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The Flash (2023)
Great Film ruined by cartoonish CGI
Love the flashpoint story and was really looking forward to this, and i wasn't disappointed, the flashpoint story can be told in so many ways and this made a great go of it, I'm not a fan of Ezra Miller, he has that personality that makes you root for the bad guy to win but looking past that he gave a great performance as the geeky lab geek turned chatty hero, Sasha Calle was amazing as Super girl and hope to see more of her in the future, and lets not forget Michael Keaton! Oh yes OG (my era) Batman, and so glad they didn't digitally de age him as the CGI in this film would have made his role a joke, along with a couple of awesome deep fake cameos from old school supermen & girl, a weird Nick Cage and an old school flash thrown in for good measure, I would have loved to have seen a Grant Gustin flash as Ezra made appearance in the TV show...and lets not forget th glaring omission of Henry Carvil, even for a cameo.
The biggest let down was the CGI, were in a world where we can make such believable effects that we can resurrect the dead or make it so real its hard to spot, but this seems like the effects team had left the default of "cartoon" on and just ruined the overall look, 90% should have been redone before release.
There are always the haters that say its nothing like the comic etc, well just enjoy it as a film and dont over think, nearly 2.1/2 hours long but the story kept a good pace with lots of action so doesn't feel like it..... highly recommend for any fanboy to enjoy!
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Treat Each Season as standalone story
Im a fan of all sci-fi and Picard is added to my all time faves, its a shame its just three seasons long, ive enjoyed each and every season, and especially the reprisal of various roles from previous series, esp. The OG borg queen.
The final season, season 3, is by far the best of the three, the story had me on edge for every episode and there was no lul in the action, the original NG crew slowly turning up each week added to that excitement, i did miss the chance for them to write Wesley into the story as he is barely mentioned.
My only real issue is the writing, if you watch each season as a stand alone show then it works but it was really frustrating that the continuity of each season ifs completely erased...apart from Picard getting his android body,,, thats it!, even the borg turning up in season 2, which could have been really helpful in season 3.
This is a must for any start trek fan, with this ending and the final season of discovery coming soon lets hope strange new worlds has a few seasons to go.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Ended in a mess
I enjoy the Resident Evil franchise, the games, animated movies and the first 5 of the live action movies, but this one is just a mess, its nice to get some closure on a franchise as so many get cancelled midway and left open but this one went a little off mark, the continuity is basically thrown out the window and makes a mockery of the 1st 5 films storyline, somehow Dr Issacs becomes the head of Umbrella, the hive managed to get larger and lower underground and that nuclear explosion that somehow didn't level the city, they did however manage to keep the actors pretty much constant through the films, and especially keeping the smoking hot Milla Jovovich though out helped.
This one can also be a hard watch as the constant cuts and shaky cam usually ends up requiring medication to cure the headache that come with it.
It can be viewed as just a final money grab for the production company, but i do enjoy these films, and wont be the last time I binge the series.
Chappie (2015)
one of the best motion cap / VFX films made
I cant believe the critics didn't rate this film, in my opinion its one of the best motion capture / vfx films ever made, the realism is unbelievable, Its another great film from Neill Blomkamp!
The premise of a sentient AI that's needs to learn is a fresh take on the normal AI that wants to wipe out humanity, there's not much I dont enjoy about this film, the actions scenes are perfect and the backdrop of Johannesburg suits the setting of the movie, theres enough other films always around a stunning metropolis. My only negative point is the annoying characters of Ninja and Yo-landi, I know its was mostly the writing that's creates the character but I couldn't help but wish for a stray bullet somewhere earlier.
I would recommend this film to anyone who's not seen it, ignore the critics and awful trailers, you should see this even if its just for the effects and score.
If they ever have another go at Robocop then Neill Blomkamp should be at the helm, also there's is something oddly disturbing seeing Hugh Jackman in a mullet.
The Guardians of Justice (2022)
Great bit of superhero action
I came across this by accident and it needs to me more known about, its a great bit of cheesy superhero action, its like a mix of the boys, all DC and Marvel and watchmen, and the cheap looking suits and sets add to that 80's feel. Even little nods to Duke Nukem (president N. E. Nukem) and Lo Pan, were fitting era appropriate for the show, the episodes are only 25-30 mins long which is enough to keep you interested with no silly drawn out scenes, the animated scenes and 8-cgi back drops dont look out of place, this just proves that you dont need multimillions and ultra realism CGI to make a great show.
Really surprised this hasn't been advertised anywhere (that I know of) and that the snowflake and political correctness generation haven't had a full blown hissy fit over it, I really hope there is a season 2 and they dont dumb it down, keep the style and writing going.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
what's happening to Marvel!
Im on the fence about this film, on one hand its a good fun film, but as part of the MCU its a weird mess! I think they did a great and tasteful job of passing on Chadwick Boseman the person but kept his memory alive and allowing the story of the Black Panther to move onto the next person and really pleased it was Shuri, the problem is people dont see this as a film but more as PC correctness, i was even called a racist for saying it was not a good part of the MCU..got to love the snowflake generation.
But ever since Endgame and No Way Home, Marvels quality of movies is going down hill (they should shelve Love and Thunder with the Eternals) and lets not forget the rubbish Sony have been making just to try and ride the coat tails, i have my fingers crossed for the next Antman and Guardians lol.
The story of a new unknow race of underwater people have a problem with Wakanda because one machine found Vibranium in the ocean that didn't seem to be anywhere near them, does anyone else not see the problem with this story?? And how come they didn't have an issue when Thanos "snapped" where I'm sure some of them will have vanished, it was as simple as staying hidden as no one knew they existed, and take the word of Shuri for keeping their secret, look how long Wakanda stayed hidden, this film is basically just a prequel for Iron heart as they did a great job introducing Dominique Thorne's Riri character ahead of the series.
The list can go one but as I started saying, I'm on the fence, take the movie out of the the timeline and just enjoy it as a fun film, dont over think it to much, i hope to see more of Shuri as the Black Panther in the future.
I am lost about the mid credit scene... T'challa had a son, who was to old to be recent and as Black Panther got "snapped" then he must have been born before that except him mum was saving other people around the world and hadn't seen T'challa in a while... so just where did this kid come from.... very poor continuity, and yes I was overthinking.
The Ark (2023)
couldn't even make it through episode 1
If you live Sci-Fi then do yourself a favour and avoid this pile of rubbish, its a shame that so many decent shows get cancelled that deserved to continue and somehow this gets made, there's no depth to any characters and every sentence is carboard and forced.
Dean Devlin wrote and produced some amazing Sci-Fi shows and movies in the past so what went wrong here, I do love a good "disaster in space" story but even the way you see the sets work made no sense... spinning ship part fails and they lose forced gravity, yet when they look out the window they are on the wrong side of the floor, and then all of a sudden the "farm" is on a static section and they have gravity?... come one get some little details right, i know they are little niggles but some things are needed to make it feel more realistic.
No major actors/actresses so I shouldn't have expected much but the story does have lots of potential so hopefully it improves, 1st episode should be there to grab your attention and want more, for me... half an episode was enough to give up on it.
Ghostbusters (2016)
1 star is not low enough
This is how not to reboot a a film that didn't need rebooting, the only people who like this belong in the "PC" or "snowflake" crowd, people should be embarrassed for liking this film, the story is rubbish, the acting is so cardboard and forced its irritating, Chris Hemsworth should not do comedy ever and how could the original cast have cameos, at least Harold Ramis was just a bronze bust so he couldn't avoid it, i will honestly say ve watched it a few times just to see if i missed something and perhaps there was something good about it but no, I just cant find a positive spin on it
I can only think of one decent comment I can say about this film, that's the Fall Out Boy version of the theme tune, everything else should be removed from movie history, there's no way this should be referred to as Ghostbuster 3, that firmly belongs to Afterlife.
Absolutely Anything (2015)
Under-rated gold!
This falls into one of my all time favourite movies, Simon Pegg, the cast of Monty Python, the stunning Kate Beckinsale and the amazing voice of Robin Williams.... what more do you need, the comedy and story makes me laugh each time I watch it, and always starts a conversation of "what would you do" and of course you would have to make your dog talk, Dennis comments during the conversation between Neil and Catherine has me in stitches every time lol its a simple story with a perfect.
This is a must watch for anyone who like comedies and Sci-Fi's, definitely not one for the snowflakes in the world though.
Wednesday (2022)
Outstanding - one of the best of 2022
WOW, i have been waiting for this since i first read that a new Addams Family series was being produced and even more excited that it wasn't going to be animated, from the moment i saw the first trailer I was hooked and the casting of Jenna Ortega couldn't have been more perfect, Wednesday Addams was the perfect member of the family to get a stand alone story, the flow and timing was perfect, no dead parts of the story, and was even good seeing Christina Ricci make her appearance.
Uncle Fester appearing topped of my love# for this show, I'm a big fan of Christopher lloyd's version but Fred Armisen's (took me a 2nd glance to realise who it was) played off Jenna's character wonderfully.
I put this in my top 5 series from 2022 and cant wait for another season, lets just hope the people out there that criticise and over think every second dont affect the writing, people need to learn its just a TV show that's made for enjoyment...not bow to political correctness for sake of pleasing the small minded few.
Fringe (2008)
20th+ binge and still loving it!
Im on my 20+ time binge watching this series and still love every minute of it, when watching you have to be prepared to use your brain and also accept it was made by the same guy that made "lost" so there will be massive plot holes and loads of continuity problems but they dont affect the overall story, even the weird 5th season rounded out the series well.
I absolutely love Walter (played by John Noble) and wish i had someone like him in my life, his comedic relief and comments he makes make me laugh every time, the chemistry of Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv works really well and the development of their relationship flows well with each episode, i have even been watching the old commercials and shows where the Observer appeared just to make sure i have seen every single second of this wonderful show.
No doubt this wont be my last viewing and recommend this to any sci-fi fans, its certainly a lot better than more recent rubbish and hold up well to aging.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Well thought out show
I've finally had time to sit and binge the whole first season, and I'm glad I did, if I stuck to watching it as released I think I would have given up early on as the first few episodes are very very slow and hardly kept my attention, but as the story progressed and you got more involved with the plot and characters, the show only got better, thanks in part of the outstanding cinematography keeping on par with the epic movies, and keeping the story tied neatly tied to the franchise, and not causing massive plot holes or errors like other shows seem to do (except the opening scene of LOTR FOTR shows a much older Galadriel getting her ring lol) I also enjoyed the vagueness of "the stranger" is and who ends up being Sauron... many wrong guesses while watching.
The only downside I find (Its the same with any prequel series) is all peril of some characters completely goes away as you know they survive... there in the film later! And as much as I like Roberts Aramayo's portrayal of Eldrond it is missing some of the "agent smith" I liked about the original
Definitely looking forward to next season!
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Feel sorry for Bale
Seems the more Marvel films get made the quality dips every time, if it wasn't for the performance by Bale, which is outstanding, this would have got turned off half way through, the comedy of Hemsworth just gets on your nerves and is so forced I couldn't remotely find it funny, it ruins the film in my opinion, the odd joke or bit of humour if good, but trying to make every scene funny doesn't work, which is a shame as I'm a fan of Taika's work, Korg even over does the joking.
As an overall film it was enjoyable, the story was well played out and little easter eggs add to the quality.
Back to Bale, he made that role, the darkness of his acting shows how good his skills are, and even feeling sorry for him at the end.
And i had to watch it as i cant get this deep into the MCU and not keep going, fingers crossed the next instalment is good.
Legends of Tomorrow (2016)
Great Start and now glad its cancelled!
If you like the show, stick to the first few seasons as they are great, and was very excited and happy to have Constantine brought on to the team as was gutted when that show ended, but then slowly each season became worse and worse, from stupid story lines to an annoying opening song and then bringing in Behrad, which caused me to turn off completely
potential of a time traveling ship containing people with powers had great potential, what happened! Dropped decent characters with a great story arc to replace with people who have the onscreen personality of a wet napkin
cant tell you how the final season goes as I no longer care how it ends.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
get over yourselves! and just enjoy it
All people seem to do is find fault and criticise, instead of just blocking the world out and enjoying a fun show, yes there's some plot holes etc and all Disney seem to care about is pleasing the woke society, being PC and making a buck off an established brand, but if you ignore all that and just watch it for what it is, then like me you will enjoy it. And it has by far the best Vader Lightsaber battle (ep.6) that finally has him fighting instead of just a couple of swings.
Its great to see more of Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan as there's was very little of the original in a hew hope and this is nice to see some of his actual story instead of just saying " i knew your father" to Luke, and also keeping the actors consistent so it can all follow through without masses of changes... and what a cameo of Qui-gon! Didn't need anything more that those few seconds lol.
Was good seeing real sets of all CGI and for a TV show they pulled of that element well, those complaining need to realise its not a movie with movie effects
would like to see more of Obi-wans story but not with Vader as that would ruin the meet on A New Hope, but would like to see what more he makes of his life away from the main story... roll on season 2.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Great Film but blatant money grab from Disney+
Finally had time to go see this on the big screen, and i was very impressed, the graphics were amazing and wish i has seen in 3d (may take another trip) and the story, even though somewhat rushed, made some kind of sense, with some very funny minor jokes.
This is definitely a diversion from the normal superhero movies and is very dark and also very violent in parts, and switching Wanda from good to bad was interesting.
I would have likes to have seen more of the multiverse and other variants, and I'm hoping that Reed Richards being brought in means that the fantastic 4 movie is coming along nicely, just unsure about the casting choice of John Krasinski, but he only had a very small part so i will keep fingers crossed for him.
My big disappointment came with the knowledge that if you hadn't seen Wandavision you would be slightly clueless about her kids and the town she created, fortunately i had a friend with Disney+ so i saw it, those who couldn't missed out of some very important plot info, I do like it when the series pick up on events in the films but the other way around is a little unfair.
Loved the post credit scene with Bruce Campbell, "its ended"
Busanhaeng 2: Bando (2020)
zombies meets death race meets Tokyo drift
There pretty much nothing that connects this to the first film except a quick mention and pretty sure you see the train station in the background when they go searching for the truck
overall its a good zombie movie, but there lots of action and lots of car chase scenes, and they do look more animated than realistic, plus the cars are seriously tuned (even the truck) and always the way that in a world where its falling apart there's a group of militants making the most of the misery
dialogue is not the greatest but the zombies are what you come for lol, couple of cheesy bad guys and as always they never win
worth a watch but dont think it will get a second, i will stick with enjoying the first more.
The Adam Project (2022)
Fun time travel sci-fi film
Big fan of Ryan Reynolds humour and this didn't let me miss out, time travel films are always fun when it comes to peoples reviews and how they just pick at why it was all wrong, well I enjoy it as just a film and understand time travel doesn't exist (yet lol), the usual dry humour of Reynolds plays of well and Scobell's portrayal as young Adam just shows that if your a smart mouth brat you will get the c'#p kicked out of you and if I'm honest i started siding with the bullies, i would never speak to my mother like that, but the chance to confront your childhood bullies as a full grown adult would be fun
I'm guessing's "that's a light sabre" catchphrase is going to become staple for Shawn Levy, but his direction is great and keeps you interested in seeing what happens next, not many slow moments to loose your focus, looking forward to Levy and Reynolds next collaboration.
I would be happy with my nearly teen daughter seeing this, not much that I would call not being family friendly (but she does love Deadpool lol)
Jackass Forever (2022)
Still going strong 20 years on
Well done Jackass crew, just as good as it was 20 years ago, how are none of you dead! Some still make me cringe and some had me crying with laughter, good to see Steve-o can still take a knock and Knoxville just as mad as always, recommend seeing all the credits as some of the raw footage should have made it in
only downer is Chris Pontius, what's the point of this guy, all he is interested in is getting hic c@#k out, think he appears in one stunt and that wasn't even that good
ROCK ON FLYING WEEMAN!!!!
Reacher (2022)
Outstanding
I'm a huge Lee Child fan and his Jack Reacher series, Just about to start his latest) so was very excited about there being a series, my only concern was the casting of Alan Ritchson as the only other things ive seen him (Smallville and Blue Mountain State) i found him extremely annoying.... but as Reacher i was proved wrong and I'm happy to admit it, his portrayal as Jack Reacher fits the books perfectly, and finally someone who actually looks like his description, I'm not knocking Tom Cruise as I enjoyed both his movies but if your like the millions who read him, a 5 foot guy just doesn't cut it
ive read a lot of reviews that dont rate this much due to lack of action etc, but the books are not fast packed action so the series following that, and keeping you hooked to watch the next, it deviates from the book but has the basics of the overall story, and the flashbacks fleshed his childhood experiences.
I was glad to read that Alan Ritchson read the whole series as he has the wit and personality of how i read the character to a T, and the supporting cask all work well and play to their characters just as good.
Very happy a second season had been orders, and hope for many many more, there's lots of good Reacher stories that need to be put on the screen.
The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian (2022)
Finally a decent episode and didnt have the Fett
This just goes to prove that Disney are just making shows just to full out the streaming service, its seems its more about quantity instead of quality, this is the best episode of the Book of Boba Fett so far and it doesn't even have him in it, this is basically a great teaser for season 3 of the Mandalorian and you dont even have to watch this series to enjoy this episode.
Mando brings his great swagger back and gives little nods to previous story plots and even hint Grogu will be making a small appearance, as he seems to offer his services to Boba through Fennec, lets hope he's hangs around for the rest of the series so it can try and end on a high
and that's how the N1 starfighter should look and fly!!!
Once Upon a Time (2011)
Great series - ruined by a 7th series
Ok, title of the review can be a little misleading but I'm a massive fan of this show, and currently binging it for the 10th+ time, the only bit that ruins the show is the 7th series, if your like me you watch until the end of the 6th and leave it at that, the 7th just makes the whole show a joke and was probably only produced to fill out the bottom line.
Anyways, as i said... a massive fan, i love the way they take the original Grimm brothers fairy tales that we all know and love, then ad the twist and how they all interconnect, and how the show keep up with the trends buy including the newer stories from Disney, as well as other folktales and fairy tales from other great authors.
Robert Carlyle's take on Mr Gold / Rumpelstiltskin makes the show, his characters story and his acting makes him loved and hated at the same time, and most people probably side with him as you can relate to some of his struggles, snow/charming's constant optimism can get annoying as well as henrys ability to never listen, i will admit the quality does start to show some loss from season 5 onwards but in my opinion its not enough to stop watching
plus the spin off of once upon a time in wonderland is a great miniseries to fill out some of the other realms story.
The Blacklist (2013)
Was once a great show... now just cancel it already
Unto season 9 the show was great, James Spaders "Red" is a deep and amazing character, loving his little stories when talking to others from the under world, and the twists of "who's your daddy!" kept the story flowing along with hunting down each blacklister, all the plots held the team together through all sorts of misadventures and hunts... and now season 9! Elizabeth's character was so key to the series that there's now no real story except massive amount of flashbacks and very little blacklist hunting
the writers either have hit a writing block or have absolutely no interest in the series anymore, theres no effort being shown and im finsing it very hard to even bother seeing this conclude.
The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
what a let down
After Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian I held high hope that giving the Fett his own story would be great, and what a let down, the story is so slow and drawn out, with the endless slow flashbacks is making it a real struggle to watch and keep my attention on it.
Boba Fett seems to be just an old man now, this needs more action and more of him now over his past, yes it was good seeing him escape the Sarlacc, intruding Black Krrsantan into the story hopefully add that missing "pop" it needs, there no issue with Temuera Morrison portrayal, he's just following direction
4 episodes in, lets keep our fingers crossed the last three pull it back, with the amount of Disney+ Star Wars series coming up, lets hope they dont all go this way and just using the IP for the bottom line.
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)
Great ending to a story
I was really pleased that a studio used their brains and made this, rather than just cancelling a great show with out closure, keeping to the original story and all the actors gave me and the ongoing various storylines some closure and filling in the odd plot gap.
I will miss this show.