually the true mvp in Deadpool 2

Luck isn’t a superpower. And it isn’t cinematic! Yes, it is.

[opinionateddinosaur]

Welp, I lied, more derpy art was had. 😯

[opinionateddinosaur]

“These creatures were here before us, and if we’re not careful, they’re gonna be after us.” - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

[opinionateddinosaur]

Happy 25th Anniversary Jurassic Park!

Released June 11, 1993

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Would you be proud of your past?

Credit to @caninebrush

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3rd anniversary

https://twitter.com/o10fu/status/982265627569090560

[opinionateddinosaur]

“Why are you trying to be like Bloodborne!” Or Dark Souls.

I think recently we have all been there. You have just got a new game, its beautiful, plays well and is a triumph of game engineering. Then you realise they’re trying too hard to be something they’re not, you find yourself saying “why are you trying to be like Bloodborne?!” Or Dark Souls both equally great games and that's because they are TOO difficult.

I had this frustrating feeling with God Of War..

The game itself is amazing, a game that will go down in video game history as a spectacle, but towards the end it got tiresome. So I had completed the game and went forth with BOY to do tasks and complete side quests. One quest in particular made me grab my controller like a stress ball and that was the Valkyrie Queen Sigrun. She was TOO hard, it didn’t work with the mechanics of God Of War. After I had killed her (after many.....many repeats) I didn’t have that satisfaction I have with a From Software game. So why put it in there? I don't know is it just me?

This got me thinking about another game I really wanted to enjoy but just found it too tiresome and harder than it should have been. 

The Evil Within, I played it for 2 hours and was disappointed by how they have made what could of been great but instead it was just meh, its like they are trying to torture you without the satisfaction of From Software. I am still yet to play Evil Within 2 is it any easier (or normal in this context).

I don't know, I just think that games should not be as challenging unless you know what you’re in for when you start, is it just me? Have you played a game where you thought I am going to really enjoy this and then said “why are you trying to be like Bloodborne/Dark Souls”?