When I first got exposed to Professor Layton, all I understood was that it was a fairly popular puzzle game. I soon fell in love with the distinctive art style, the feel of the environments, and the way the games told their story, even if I had a few gripes about the terminology used (sometimes, in-game 'puzzles' are better described as 'riddles', but they use the word 'puzzle' anyway... wut?). Still, it's hard not to enjoy the world Level 5 has crafted.
For newbies to the series, let me explain: Professor Layton and the (insert title here) is about the ever-proper Hershel Layton, archaeologist, gentleman, occasional adventurer, and professional solver-of-puzzles, and his young apprentice, Luke Triton, as they journey around the world to solve baffling mysteries. The plot is strung together by a series of puzzles (or riddles!), each of which brings The Professor and Luke one step closer to the astonishing truth behind the seemingly impossible circumstances they've come to investigate. The mysteries are wonderfully crafted, the puzzles themselves are varied and engaging, and I'd easily reccomend the series to anyone.
Anyway, we recently saw the end of the (first) trilogy with the release of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, but it's not the last we'll see of the Professor, oh no. There are more puzzles to solve, so let's start with as good a place as any: Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva.
The movie begins with a short 1-2 minute explanation of the series, barring any and all spoilers, and then it cuts right into the plotline. Just after solving a case, Layton and his apprentice reflect back on a previous mystery, wherein they recieved a letter from an acquantance of Layton's- an opera singer- claiming that she had talked to a friend of hers who had died of illness a year prior. The friend in question was in the body of a young girl, and claimed to have been reborn through the gift of eternal life- What's more, she knew things only the friend could have known! What follows in the next hour and a half involves an opera, a large-scale battle of wits, the manliest inspector I think I've ever seen, contraptions to make Macgyver proud, and a very interesting philosophical message. The story moves at a slick pace, and, it being a mystery, you can try and solve the puzzles and the case along with Layton and Luke, or you can sit back and just enjoy the show. The plot is also puzzle-driven as well, which means even if you're having a hard time picking up on clues, you can still try and solve the puzzles before the characters do. Speaking of, the puzzles are fairly well-done- I think I would have been out in in round two, though I hadn't quite arrived at the same conclusion as everyone else who was eliminated then.
Unfortunately, I can't talk about much, because this was a mystery after all, and to say too much more would require me to give away spoilers. However, even without too much knowledge of the series, I think this movie stands pretty well on its own two feet- Each of the protagonists gets a crowning moment of awesome or two, which keeps things interesting, and the solutions to the puzzles are actually pretty clever. Eternal Diva is one half mystery and one half adventure, and manages to keep true enough to form that it's probably the best videogame-based movie I've seen (that, and the story is original, which protects it from adaptation decay). Is it a must watch?
...Nah. But it's a good watch- Deep enough for adults, but shallow enough for kids, simple enough for newbies, but mental enough for fans. Eternal Diva gets a pass because it's a good all-ages movie that won't leave adults out in the cold- like so many kids movies nowadays tend to do.
...This was a really short review. Huh.
For newbies to the series, let me explain: Professor Layton and the (insert title here) is about the ever-proper Hershel Layton, archaeologist, gentleman, occasional adventurer, and professional solver-of-puzzles, and his young apprentice, Luke Triton, as they journey around the world to solve baffling mysteries. The plot is strung together by a series of puzzles (or riddles!), each of which brings The Professor and Luke one step closer to the astonishing truth behind the seemingly impossible circumstances they've come to investigate. The mysteries are wonderfully crafted, the puzzles themselves are varied and engaging, and I'd easily reccomend the series to anyone.
Anyway, we recently saw the end of the (first) trilogy with the release of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, but it's not the last we'll see of the Professor, oh no. There are more puzzles to solve, so let's start with as good a place as any: Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva.
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| "A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved." |
Unfortunately, I can't talk about much, because this was a mystery after all, and to say too much more would require me to give away spoilers. However, even without too much knowledge of the series, I think this movie stands pretty well on its own two feet- Each of the protagonists gets a crowning moment of awesome or two, which keeps things interesting, and the solutions to the puzzles are actually pretty clever. Eternal Diva is one half mystery and one half adventure, and manages to keep true enough to form that it's probably the best videogame-based movie I've seen (that, and the story is original, which protects it from adaptation decay). Is it a must watch?
...Nah. But it's a good watch- Deep enough for adults, but shallow enough for kids, simple enough for newbies, but mental enough for fans. Eternal Diva gets a pass because it's a good all-ages movie that won't leave adults out in the cold- like so many kids movies nowadays tend to do.
...This was a really short review. Huh.
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