THE INSTITUTE By Stephen King Review

Widely regarded as the king of horror and one of the best storytellers of multiple generations, Stephen King has amassed a library worth of material over the years. It's this immense work rate that can result in readers falling behind on his work, with it being easy to become oblivious to the release of a new book. Additionally it's also extremely easy to fall behind due to the vast amount of produce the author publishes, with it being hard to keep up at times. It's the latter of these that proved the case with The Institute, having only recently gotten around to finishing it despite being on my bookshelf since its initial release in 2019.

Awoken in the middle of the night to the sounds of his partner murder, Luke Ellis is quickly abducted and loaded into the back of a black SUV, being whisked off to the titular Institute. Once he comes to, Luke finds himself in a room that looks exactly like his own, with the only difference being there's no windows. As he gets accustomed to his new surroundings our brilliant young protagonist quickly discovers that his “special” talents are more than just coincidental occurrences, being one of many talented children subjected to various tests.

Before we get to all this, the book introduces us to its secondary protagonist, Tim Jamieson, a disgraced cop who leaves his job in Florida following a freak accident. Deciding to leave his previous life behind, Tim finds himself in the small town of DuPray, South Carolina taking on the post of Night Knocker. The decision to break readers into its plot through this secondary narrative proves an interesting one, with Tim's unfortunate circumstances setting the tone for this book's overarching themes. Not only does it allow the intense abduction of Luke to become even more shocking, but it also puts into motion events that won't become prominent until late on in the story’s narrative.

One thing that Stephen King is a master of is creating intriguing concepts, with the way he intertwines supernatural elements into the real world being truly special. This is no different with The Institute, with the telepathic and telekinetic abilities of these children captivating at every possible moment. This intensifies as we progress through the story, with the development and self awareness of these gifts resulting in pivotal twists to the narrative. King handles each moment with the utmost grace and finesse, with the characteristics of these talented youngsters being infectious to say the least.

Talking of our band of supernatural adolescents, King always seems to be in his element when focusing on how children react to the unexpected. Whether it's the first half of It or the incredible short story The Body, the author has always found a way of making his young protagonist mature enough to feel credible. This is no different in The Institute, with King conveying the way they adapt to their powers perfectly. Luke in particular proves to be a fascinating character, as despite never coming across as the bravest or strongest amongst the Institute's test subjects, he adapts to his surroundings at an alarming rate, using his intelligence in a way that makes him more valuable than he initially appears.

The antagonists of this story are the Institute staff themselves, with there being various levels of corruption within their ranks. Feeling like a mental health hospital crossed with a concentration camp, this sick and twisted facility reeks of everything that makes King novels so enticing. From its sinister aura to its regimental routines, this Institute more than delivers when it comes to the fear factor. As for the staff members themselves, they prove a mixed bag, as despite most of them being evil and vindictive, with the higher ups being methodical in their decisions, there are a couple of kind souls amongst their ranks, showing a level of humanity.

The only major gripe I had with this book was its pacing. Despite being full of gripping twists and turns there are several points where the plot feels a little stretched out. This is quite surprising from King, as despite being known for lengthy masterpieces like The Stand, the author usually has an impeccable understanding of plot development, with his compact short stories being a prime example of this. Things do, however, pick up as we move closer to the book's conclusion, with the way King conveys action feeling both dynamic and explosive.

Verdict

The Institute is a gripping coming of age tale that intertwines supernatural elements into the real world in a way that captivates from start to finish. Despite at times feeling a little stretched out, Stephen King once again proves why he's a master storyteller, with the way he develops our young prodigies and builds tension being truly mesmerising. Throw in exciting action sequences and a gripping conclusion, and you're left with a story that's begging to be revisited.

7/10

NEO BERLIN 2087 Gets Gameplay Trailer Ahead of GAMESCOM

Gamescom is just around the corner, with up and coming developers Elysium Game Studio using the platform to showcase an upcoming project. The game in question is Neo Berlin 2087, a dystopian sci-fi thriller that promises to deliver a narrative driven story in a cyberpunk world. Though little is known of the project, so far, the developers look to generate hype giving us a brand new gameplay trailer.

Having a Blade Runner meets Deus Ex feel to it, this AA game doesn't appear to be shying away from the various movies, TV shows and games that have inspired it. In this two plus minute video alone it is easy to spot several similarities to other products, not including the two mentioned before. Despite this, the trailer does give gamers a taste of what's in store, showcasing the cinematics, as well as both the first-person and third-person options of this shooter. The fact that this is coming from a new developer also impresses, with the graphics being quite mesmerising given the limited budget it will be working off.

Though no update has been given regarding the games release window, we do know that it will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC

ALIEN: ROMULUS Review

Life hasn't always been kind to the Alien franchise, with fans subjected to their fair share of questionable outings. Ridley Scott's most recent attempt at adding to the Xenomorph lore proved no different, with his Prometheus prequels failing to deliver the same level of gore or peril, focusing more on psychological thrills. Now that the franchise is under the Walt Disney umbrella, following their acquisition of 20th Century Fox, there is hope that new life can be given to these once terrifying creatures, with the various trailers and promo clips for Alien: Romulus generating hype.

Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, the plot follows Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and a group of young space colonists as they scavenge a derelict space station. What our plucky opportunists find within proves to be more than they bargained for, coming face to face with one of the deadliest creatures in the universe. This all leads to a blood-quenching fight for survival, with our scavengers having to band together and use all their wits and resources to overcome this terrifying Xenomorph. 

The franchise has seen its fair share of talented directors over the years, with Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher (just to name a few) all leaving their fingerprints on the series. The latest to take the helm is Fede Álvarez, with the visionary behind 2013’s Evil Dead remake and Don’t Breathe bringing the series back to its horror-driven roots. Capturing the claustrophobic feel that made the 1979 classic so gripping, Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues deliver a narrative that, despite its imperfections, manages to captivate at every turn. In doing so the director manages to deliver a product that takes inspiration from its predecessors, whilst standing tall on its own, being the breath of fresh air that the franchise has so desperately needed.

Álvarez does an amazing job of setting the tone of this movie, utilising the first act to establish our band of scavengers and identify their goals in life. In doing so the director not only allows the film to breathe but adds a sense of desperation to proceedings, highlighting the poor conditions our young group has been subjected to. Talking of our band of renegades, they ultimately prove to be a very mixed bag, with it being easy to root against certain characters. The only real expectation from this was that if these rotten crew members were going to meet a perilous fate, make sure that it was epic and gory.

As for the cast itself, each member brings something unique to the party. Whether it's the brash, gung-ho nature of Spike Fearn as Bjorn or the level-headedness that Archie Renaux brings as Tyler, the result is a dynamic atmosphere. The star of the show, however, is Cailee Spaeny, with the young actress giving a breathtaking performance as Rain Carradine. Between the character’s close relationship with Andy (David Jonsson) and the bold way she handles gnarly situations, the actress goes above and beyond to convey emotion. The overall character depth and development would also shine throughout, with Rain going from a quiet girl, looking to improve her life, to a badass heroine that won’t hesitate to fight a Xenomorph.

Over the years we’ve seen the franchise grow from a pre-visual effects era to the wonderful benefits of CGI. Now when it comes to most blockbuster movies nowadays, there is the tendency to go overboard with visual effects. Alien: Romulus, for the most part, avoids this trap, opting to deliver a hybrid of CGI and practical effects. This results in a blissfully grounded project, with the suspense and horror prospering from this visual composition. Despite this, there was one particular use of CGI that simply didn’t work, with the desired effect proving both horrifying (for all the wrong reasons) and drastically unrealistic.

One of the more interesting characters throughout this flick is Andy (David Jonsson), with the android quickly proving to be a very complex entity. Being introduced as somewhat of a brother to Rain, the android evolves into a truly captivating character, with his cold, calculating temperament being rather chilling. The way that Jonsson brings this artificial intelligence to life is a wonder to behold. Whether it’s his confused reaction to the discriminating mindset of certain crewmates or the dedication with which he follows directives, the actor conveys tremendous emotion, reminding us of the importance androids have had to this franchise.

Now as much as Prometheus would try and prove differently, you can’t have an Alien movie without the terrifying Xenomorphs present. Along with their Facehugger intermediaries, these acid-blooded foes prove as deadly as ever in Alien: Romulus, giving our young team a bone-chilling experience. Having the Xenomorph stalk their prey in the pitch black, Álvarez takes these predatorial creatures back to basics, proving once again that less is more. This all leads to some satisfyingly horrific moments, that live up to the series’ legacy. Despite all this, there was a major twist near the end of the film that proved very questionable, with the director clearly trying to deliver a visually creepy conclusion at the expense of practicality.

Verdict

Alien: Romulus brings the franchise back to its horror roots, with director Fede Álvarez delivering a terrifying experience for the characters within. Proving very much that less is more, the film harkens back to its predecessors, whilst standing tall on its own, expanding on the lore along the way. The claustrophobic playground in which our Xenomorph roams also proves bone-chilling, and despite its flaws, the film generally proves to be an amazing addition to the franchise.

7/10