If asked, I wouldn't be able to think of a movie that matches, let alone surpasses, Fantastic Mr. Fox for pure cheek. The jerky movements of the clay figures, the old-fashioned music, the quiet and simple dialogue, and especially the incorporation of the animals' wild natures into an otherwise civil and humanly life give Wes Anderson's latest film a smart alecky and dry humored tone.
If anyone who's read the book by Roald Dahl is worried the movie adaptation will ruin yet another childhood favorite, have no fear. The movie isn't so much based on the book, it just takes certain elements. Of course, the three horrible farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean ("one fat, one short, one lean/These horrible crooks/So different in looks/Were nonetheless equally mean!") are still trying to dig Mr. Fox out of his home after he steals too much poultry and cider. There are plenty of new twists to enjoy, however; Mr. and Mrs. Fox's son, Ash, is a very angsty (some would say emo) pre-teen whose subplot involves his jealousy over cousin Kristofferson's natural athletic abilities. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean resort to a few extra methods of getting their hands on Mr. Fox. These, however, are only two of the fantastic new elements in the story. It's as if Dahl wrote an entire sequel for Anderson to use in making this movie. I've been a fan who became angry when a director changed the plot of a favorite book. Yet Fantastic Mr. Fox was one of my favorite Dahl stories, and I welcomed Anderson's changes. They truly added to the movie.
The biggest change is that Anderson seemed less concerned with the question of how the foxes would escape. Whereas the book is all about the foxes digging, digging, digging, Anderson chose to explore the social intricacies between the characters. There's Ash, who is "...different", insecure about his father's love; hence his rivalry with Kristofferson. Anderson makes this funny, showing Mr. Fox shoo his son from a thievery mission and greet Kristofferson with "Oh good, you showed up," when he arrives. Bandit masks are the mark of inclusion here.
Anderson also expands upon Mr. and Mrs. Fox's marriage. In the book, Mrs. Fox was an ever-adoring, shy wife. In the film, she is harsh about her husband's mistakes and snarky as well. Some altered dialogue highlights this. Compare the book version:
Mrs. Fox: They'll kill the children!
Mr. Fox: Never!
...with the movie version:
Mrs. Fox: They'll kill the children!
Mr. Fox: Over my dead body!
Mrs. Fox: That's my point, you'll be dead.
It is such moments that add endless humor to Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Don't be afraid to see Fantastic Mr. Fox if you've read the book. If you haven't, give it a shot. It's a cheeky, fascinating movie that anyone would enjoy. It is perhaps too dark for very young children, but surely should not be kept as a rule from the eyes of youngsters. You'll smile the whole way through, and I dare you not to recognize the charm it holds.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Movie Review: The Tale of Despereaux
It isn't difficult to notice patterns within recent animated movies: penguins in Happy Feet and Surf's Up, fish in Finding Nemo, Shark Tale, and Ponyo, robots in WALL-E and Robots, African animals in Madagascar (1 and 2) and The Wild--and now we have rats in Ratatouille, Flushed Away, and, of course, The Tale of Despereaux.
If you want to rate Despereaux low, compare it to its big brothers Ratatouille and Flushed Away. The latter was a fun movie, cheeky and easy to like. The former was a beautifully animated film with a compelling story and plenty of humor and excitement throughout. Despereaux has these qualities as well, but not quite up to the standard of the other two. That isn't to say it's a bad movie.
In the beginning of Despereaux, we see our main rat, Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), arriving in town in anticipation for Soup Day, the town's biggest holiday. The head chef, a genius in his soup skills, is just about finished preparing his latest creation. Roscuro follows his nose to the gigantic kitchen and, unfortunately, one event leads to another until the Queen ends up dead. This makes the King so sad that he bans soup and rats. The lack of soup casts unhappiness over the entire town, and eventually all sunlight disappears and rain ceases to fall.
Enter Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a courageous little mouse who becomes an outcast because of his strange bravery and curiosity. He, too, finds a sad fate. This fate, however, leads to his friendship with Roscuro. Together, they make chivalrous vows. Their quest? To save the town and help the saddened Princess (Emma Watson).
This is just a taste of the entire plot, however. There are several more characters and one or two more subplots to discover.
The biggest criticisms of Despereaux stem from its many fantastical elements, some of which can be confusing and yet go unexplained. One example is the talking rats and mice--yet nobody complains when dolls and action figures speak in Toy Story, or that a bee converses with humans in Bee Movie, or that any number of animals and inanimate objects talk in various other animated films. Many also find a problem with a certain character in Despereaux that I see most commonly called the Veggie Demon. Introduced early on, the Veggie Demon is a friend of sorts of the head chef. When the chef retreats into his office, the vegetables inside magically pull together to form a humanoid shape. They throw ideas back and forth on cooking soup. The most commonly accepted theory is that the Veggie Demon is the chef's muse. The criticism, however, is that this doesn't make any sense at all and just doesn't happen in the real world.
Now, Despereaux is one of those movies that requires you to leave your mind open. Of course rats and mice don't talk, and vegetables don't spring to life. The point of Despereaux is to pull you inside another world, separate from ours. It just so happens that animals talk and magic causes vegetables to argue with you. This movie doesn't try to accurately display our world. But for what it does try to do, it's a fun ride. There is plenty of action, a few points of scandal, and even some dark moments. The dark aspects of the film aren't the type of frightening you find in movie like Coraline; rather, it's just plain creepy and might be too scary for children. Unfortunately, in a movie that doesn't hold as much for adults as Flushed Away and Ratatouille, it's hard to spot the best audience for Despereaux.
Still, the movie looks great. The animation is beautiful and each setting is fascinating--personally, I was most intrigued by Ratworld, a dank place where sunlight never strays and the little lighting that exists comes from matches used as street lamps. Despereaux is arguably the cutest character in each of these three rat movies and is easily lovable. The voice acting is generally good, as well, though the choice of Broderick to voice Despereaux is questionable. He has a good voice for an adult lion, but for a young mouse? I've never been able to warm up to giving animated children mature voices. This choice, however, is all I saw wrong with the voice acting.
All in all, Despereaux would not be able to stand up to his predecessors in a fair fight, but it's a decent movie all the same. If you're looking for a little magic, a little adventure, you may find a favorite in Despereaux. If not, just remember to keep an open mind when you go to see this movie.
If you want to rate Despereaux low, compare it to its big brothers Ratatouille and Flushed Away. The latter was a fun movie, cheeky and easy to like. The former was a beautifully animated film with a compelling story and plenty of humor and excitement throughout. Despereaux has these qualities as well, but not quite up to the standard of the other two. That isn't to say it's a bad movie.
In the beginning of Despereaux, we see our main rat, Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), arriving in town in anticipation for Soup Day, the town's biggest holiday. The head chef, a genius in his soup skills, is just about finished preparing his latest creation. Roscuro follows his nose to the gigantic kitchen and, unfortunately, one event leads to another until the Queen ends up dead. This makes the King so sad that he bans soup and rats. The lack of soup casts unhappiness over the entire town, and eventually all sunlight disappears and rain ceases to fall.
Enter Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a courageous little mouse who becomes an outcast because of his strange bravery and curiosity. He, too, finds a sad fate. This fate, however, leads to his friendship with Roscuro. Together, they make chivalrous vows. Their quest? To save the town and help the saddened Princess (Emma Watson).
This is just a taste of the entire plot, however. There are several more characters and one or two more subplots to discover.
The biggest criticisms of Despereaux stem from its many fantastical elements, some of which can be confusing and yet go unexplained. One example is the talking rats and mice--yet nobody complains when dolls and action figures speak in Toy Story, or that a bee converses with humans in Bee Movie, or that any number of animals and inanimate objects talk in various other animated films. Many also find a problem with a certain character in Despereaux that I see most commonly called the Veggie Demon. Introduced early on, the Veggie Demon is a friend of sorts of the head chef. When the chef retreats into his office, the vegetables inside magically pull together to form a humanoid shape. They throw ideas back and forth on cooking soup. The most commonly accepted theory is that the Veggie Demon is the chef's muse. The criticism, however, is that this doesn't make any sense at all and just doesn't happen in the real world.
Now, Despereaux is one of those movies that requires you to leave your mind open. Of course rats and mice don't talk, and vegetables don't spring to life. The point of Despereaux is to pull you inside another world, separate from ours. It just so happens that animals talk and magic causes vegetables to argue with you. This movie doesn't try to accurately display our world. But for what it does try to do, it's a fun ride. There is plenty of action, a few points of scandal, and even some dark moments. The dark aspects of the film aren't the type of frightening you find in movie like Coraline; rather, it's just plain creepy and might be too scary for children. Unfortunately, in a movie that doesn't hold as much for adults as Flushed Away and Ratatouille, it's hard to spot the best audience for Despereaux.
Still, the movie looks great. The animation is beautiful and each setting is fascinating--personally, I was most intrigued by Ratworld, a dank place where sunlight never strays and the little lighting that exists comes from matches used as street lamps. Despereaux is arguably the cutest character in each of these three rat movies and is easily lovable. The voice acting is generally good, as well, though the choice of Broderick to voice Despereaux is questionable. He has a good voice for an adult lion, but for a young mouse? I've never been able to warm up to giving animated children mature voices. This choice, however, is all I saw wrong with the voice acting.
All in all, Despereaux would not be able to stand up to his predecessors in a fair fight, but it's a decent movie all the same. If you're looking for a little magic, a little adventure, you may find a favorite in Despereaux. If not, just remember to keep an open mind when you go to see this movie.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Movie Review: New Moon
A couple of weeks ago I had the following conversation with someone who had seen a girl reading a Twilight book:
SO: Ugh, Twilight? Those books are terrible.
Me: Have you even read the books?
SO: Well, no, but the movie was bad, so the books must be bad, too.
Me: ...have you seen the movie?
SO: No, but I have seen the previews, and they're bad.
And thus I found myself defending Twilight. Now, I don't count myself as a Twilight fan. I didn't read new books in one sitting, I don't follow Robert and Kristen's every move, and I bat for neither Team Edward nor Team Jacob (though I would be a member of Team Alice, as she's my favorite character). Actually, my mother is a bigger fan than I am, proudly declaring that she found out Robert likes older women.
Anyway... in essence, Twilight is a fun and thrilling story about two perfectly mismatched lovers. Yes, it's unrealistic (even not considering the supernatural aspects). Yes, it's badly written. Yes, it's cheesy. But Stephenie Meyer was not trying to write the next American novel. She was trying to put a dream to paper. Yes, a dream--the series is not meant to reflect real life but to help us escape it.
Nevertheless, this is not a book review; this is a review of the latest movie, New Moon. Going into it, I didn't have any expectations. I didn't think it would be the highlight of my year, nor did I think it would be the world's most horrible movie. If there was one thing I looked forward to, it was Taylor Lautner's performance. Take that as you may.
It was the typical atmosphere for the opening weekend of a teen culture flick. The theater was crowded (and I went to the theater at which you don't usually see a soul except the candy counter boy) and there were plenty of obnoxious girls Whoo!-ing at Robert and Taylor. After the trailer for Remember Me, one girl shouted "I'll remember you, baby!" Naturally, these girls were told to shut up about five times over the course of the movie. They hooted every time a shirtless guy was on screen. They hooted a lot. But the audience's hormone count aside, I enjoyed the movie.
Here's the basic story: at Bella's (Kristen Stewart) 18th birthday party at the Cullens', she accidentally cuts herself on wrapping paper and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) brother, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) becomes too overwhelmed by his thirst for her delicious blood that he attacks. In order to protect Bella, Edward leaves her (being unnecessarily cruel so that she doesn't follow him) and he and his family move out of Forks. This sends Bella spiralling into depression for months until she finds solace in her old friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). This is the moment in the series that has sparked all the Team Edward/Jacob debate: as Jacob falls more and more for Bella, she needs to decide whether to let Edward go and be with Jacob or not. But I won't spoil the ending for those of you who haven't read the books and somehow still don't know how the series ends.
Personally, New Moon was my least favorite of the book series (and I believe many fans agree) because of the frustration it caused me. I thought Edward was being ridiculous and I wanted him to come back before Bella got in too deep with Jacob. In the movie, however, it changed. When you see Taylor's bright smile and willingness to do childish things against Robert's constant brooding and seriousness, it's hard to side with Edward over Jacob. Not to mention Taylor looks great shirtless and Robert looks... weird.
In terms of acting, New Moon is widely the same as Twilight. I had forgotten someone else directed it (Chris Weitz), because everything was in the same style as the first movie. I found Kristen and Taylor to be decent, but was again disappointed by Robert's performance. Two characters I really liked, though, were Charlie (Billy Burke) and, most of all, Aro (Michael Sheen). I loved Charlie's obvious discomfort having to deal with his daughter's girl problems, and I loved Aro's wide-eyed fascination with Bella and the Cullens. Both of these performances made me smile from the humor and the excellent identification with the characters on paper.
One problem I had with the movie was the wearing amount of dark lighting. Save the Voltair square, every scene had profound amounts of blue. This does contribute to Bella's overall mood during the course of the movie, but when you compare New Moon to something like Slumdog Millionaire, which had buckets of color accompanying a heartwrenching story, it's hard to see why New Moon couldn't give us a break from all the blue, even though Forks is supposed to be an overcast town. The soundtrack fit well with the scenes, though. Action scenes had exciting music, sad scenes had mournful melodies, and the music faded off entirely during absolutely jaw-dropping scenes.
In the end, the best part about New Moon is that you won't be bored--it will wrench emotion out of you. You'll be sad with Bella, frustrated with Jacob. If you're just seeing the movie to further spite the series, you'll find plenty to sneer at--but you won't find the movie dull.
SO: Ugh, Twilight? Those books are terrible.
Me: Have you even read the books?
SO: Well, no, but the movie was bad, so the books must be bad, too.
Me: ...have you seen the movie?
SO: No, but I have seen the previews, and they're bad.
And thus I found myself defending Twilight. Now, I don't count myself as a Twilight fan. I didn't read new books in one sitting, I don't follow Robert and Kristen's every move, and I bat for neither Team Edward nor Team Jacob (though I would be a member of Team Alice, as she's my favorite character). Actually, my mother is a bigger fan than I am, proudly declaring that she found out Robert likes older women.
Anyway... in essence, Twilight is a fun and thrilling story about two perfectly mismatched lovers. Yes, it's unrealistic (even not considering the supernatural aspects). Yes, it's badly written. Yes, it's cheesy. But Stephenie Meyer was not trying to write the next American novel. She was trying to put a dream to paper. Yes, a dream--the series is not meant to reflect real life but to help us escape it.
Nevertheless, this is not a book review; this is a review of the latest movie, New Moon. Going into it, I didn't have any expectations. I didn't think it would be the highlight of my year, nor did I think it would be the world's most horrible movie. If there was one thing I looked forward to, it was Taylor Lautner's performance. Take that as you may.
It was the typical atmosphere for the opening weekend of a teen culture flick. The theater was crowded (and I went to the theater at which you don't usually see a soul except the candy counter boy) and there were plenty of obnoxious girls Whoo!-ing at Robert and Taylor. After the trailer for Remember Me, one girl shouted "I'll remember you, baby!" Naturally, these girls were told to shut up about five times over the course of the movie. They hooted every time a shirtless guy was on screen. They hooted a lot. But the audience's hormone count aside, I enjoyed the movie.
Here's the basic story: at Bella's (Kristen Stewart) 18th birthday party at the Cullens', she accidentally cuts herself on wrapping paper and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) brother, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) becomes too overwhelmed by his thirst for her delicious blood that he attacks. In order to protect Bella, Edward leaves her (being unnecessarily cruel so that she doesn't follow him) and he and his family move out of Forks. This sends Bella spiralling into depression for months until she finds solace in her old friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). This is the moment in the series that has sparked all the Team Edward/Jacob debate: as Jacob falls more and more for Bella, she needs to decide whether to let Edward go and be with Jacob or not. But I won't spoil the ending for those of you who haven't read the books and somehow still don't know how the series ends.
Personally, New Moon was my least favorite of the book series (and I believe many fans agree) because of the frustration it caused me. I thought Edward was being ridiculous and I wanted him to come back before Bella got in too deep with Jacob. In the movie, however, it changed. When you see Taylor's bright smile and willingness to do childish things against Robert's constant brooding and seriousness, it's hard to side with Edward over Jacob. Not to mention Taylor looks great shirtless and Robert looks... weird.
In terms of acting, New Moon is widely the same as Twilight. I had forgotten someone else directed it (Chris Weitz), because everything was in the same style as the first movie. I found Kristen and Taylor to be decent, but was again disappointed by Robert's performance. Two characters I really liked, though, were Charlie (Billy Burke) and, most of all, Aro (Michael Sheen). I loved Charlie's obvious discomfort having to deal with his daughter's girl problems, and I loved Aro's wide-eyed fascination with Bella and the Cullens. Both of these performances made me smile from the humor and the excellent identification with the characters on paper.
One problem I had with the movie was the wearing amount of dark lighting. Save the Voltair square, every scene had profound amounts of blue. This does contribute to Bella's overall mood during the course of the movie, but when you compare New Moon to something like Slumdog Millionaire, which had buckets of color accompanying a heartwrenching story, it's hard to see why New Moon couldn't give us a break from all the blue, even though Forks is supposed to be an overcast town. The soundtrack fit well with the scenes, though. Action scenes had exciting music, sad scenes had mournful melodies, and the music faded off entirely during absolutely jaw-dropping scenes.
In the end, the best part about New Moon is that you won't be bored--it will wrench emotion out of you. You'll be sad with Bella, frustrated with Jacob. If you're just seeing the movie to further spite the series, you'll find plenty to sneer at--but you won't find the movie dull.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Game Review: Braid
I have a riddle for you: what popular Italian plumber is famous for his magnificent 'stache, rosy coloring, and jumping skills?
If you didn't say Mario... well, I have nothing to say to you.
If you did say Mario, then meet Braid's hero, Tim.
Now, it's easy to say Braid is a complete rip off of Mario. You have a hero trying to rescue his Princess, getting through 7 worlds to do so. He has to get through multiple stages in each world, jumping on the heads of goomba-like enemies that get in his way. Yes, it's possible to call Braid a Mario copycat, but these derivations are part of the game's charm. It takes these elements in such a way as to add humor to an otherwise somber story. There are also enemies that anyone would relate to piranha plants, not to mention the message you receive after getting through World 2: "The Princess is in another castle." Far from inspiring sneers, this obvious and smarmy copycating made me smile all throughout the levels, no matter how hair-tearingly difficult they were.
There are some crucial differences that give Braid its own flair, too: most noteworthy is Tim's unique power. Rather than being renowned for jumping, Tim can turn back time. This fits in perfectly with the story's theme of learning from our mistakes, because any mistake you make--an inaccurate jump, an accidental collision with a monster--can be rewound and corrected. This means you don't get multiple lives because you just don't die; the game pauses at the point of your death, prompting you to rewind. This isn't the only case in which Tim's power is useful, though. All the puzzles require the manipulation of time. Say, for example, you need the key located at the bottom of a pit. You jump down and grab the key, but can't get out. Simply rewind (some objects, like the key in this example, are immune to time manipulation, so they'll still be within your grasp) and you're out of the pit with key in hand.
With 7 worlds and multiple levels per world, this would get repetitive. Luckily, Number None included a clever twist: time works differently in each world. In the first two worlds, time works normally (aside from your manipulative power, of course). This allows you to get the hand of the game. But then the situation changes in each subsequent world: in one world, time moves forward only when you do, and backwards if you start walking the opposite direction. In another world, you can drop an object that will slow down any moving objects around it--including you. These twists mean that you are forced to reshape your mindset at the beginning of each world. This allows for gameplay that keeps your attention and puzzles that don't become repetitive. It also bumps up the difficulty, because you have to rework your thought process and continually solve puzzles in different ways. In addition, there are items you collect in each level. These aren't necessary to advance to the next level (and world), but you'll find yourself going back to previous levels in order to collect them all. Let me warn you now--some of the puzzles seem devilish and impossible. Some require very precise timing, creative thinking, or multiple do-overs. This is where the time manipulation is a life saver. For example, you may discover that to reach a high ledge, you needed to bounce off the monster you killed five minutes ago. No matter; you can simply rewind and bring the monster back. Don't worry about sluggish rewinding; you can rewind at 2x, 4x, or 8x speed. Braid has few dull moments.
The graphics and music are just as brilliant as the gameplay. Whereas other games will force you to listen to the same tune over and over and over, Braid's background music changes every level, helping to keep the experience fresh with pleasant, scene-fitting songs. When you first start out, a rather mysterious violin piece will play. In another level, a gentle lullaby plays. The music will play according to the direction of time, too. If time is passing normally, the song will play normally. When you rewind, the song plays backwards, and at higher speeds if you rewind at 4x or 8x. This is a nice touch and keeps you attentive even when you're rewinding back to the point you walked into the level. Not only is the music beautiful, but the scenery, as well. The graphics are breathtaking at any standard, especially for a 2-D platformer. They don't change as drastically as the music, but still remain fresh. One level, you're walking across a sunny field. In another, you're making your way through a dimly lit cavern. In another, a quiet snow falls. The colors are vivid and the images are crisp and pleasing. Braid surely does no injustices to the eyes and ears.
I played Braid on PS3 (though I believe it is available for Xbox 360 and PC, as well. I might be wrong) after buying it for $15 in the PlayStation Store. While the game is short--it can be completed in about 10 hours--it is a great buy. Once you start, you won't regret your purchase. The story, gameplay, graphics, and music are all terrific--there is little room for disappointment in Braid.
If you didn't say Mario... well, I have nothing to say to you.
If you did say Mario, then meet Braid's hero, Tim.
Now, it's easy to say Braid is a complete rip off of Mario. You have a hero trying to rescue his Princess, getting through 7 worlds to do so. He has to get through multiple stages in each world, jumping on the heads of goomba-like enemies that get in his way. Yes, it's possible to call Braid a Mario copycat, but these derivations are part of the game's charm. It takes these elements in such a way as to add humor to an otherwise somber story. There are also enemies that anyone would relate to piranha plants, not to mention the message you receive after getting through World 2: "The Princess is in another castle." Far from inspiring sneers, this obvious and smarmy copycating made me smile all throughout the levels, no matter how hair-tearingly difficult they were.
There are some crucial differences that give Braid its own flair, too: most noteworthy is Tim's unique power. Rather than being renowned for jumping, Tim can turn back time. This fits in perfectly with the story's theme of learning from our mistakes, because any mistake you make--an inaccurate jump, an accidental collision with a monster--can be rewound and corrected. This means you don't get multiple lives because you just don't die; the game pauses at the point of your death, prompting you to rewind. This isn't the only case in which Tim's power is useful, though. All the puzzles require the manipulation of time. Say, for example, you need the key located at the bottom of a pit. You jump down and grab the key, but can't get out. Simply rewind (some objects, like the key in this example, are immune to time manipulation, so they'll still be within your grasp) and you're out of the pit with key in hand.
With 7 worlds and multiple levels per world, this would get repetitive. Luckily, Number None included a clever twist: time works differently in each world. In the first two worlds, time works normally (aside from your manipulative power, of course). This allows you to get the hand of the game. But then the situation changes in each subsequent world: in one world, time moves forward only when you do, and backwards if you start walking the opposite direction. In another world, you can drop an object that will slow down any moving objects around it--including you. These twists mean that you are forced to reshape your mindset at the beginning of each world. This allows for gameplay that keeps your attention and puzzles that don't become repetitive. It also bumps up the difficulty, because you have to rework your thought process and continually solve puzzles in different ways. In addition, there are items you collect in each level. These aren't necessary to advance to the next level (and world), but you'll find yourself going back to previous levels in order to collect them all. Let me warn you now--some of the puzzles seem devilish and impossible. Some require very precise timing, creative thinking, or multiple do-overs. This is where the time manipulation is a life saver. For example, you may discover that to reach a high ledge, you needed to bounce off the monster you killed five minutes ago. No matter; you can simply rewind and bring the monster back. Don't worry about sluggish rewinding; you can rewind at 2x, 4x, or 8x speed. Braid has few dull moments.
The graphics and music are just as brilliant as the gameplay. Whereas other games will force you to listen to the same tune over and over and over, Braid's background music changes every level, helping to keep the experience fresh with pleasant, scene-fitting songs. When you first start out, a rather mysterious violin piece will play. In another level, a gentle lullaby plays. The music will play according to the direction of time, too. If time is passing normally, the song will play normally. When you rewind, the song plays backwards, and at higher speeds if you rewind at 4x or 8x. This is a nice touch and keeps you attentive even when you're rewinding back to the point you walked into the level. Not only is the music beautiful, but the scenery, as well. The graphics are breathtaking at any standard, especially for a 2-D platformer. They don't change as drastically as the music, but still remain fresh. One level, you're walking across a sunny field. In another, you're making your way through a dimly lit cavern. In another, a quiet snow falls. The colors are vivid and the images are crisp and pleasing. Braid surely does no injustices to the eyes and ears.
I played Braid on PS3 (though I believe it is available for Xbox 360 and PC, as well. I might be wrong) after buying it for $15 in the PlayStation Store. While the game is short--it can be completed in about 10 hours--it is a great buy. Once you start, you won't regret your purchase. The story, gameplay, graphics, and music are all terrific--there is little room for disappointment in Braid.
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