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peterrichardson-05555
Reviews
The Karate Kid (1984)
Lovable even if flawed
Yes, it's corny and slightly predictable. However, it's also a bona fide classic with wonderful catchphrases and characters who are both endearing and enduring.
The bad guys get their asses kicked, good triumphs and all is well.
What more do you want from a film? This film also holds up well against modern values. Racists are ridiculed, ageism pushed aside and the Japanese stereotypes are okay, given the place of respect it comes from.
If you were ever the underdog, bullied or ignored youngster then this film is for you.
If you're into martial arts, you'll probably love it to, but don't expect it to be too realistic!
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Tragically bad sequel
Take the timeless original, reset the plot on a beautiful, intriguing Japanese island and wait for the magic, right? Wrong. The original feud with Sato is a badly played joke and is dropped way too easily. The disgrace of Chozen is absurd, in fact the whole storm scene is rather ridiculous. This is a bit of a problem when the whole third act hinges on that storm. The ending is then predictable and rather dull.
Sadly, Mr Myagi's character and back story is often inconsistent and almost irrelevant to the final scenes, which just spits in the face of the restrained and mysterious soul from the first film.
The whole thing about Japanese people talking to each other in English is jarring too. Maybe that was okay in 1986, but it feels lazy and insulting to both the audience and Japanese culture today. I wonder how much richer the plot would have been for Danny to face all these challenges surrounded by people he could not understand culturally and linguistically. Instead we're offered a cut price, stereotyped and imaginatively narrow view of a country and a people who deserve a lot better than this trash.
It's probably better to consider this nonsense as half baked fan fiction and skip straight to Cobra Kai.
Star Trek: The Enterprise Incident (1968)
Excellent but...
That little thing was the entire cloaking device? I thought Kirk had accidentally brought a Romulan lamp shade over!
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Emergence (1994)
Imagine the captain's log...
Monday - ship developed true AI out of nowhere, drank tea
Tuesday - ships AI took over all controls - oops, must have a word with Geordi and Data about finally putting in firewalls and a dmz between us and that damn holodeck before I forget
Wednesday- ship created a baby AI which nearly killed us, then it disappeared off, lucky eh?
Thursday- drank more tea and quoted Shakespeare with the senior staff
What on Earth would star fleet think? How about: how could this happen? Why? Could it happen again? Is the new life a threat? Nope, nobody seems to have a clue! And don't get me started on another H&S near miss with barrels in the cargo bay! Did they not learn after Worf's accident?! This series really does get sillier and sillier!
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Game (1991)
Good fun but..
Why was Riker so dumb as to indulge? Indeed, why would he be advertising his rank and ship to his casual lady friend? Then we're supposed to believe that Wesley can resist the lure of the game but the likes of Worf and Picard can't? Oh and how exactly did it work for Geordi? They simply avoid showing him using it! Pah, this is a poor episode that's been massively overrated. Only the chemistry between Wes and Robin redeems it.
Abandoned Engineering (2016)
Fascinating viewing
It's a bit lighter on facts and figures than I'd prefer and definitely too heavy on the dramatisation, but otherwise excellent. I can't help but look up all the locations on Google maps of these amazing structures and then go digging in further on Wikipedia for more detail. Hugely entertaining and educational. I recommend this show to anyone with a passing interest in modern archaeology, architecture or recent history.