DocMonster's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Megaman X OLB ep.2]

Getting Better!

I enjoyed the first installment and I'm happy to say the series is only getting better!

Your sprites still look great and you've really worked on the animation, but I have to say what wins me over with this episode is the story. It's well written and intriguing. I like how the commander is pompous and over-confident. I don't know anything about the Mega Man universe so I don't know how well you're sticking to the characters as they were originally created, but I like what you're doing so far!

Keep up the great work! Cheers!

Kaosboy85 responds:

Hey thanks! I'm glad you liked it and most of all I'm glad you liked, and are gettign into the story, that was my main goal for ep2. I'm also glad you got the irony with the commander (don't worry you'll see him again in ep3). As far as the story line, I'm trying the best I can to stick to the story line so far the only thing that i've majorly changed was the fact that if X and zero were to die Alie prob would not be the third in command, but you have to use the sprite sheets that are available. Thanks again for the review!

[Megaman X OLB ep.1]

Not Bad

Overall, this piece isn't too shabby! Your sprites are nice and clean; your story is simple and direct; your sound is spot on though it could stand for a bit of compression. I especially liked when the lights went out and the battle was just flashes of action from the darkness.

Next time, be aware of your sound file size, have someone correct your spelling and grammar and be careful of sprite shift. In some of the action sequences, Mega Man shifted needlessly. Use onion skinning next time to make sure he's anchored to one spot during certain animations.

Again, I think this is a good solid effort and I look forward to more work from you!

Kaosboy85 responds:

Hey thanks alot, yea this one was basically my first so it was all touch and go. The sound is def screwing me over though. And yea, I learned about onion skins like literally 3 days ago... so that will be one of the many improvements in the second ep. Thanks again for the review!

[Lock Hawk Down Part One]

Good Work

Overall, the animation was slick and the visual storytelling was excellent! The helicopter sequences were stunning and switching to a character's POV from time to time was top notch!

What you really need to work on is the sound. The sound effects and music sound great, but they should never drown out the characters' lines even if there are subtitles. Only when there was no background noise could I hear the characters speaking and, even then, the volume was a little too low. When there's speech and ambient noise, tone down the noise. Also, the end titles took far too long to appear.

Again, overall, this is a great piece! Be aware of your sound next time and part two should be golden! Good luck!

Rho-VIII responds:

Yeah, I know about that, it's just damn hard to fine-tune ALL the sounds to a specific level while still having them hearable. Thanks for the review.

BTW; try it now. it wasn't intended, it was a glitch in flash.

[Cool Things 234]

Shweet!

It's rare to find a solid abstract piece on NG, but this is it! Oddly enough, it makes sense in its randomness. Excellent visuals and great synched sound! Another job well done!

AubergineLock responds:

Why, Thankyou =D

[The Locks are Bored 2]

Well Done!

Hilarious! With slick animation, a great script and spot on sound, this is an awesome presentation! Excellent work!

AubergineLock responds:

Thanks very much sir =D

[lll_Narnia's Realm_lll]

Not Bad

Your backgrounds are great and the overall art style works for the piece. This shows a great deal of effort and it's something you can be proud of.

In your sequel, and there should definitely be one, be sure to address the following:

1) Change the name of Narnia - Unless this is based on C.S. Lewis' seven volume set of "The Chronicles of Narnia" (I didn't see any credit to him or see any hints it was the same world from his books, but I read them many years ago), I would suggest you change the name. It'd be like calling the location "Tatooine" or "Cimmeria" without any relation to Star Wars or Conan. It could also bring up copyright issues.

2) Sound synching - I watched it twice, once at medium quality as per your suggestion and once at low quality and the synching was still a bit off.

3) Voice acting - While the actor was fine, he lacked the ability to draw the viewer into the story. Use actors who evoke emotion much better.

Overall, I think you have a pretty nifty project here and I'd like to see you continue. Best of luck on future episodes!

alexsmolik responds:

Woa, huge criticism coming :)
First of all, thanks, and I'm glad you rather liked it: I did spend a lot of time on the backgrounds and art. And yes, I am rather proud of my work and have almost no regrets, except for lip synching. Thank for the infos, I'll change the names as soon as I can. I know about the sound/lip synching problem, I just don't really know how to correct that.. The person that did the voices was just a friend, nothing really professional, I just needed a voice, quick and fast so I could keep animating.
Thanks a lot for the motivation and everything, as long as for the review.
Alex

[Yoshi's island:randomnes]

Wonderfully Random!

That's some funny stuff! I've seen more than my share of random toons on NG and I usually don't give them a good score, but this one made me laugh not to mention the sprites were tight and the animation was smooth. Good job!

Niko responds:

well i can thank vgdc for most of the sprites.i made the bowser surprised one my self.i got the baddies from shyguy.
thanks for taken the time to review it and im glad you liked it.

[Trouble on Yoshi Island]

Good Stuff!

The sprites were nice and clean and the humour was there. You have an excellent sense of pace and you tell a good, concise story. If I had to make a suggestion for next time, it would be to replace the music with sound effects if file size is a serious issue.

I'm very impressed with how you've greatly improved your Flash skills and I look forward to seeing more from you! Good luck and cheers!

Cactusjuice responds:

Thanks Doc!the size wasn't a problem,it was getting teh osundst hat was hard,anyway good luc kwith your work as well.

[Stikfas O]

Tips On Stop Motion

It's obvious you have the bare bone basics down, but your technique is too choppy. You're cutting straight to the key frames without using any inbetweens. Next time, try and film at least one motion between your key frames and it'll be a bit smoother. Good luck on your next project!

Static responds:

Ok!

[revolution trailer]

Tips

Your approach to creating a trailer is commendable. The music worked well with it and you had your fingertips on a pretty good visual idea, but its execution causes it to fall flat. It's a bit too wordy. Flash is more effective as a visual medium and trailers are supposed to cut to the chase enough to make the audience want to come back for the feature. This project plays as a synopsis rather than an enticing bit of storytelling. If you ever create another trailer, always keep in mind three things:

1) Make the audience eagerly wonder, "What happens next?"
2) Use a minimal amount of title cards reserving it only for the project's title and words or phrases that evoke anticipation.
3) Use thought provoking or senses shattering visuals.

You may want to rethink the name of your character. Though you may have never heard of it, Erik Larsen of Image comics created a cyborg soldier named Super Patriot who had his own comic books and was even made into an action figure by McFarlane Toys. A simple name change may keep people who are familiar with the character from thinking you're infringing on copyright and / or being unoriginal.

Overall, I think you have a pretty good sense of drama that is much better suited for a feature than a trailer. You also know how to pick music that fits a mood. I wish you luck on the series.

Damarus responds:

Thanks for the tips. I've never heard of the series you mentioned, but now that I have, I think I'll think of another name.