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Reviews
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Shyamalamading-dong at the cabin
Shyamalans twists and turns are very truly absent from this cinematic, visceral thriller. His signature twists have been sort of injected into the narrative as to almost throw us off the very linear story pacing towards the ending everyone is definitely trying to decrypt as something different. It is not however, it delivers its story straight in front of you, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's grand. I watched it the once and I wouldn't watch it again and I definitely wouldn't be chatting about it much after the week I watched it in. You did a good job but you should be aiming for oh so much more mr shyamalan.
The Last of Us: Endure and Survive (2023)
Excellent when it's not terrible
The last of us really does love to jump from greatness to weakness with the drop of a hat. Cathleen as a character is terrible, but Henry and Sam are fantastic. The action sequences are great for some part and terrible for others. Endless bullets in a sniper lead to a well shot and tense car exchange between Ellie and a kid clicker. An excellent bloater is shockingly introduced to be then used in a blurry 5 second series of shots. It's so hit and miss the show is like a yo-yo. I'm loving it and hating it at the same time. Consistency is key here people, I really want you people to sort this out ! So much potential!
The Last of Us: Please Hold to My Hand (2023)
Back on track
A hugely enjoyable episode that roars back to the openers vibes with story, characters and unfortunately some more terribly edited action. The only thing missing from the last of us at the minute is some original, gritty and well filmed action. It's got mostly consistent strong performances despite the fact the casting still doesn't feel perfect. It's got great music, fantastic camerawork and colour. The direction and writing is all fine and it works, but the action is terrible and creating a huge deficit in the overall package. If the last of us can deliver this then it can certainly become everything I want from the series.
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
A beautiful story, misplaced
The story of Bill and Frank is beautiful to say the least. As a stand alone story and without taking it as an episode in a series it was hugely enjoyable to watch both Offerman and Bartlett flex their acting muscles and craft an entertaining and gut-wrenching tragedy. It's place in the series however is woefully misguided. A step away from the main narrative takes an already slowing down plot to snails pace, including our main characters for just a brief moment or two. The message is strong but the time and place are weak. Sticking to the game as source material or changing the plot here to service the story would have worked far better. Hopefully the efforts don't add too much loss to a series with huge potential.
The Last of Us: Infected (2023)
Plenty more positive steps
A certain change of pace from the opener, "infected" settles in for some exposition and some world building. I did like the tone of the episode and the heart and soul is certainly there but some casting choices remain unsure in my opinion. Pascal is undoubtedly a fine actor and Ramsey also but are they the right fit for these roles ? Unsure to say the least. They need to make their own stamp and bring their own twist to what is otherwise a promising start to the season. One that makes me again look forward to what's in store. The supporting cast all do a good job and again music and cinematography stand out as the real winners here.
The Last of Us: When You're Lost in the Darkness (2023)
Strong opener
A strong opener to an intriguing universe. Episode 1 hits so many tonal beats it can be quite jarring. Pascal seems to do completely fine with a complex character and the world building and atmosphere are all incredibly satisfying to a fan of the first game. I like the music and I like the cinematography and above all else I like the expectation of the story to come and it makes me very excited as to what they can do with such a story rich and character driven narrative. The only true let down was how some of the editing seemed weak and for its action heavy premise of apocalyptic danger I am hoping for some originality in the action with some authentic and raw violence to compliment the dreary nature of the world.