Before I begin, I'd like to say that this could be either my greatest review, or my lousiest review, depending on who you are! If you don't want to read my review, then close the tab. However, if you
DO read my review, you'll thank me later. ;)
THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL
For the most part, I plan on reviewing movies or television done by professional filmmakers, not fan works. However, there are a couple of fan works out there that, for me personally, I actually feel like sharing my full-fledged opinions on, like this one, for example.
Tobias and the Half Pariah
Based upon "Toby the Tram Engine" by the Rev. W. Awdry
Written and Directed by Tines Sensahthe
Released August 24, 2014
Tobias and the Half Pariah had been in development for well over two years; around the time, a lot of fans were talking about season 16 and
Blue Mountain Mystery and wondered about how the direction of the show was going to go in the hands of Andrew Brenner. But one YouTube user by the name of Trensahnethetram (Tines Sensahthe) had other matters on his hands.
Before working on
Tobias, within a week, he produced a 38 minute short film (I wouldn't exactly call it short, but no matter) starring Percy called
Mysaery, an alternate universe story when the little green engine's pride gets the best of him (I'll have to review that some other time) and leads to his downfall. Later in 2012, Tines filmed a two minute short featuring James called
Death or Life? set around the mid 1960s featuring the red engine in the scapyards and making his escape, ending on an ambiguous note to whether he lived or not.
Long before any of the three, he had planned a Mid Sodor saga with
Peter Sam's Predicament, but goodness knows what he planned before he sort of shunted it aside. In 2010, he'd produced an original six and a half minute film called
Ron & Johnson: The Farshire Legacy about Johnson the steam engine meeting Ron the diesel on the former's last day of service on his own line. I had heard he was going to produce a film called
Duck & Diesel for a 2015 release, but I can assume the idea has been scrapped, so to speak.
Another big project that Tines is working on is
Thomas and the Engine of the Mountains, which the state of the project is unknown for the moment, but I can bet he's determined to get it finished no matter what. But now, time to share my thoughts on (currently) the biggest project he has finished to date,
Tobias and the Half Pariah.
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Tobias, more commonly called Toby, was a small little tram engine who worked on his tram line with his faithful coach Henrietta. But hard times came, and the tram line shut down. Toby thought it was the end, but when a stout gentleman came to the railway one day, Toby's life changed forever.
He was taken to Sodor, and began a new life. He soon began discovering he was stronger and faster than most of the other engines, much to the dismay of one express engine Gordon. He was so hailed, he was allowed to pull the express himself.
But Toby's power is not without cause - and effect. His powers were ill-begotten, and another engine faced the worse end of the equation. Now this engine is after Toby and his power, and Toby will have to come to grips with what he is, what it means for the others, and how his life will change on the North Western Railway.
-Tines Sensahthe
THE CHARACTERS
Every television show, movie, play, etc. must always have characters; they're a strong part to a good story, and
Tobias and the Half Pariah is of no exception. The four major characters - Tobias, Henrietta, Gordon, and Montague - each have their own story to tell. The story for the movie is very multi-layered, and the three subplots - Tobias' and Henrietta's, Gordon's, and Montague's - all build up to the climax. For the past few months, I've been comparing
Tobias to the
Harry Potter saga in my mind, and I'll explain why for each:
Tobias/Toby
Tobias is the main protagonist of the story, and is essentially based off the original character of Toby; he lived in East Anglia with Henrietta before their line closed down due to road vehicles taking over their work, and on their last day, the passengers mocked them for being quaint. In comparison to Harry, Tobias lived a generally peaceful life whilst putting up with the people giving him strange looks, whereas Harry's life is a living hell with the Dursleys, who treat him (and his parents) like dirt. Tobias is also self-conscious; the people of East Anglia give him judgement for his looks and he feels hurt over it.
For both, fate comes in a positive way; the Fat Controller is visiting East Anglia, not because he's on holiday, but to see a tram engine up close. He offers Tobias a place on the North Western Railway face to face, instead of writing to his manager. Tobias then later discovers that he has unspeakable strength when he moves a line of trucks that Thomas can't, as well as "the line". Tobias doubts that he's that great even if the other engines praise his abilites, "like a sword swallower at a carnival." He then proves himself again when Gordon breaks down with the express, and is even allowed to pull it.
However, it all goes wrong when Tobias is switched onto the branchline and nearly crashes into Percy. The cause? Gordon had the points at Elsbridge set so Toby would be late. Because of this, Tobias hates Gordon and doesn't trust the other engines as a result. When he meets with Atherton and Mavis at their respective times, he becomes anxious when he learns that he's a wanted engine, and shows remorse for killing Mavis, even if she attacked him. Still reluctant to trust anyone, Tobias asks Thomas to shunt Henrietta onto the express and tells him that he shouldn't be concerned, but he does when he hears of the mysterious reports, unaware that they connect to Tobias.
When Gordon brings Tobias to Montague, the diesel-turned-steam engine reveals that Tobias was actually an engine working at the harbor at Laournaeth, and that he caused them to get into wreck, resulting in their rebuilds. Tobias doesn't remember any of it, his earliest memories being in East Anglia, very much a case of amnesia. When held captive with Henrietta, Tobias is still angry with Gordon and chews him out for his arrogant attitude to the others; shoving your glory down other peoples' throats doesn't make you great, something Tobias never did. Upon Gordon's death, Tobias feels sorrow and guilt for hating him, and understands how they were alike in many ways - they want to be appreciated for something real. He also stands up for Gordon in front of the other steam engines, and asks them to fight back for Gordon if they won't for Tobias himself, to which they agree to do so.
Steam and diesel confront one another, and when Montague demands that Tobias choose between coming quietly or sudden death, Tobias calls Montague out for being a coward and not facing him directly. When Atherton reveals Mavis' "corpse", Tobias protests that it was only in self-defense and apologizes. In the ensuring battle, Tobias chases after Montague and Atherton, and seeing Henrietta in danger, he begs them to let her go if he gives Montague his engine back. After Atherton is derailed and Montague now a sitting duck, Tobias shouts at Montague to be quiet, and declares that Sodor has accepted him, and he will fight for them. He promises to let Montague go if he and his diesels don't return to Sodor, but when Montague snaps, Tobias pushes him into the sea, saying what Henrietta has told him time and again... "No excuses!"
Tobias and Henrietta then see the steam engines and diesel engines in a mess, and decides to help them all back on track, even the diesels, telling them that the battle is over and that Montague is now dead. In the end, he becomes more accepting to life, and prepares for what the future lies ahead for him.
Henrietta
Henrietta might be a coach, but there's more to her than that; in a sense, she is Tobias' spirit guide, helping him when he's in an awkward position or when he's fretting. She's worked with Tobias since he first came to the tramway, and they've developed a strong relationship, almost like husband and wife. She's a very strong influence for girls; she encourages Tobias to accept the Fat Controller's offer of joining his railway (she would've become a hen-house had Tobias refused) and later, in return, Tobias repays Henrietta by letting her be part of the express.
I'm not fully certain which
Harry Potter character Henrietta could be influenced from, but I can tell that she has Hermione's intelligence and McGonagall's sternness, especially when she pulls the "no excuses" card on Tobias.
Speaking of whom, when Tobias refuses to trust the other engines, Henrietta really comes to form when she tries to convince him to think of the positives and how trust and acceptance are a two-way street. She's also precious to Tobias, especially when she's attacked by Mavis, getting Tobias angry, and when he refuses to let her go. Realizing that the Superior (Montague) is after Tobias, Henrietta decides to travel to the other railway on the express to see if she can get an edge on his plans, only to backfire when Gordon captures her, using Henrietta as a means to lure Tobias to the harbor.
Henrietta feels sorry for causing the mess she and Tobias are in, but when Gordon rants at both of them, Henrietta recalls her conversations with the other coaches, and convinces Gordon to repent his recent behaviors and let go of his petty grudge against them to help them escape, which he does so. Henrietta later tells Tobias that Gordon died for them because Sudrians look after their own.
Whilst the engines are in battle, Montague and Atherton escape and hold Henrietta hostage with Tobias in hot pursuit (Thomas and Percy initially join him before helping the other steam engines). Even if captured, Henrietta proves she can defend herself by holding back Montague giving Tobias a chance to retaliate and confront Montague. After the villain's death, the diesels rejoice and become allies with the steam engines, and Henrietta commends Tobias for giving them another chance, and promises to always be there for him.
Gordon
As the anti-hero of the story, Gordon's role is very much reminiscent to Severus Snape; they start out despising the protagonist, but towards the end, they prove to be good guys in the end. We're introduced to Gordon at Tidmouth sheds when Tobias meets the other engines. He isn't impressed with Tobias in spite of the tram engine's great strength, claiming HE is the only engine to pull the express, but karma bites him when he breaks down and Tobias is sent to his rescue. Humiliated, Gordon vows to get even with Tobias, and his hatred grows when the tram engine is given a chance at the express. He is so clouded in his anger that he doesn't use common sense when he jams the points at Elsbridge, only to find out about the consequences too late... or, what could've been.
After banishment, Gordon furiously damns Tobias and those who never appreciated him; he feels worse when his crew abandon him, driving Gordon into a rage. When he meets three of the diesels, he slowly slips to the dark side and tells Montague everything he knows about Tobias. Later on, he finds Henrietta all alone and presents her to Montague, explaining how faithful Tobias is to her.
Later, he returns to Sodor, forcing Tobias to come with him and brings him to see Montague. Gordon then watches over Tobias and Henrietta whilst Montague prepares to remove his engine from Tobias so he will be the hybrid engine. He's told off by Henrietta for taking all the praise he received for granted, and remembering the passengers who loved him, Gordon lets them go, and he helps Tobias by holding off Ludwig whilst the tram engine clears a path for both of them; Tobias and Henrietta escape, but Gordon and Ludwig are killed by accident by Atherton. In the end, Tobias chooses to honor Gordon's memory, even saying that the diesels are a lot like him; they need some appreciation.
Montague
Most villains have a tragic backstory, and Montague - the engine formerly known as Duck - is no exception. He started off as a diesel (BR Blue Patrick from
Sodor: The Early Years) and was very strong and powerful, even going far as to gaining a following with other diesels. Some time later, he is sent to a harbor, meets with Tobias, and one night, they have a crash when Tobias stalls on the mainline pulling trucks he couldn't, and Montague with the express crashes into him. Both horribly damaged, they're sent for repairs. Whilst Tobias is given a part of Montague's engine, becoming a hybrid tram engine, Montague becomes a tank engine, much to his disgust, and vows to get revenge on Tobias.
In a sense, Montague is Lord Voldemort to Tobias' Harry; Montague and Voldemort changed in appearance all because of Tobias and Harry. When Montague had his crash, he became a steam engine, for which he loathes himself because of it, Voldemort's attempt to kill Harry backfired on him because of Lily's love for her baby, and he gained fame as The Boy Who Lived. Likewise, Tobias gained fame as a hybrid tram engine.
Back to Montague; some may say that his portrayal isn't really the Duck fans know and love, and to some extent, I don't really agree. You see, many fans just treat Duck like he's the best character of the whole show and put him on a pedestal like
My Little Pony's Derpy Hooves (sorry to compare the two), completely ignoring everything else about the story. In order to be a good reviewer, you need to analyze the story
thoroughly to make a judgement. Character appearances a great episode doth not make. As for Montague's portrayal, Tines has good reason for portraying him so; he wanted to bring Duck down by a few pedestals or so and change his status quo as a character. I like that he's a real risk taker there, kind of like myself, really.
Montague's loathing of steam engines also shows some similarities to Frollo's dislike of gypsies in Disney's
The Hunchback of Notre Dame; both hate themselves for their faults and are power-hungry and corrupt. To be fair, Montague expresses concern when Atherton and Mavis don't show up, and when Ludwig brings in Gordon, he isn't happy, but when he finds out that he and Gordon have a common enemy in Tobias, Montague is delighted at the prospect of a steam engine being on the same page as him, especially when he introduces him to Henrietta.
When Tobias is brought to Laournaeth by Gordon, Montague is pleased to see him, but disappointed that Tobias doesn't know him, and gives him a crash course on their history. Here, Montague has something that many villains don't; character depth, and a hell of a lot of it. As the story progresses, he gets increasingly frustrated with Tobias being more powerful than he imagined, and becomes more determined to finish him off by going to Sodor with a diesel army.
Upon confronting the steam engines, Montague demands that Toby give him his engine either by coming quietly or killing the steam engines head on, and isn't opposed to either choice. He feels insult toward Tobias' rant and reveals to the others that he is a killer when revealing Mavis' "corpse". Taken by surprise by the steam engines' kamikaze attack, he and Atherton escape with Tobias, Thomas and Percy chasing after him, but he finds Henrietta and he holds her hostage. By that point, he is slipping to the brink of insanity, and no longer thinking straight. Before he can attack Tobias, Henrietta holds him back, and when Atherton buffers up to his leader, Tobias pulls them away from Henrietta and confronts a now frightened Montague. When Tobias is about to leave him be, Montague's final nerve snaps, and screaming to have his engine back, he is pushed into the sea by Tobias and dies, his face morphing into a smokebox door.
Thomas
Now, what is a Thomas film without the blue engine himself?
Thomas, more or less like the original book, is the first engine whom Tobias meets upon arrival to Sodor. He is also the first to witness Tobias' powers, and even tells the other engines about it. He's also observant, especially when Gordon reveals his intentions, and afterward, Thomas is shocked and appalled with Gordon's actions like everyone else is. Later on, he's shunting the express for Henry, and he then shunts Henrietta on the back of the train despite his reluctance. Thomas when gets anxious when he hears the reports of two engines on the mainline at high speeds and a diesel engine's remains at the quarry, and he wants to help Tobias, especially when Gordon returns, unannounced.
Some time later, Thomas expresses worry for Tobias despite Edward's comfort, and is surprised that Gordon let him and Henrietta go. Moved by Tobias needing their help, he's the first to support Tobias. Like every other steam engine, he is shocked upon learing that Tobias killed Mavis, even if unintentional. He and Percy join Tobias in chasing after Montague and Atherton, before they stay behind to help James and Edward stop the diesels. Later on, he's among the derailed engines, and is surprised by Tobias willingness to accept the diesels as friends, but soon accepts them too.
Oliver
Oliver first meets with Tobias at Elsbridge to tell him that the Sudrian people are saying how Tobias is a real star, and even seems to know about his powers as evident by this line:
"But what if your unique abilities weren't petty or superficial as most make them out to be? What if they were the fruits of something much bigger or something?"
What could he mean by that, I wonder? Answers on the postcard, please!
Later, it is established that he works on the North Western Railway, but he is also a double-agent for Montague and the diesels, acting as a messenger between Sodor and the harbor. His relationship with Montague isn't shown in great detail and it's never explained to why he works for him, but I can infer that Oliver does have a bit more common sense than Montague when he suggests that he seek Tobias himself, which Montague dismisses. In the battle between the steam and diesel engines, Oliver puffs away, leaving his fate unknown until the post-credits scene.
I can compare Oliver's role to Peter Pettigrew/Wormtail - both are traitors in their own right - Oliver to steam engines and Wormtail to James Potter.
The Diesels
The diesels are the equivalent of the Death Eaters of the movie. Three of them - Atherton, Mavis, and Ludwig - appear thirty minutes into the movie, convincing Gordon to join them to get revenge on Sodor. Atherton is the first diesel who confronts Tobias, and he's a stranger to the tram engine, very much like how Tobias was a stranger to other engines when he arrived. He's also insistent on Tobias meeting with Montague as the meeting is mandatory, even if Tobias has his own work to do. This results in a chase, and Tobias and Henrietta manage to evade Atherton by slipping onto the branchline where they take shelter at the quarry.
The next day, Tobias is confronted by Mavis, and they have a fight at the quarry before Tobias can leave. When Mavis attacks Henrietta, Tobias fights back and backs some trucks into Mavis, and they push against each other from behind, until Tobias shoves her into a building which collapses on her.
Later on, when Tobias is confronted by Montague, it's revealed that Atherton and Ludwig have remained loyal to Montague even after his rebuild. When seeing Tobias and Henrietta escape with Gordon, Atherton and Ludwig give chase, and Ludwig gets into a fight with Gordon whilst Tobias is shunting for his life, and just as he cleared a path, Atherton accidentally kills both Gordon and Ludwig by shunting them into a shed with falls on them.
With many diesels gathered together, Montague exaggerates on Tobias' fame, claiming that he's full of self-importance and calls him out for murder in front of the steam engines. When lines of trucks fall on the diesels, because... trucks... they're taken by surprise from the steam engines' kamikaze from behind, and when all of them (and the steam engines) derail, Tobias opts to give them a second chance on Sodor, which they surprisingly accept, even Atherton.
Everyone Else...
...very much plays minor or secondary roles. The Fat Controller is seen bringing Tobias and Henrietta to Sodor, he introduces him to Thomas, gives Tobias the chance to pull the express, and banishes Gordon for his reckless actions.
Percy also has some impact despite his small role; he's taking a stone train from Ffarquhar and just barely avoids a crash with Tobias when the express is sent onto the branchline.
James, Edward, and Henry, the remaining members of the original seven, very much did little. James calls out to Thomas twice - when Tobias and Henrietta return, and when he and the other steam engines hold back the diesels. Edward welcomes the diesels with open buffers at the end, and Henry? All he did was take the express to London with Henrietta at the back of his train, and tell the others that the diesels are coming.
Compared to their RWS/TV counterparts, the original seven engines act differently in
Tobias; Tobias is more or less a bitter character, but he becomes more open towards the end. Gordon is pretty much a spiteful jerk who just wants to be accepted, and he does so posthumously. Thomas isn't cheeky, but he does have sarcastic, John Lennon-esque wit. Percy isn't young and naive; he's more mature and shouts a lot. Edward still has kindness in his personality, James is less vain, and Henry? Don't know.
THE WRITING
Probably the first thing one will notice is that the crews don't have any control over the engines. Yes, this is something of a plothole, but is it important? For me, no; what Tines is trying to do in Tobias is to tell a story, and sometimes, you just need to bend the rules a little to make the story work. (
The Afternoon Tea Express and
Emily Saves the World spring to mind) Okay, he may have bent the rules a lot in places, but still. Plus, it's entirely focused on the trains (coach, in Henrietta's case) and they're the main focus. Look at the Pixar movies;
Toy Story was about Woody and Buzz trying to return home to Andy. Yes, it involved humans, but the main focus was the toys that come to life when no person is around (except for scaring Sid), and it's the same case for
Tobias.
Without the credits, the movie is roughly 100 minutes in length. Don't get nervous and overwhelmed; I know some of you would think a Thomas film should play it safe to around forty-five to sixty minutes, but let's face it - this is a feature length alternate universe film! I mean, the
Harry Potter movies are around two and a half hours long and look at how successful they are! If the plot is too big for sixty minutes, you have extend the length of the movie in order to make the transitions smooth to make a cohesive story.
Show without Telling
On occasion, at least during the first quarter, Tobias provides a little bit of narration of his own, describing his life in East Anglia and how close he and Henrietta are. For the most part, the movie isn't very dialogue heavy; the exposition is minimal, which I welcome since it allows you to appreciate the music more. In the Nitrogen Era, there was far too much narrative and exposition, a major complaint which had been rectified by season 17. For example, in
Santa's Little Engine, when the Earl dismisses Winston as a sleigh, Thomas winks at the inspection trolley, who smiles weakly in return; Mark Moraghan didn't cut in to say the likes of "Thomas winked broadly; Winston smiled weakly." Instead, we get five seconds of no dialogue, just the actions to tell the story. Same thing in
Tobias, for instance, when the engines blow their whistles to support Tobias in protecting him from Montague, and to honor Gordon, who died saving his life (and Henrietta's as well).
The End... or Is It?
After the end credits, we're met with a bird's eye view of Tobias and Henrietta on the mainline, and as the camera rolls back, we see Oliver on the cliffside, watching and frowning, hinting that the sequel will be coming soon.
Yes, you heard that right; a sequel is coming out in August 2017, at the earliest, called
Tobias and the Arcane Merchant. I think
THAT will be worth reviewing as well at some point...!
THE VISUALS AND MODELS
The movie is filmed with Trainz 2009: World Builder's Edition; the program allows you to accomplish what you can't with models (Bachmann, Hornby, Take-n-Play, Wooden Railway, etc.) such as longer trains, very big layouts, trains in ridiculous positions, you name it.
A large portion of the models are from the 2006 range of Sodor Island 3D models - Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Duck/Montague MK 2, Donald and Douglas, BoCo, Derek (from UK Branch Lines), Bill and Ben, Diesel/Ludwig, and lots of rolling stock, as well as Alfred from
Sodor: The Dark Times. Maybe our (kind of) favorite B12 is a bad guy turned good?
Tobias/Toby, however, uses his 2009 model, as does Henrietta. This makes him stand out among the characters with major roles, which Tines said is one of the film's motifs. Same applies to Oliver, although his model is NOT made by SI3D, but instead by SkarloeyTheGreat. Since he also stands out, I wonder what that means...?
Bear/Atherton, Mavis, D199, and the Big City Engine, as well as Patrick/Montague MK 1, Sheffield, Alice, and Peter of
Sodor: The Early Years and
Sodor: The Modern Years, are made by WildNorWester on his website. Atherton and Mavis are based on older versions whilst the likes of Sheffield and Peter are based upon the 2010 models.
There are some issues with the animation when Tobias "clips" certain objects. For example, his sideplates and cowcatchers seem to go through the turntable sides (is that what they're called?) outside of his old shed, and at the quarry, his roof clips through the shed roof at Anopha Quarry. It could be down to scaling issues and it can't be helped, I suppose! Same thing with objects in the background appearing and disappearing at times.
However, the sweeping angles and camera shots more than made up for the animation blips, especially chose with the express scenes, the chase scenes, and the quarry battle. So
THAT'S how trains would fight!
One continuity mistake I feel is worth pointing out is that at Elsbridge, on Henrietta's close up, Tobias is gone, and when Oliver steams into Elsbridge, Tobias is back, but Oliver just seemed to appear from nowhere. He even disappears again when Tobias compares himself to the sword swallower!
In the same scene, Gordon passes by with green and cream express coaches, but when he breaks down, he's pulling red and custard coaches! Is it the same day or a few days after?
Also, at the quarry, I notice that some trucks are filled with coal or china clay instead of stone. If it's a quarry, can we at least have trucks filled with stone?
THE MUSIC AND VOICE ACTING
Tines Sensahthe provides the voices for Tobias, Henrietta, and Montague. His voice for Tobias is brilliant, and Henrietta does almost sound feminine; you wouldn't believe the trouble he had trying to find a female voice actor...! Montague's voice can really give one a scare when he shouts, especially his mental breakdown at the end...
IT IS MIIIIIIIINE!!!
D. T. Chapman's performance as Gordon matches his persona brilliantly; pompous and arrogant. He captures the big engine's emotions brilliantly.
James Pyle's role of Oliver was severely limited and could've had more lines and scenes, I believe. However, with
Arcane Merchant coming out in 2017, hopefully...!
Rhys Griffin provides the voices for Thomas and Atherton. I say he's done fairly good for the most part, and so does D. Irwin when he brings Percy to life, especially when the little green engine shouts. Who knew a little engine could have a big voice? As for James, he didn't have very many lines, so I can't give a full judgement for his James voice.
Same thing with Jaimie Ringwood as Edward and Marlon Malan (EnterprisingEngine93 on YouTube) as Henry. Jaimie's portrayal of Edward matches the blue engine's persona nicely; soft-spoken and kind. Marlon's performance of Henry... eh, I'm not sure. Could be a little deeper, I think.
Trevor Cully makes a sly voice choice for Ludwig, it almost sounds like the original Diesel. Also, big props to Daniel Long as the Fat Controller considering his few lines.
If there was any voice I didn't like, it was Mark Monroe as Mavis. It sounds... wrong. Mavis is a female (as evident when Montague refers to Mavis as "she") so why have her sound masculine? I don't know, it just doesn't sound right... literally.
Much of the music is composed by Tines Sensahthe himself; he's a director, writer, producer, voice actor, and music composer all in one! My God, he does a lot! Of course, he didn't do ALL the music; some of the tracks in
the movie soundtrack are taken from other movies and composers:
Try Not to Lose Your Way (Let's Go to Town)
Composed by Craig Armstrong
Track 13 for The Great Gatsby (2013) Original Soundtrack
Thomas finds out of what Gordon had done, and Tobias discovers too late that he's on the branchline and just barely avoids crashing into Percy.
Banish'ed (Dead Myrtle)
Composed by Craig Armstrong
Track 14 for The Great Gatsby (2013) Original Soundtrack
Everyone has found out what Gordon had done and they're furious with him. The Fat Controller is so cross with Gordon he banishes him to the other railway.
The First Confrontation (Fenland in Flames)
Composed by James Newton Howard
Track 9 for Snow White and the Huntsman Original Soundtrack
Atherton chases Tobias and Henrietta, before they escape onto the branchline, much to Atherton's frustration,
The Second Confrontation (The Fog and Monkey Mutts)
Composed by James Newton Howard
Tracks 23 (The Fog) and 24 (Monkey Mutts) for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Original Soundtrack
Tobias and Mavis' battle at the quarry before he shunts her fast into the shed.
Do You Know What You Did to Me? (Pater Noster)
Composed by Voices of Light
Montague tells Tobias their backstory and how he wants revenge. I'm not sure which soundtrack it comes from. :P
Escape from Laournaeth (Escape from the Tower and White Horse)
Composed by James Newton Howard
Tracks 5 (Escape) and 7 (White Horse) for Snow White and the Huntsman Original Soundtrack
Gordon, Tobias, and Henrietta escape from Atherton and Ludwig; Gordon holds back Ludwig whilst Tobias shunts.
Gathering in the Snow
Composed by Carter Burwell
Track 24 for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Original Soundtrack
Charge of Montague, Oliver, and the diesels, and the steam engines' arrival.
Dark Army
Composed by James Newton Howard
Track 2 for Snow White and the Huntsman Original Soundtrack
The steam engines and the diesel engines battle; Montague and Atherton escape, Tobias, Thomas and Percy in pursuit.
Armada
Composed by Two Steps from Hell
Tobias chases after Montague and Atherton, who have coach-napped Henrietta. I'm not sure which soundtrack it comes from. :P
Over the end credits, three songs are played; Imagine Dragons'
Amsterdam, Bastille's
Weight of Living Part 1 (Albatross) (which also played in the second trailer), and Florence + the Machine's
No Light, No Light. You can draw your conclusions to why those songs were chosen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you made it this far in the review, well done. Roughly a third of the movie review was more or less a character analysis to the major players to the story, and the remaining two thirds were my praises and few criticisms.
Tobias and the Half Pariah isn't perfect, and it does have a few contrivances here and there, but for the most part, they're hidden so well you'd hardly notice they were there in the first place. I could go on about the rest of the movie, but details would be long and tedious.
On whole, it's a fantastic movie, even if it's unofficial, and is probably up there among the greatest fanworks ever.
The first part of Gordon's saga, and it shows how much the engines act like children at times; they don't like doing the jobs they don't want to do, but they have to regardless. Here, Gordon didn't want to pull trucks, and for trying to get out of doing it, he's been punished by being made to pull trucks as the next story will show.
Leaves/The Trouble with Mud
Honestly, why hold it back for two seasons instead of adapting it (as well as Henry and the Elephant) for season one? The mud appeared on Gordon without reason, and because he's dirty, he's not allowed to pull the express. Remember this, as I'll be discussing this in a future review. The second half is fine, but it's not enough to redeem this adaptation. Now, it's not THE worst adaptation (I'm looking at you, Rusty to the Rescue) but it is the most pointless.
Definitely another favorite of mine from season one; the moral on obeying orders is very good, and I like how Annie and Clarabel stand up for Gordon. It's also nice to how both Thomas and Gordon respected one another in the end; they've both done stupid things and formed their Alliance.
Queen Elizabeth is coming to Sodor for a visit, and Henry is hoping to pull her train, but his gloating is short lived when a paint bucket falls on his boiler. The Fat Controller then meets with Thomas and Gordon who both apologize for doing stupid things, and Gordon is allowed to pull the Royal Train with Thomas arranging the coaches.
While some people say Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas should've finished up season one, I think this episode should've finished season one and Gordon's saga perfectly. Speaking of whom, I like Gordon's role here; he knows he won't pull the Royal Train as he's in disgrace, and has become less pompous and more humble. He even asks the Fat Controller that Thomas get his branchline back, and in return, Thomas asks if Gordon can pull coaches again. Positive karma, after all; do something nice for someone, they'll do something nice in return.
