Wednesday, November 1st, 2006
It is part of the large, and deeply dysfunctional, family of Texas films, but is set apart from the bulk of these by its similarities to the 2003 remake.
In the rebooted Wildcats, the major characters pop up in the old manners yet have new wrinkles to them
The pacing of the story is excellent, with a great deal of plot, character development and background packed into a standard sized comic-book; and all this without resort to the kind of expository dialogue that mars so many books.
The first issue follows along the well-worn path of the movie series. A new family moves into a house on Elm Street; this time a single Father with two teenagers.
With the creative team of Grant Morrison and Gene Ha, the expectation was of a real return to form
Although one can assume that the plan was to write a story and fill it with jokes that would delight the kids and amuse the adults it fails so dismally, particularly with the latter, that it is unclear what the film is trying to be.
Amplifier, on the other hand, seem content to retread their single trick. They’ve arguably honed their craft a little since their eponymous debut album from 2005..
It is in these small details that Bendis shows how well he can write and that he has done his research; it rewards those with knowledge of the history, yet is insignificant enough that it shouldn’t trouble anyone who is coming to this fresh.
The acting is universally excellent and, for the most part quite understated. Given the number of big names involved it is pleasantly surprising that they draw you in to their stories rather showboating.