Royal Australian Mint

First visit of the day was to the Royal Australian Mint. Interesting for a number of reasons and very popular. The free entry probably helped. Being the Easter holidays the actual factory was closed but you could see where all the manufacturing – minting – takes place. And it was all very well explained by our guide (optional but has to be pre-booked). Also we were not allowed to photograph the factory floor.

The guide explained the history of coins in Australia. When coins were in short supply in 1813, the British government sent 40,000 (so called) ‘Spanish dollar’ coins to the colony. The then Governor (Macquarie) had two coins made from each one. An ingenious idea carried out by one of the convicts – William Hershell – who “minted” the two new coins.

The “Spanish Dollar” coins were actually silver 8 Reales coins. Also referred to as “pieces of eight” – generally, as well as in the famous pirate-speak. It was called “dollar” because it was the coin/currency that the United States dollar was based on.

Interestingly, William Hershell was convicted and sent to Australian penal colony for the crime of forgery. How ironic that he effectively saved the colony’s economy by minting, or basically inventing, these new coins. The donut shaped (outer) was valued at 5 shillings and came to be known as the ‘Holey Dollar’. Meanwhile the centre piece was valued at 15 pence and were called ‘dumps’. All the new coins were stamped with “New South Wales”.

Souvenir Coins…

Dani minted his own dinosaur (collectors) dollar coin – at a cost of $3. So although entry was free, just about every child (and enough adults) paid three dollars for the privilege!

We also bought another “collectable” coin. An ‘AC/DC’ 20 cent coin. There were a few different designs. The rock band is famous all over the world but being from Australia the Aussies are particularly fond of them. Of the several AC/DC 20 cent coins on offer we bought the one with Angus Young playing the guitar in classic pose.

Who wouldn’t want a coin with Angus on one side and the Queen on the other? Anyone? Nah, thought not…

I think everyone who visited the Mint really enjoyed it. We certainly did. Yet oddly enough, in this era where our leaders are pushing towards a cashless society, this place will almost certainly close in the near future. And to me, that is not progress; it is sad.

Australian War Memorial 

The Australian War Memorial lies at one end of the city’s ceremonial land axis. Stretching from Parliament House on Capital Hill all the way to the cone-shaped Mount Ainslie. There is no continuous road linking the two points, but there is a clear line of sight from the front balcony of Parliament House to the War Memorial. Likewise you can see Parliament House from the front steps of the War Memorial.

This is Australia’s national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving Australia. It opened in 1941, the memorial includes an extensive military museum. Entry is free but you need to pre-book your visit. It was certainly very busy when we were there…

The military museum full of interesting facts and real equipment from some recent wars. Such museums are never exactly happy places but this one was quite interesting and had a lot of objects from all sides involved in the conflicts.

The commemorative area is situated in the open centre of the memorial building, (including the cloisters to each side and the Hall of Memory under the building’s central dome) and the sculpture garden is on the lawn to the west. The heart of the area is the Hall of Memory, a tall domed chapel which houses the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier’. 

Close to sundown we stayed for a well attended last post ceremony. These occur every day but have not been open to members of the public for most of the past two years. (You know why… I am not even going to mention it.)

Capital Brewing.

To end the day we visited another craft beer brewery. Capital Brewing. I had tried one or two of their ales (bought from the local beer sellers) but never really equated their name to their location. Doh! I know. How dumb is that eh?

Anyway, we paid a visit to their relatively large premises outside of the city on our last evening in the area. The outdoor space apparently holds up to one thousand people. The building is big enough too. A relatively large scale operation as these things go. Definitely worth a visit.

Once again I went for the tasting paddle of four beers. Personally I rate the Bent Spoke beers (see previous post) slightly better but Capital Brewing’s ales are pretty good.

And that was the end of our two days in Canberra. Onto the next stop. This time the relatively short drive into the Snowy Mountains for a couple of days…

A well planned city

The building of Canberra only began from 1913. It was a completely planned city, well laid out and designed. Unlike most (much older) capital cities that have just evolved over centuries or have been bombed and rebuilt using dodgy architecture etc…

In many ways it helps that there was lots of land available and the population remains relatively low for a capital city. Still only around 400,000.

The first thing we did was head for the lookout at Mount Ainslie. There was only one decent place at the “lookout” to see the city from. For some reason – despite building and maintaining the roads etc up to this “lookout” – they have also seen fit to allow the trees to grow wild. It is a common thing here in Australia. Kind of annoying – see below for examples…

Parliament House

From the “lookout” we went to visit the Parliament House buildings. The last time I was here it looked like this…..

Access to the buildings was clearly prohibited. This time however, it looked like this….

Yes there were still a few hardcore protestors on the field in front of the main Parliament building but no ring of police stopping the public from reaching the buildings. I think some people are just what you might call ‘professional protestors’ or just love to do it. I may not agree with them on all of their grievances but I defend their right to protest about them. Actually this lot were singing some of their own  protest songs which were actually quite good (and funny). At least I thought so…

History and Architecture…

The seat of government in Australia used to be in Melbourne when the country’s state united into a Federation back in 1901. The government finally agreed to move to Canberra as recently as 1926. Technically, Canberra as the capital of Australia, is still a few years off its centenary. Unbelievable eh?

The buildings are well designed and were only opened in 1988. There are elements of art deco design and other classic architecture. Incredibly perhaps, for something built in the 1980s, it really does not seem at all dated. OK, I know it is only 34 years old, but it seems (to me) that it will not look dated in another 34 years time.

The two houses are obviously based largely on the British system but have their own Aussie identity.

You can wander around on your own or take a guided tour. We took a guided tour which always gives you that little bit of extra information. Like the upper level of the public galleries you can see with glass windows. Those areas are for school trips (especially young kids) and the glass is soundproof. Obvious when you know eh?

They have even made a LEGO model of the buildings. Who doesn’t love these things?

And if you look carefully, around the back, tucked away in a kind of small courtyard, you can see this…

Yes. It’s the mythical money tree. It really does exist! Sure enough right now, with Federal elections just a month away, the politicians are stripping this tree bare. Whoever built this model certainly had a sense of humour.

National Art Gallery

Not much to say about this really. Not my cup of tea let’s say. Dani was bored too. But we played along as Dani’s mum really wanted to see it. The highlights (and that is pushing it) are here…

The Bent Spoke – A fine craft ale brewery

I noticed this place after the protest back in February.But as I had to drive back to Sydney I couldn’t really partake. This time however….

Nice engineering inspired sampling paddles. Someone probably suggested using the spare bits left over after installation. I liked them.

My verdict on this little brewing enterprise is a definite thumbs up!. I tasted four beers on the sampling paddle – Barley Griffin, Sprocket, Hop Buffalo & Stratus – followed by a schooner of Crankshaft ale. The Bent Spoke lies just off the main bar and restaurant area – called Lonsdale Street – in the heart of the CBD.

There are so many of these little breweries now in Australia. Ever town however small seems to have one. But you won’t hear me complaining. Unless I can’t get to sample their wares…

Moby Dick vs Rat Salad

Now for those of you who do not instantly recognise what this post is about, allow me to explain…

The first reference is nothing to do with Herman Melville’s famous novel about a big white whale. Nor is the second item anything to do with a new dish being served at the Wuhan markets that will potentially lead to another “pandemic”. (Although both are completely plausible.)

No. These are the titles of two rock tracks that Dani has been playing off against each other. He is tying to decide which is the best. There are some similarities. Both are instrumental numbers which lean heavily on the drums. Moby Dick was on Led Zeppelin’s second album released in October 1969. Rat Salad is from Black Sabbath’s third album (Paranoid) released in September 1970. So you could argue that Black Sabbath were influenced by Led Zeppelin. I really have no idea. Although I was around back then I was too young to know or care…

More Sabbath…

Thankfully my son has finally started to venture outside of Black Sabbath’s first and third albums. They are both good albums but I was getting a bit sick of hearing them all the time when we are in the car (as Dani takes control of my iPod). He now listens to some of their second offering (Masters of Reality) and most of their fourth album – Vol.4 (always referred to as Volume Four). Incidentally I always thought Volume 4 was Black Sabbath’s best album. But I have been known to offer alternative views on that one… I have the vinyl copy – somewhere – complete with booklet style photos inside.

The other week we were out riding our bikes and every time I thought I may need to slow down and check that he was still behind me I could hear him happily singing The Wizard to himself as he peddled away. That made me laugh. Definitely one of my favourite Sabbath tracks it has to be said.

Never talking
Just keeps walking
Spreading his magic
(The Wizard by Black Sabbath)

His conclusion?

So which is the best track out of Moby Dick and Rat Salad? According to Dani: The drumming in Rat Salad is best but Moby Dick has the better guitar riffs. But I am sure I will have to listen to them both another few hundred times before we get a definitive answer to the question.

What do you think?

By the way. It’s not all Rock n Roll. Recently he has also been listening to Boney M.
Yes, I also have Boney M’s Greatest Hits album on my iPod. Doesn’t everyone? It’s a far cry from Black Sabbath but definitely a nice change…

Not long after posting about our visit to the Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains (almost 2 weeks ago) a friend informed me of a scandal that centred around the hotel’s employment policies. It made the news nearly three years ago.

The scandal involved employing immigrants (from countries regarded as poor) on work visas and not even paying them the minimum wage. Yes this can easily happen – and in fact happens on a very large scale. I would encourage everyone to please read the articles (with links) below.

Now, I am no lawyer, and certainly not an expert in Australian employment laws. But I don’t need to be to know that this story is true. As the saying goes; ‘I have been around a bit.’

I know this very practice has been going on for years back in the UK. Through my work over the years, I have regularly had to find places to stay. In one example I stayed in a small hotel for months and so got to know not only some of the employees but the manager. The manager actually told me that the employees did not even receive minimum wage. They were housed in the hotel and the exact same thing happened as in the Hydro Majestic. In that case the employees were from Eastern Europe. The Eastern Europeans have probably moved on, no longer willing to be exploited. But you can bet such places now employ recent immigrants from the (so called) third world.

Even more recently I know of care homes in the UK who have lost local workers and replaced them with recent immigrants. The exact same thing is happening in those establishments. The workers get minimum wage but are housed in houses or caravans owned by the same person who owns the care home. It really is a scandal on an epic scale.

Foreign workers are being exploited while local people cannot find decent well paid employment. It is a classic double-edged sword. And the one thing that should unite every one of us is that wages are being driven down. But do you ever hear the unions talking about it? Or the so called ‘opposition’ party of the day? Hardly. If ever….

Newspaper Items on This Story….

The news items can be seen here and here. These are just two example from the Sydney Morning Herald. There will be plenty of other versions of the same news story and in other newspapers. Just do your own searches.

I enjoyed our visit to the Hydro Majestic but things like this do leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Maybe it was all resolved at this particular establishment? I don’t know. But as I point out above, this type of thing is rife. In every so called ‘first world’ country. Something to think about perhaps, when you visit a hotel or resort of any kind…

On our first visit to Port Stephens we stayed at Shoal Bay close to the entrance to the port.

At one end of Shoal Bay beach sits an old lighthouse. At the other (ocean) end is Tomaree Mountain. We went for a look at the lighthouse – now a museum and cafe with great views across the bay. It was all closed when we were there however. We then walked the full length of the beach while the sun was going down. The views from the beach are great it has to be said. The following day – weather permitting – the plan was to scale the heights of Tomaree Mountain.

Views from the mountain…

The weather seemed OK so we headed off early. Tomaree Mountain rises straight up from the sea to over 160m. It is not a difficult walk up but it is steep in places. As always in Australia the paths are well made and well maintained.

The views from the top are great whichever way you look. The calm Shoal Bay beach sheltered from the worst the ocean has to offer on one side, with several smaller beaches on the ocean side. See for yourself…

Nelson Bay and further inland…

We also made a quick visit to Nelson Bay – a little further into the port/bay from Shoal Bay. Nelson Bay is the most built up area on the southern shore of Port Stephens. Quite a few shops and a marina well stocked with very expensive toys. Boats!

Further into the port is the gap between the south and north shore lines narrows massively thanks to the peninsular called Soldier’s Point. From there we made our way back to Shoal Bay via the long and picturesque Bagnall’s beach and nature reserve.

Fighter World

The lady at the information office in Nelson Bay gave us a list that they had made of things to do if the weather is a problem. With all the rain this year that was a great idea. One of the places listed was on our way back home, so as we left Port Stephens we visited the Fighter World museum.

Fighter World was a great stop off and it did rain while we were there. Better than that Dani really enjoyed it.

Another trip to Port Stephens is definitely on the cards. There is so much more to see. But after this, our first ever visit there, both Dani and myself still think we prefer Jervis Bay. Perhaps still too early to compare the two places…More to come…

 

 

Port Stephens – Boy’s Trip

Just before this Easter weekend Dani and his old dad managed to sneak away for a boy’s trip to Port Stephens. It was only a two day ‘reccy’ as I am sure we will all go again in the near future.

Port Stephens is one of those easily accessible holiday places for Sydneysiders. It is about as far north of Sydney as Jervis Bay is to the south. That’s just under 3 hours by car once you factor in the time it takes to get out of the city from where we live (real pain!). Part of the purpose of the trip was just to check out the Port Stephens area. But also it was to do an unofficial comparison between Port Stephens and Jervis Bay.

(Jervis Bay is my favourite location in case you didn’t already know. Search this blog site for the various posts on Jervis Bay.)

Stockton Bight Sand Dunes

The incredible sight of the Stockton Bight sand dunes is something we will have to return to again. The beautiful sandscape is always changing so even the small piece of it that we saw and walked on will not be the same next time. These are the largest moving coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere – or so they say. Who decides these things? Anyway they are huge. Next time I intend to do the (only) 4 wheel drive route which covers about 22km of the total 32km long dunes. The Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, in the Worimi Conservation Lands. They run from the Port Stephens resort of Anna Bay to just north of Newcastle (the 2nd biggest city in NSW, and 8th in Australia)  They really are awesome dunes with some parts reaching heights of over 30 metres.

At Anna Bay there is an area where tour operators offer up their little activities. these range from sand boarding to minibus trips onto the dunes and even camel rides.

The camel rides cost $35 per person and the main queues were for a chance of riding the ‘ship of the desert’. A little steep if you ask me as the trips only lasted for about 20 minutes and did not even venture onto the dunes. They went the opposite way in fact.  Onto the beach where the camels paddled in the broken waves. Then turned around and returned to pick up the next lot of punters. Fine if you have never ridden on a camel I guess but otherwise not for me. Both Dani and myself wanted to climb to the top of some of the dunes.

Dune Landscape

We made our way inland. Just inland from the tour extravaganza there was a little stretch of brush land, even with some wet areas no doubt thanks to the excess rains we have had lately.. But then it was all huge sand dunes. This was the northern end but it was clear that the dunes stretched way south further than the eye could see.

We returned by entering the beach at the point where 4 wheel drive cars are allowed in and out of the dunes. Then we just walked back along the immense beach to the far north end of the beach to Anna Bay.

We have had a lot more rain. Days of it. Yet we decided to return to the Blue Mountains. But not for any hiking, or indeed anything outdoorsy. This weekend we paid a visit to what is perhaps the most famous man-made landmark in the mountains. The Hydro Majestic Hotel.

The place was built in 1903  – initially as a health spa – by Mark Foy who made his money in retail. The construction included a steam-driven generator was imported from Germany to produce electricity for the resort and the neighbouring township of Medlow Bath. They say that the Hydro Majestic had working electricity four days before the city of Sydney. The resort also had its own water supply, steam laundry, freezing works, sewerage treatment works and telephone system.

Soon famous people from all over the world were staying at the hotel. In 1920 Australia’s first Prime Minister Sir Edmund Barton actually died in the hotel. The founder, Mark Foy died in 1950 aged 85.

Outside…

The hotel is a series of buildings and additional wings (added over time) stretching 1.1km along the escarpment edge overlooking the picturesque Megalong Valley.

Located in the village of Medlow Bath (which has its own railway station), The Hydro Majestic features plenty of art deco inspired decoration and themed rooms. It is like a trip back in time.

Inside…

The hotel reception area has been lovingly restored. There is plenty of seating with views across the valley or at the fireplace while enjoying a drink from the bar. Some of the detail is impressive.

Some of the separate wings of the hotel are linked by well decorated corridors that offer plenty of luxurious space and comfort to relax. These corridors are works of art in themselves.

Salon du Thé

Here are some views of the inside of the Salon du Thé. Opulent and well restored/maintained.

Afternoon High Tea.

We booked for Afternoon High Tea. A very British tradition. But in a place like this it is always very popular. The Salon du Thé is not used for the afternoon high tea. Instead the hotel offers the plush surroundings of the Wintergarden which has panoramic views across the length of the room.

To get to the Wintergarden you enter via the Casino Lobby which is like one large work of art with its domed roof and grand chandelier. The lobby then opens out into the majestic Wintergarden Restaurant.

The Casino Ballroom was apparently never used for gambling. The magnificent dome was pre-fabricated in Chicago and shipped to Australia.

The Hydro Majestic Pavilion

Part tourist/souvenir shop, part Harrods Food Hall, part museum, part café. The Hydro Majestic pavilion is probably the first and last part of the hotel complex people see. It sits at the far east side of the complex near the largest car park. It is worth a visit even if you only have time for a quick coffee break on your journey.

So, How Was It?

The High Tea was fairly good value I thought. It cost $65 per adult and the kids version was $35 which included a hot chocolate as opposed to a pot of tea. Definitely very filling.

Would I go again? Yes, of course….

Tragic News

Yesterday, just after posting about our walk last Sunday near Lawson in The Blue Mountains, I saw the news of a tragedy that happened in the same area. It involved a British family out walking near Wentworth Falls. I will not go into detail about the incident except to say that two members of the family – the father and his youngest son – lost their lives when they were caught in a landslide. The mother and an older brother were both badly injured. Let’s hope they are both OK. The couple’s 15 year old daughter raised the alarm. She was uninjured (I think) but clearly very distressed. Our thoughts are with them.

This happened on Monday which was another sunny day when people were still keen to partake in outdoor activities like hiking.

The irony is that after so much rain, despite the conditions being far more dangerous than usual, the waterfall at Wentworth would have been fantastic. There were certainly a lot of people out and about in the mountains the day we were there. As I pointed out in the post, after so many day of rain I think people just wanted to get out of the city. We certainly did.

Landslides and rock falls can happen at any time but after so much rainfall the conditions in the mountains are even more dangerous. It’s a risk we so rarely even consider. The bad weather stops and we all come out to play. But also the chance of something like that happening are so small we tend to be too over-confident about our own safety. Food for thought…

After so many days of rain and being trapped in Sydney we finally managed to get out of the city last weekend. The weather forecast was sunny so we headed for a walk in the middle of the Blue Mountains.

If you are crossing the Blue Mountains by road (or rail) the town of Lawson sits just about at the half-way mark. Lawson has a population of over two and a half thousand and is a typical Blue Mountains town. The aim of this visit was to walk the south Lawson circular walking track and take in the five main waterfalls on the route.

This is yet another example of how much was achieved all those years ago when these areas were only just being opened up to those living in the city. The track was completed in 1900. So most of what you see is the result of the original hard work. Especially the staircases carved into the rocks. Whatever they do these days, right or wrong, it’s fair to say that way back then they definitely did things well. Of course, these places are subject to flooding and rock falls so require constant maintenance. There was plenty of evidence of that on our walk. Mud, flooding and rock falls made it hard going in places.

The route takes in the four main waterfalls. Junction Falls is actually made up of two different cascades where two streams meet. Hence the name. Notice the two different spellings for one of the falls. Adelina on one sign and Adeline on the other. I believe the correct spelling is Adelina.

With all the rainfall we have had recently there was always going to be enough water to make the falls worth seeing. In the past we have visited waterfalls in the Blue Mountains area when there has been only a mere trickle of water. Obviously when it is raining heavily a day trip to these parts is more or less out of the question. But last Sunday we dropped lucky. It was a fine sunny day for the most part but the amount of rainfall the previous week meant guaranteed photogenic waterfalls.

It’s easy to forget when you are following a reasonably well marked trail that you are actually in the middle of a huge expanse of temperate and tropical forest. Especially when you are looking down to navigate the mud and rock slides. All the while you are completely surrounded by dense vegetation and dramatic gorges. The small towns of the Blue Mountains are great little places. I love them. But they are mere specks in the vastness of this natural wonder.

More Falls…

The route we followed was meant to take about one and a half hours, but after stopping for some time at each waterfall and with some tricky parts of the path to navigate (thanks to all the rains) we took almost two hours.

We have visited the Blue mountains many times now but have only just scratched the surface. There is so much more to see there. A great excuse to keep going back – as if one is needed…

I didn’t think it was that long ago, but it turns out to be over two years since I went to the cinema with Dani to watch Sonic The Hedgehog. February 2020 in fact – click here for that film review. Now that is a bit scary. Anyway the sequel – cleverly called Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – is out in the cinemas here in Australia and naturally we went to see it. Here is our review…

The Plot (etc…)

It helps ( a bit) if you saw the first Sonic movie but probably helps even more if you are familiar with the characters in the Sonic video games. Both Dani and myself ticked both boxes. Myself just (on the video game stuff).

It basically picks up where the first movie left off.

Dr. Robotnic (aka Eggman) – again manically played to perfection by the one and only, kooky Jim Carrey – is marooned on some distant mushroom planet living a miserable existence. Meanwhile Sonic the lovable blue-spined hedgehog is loving his new found home in Green Hills on planet Earth.

Suddenly one of those golden ring portals opens up and several alien baddies enter Robotnic’s otherwise lonely place. He manages to beat them off with some of his clever traps and realises he can jump back through the portal. Until that is, a large shadow appears. Enter Knuckles the echidna. Yes, an echidna. For anyone not familiar with Australian wildlife that’s basically an Aussie version of a hedgehog. Possibly bigger but typically (or oddly) Australian as in it is an egg laying mammal (the only other such creature being the platypus). Anyway the natural history guide is not too important as Knuckles is a similar creature to Sonic. As in, he possesses great video-game-like powers. Most notably huge fists that he uses to batter any opposition. Knuckles is a bit like Thor in the Marvel movie when he first comes to Earth. A combination of simplistic opinions and naivety. Perfect for Dr. Robotnic to manipulate and take advantage of eh? Well, yes. That is a big part of the story.

Initially Knuckles is fooled by the Dr. into helping him escape from the mushroom planet and back to Earth. In return Robotnic agrees to help Knuckles capture Sonic and use him to find ‘The Master Emerald’. This is an ancient powerful emerald that the echidna tribe had long searched for and the one who holds it is able to create things merely by thought. But the emerald was considered too powerful to be allowed into the hands of any tribe. It had therefore been hidden from all alien creatures by the Owl that was Sonic’s old friend and mentor (in the first Sonic movie). Something like that anyway. I kind of zoned out a bit at that point in the movie…

Dani was quick to point out that in the video games Sonic and Knuckles are mates. Probably common knowledge eh? In that case it’s no spoiler alert to say that by the end of the movie they join forces to beat the villainous Robotnic.

Other Things…

A third alien animal enters the script in the form of a two tailed fox called Tails (yeah I know). He has a host of useful gadgets & inventions and has been using one of these inventions to watch Sonic from across the galaxy, for some time and with great admiration. He has come to Earth to help his hero, Sonic. What a coincidence eh? Oh, and by the way, Tails can fly by rotating his twin tails, a bit like a helicopter.

The rest of the movie is basically Sonic and Tails trying their best to find the Master Emerald before Robotnic and Knuckles. It roles along at a decent pace and there are some interesting video game style moments. (Or ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ moments if you haven’t seen the video games.)

The finale sees the three video game creatures using their combined powers and skills to outfox and defeat the evil Dr. That much you can see coming from at least half-way through the film. It wouldn’t be fair to say much more than that. Watch the movie…

Then instead of one alien creature, the Green  Hills town sheriff and his wife (played by the same actors as in Sonic 1) now have three in their “family”. And they all live happily ever after. Or do they?…

Right at the end the FBI officer is told that before Robotnic was defeated he managed to open up some 50 year old FBI file called “Project Shadow” and (perhaps even more fortuitously) released the character that had been created. One known – to all Sega video gamers – as Shadow Sonic. The last thing we see is a capsule containing a black-and-red hedgehog opening up…

So basically, it looks like Sonic 3 will be in cinemas in a year or two. We shall see…

Critique

It’s simple really. It is exactly what you would expect it to be. Just like the first Sonic movie this is an easy and enjoyable watch to anyone who likes the video game and/or Jim Carrey. A good fun action packed family movie. The only negative point (for me, although Dani mentioned it too) was there were far too much reliance on CGI graphics etc… But then a movie about alien video game animals that can talk and do lots of powerful stuff? What do you expect?

Worth 3 (maybe even  4) stars out of 5. Make it 3.5 out of 5.