Change Your Image
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2JkMDAyZmQtNDliOS00OGYxLWIyYjctZWExZGY3ZmE3MjA1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA3OTUzNDA@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
digitalchet
Reviews
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody (2023)
A disappointingly self-indulgent dive into nonsense
If there was ever an episode that demonstrated a total and complete lack of understanding of what Star Trek represents, this is it.
What the previous cross-over episode failed to erode in regards to Roddenberry's dedication to realism and believability with the Start Trek universe, this latest addition completely destroys.
The use of musical episodes has always been a way for production crews to showcase their performance abilities and bring a sense of fun and showmanship for the production crews to series that already tend to more lighthearted or comedic tones. However, for a show like Star Trek, renowned for its no-nonsense intellectual approach to genuine ram-world issues, this episode throws all of that in the trash.
The decision appears to indicate a shift towards indulging in Hollywood-style gimmicks typically reserved for sitcoms and less serious productions. This trajectory threatens to undermine the authenticity and credibility that Star Trek has earned over the years.
What was once a credible and no-nonsense glimpse into a possible future through the lens of Star Trek now risks being overshadowed by the intrusion of the ostentatious & obnoxious pretentiousness one would usually expect from attention & spotlight-seeking drama nerds.
It leaves me wondering what the future holds. Will we see laugh tracks and slapstick comedy next?
This departure from the series' core identity, although no doubt appreciated by the epicene audience the showrunners are pandering to, will no doubt alienate the genre's long-standing & loyal fanbase, who appreciate Star Trek for its original intellectual depth and adherence to realism. The show's appeal lies in its thought-provoking themes and complex characterizations, not in flashy song-and-dance numbers.
The pure & genuine essence of Star Trek is being sacrificed on an altar of cheap television trope.
Where is the once thoughtful storytelling, intellectual depth, and authenticity that was once the cornerstones of the series? Put away the self-aggrandising flashy gimmicky tropes that risk overshadowing the legacy of a credible, hopeful & worthwhile but no less difficult future.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Broken Circle (2023)
Dismal
I don't know what's worse. An overly emotional Spock defying all sense, logic, and protocol to not only steal the Enterprise, but take it to a system where detection puts the entire Federation at war with the Klingons. Add to that a super-serum that allows a doctor and a tiny woman to beat up several Klingons-battle hardened warriors-with no more than a blood nose & scratches as consequence. And one of the Klingons gives up secrets after only a few punches? Ridiculous.
And after all that, to receive no punishment or consequence for the crime of stealing the ship, defying orders and Starfleet protocol is beyond stupid.
This is what you get when writers who have no idea of or respect for the lore or history of the universe they're working with.
I for one can't wait until Star Trek is delivered from the hands of these charlatans. It's is an absolute wonder that they're even employed, let alone able to run such a franchise with such promise and potential.
Another Life (2019)
Ultimately forgettable...
Tl;dr - It's completely forgettable.
I watched through the entire season 1 and to be honest, I could remember none of it. None of it stuck in my mind, and the recap conjured nothing but vague memories.
The only draw I had to this series was that that it was sc-fi and that it starred Katee Sackhoff, but sadly, this production doesn't hold a candle to her work on BSG.
I couldn't possibly recommend spending your time on this show unless there's literally absolutely nothing else to watch.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Strange Energies (2021)
Sheesh...
Just when you think it can't get worse.
I think I half smirked at a single joke in this entire episode ("they keep showing me lights...!"). The rest was the same old tired stuff we've come to expect from these writers.
How was ST allowed to get this bad?
Stowaway (2021)
Watchable but frustrating
While I appreciate the effort that went into making this film, I find it incredibly annoying that the writers expect the audience to make such huge leaps in believability.
The first major problem, as many others have pointed out, is how Michael got left on the ship to begin with. We're expected to believe that the space agency doesn't have the procedures in place to account for *all* personnel prior to, during, and after launch.
That the mission crew only *accidentally* stumbled upon Michael is preposterous.
Second, were expected to believe that this space agency didn't have the necessary redundancies in place to account for a the failure of a *major* piece of equipment.
That this space agency could ever accept the risk of losing this piece of equipment during an extended mission is beyond a joke.
Third, during the EVA, neither one of the crew were tethered to the ship in any meaningful way. Meaning, again, that this space agency has no procedures in place to guard and ensure the lives of the crew during an EVA.
At the half point Zoe even instructs David to let go so that she would pull him towards her. This manoeuvre risks not only both of their lives since they're practically only tethered to each other, but also the integrity of the solar panels were told are so important.
Fourth, we're expected to believe that a space mission would use regular terrestrial climbing equipment instead of the overspecialised equipment usually designed to make the mission crew's tasks as easy and achievable as possible.
I could go on but the logical and truly questionable holes and plot points the writers left in this film are simply too many... the lack of fitness, dexterity and constitution of the male crew members; the fact that Zoe does not drop the radiation visor on her helmet during her final EVA; the way they carry the oxygen canister back to the hab module... it just goes on and on.
Suffice it to say that this movie is truly enjoyable to only the most gullible and/or ignorant viewers, and just frustrating to those who possess even a small amount of brainpower.
Watch it at your own risk.
Away: Spektr (2020)
Enjoyable & believable but for one scene
Decent episode as far as the series goes.
Was invested and enjoying it until they got the part where they perform the EVA to collect the water.
We're expected to believe that they go to the trouble of suiting up, spending precious time decompressing, stepping out of the ship into empty space to perform a completely overcomplicated procedure?
C'mon, we're either actually too stupid to understand the physics involved, or they didn't explain the reason why they had to overcomplicate the procedure.
Emma could easily have held the bags to the valve and gathered all of the water instead of having them both sitting there looking dumbstruck while water leaked out into space.
This seems like the work of a writer either trying to be overly clever, or one simply failing to convey the science that necessitated the manoeuvre.
Anyways, barring that one scene, it was enjoyable.
V-Wars (2019)
Netflix, WTF?!
Barely halfway through the first episode and I could already tell this was going to be horrible, but I powered through to the second episode for good measure, just to be sure.
The dialogue, if you can call it that, is amateurish and unrealistic, stilted and uninformative; the characters don't act or speak rationally or believably; there's barely any chemistry between any of the actors; the science is superficial at best and for a main character that is a scientist-an epidemiologist no less-there's barely any actual scientific investigation being done... the whole thing just feels awkward and amateurish.
I don't see why Netflix would fund this. The plot is predictable and basic. Five minutes in and I could tell the black dude was going to be the bad guy-that gives you an idea of how bad the writing is. I'm sure it's going to be explained away through some genetic mutation that only affects dark-skinned people but I don't think I will get far enough to find out.
I just don't think I can continue to watch this; I don't want to reward bad content.
I've marked this review as containing spoilers but if anything in this show surprises you, then all the best to you, but trust me, this show is beneath you; you deserve better and you shouldn't subject yourself to this.
6 Underground (2019)
Another completely missable Michael Bay special
Don't know how Netflix ever approved this. It seems like the product of a hyperactive teenage amateur filmmaker's mind. Bay doesn't even try to rein in his frenetic-paced product-laden vision to shoot sequences that make any sense.
Too many close-ups, beauty shots, shaky-cam, slo-mo, weird camera angles, architecture shots, confused colour correction, unnecessary and unbelievable explosions, upskirt shots, and the script is juvenile and barely holds the story together.
Not even Ryan's humour and quick wit can save this train-wreck.
I think the only way this adrenaline-fuelled , "The ADHD Team" story would've worked is it if had been written for a game tie-in like Just Cause. But as it is, it's a brainless, shallow and completely missable film.
Watch at your own risk.
Gemini Man (2019)
Predictable & flawed but not unenjoyable
While it's not as bad as the "professional critics" seem to make out, Gemini Man is somewhat flawed.
Sure, you won't find clever or surprising high-concept sci-fi here, nor truly deep and engaging characters, and the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. There are moments where you wonder what happened to real-world physics, and scenes where the visual effects fall just slightly short enough to pull you out of the moment.
But despite all of that, Ang Lee, as only he can, once again delivers fast-paced action, striking visuals, and innovative tech to bring his vision to life.
Will Smith does a great job of making the deaging technology believable. His portrayal of his character's younger selves is fantastic and while the technology may fall slightly short in some scenes, you can definitely see the potential. This is no run-of-the-mill deep-fake.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the HFR, but I understand why Lee opted for it. I just feel it takes away that certain cinematographic quality.
Still, it's worth the watch if you've nothing else to watch on a Friday night.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
They took everything that made the orginal great and ruined it
I will freely admit I'm not a fan of musicals, and I was never exactly a huge fan of the original classic film but even with a number of viewings I could count on one hand I could recognize and fully appreciate what made it a much-loved classic.
The only thing they got right about this production was the cast. Emily did have the chops to pull off a great performance as Poppins (though admittedly could never truly match Andrews'), Lin-Manuel was likable and amusing as the artful dodger; the children had just about the right amount of cuteness, mischief, and childish earnestness; and everyone had an air of familiarity and nostalgia that made it easy to believe it could be something spectacular.
Unfortunately, the performances of this great cast could not save this production. They were all entirely let down by writers who seemingly never knew or understood the main characters or their world enough to make them truly interesting or believable-Poppins comes off as arrogant and foppish, fanservice is completely off the scale, and some scenes are just complete and utter ill-fitting nonsense. Moreover, the composers simply tried too hard to be clever when writing the musical numbers-like combining Nickelback with the writers of the Gilmore Girls-simply uninspired compositions and lyriics that were with too clever and convoluted to be memorable; and a studio who-like the bankers in their own story were far too focused on the dollar signs to see the failure they were setting themeslves up for.
Whereas after one viewing of the original I could sing almost any of the musical numbers, I could not even begin to remember any of the words or tunes from this one. It seems to me like this was written with the hopes to have it one day be performed on Broadway, with its overly elaborate, self-aggrandising numbers that pander to the type of crowd that are too easily distracted by the razzle-dazzle to look any deeper. I can only assume they're the ones giving out the 10/10 scores.
Towards the end of the second act I simply had to begin skipping forward as I couldn't bare to waste any more time on it. Though astonishingly, it made me want to watch the original over again to get this abomination out of my mind.
I simply couldn't recommend this to anyone.
Noah's Ark (1999)
I hired the DVD and I'm getting my money back...!
I had a feeling this movie was going to be trash when I saw the disclaimer at the start warning about "artistic license". Honestly, if writers/producers/directors need to mix up the characters and stories of the Bible to sell a movie, they are not worthy of their profession. Any good Biblical scholar, or indeed anyone who calls themselves a student at all, will know that no part of the Biblical account needs the embellishment and exaggeration of the magnitude which is seen in this film. The story of Noah "alone" has enough drama and action in it to make an entire trilogy out of.
I saw the first 10 minutes of it and decided I'd rather go and do something more constructive than fill my head with utter rubbish. I feel utterly sorry for all the people involved in the creation of this film, including the actors. It will surely be seen as a black mark in the annals of their careers.
Man, from the 10 minutes I managed to watch, I could go on criticizing this movie for hours but I'd rather not. I've already wasted enough time watching part of it.
Seriously reconsider watching this film.
I really, truly hope they never make a movie this bad again.