Nerd Legion

Dive into the thrilling world of Arcane Season 2 in our latest review! Join MonteCristo and DoA as they break down the first batch of episodes, scrutinizing the stunning animation and exploring the hefty budget that brought this masterpiece to life. With their extensive history with League of Legends, these veteran hosts uncover the driving forces behind the show's success while tackling the biggest unsolved mystery lurking in Runeterra! Don't miss a minute of their expert insights!

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Get ready for an in-depth exploration as MonteCristo and DoA break down Netflix's "Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance" in this episode of Nerd Legion! Join the duo as they dive into the expansive Gundam universe, dissecting the unexpected portrayal of iconic mechas and the show's narrative twists. While the review touches on some captivating elements, the duo won’t shy away from critiquing the not-so-great animation that left fans wanting more. Perfect for both seasoned Gundam lovers and newbies, this review is packed with insights. Don't miss out; tune in now and add your thoughts in the comments!

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A dense, enigmatic, and bombastic epic, John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur brings the Arthurian romances to life in all their symbolic glory. Featuring a stellar cast, including Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Ciarán Hinds, and Gabriel Byrne, the film is an opportunity to see many lauded British and Irish actors early in their careers. Excalibur leans into the episodic and mysterious nature of the Arthurian stories, leaving it to the viewer to interpret and understand the events unfolding on screen. The film also provides a visual feast with amazing costuming, epic set-pieces, and stunning cinematography, all of which add to its larger than life feel. While challenging and, at times, confusing, Excalibur holds up well in the modern day and its ambition is second-to-none.

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Clash of the Titans continues Nerd Legion's 1980s fantasy marathon, taking us into Greek mythology (kind of) with Perseus' battles against Medusa and the Kraken. While straying very far from its source material, the film gave us Ray Harryhausen's last crack at stop-motion and effects wizardry as a capstone to a multi-decade career in Hollywood. Maggie Smith and Lawrence Olivier also add some dramatic weight as Greek gods to counter-balance the action sequences of Harry Hamlin's Perseus. A little bit silly, but still compelling, Clash of the Titans remains a fantasy classic and a must-watch for fans of the genre.

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Beloved by many who saw it in their childhoods, the Rankin/Bass musical interpretation of the Return of the King from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings epic is Nerd Legion's next film in the 1980s fantasy film marathon. Featuring music from folk legend Glenn Yarbrough and narration from the incomparable John Huston, this film represents a serious if flawed attempt to realize this iconic book. From disco orcs to a Skeletor-sounding Witch King, this interpretation of Return of the King is as silly as it is memorable.

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We kick off our review of every 1980s sword and sorcery movie, with Hawk the Slayer, a cult-classic British fantasy film directed by Terry Marcel from 1980. With charmingly terrible dialogue and special effects, this movie provides an unabashed good time with cheesy and tropey moments. Clearly inspired and derivative of Star Wars and pulp fantasy of the era, Hawk the Slayer still provides some unique moments and solid pacing. While no masterpiece, viewers should still find this film to be an incredibly fun viewing experience filled with lords of the dance, fully automatic crossbows, and glowing bouncy ball magic.

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Warcraft is a 2016 action fantasy film based on the video game series of the same name. Director Duncan Jones attempts to adapt the story from the very first Warcraft game, and ends up creating a tonally confusing film that can't decide who its target audience is. We praise most of the effects and some of the film's comedic moments, but pan the fight choreography, poor writing, and several other key aspects.

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Alien: Romulus is the latest installment of the Alien franchise, stretching back to Ridley Scott's original sci-fi horror flick from 1979. Taking place between Alien and James Cameron's sequel, Aliens, this film takes the franchise into the teen slasher genre by featuring a young cast and a compelling set-up to their encounter with the xenomorphs. However, once the action starts, Alien: Romulus quickly devolves into the equivalent of a theme park ride of the franchise's first two films, with some bits and pieces of Prometheus thrown in for good measure. Director Fede Álvarez nails the visuals and creates a beautiful, haunting movie, but also presents a story that we've all seen before.

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Deadpool & Wolverine is a blockbuster smash success, now surpassing the billion dollar mark at the box office, but is Ryan Reynolds' latest outing good or just another tedious entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Hugh Jackman is resurrected to perform his iconic role as Wolverine in a quippy buddy comedy that may be thin on plot but makes up for it on entertaining action sequences, referential humor, and pure millennial nostalgia bait. Deadpool & Wolverine is a film obsessed with necromancy, but it's fun to see our past brought back from the dead in a gleeful fashion.

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The finale of House of the Dragon's second season left many fans disappointed, but was it as anti-climactic as some are saying or is it a slow burn setting up for an epic conclusion? DoA and MonteCristo break down their favorite moments as they review the entirety of Season 2 as well as the scenes and story arcs that failed to deliver. Even without a conclusive battle sequence to close out the final episode, HotD sets up immense stakes in the war between the Greens and the Blacks that we're hopeful will continue to play out well in the third season.

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