The Suggestion Box #120: Rebels, and Huntr/x, and Doom Slayers, Oh My!

Posted on by Lauren

Wondering what to do with your upcoming free time? Good thing we have some suggestions for what you should be watching, playing, reading, listening to, etc.

Lauren’s Movie Pick: Kpop Demon Hunters – I once again find myself thanking fanartists on Twitter for pushing me to check something out after the trailer didn’t do the job. It’s not that the premise wasn’t interesting: I’m always down for strong women kicking nefarious supernatural ass. I just get overwhelmed sometimes by absurd, overly-animated expressions, which the trailer makes sure to highlight — you’d think I’d be used to it by now after over a decade of anime consumption (maybe it’s a 2D vs 3D animation thing?), but no. Anyway… once I settled in and the first song kicked off I was hooked. Seriously, the music for this film is nothing but bangers (“Golden” is the song of the summer, no contest), as the girls of Huntr/x must use their voices to fight back evil’s strongest soldiers: a K-pop boy band. Conceptually silly for sure, but the whole thing plays out like a mixture of music videos, badass fight sequences, hijinx between rivals, and heartfelt scenes about the corrosive nature of being unaccepting of your true self. There’s so much heart in these characters, and though it definitely feels like there are some missing scenes (the conflict resolution is a bit rushed) and storylines that need to be explored (give us a sequel, Netflix!), I couldn’t help but be absolutely charmed by this world and the art that brings it to life.

Ben’s TV Pick: Andor (Season Two) – The second and final season of Andor cements the series as not just one of the best pieces of Star Wars media from the Disney era (only behind Rogue One, which Andor leads directly into), but since the very first movie. There isn’t a single scene or story beat that feels unnecessary, and every character feels fully realized within a world of oppressors, the oppressed, and those who would sacrifice everything to destroy the Empire. If someone told me that their favorite character in the entirety of Star Wars was Bix, Syril, Dedra, or Kleya I wouldn’t bat an eye. That said, the standouts for me are Diego Luna’s eponymous rebel, Genevieve O’Riley’s Mon Mothma, and Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Real. It’s an incredible cast of characters that lead an expertly crafted preceding tale to the original trilogy. And unlike most contemporary Star Wars content, Andor is confident enough on its own narrative without bringing in unnecessary characters, story beats, or Easter eggs to remind you that it’s a part of a galaxy far, far away.

Ben’s Video Game Pick: DOOM: The Dark Ages – It is insane how much id Software has reinvented the rebooted DOOM franchise while keeping true to its core gameplay mechanics in the last 9 years. DOOM 2016 was all about retro-inspired running and gunning; weapon swaps, air dashes and acrobatics were the name of the game in DOOM Eternal; DOOM: The Dark Ages (outside of some mecha piloting and dragon riding!) wants you to stand and fight while parrying projectiles and throwing your chainsaw shield like an ultra violent Captain America; that is until you’re close enough to bludgeon them with one of your bone-shattering melee weapons or turn them into a Jackson Pollock of gore with your trusty super shotgun. Somehow surpassing its excellent predecessors, DOOM: The Dark Ages isn’t just an awesome power fantasy, it’s the power fantasy in my mind. What else could compare with putting you in the nigh-immovable shoes of someone so fearsome that even the armies of Hell, Heaven, and everything in between tremble before your terrifying might as you “rip and tear until it is done?”

So what do you think about these picks? What content did we miss over the past two weeks while we were spending time with these? Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know about everything (both current and simply new to you) you’ve been consuming lately!

And while you’re here, be sure to check some of the site’s other recent content:

Have Something to Say?