Story of the Jarhead (which has some mature language, as a warning) is one of those machinimas that initially make you think it's a pretty cool idea, but as it goes on you wish they had done more with it. The silhouetted intro piqued my curiosity right off the bat, but there simply wasn't enough to the video overall to keep that interest. I'm not a movie buff, but I assume that the soundtrack and dialogue is from a movie (Jarhead, probably?). Maybe if I had seen the movie, I'd feel greater attachment to the machinima, but I don't really have that connection and thus the nod is lost on me.

That said, the models and setting were pretty good choices to represent the sound and dialogue. The desert setting of Tanaris is fitting (certainly moreso than Stranglethorn Vale or Icecrown), and those 'uniforms' are probably as close to desert camo as you'll get in WoW. The animation fit great in some places, but in others? Not so much. Keeping movements more fluid from scene to scene would be great, I don't think anybody sits or stands absolutely perfectly still at any given moment.

Overall, I think this video is a good starting point with a lot of potential, but is a bit too bare for the dialogue to carry. You, more or less, get the same experience if you just listen to the sound and look away from the video itself. I assume that the monologue was the basis for the video to begin with so that's understandable to some extent, but the visuals should be able to stand upright as well.

Previously on Moviewatch...

Tags: jarhead, machinima, moviewatch

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch