FISCHER: Five great things in 2023

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

It’s that time again. The clock is running down on 2023, making this the last column of the year. Thus, it’s time for my annual review of the five best things across the geek spectrum to release in 2023.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The first entry of the list is a no-brainer.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was already my favorite Spider-Man movie by a wide margin and this sequel is even bigger and better.

The writing is just as sharp as the first time around, with layers upon layers of subtext that make multiple viewings a treat even if you’re not just looking for the slew of Easter Eggs.

Not that the movie needs an excuse for multiple viewings. As a purely visual spectacle, the movie is a feast for the eyes and just about every frame of it could be used as a stand-alone work of art. Trust me, I’ve checked.

Between all that and reveling in the slew of Easter Eggs, the only unfortunate part about the movie is that we have to wait until next year to see how the story ends. I anticipate it’ll be an easy placement on next year’s list.

“Those Old Scientists” (Star Trek)

Honorable Mention to Season Three of “Star Trek: Picard” for finally becoming the show it should have been all along, but the best thing to happen to Star Trek this year was the crossover episode between “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks.”

Normally a crossover episode in the Star Trek franchise isn’t such a noteworthy deal, but in this case we are talking about two shows with distinctly different sensibilities. Strange New Worlds is as traditional a Star Trek show as you’re likely to find while Lower Decks is a self-aware over-the-top parody. And also animated.

Taking advantage of the fact that voice actors Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid more-or-less look like the cartoon character they voice, the crossover is a rare opportunity to blend together two shows with very different sensibilities in a fun little adventure.

Of course the SNW cast is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek humor, but it was especially interesting to see Newsome and Quaid portray the quirks of their cartoon characters in live-action.

In a year of really good Star Trek content, “Those Old Scientists” stands out above the rest.

Twisted Metal

How did a live-action adaptation of a 90s video game franchise made for Peacock get on this list?

Talk about a recipe for low expectations, but what a pleasantly fun surprise “Twisted Metal” turned out to be.

Once upon a time, the video game franchise was the undisputed champion of the vehicle combat genre, but it’s been two decades since either has been relevant even in the gaming space.

As a video game mostly about armed cars driving around trying to blow each other up, there is precious little lore in the franchise to draw from. Lesser creatives would use this as an excuse to just come up with their own show, make sure there’s a machine gun on a car at some point, slap the franchise logo on it, and call it a day.

“Twisted Metal,” pardon the pun, goes the extra mile instead.

I can’t tell you how well the live-action show adheres to the lore of the series, but it absolutely invokes the era that defined it. Blending comedy with over-the-top violence, “Twisted Metal” unapologetically captures the irreverent attitude that defined 90s video games, making for a weirdly nostalgic road trip.

A road trip that also has some pretty cool vehicular combat action scenes.

One Piece (Netflix)

On the subject of shockingly good adaptations, nothing was more surprisingly this year than the live-action adaptation of “One Piece.”

With rare exceptions, American-made live action adaptations of popular anime franchises generally range from “bad” to “awful,” with among the most infamous cases being “Dragonball: Evolution,” a movie so bad that the writer issued a public apology for writing it.

Netflix’s own track record in this area is less than stellar, with flops like “Death Note” and “Cowboy Bebop” lowering the bar of what viewers can expect from these kind of projects.

So when Netflix announced that they would be adapting “One Piece,” it seemed inevitable that the project would be doomed to the same fate.

And yet, as I binge watched my way through the show, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it.

Yes, the live action show does have its limits. It condenses roughly 45 episodes of anime into about seven and a half hours while working with a budget that did not allow for a giant white circus lion or a sword wielding octopus man. The result is essentially a cliff notes version of the story that cuts away characters and subplots until all that’s left are the core elements.

But those core elements are enough. The love that the show’s crew has for the source material is apparent and, barring a handful of nitpicks, I can’t think of much that I’d have done differently.

Netflix did the impossible and I can only hope they stay on course with season two.

Godzilla Minus One

I’ve always been a big fan of Godzilla, but while the King of the Monsters is probably best known from the movies where he’s fighting other gigantic creatures, my preference has always leaned toward the movies where Godzilla is the antagonist to fear rather than a protagonist to root for.

“Godzilla Minus One” falls into this category. Following in the footsteps of the original “Godzilla,” which deals with the aftermath of the invention of the atom bomb, and “Shin Godzilla,” which is a thinly veiled metaphor for the Japanese government’s response to the Fukushima disaster, “Godzilla Minus One” explores the psychological trauma of survivor’s guilt by presenting it as an unkillable 150-foot monster with atomic breath.

Featuring what might just be the most compelling cast of human characters to ever grace a Godzilla film, this movie does the impossible by presenting the human drama so well that you’ll forget that you’re there to see a giant lizard monster smash things.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Legendary Pictures and their MonsterVerse franchise, (at least, I’m not saying it here) but if Toho can make a Godzilla movie this good on a tenth of the budget, somebody at Legendary and Warner Bros. needs to start taking notes.

And there we have it. Five of my favorite things of the year.

Honorable mention to “Fubar,” Netflix’s unexpectedly great Arnold Schwarzenegger spy action vehicle, and to “Baldur’s Gate III,” which I haven’t had time to play yet, but, from what I’ve heard, would almost assuredly have made the list if I had.

— Travis Fischer is a news writer for the Charles City Press and hopes 2024 has an even harder list to narrow down.