Another Sign Of The Apocalypse
I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for saying this. (In fact, I already did when I pitched this column.) However I'm going to say it"I usually don't find Jack Black funny.
I tried watching a lot of his films, and I'm sorry, most of them don't interest me. Cable Guy? Hated it (especially since it reminded me a lot of my ex girlfriend.) School of Rock, not interested. Nacho Libre? BORRR-ING! Year One? Crap. Tropic Thunder? Ok the film was really good but I felt that Robert Downey Jr.'s character was much better (same for Ben Stiller.) And of course, the dreaded King Kong? Worst. Movie. EVER!
Yes, I know I'm forgetting about Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. I've never seen it, but I do know two of the songs from it. I heard The Metal on Guitar Hero 3 and did not like it at all. Then there was the whole "Master Exploder" controversy. A friend of mine found out that Master Exploder was going to be playable on Rock Band 2. From that point on all I heard from him was "did you play Master Exploder yet?" "How was Master Exploder?" "Master Exploder!" "Master Exploder!" etc. etc. etc.
Well here's my reaction to that song"it's hell on guitar! Bass was not as bad but guitar was a nightmare to play.
Needless to say, I never was a huge Jack Black fan, and I know there are those close to me who think I am crazy for saying this. I was even told that if I ever watched the old HBO Tenacious D series then maybe my opinion would change, but I doubted it.
It was because of my opinion that I didn't think that Brutal Legend would have been that good.
That was until I tried out the demo.
Even though it seemed at first too much like a hack and slash game similar to Castle Crashers, it was surprisingly good and had some very hilarious dialogue. I guess it's because of the great writing done by Tim Schaefer. After all, look at his track record: Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle (my personal favorite,) Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. All of them were great stories, but would Brutal Legend continue that trend, even if I find its lead actor unfunny?
Surprisingly, yes it does. The whole story behind Brutal Legend is hilarious and a great tribute to the heavy metal scene, even going as far as ripping on hair metal, emo music, and modern pop metal.
Having true metal voice talent such as Rob Halford (from Judas Priest in a dual role) and Lita Ford is a start, but the funniest talent actually came from Ozzy Osbourne as the Guardian of Metal and Lemmy as the "Kill Master," a great spoof of his surname Kilmister. Even if they are literally playing portrayals of themselves, Ozzy's trademark f-bombs and Lemmy sliding his glasses down as an expression not only add to their realism but make them even funnier.
And the strange thing is, it actually helps make Jack Black funny in Brutal Legend. The game is just hilarious. I haven't found a game this funny in a long time, and I still have a ways to go on it.
Eventually I'll be doing a full review of Brutal Legend once I finish playing it, but if a game can make an actor I usually don't find funny become hilarious, then they must be doing something right.
Heck it might make me download The Metal to play on Rock Band 2".maybe not.
Commentator's note: Yes, we have agreed on this site and on our podcasts that Uwe Boll is responsible for the worst movies ever, but I still believe that Black's King Kong should be on the worst movie ever list.
Currently Playing: Brutal Legend (360, OF COURSE,) Beatles: Rock Band-Abbey Road (360,) Rock Band 2-Queen (360)
Waiting For: DJ Hero (360,) Modern Warfare 2 (360)