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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
A safe approach. Abrams will be remembered as the director who did everything bigger, but not better.
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker is a very safe approach to the saga. The movie does not offer many surprises or a deep plot. The plot feels also a bit messy and as it has been fast produced during some parts.
The movie starts by announcing the return of Darth Sidious in the classic opening crawl. We get to see early in the movie, that Sidious has been in control after the Return of the Jedi all the time. It appears that Snooke was just a piece in Sidious plot. By this add Abrams keeps watering down the victory that rebels got in the sixth movie. Sidious has been hiding all this time at his secret sith hideout. Sidious has been building galaxy's biggest and most powerful fleet with his loyal supporters, this add on feels a bit weird. Wouldn't it have been better if Sidious would have taken over First order, which was already superior in numbers against resistance. Did they really need to make up a new fleet, which had no further mention? This feels like something that was made up just to get the fear factor of Sidious to maximum. The audience do not get any longer explanation of how Sidious at this secret planet has been able to put together his massive fleet. Where did he get the materials to the fleet and the personal? How has he been able to keep it a secret from the rest of the galaxy for this long?
It is also mentioned in the opening text, that Kylo Ren is going after Sidious, who he sees as a threat to his role as supreme leader. This is a good thing in my opinion. It would have been boring, if Kylo Ren would automatically been under Sidious rule. It is at the same time a good change that Sidious has been pulling the strings without the knowing of the first order. Naturally Kylo Ren can't defeat Sidious alone, so he has to join Sidious first and start to seek out Rey. I think this is the point very older fans realize that it's Darth Vader and Luke plot all over again.
The next hours of the movie feels a bit like a filler before the long awaited final battle. Abrams is known as a director who wants to make everything bigger. A great example of this is Sidious new star destroyers which are presented in the movie. The star destroyers have now the capability to destroy entire planets. This is lazy writing in my opinion. Who is left to rule if Sidious plans to destroy every planet that shows even a little opposition? It also underlines the epicness of Death Star 1 and 2, which were constructed under a long time. Death Stars were still quite slow and took time to load.
We are next introduced to the hideout of the rebels, who are currently positioned on jungle planet. Leia is helping Rey with her training to become a jedi.
There are many scenes in the movie that feel nearly exactly like scenes from the original trilogy, this scenes has just been made bigger this time. It all starts when Rey decides that she has to find a way to Sidious secret hideout. Poe, Finn, Chewie and C-3po joins her for this quest. They end up at a dessert planet Pasaana. which is introduced in the movie. Chewie is being captured at the planet by the first order. Rey and her company does a rescue mission, which takes place on Kylo Ren's Star Destroyer. These scenes feels like scenes from Episode 4 with Luke&co. Then occurs maybe the biggest surprise in the whole movie. General Hux betrays Kylo Ren and helps the members of resistance to escape, but the reason feels lazy. General Hux did not wat Kylo Ren to win, so there was no deeper plot involved.
A main plot in the movie focuses on Rey, Finn and Poe trying to find the sith keys which will lead the way to Sidious secret hideout. During the seek we are introduced to an returning character, Lando Calrissian who tells that he helped Luke to seek out sith keys on the planet that he is currently living. It is not for once mentioned why Lando choose to stay on this planet and why didn't he return with Luke to the rebels. It glads be that C-3po has a big role in the hunt for Sidious hideout and C-3po is also the character who brings much comedic moments to the movie. I also think the writing of his character is good in the movie. Rey, Finn and Poe have to find a way to get the C-3po to translate the secret message of sith, that reveals Sidious hideout. With the help of former friends of Poe, C-3po manages to translate the message.
It is revealed that the part which leads to Sidious hideout is kept in the remains of Death Star 2 on planet Kjiimi. Before finding the key, Rey has lightsaber battle against Kylo Ren. Which ends in Rey defeating Kylo with the help of Leia who is reaching to Kylo trough force. Rey heals him and leaves him on the planet. This is a turning point for Kylo Renn, who gets a vision of his father Han Solo and at that moment Kylo Ren leaves the dark side. Reaching out with force is also what kills Leia and her sacrifice is one of the most beautiful things in the movie, specially the reactions of Chewbacca got me to tears.
Rey for herself heads to the planet where Luke were hiding during the last years. Kylo Ren has earlier in the movie revealed to her, that she is in fact the grandchild of Darth Sidious. This information was a bit surprise for me. Rey fears that she will turn to the dark side if she confronts Sidious. She meets a force ghost of Luke who advice's her to go to Sidious hideout, because she is the last hope. This part feels like Luke's storyline all over again.
Resistance then makes up a plan for the final battle . Resistance heads up to secret hideout of SIdious to meet up with the troops of Sidious and the first order. Rey is going to meet up with Darth Sidious. The final stages of the movie offers really nothing new. It is New hope, Return of the Jedi and The force awakens revisited. Resistance is highly outnumbered when the battle begins. Everything goes to hell at the start, but Resistance gets help when everything seems to be over for them. This is maybe the worst part in the movie. Lando has somehow got an incredibly massive fleet to join the fight against Sidious fleet and the first order. Rey meets up with Sidious. This scene is just like the scenes from Return of the Jedi. Kylo Ren arrives and betrays Sidious by helping Rey to defeat Sidious. But I have to admit that I like how Sidious is portrayed as a very overpowered Sith. Sidious stops alone for moments the whole fleet of resistance by force lightening. The space battle is not so epic in the movie, it actually gets quite little time and focuses on the usually stuff. Resistance trying to aim for critical points of Star Destroyers, which will help them to make the Star Destroyers powerless in battle.
The review was quite critical, but I still enjoyed watching the movie. It just feels that it had somewhat lazy writing by re-using many scenes from earlier movies and not really adding anything new, beside overpowered Star Destroyers, a old villain, who are more powerful after his return. A bit bitter taste leaves in my mouth after this movie. It feels that Luke Skywalker and the rebel's fight was all for nothing in the original trilogy.
Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2019)
So cheesy
I really wanted to like this movie, I really did. It had the biggest budget ever for a Finnish movie and a scifi!, but it does not help in the end. What went wrong? Well, if the funniest scenes are shown years before as teasers to the movie, then it tells much in my opinion. The jokes in the movie feels so forced and do not feel funny. I know that it is not a serious movie, but is this really the best plot they came up with after 7 years since the last movie?
The plot seems interesting at start. Last survivors of earth is living on the former nazi moonbase. Struggling with technology, food and everything else. The main character a strong female named Obi child to Renate and James from the first movie. Obi meets an Russian survivor who arrives to the base suddenly and then things starts to go wrong. Sasha is played by an Russian actor, but still feels very forced with his bad English accent, this has been done so many times. He's struggle for acceptance trough jokes is also a bit tiresome, but funny at some parts. Iron Sky The Coming race also introduces a Steve Job cult, who has some funny jokes.
The biggest let down is for sure the part of movie where Obi, Sasha and other characters starts their journey to the hollow earth. Before this Obi has a fight with Wolfang who returns from the last movie and finds out that Wolfang is an alien, he then tells to Obi that he has the cure for her mother who is sick. Obi is trying to get find the source of Vril's power which is found at Vril's base in the hollow world. The movie turns to an uninteresting chase at this point.
The hollow earth is the home of Vril a lizard alien who came to earth before humans and also created humans. At this point it is also explained that Vril's where camouflaged at world leaders in past and responsible for many bad things that happened at earth. Among the leaders we can see Hitler, The pope, Thatcher. These characters do have some funny lines, but the actor playing Hitler do not resemble him much and Hitler has very few lines, he just focuses on the chase after Obi and her company. Coming race got the same dark theme as the last movie, but the last movie did nearly everything better.
The movie do not really have any good battles, which is strange with such a big budget. The same guys made in past Star Wreck without a budget and those films got more fights. I can recommend the movie for people who like dinosaurs and nicely done aliens. The actors can't be blamed they did what they could for the plot and the acting feels professional, but the plot feels like it was thrown together for a cheep fan movie.
Rogue One (2016)
The darkest chapter in the saga
Rogue one is a very dark, but beautiful peace in the Star Wars saga. Telling the story of those rebels who became the rogue one group and scarified everything giving hope to other rebels. It's a tale also of the bad and the good imperial generals who built death star, Orson Krennic and Galen Erso. Rogue one is set just before episode 4 and specially the ending manages to show this greatly trough Bail and Leia organa and leaders at yavin 4.
The intro scene tells already what kind of movie it will be, full of hopeless situation and darkness. Galen Erso chooses against all odds to still help empire after they killed her wife and only in the end most will understand why he did it. His daughter Jyn Erso manages to escape and is the main character which the movie follows, not trusting rebels in the beginning but ending to be the one who leads a pack of rebels to one of the most important missions in the history saving the data file that later is the reason downfall of death star.
Rogue one introduces many interesting characters on of them being Chirrut Îmwe who clearly believes in force and also has the ability use it.
The movie is built up way better than episode 7 and makes sense. The empire is at it's glory controlling big parts of the galaxy and ruling with an iron hand. Now taking the rule in to next level with the finished death star. While episode 7 was a small group called First order who suddenly in a short time had built a much more powerful weapon. It felt like lazy writing compared to rogue one. It also makes sense now why there is so little fighters attacking death star in episode 4, so many were lost in the battle above Scarife There is still a bit cheesy feeling in some parts in rogue one, for example how are imperial stations always so badly guarded, but trough the movie you still get that feeling that rebels are badly outnumbered and just succeed to get the data file in the end because they sent all forces to Scarif. The ending is a beautiful tragedy that will make many cry as you watch one by one of the rogue one group die.
Rogue one manages perfectly to capture Tarkin's ruthlessness, twice sacrificing own men while testing death star. Krennic is an worthy competent to Tarkin, who even dares to face Vader and question him, but in the end getting a very ironical death by the death star that he built.
Imperial troops still feels weak skilled, but this time a Star Wars movie ends in tragedy and nearly all main characters are killed in the end. The movie ending in a very dark scene with Darth Vader slaughtering rebels.
Rogue one manages to be a interesting story even with giving only short scenes to classic characters as Darth Vader, Mon Mohtma, Bail Organa, General Dodonna Rogue one is in my opinion one of the best Star Wars movies.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Episode 4 revisited
Star Wars force awakens is a good movie, don't get me wrong, but my review will be more negative than the average. I'm no going trough some good and bad moments from the movie, not in any special order.
The one big main problem is the '' death star 3 '' Haven't we seen this in two star wars movies already? If it's ten times bigger and more powerful, then why is it so poorly guarded and easily destroyed? How could first order build this super station when empire who were bigger could not archive anything like this, but it's still more easy to destroy than death star.
Where did supreme leader Snook come from? Why is there no logical back story to him being the powerful and evil leader of first order? It feels like Sidious and Vader revisited, but Sidious had a back story.
Rey is the last jedi beside Luke, so It's Luke and Ben revised, because now Rey has to train with Luke to help rebels defeat empire as Luke in episode 4-6.
Kylo Ren has trained for years, but why is he so weak that a girl who has got force powers only one day is able to win him in a saber battle? This is hands down to worst part in the movie.
The parts with Han Solo and Chewbacca is the best and funniest parts in the movie. Gives more meaning to this movie and killing Han Solo was a brave and maybe bit unexpected move.
Corsucant gets destroyed, why isn't Leia and the rebels mourning this fact and a strange move from first order to turn every planet with senate members against them.
Why is rebels still such a small group if they were supported by the senate?
Sadly Finn and Rey do not as characters live up to the older once from original trilogy, specially Rey does not feel all too interesting, hopefully this changes in episode 8-9, but showing that that stormtrooper's can change side was a good move.
Star Wars The Force Awakens is a good movie, but revisited a bit to much from the old movies.
Star Trek: Renegades (2015)
Is this Star Trek? I'm not sure.
I am a backer of this fan film and really looked forward to see it, what do I think after seeing it? Well, I was ready for low budget effects so that was not a problem for me, it's the story that's the problem, because i'm not sure if this can be classified as Star Trek, even JJ Abrams movies had more respect for old star trek. This is a dark tale without moral.
Chekov and Tuvok seem to have no problem cooperating with criminals who shoot to kill every time and why is Tuvok even in this movie? He gets like 2 minutes screen time, I wish he had got more screen time and Icarus crew less.
Then we have the enemy.. that is so terrible and frightful in the beginning of the movie, but is in the end taken out just by some random criminals led by Khan's daughter.
No this is not the Star Trek i grew up with and I prefer Star Trek continues instead of this dark tale. This is not what Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek was meant to be.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Good action movie, bad Tolkien movie.
Battle of five armies is by no means a bad movie, but making a battle over hour long based on few pages does not work perfect. The movie is called The Hobbit, but our dear Bilbo does not get enough screen time in this final installment, Legolas who was not even in the book gets even more. Of course it shows how Bilbo tries to prevent the war, but during the war Bilbo is not seen much.
The beginning is nearly perfectly done with Smaug attacking lake town, even if the scene with Bard shooting him is a bit stupid. Thranduil's arrival to Erebor is beautiful made and Thorins sickness of gold shows good but is maybe a bit dragged on. It is the battle itself which drags the points down a bit for me. Yes it was awesome to see Thorins cousin arrive with dwarfs into battle, but the orcs made with special effects was not that frighting and the battle got never the same feeling as for example the battle of Minas Tirith.
In this great battle where thousands fought we will see many scenes focused just on Thorin or Legolas fighting hundreds of orcs alone, why are these elite warrior orcs so bad in fighting? I don't get it and where are other dwarfs who could have helped Thorin and Legolas?
Last too some strange parts in the movie: Thranduil to Legolas go and seek Aragorn, wait what? Aragorn is not even born yet. The whoule part with Sauron is so unnecessary. His return in Lord of the Rings was meant to be a big surprise and does not need any preparing story. Only good thing with this extra from Jackson was that we got too see Saruman one more time. For me the love between Tauriel and Kili is not so big problem, even if the movie had done fine without it.
After all the movie includes some beautiful scenes with landscape and interesting battle scenes, but focuses too much time on 3-4 characters. Is it faithful to Tolkien? No. Is it a good action movie? Yes.
Star Wreck 2pi: Full Twist, Now! (2012)
Great space battles, but rest is a bit painful to watch
I respect these guys who made this fan film of an fan parody. And it is especially funny to see as a Finn.
The budget for this project was very low 15-20 thousand. And it is so obvious, especially at the scenes on planets, some effect specialists could surely done better for free. Samuli torssonen didn't maybe have so big part in that. But space battles are most of the time very well done from ships to the action scenes.
The story, that is the point very things get quite bad. It starts promising explaining how Captain Urs Bruno Stöcklin, it is very stupid story but quite entertaining. But when Stöcklin and Cmd. Kathrine Wüthrich gets their ships and goes for first flight things go very bad, acting is so strange, some words here and there,
And suddenly Stöcklin is the last survior when aliens atacked both ships. And the aliens! I must say that they are maybe the worst enemies I have seen in a science fiction movie. Humanoids in white clothes talking very strange. And at their home planet this movie turns really campy, with some funny fight scenes.
Last battle above earth is entertaining space battle, but it would have needed more scenes with Pirk and Dwarf to be funny beside of entertaining. But adding Norwegians to the battle was a good move. The end is funny with Stöcklin and Pirk.
After all a movie worth to watch, but don't wait same standard as in previous Star Wreck.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Disappointment for book readers
It's not a bad movie, actually a very good action movie. But the thing is that it claims that it is based on J.R.R Tolkien's book. The places and Characters from book are there, but not much else reminds of the book.
The movie start with orcs leaded by Azog hunting Bilbo&Co,so they seek safe spot from Beorn's house, and this is the first disappointment, Beorn is only shown minutes! It would have been such a opportunity for longer scenes. Then comes the scenes in dark magic forest, which is actually good with all terrible spiders and dark magic, but then arrives elves and the movie turns worse again. What is Legolas doing here? And some elf women who is probably from Jackson's fantasy. And while dwarfs are captured she starts to have some ridiculous love fair with one of them.
Bilbo manages to help Thorin&co out their prison, and then starts the most ridiculous scene in the whole movie dwarfs and Bilbo riding barrels in the river, it would have been OK like that. But Jackson added some orcs and elf battles along the river, and the movie turns for a while to an comedy, orcs are 10 times more, but only manages to hurt one dwarf.
Scenes in Laketown is good with the sympathetic Barn and his family who tries to stop Thorin from entering the mountain, but fails to stop them.
The final scenes in the mountains with smaug could have been good, but are now made so long, and little boring.
My opinion is that The Hobbit should have been 1 or at most 2 movies, not destroyed with GGI and other effects, more faithful to the books. But money talks. If you loved Tolkien's book this will be a disappointment to you.
Star Trek: New Voyages: Come What May (2004)
Not so good start for Phase 2
Let's start with saying I am very grateful to these guys for continuing Star Trek original series. But first episode did not reach to same level as Tos,not even close if I'm honest. Sets,effects and sound remains very much of tos. But acting could be far better. I can forgive Cawley for his Elvis hair which is his other job performing as Elvis, because he does quite good ''kirk acting'' even if he doesn't look like James T. Kirk. And actors who play Bones and spock does fairly good. But the rest, John M. Kelley does not do a good acting as Scotty, accent is so bad, and he does not remind scotty at all. And how the heck is Janice Randy now so high rank?!? And the actor is a bit annoying answering questions before kirk for example.
The plot is a mess too sadly. We have onabi an ohn aliens on the ship causing chaos, and chaos it is to the watchers too. They are leading some of the crew to seeing parts of the future and making chooses now.
This series has potential, but this was not a good start, but neither a terrible.
Star Trek Continues: Pilgrim of Eternity (2013)
Not perfect, but very good!
I remember when I first heard of this show, It felt wrong against Star Trek Phase 2 aka New Voyagers, because it felt like their area to continue Original series. But later I changed my mind, why could not others too continue original series if they love trek. And then to the first episode. It really feel like a episode from 60's, effects are just beautiful old school, actors are truthful to originals, plot feels like it could have been in original series, with Michael Forest redoing his role as apollo, appearing much older now after problems in gods community, and know his all ''god friends'' are dead. He gives one last request to Kirk, who must decide if he can trust on Apollo after their past, Scotty is very skeptic, Spock and Bones believes in Apollo. Let's not spoil everything, the ending solves everything. Now lets look critically at this episode, where is Chekov? Why does he get only few lines? I'm missing Spock vs Bones arguing, Bones is almost too nice. And of course it's hard to always keep your mind on original series, when it's new cast here. But I think they did very good job and enjoyable Star Trek. I'm looking forward to next episodes more then official new trek movies.
Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)
Better than it's reputation
In seventh police academy movie there isn't many original characters left. We got only Lassard,Tackelberry,Jones,Gallahan,Harris, but instead we got a new recruit Connors, Commendant Rakov played by Christopher Lee and other polices and villains in moscow. Beginning of the movie is maybe the lamest part, here really doesn't happen anything, but as soon we get to the academy where Lassard is visiting gymnastic pass the fun starts. And it is Lassard who carries the humor trough whole movie, I Had some really funny moments watching him with the his Russian family. Konali is quite good for being a bad guy, and brings certainly some action to this movie with his villains. But i only give 5 stars for that reason that there is used to many same jokes as before, and we would have needed at least Hightower and proctor to fill the gap, now we get instead some strange Russian polices and a annoying Lt.Talinsky. Christopher Lee gets too little screen time. But the movie is not by any mean so bad as it's reputation.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Flirting with old trek movies
I don't get it, why so many original trek fans hate this movie? In my opinion it was good, yes even better than prequel. Why? Well here we had some classic star trek good moral values, began with the enterprise saving a planet, Kirk going against the starfleet rules because he wanted to save his friend. And of course Khaaan! Benedict Cumberbatch does a splendid job portraying this intelligent and evil character, and bows to the old Khan. Into darkness has to it's funny moments, specially thanks to scotty's adventures. But Into Darkness has the same problem as so many movies today, overwhelmed with effects, yes so much that your are lost for a while from the story. And boxing fights? That doesn't simply belong to Trek, specially Spock vs Khan in ending could have been made to a classical phaser against phaser battle, or better Khan vs Spock&co. That's how a classic Trek would end.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Not so faithful to the book, but still good.
So the day came that I have waited for in over a year, yes since the hobbit trailer came out. First things I must criticizes a bit is why did they add Frodo in the plot? When he hadn't nothing important there to do, just wasting of money. The beginning battle was a great scene, dwarfs in battle, we didn't see that in Lord Of The Rings, but the story of Azog went wrong in many parts of the movie. How the earth have Radagast the wizard such a big part in the movie? That wouldn't have been necessary,but after all he is a good man. Moral follows Tolkiens lines in some parts, specially when Gandalf speaks, for example the part when he tells Bilbo that it's in some situations best to spare enemies life. What takes most down my number to this movie is battles, which even in children's eyes look ridiculous, 14 warriors against thousands of orcs and nearly none are even hurt, this would have been better if they had kept the smaller battles from the book. Still this movie has so many beautiful scenes and good actors so it doesn't after all bring shame to Tolkien's name.
Iron Sky (2012)
Le Iron Sky
Well I had to see this movie as a Finnish scififan,and yes it was a bit disappointing for me,but had it's moments. For start lets make it clear, i'm not a huge fan of ''black humour'' But the Iron Skies humour was in some parts suitable for me , picking on USA as a warfare country was good and a right move from the movie, and picking on judge-full people
What about that cursing woman? Se wasn't funny just annoying, but her revenge in space was quite good made though.
The budget for Iron sky was low for today's standards,effects were nice for the most of the time but in some parts you good see that it was a low budget movie, for example moon scenes with astronauts.
But well there was some nice space battles with new ships and stuff, but overall the movie did go a bit far with it's ''humour'' World war 3 starting at the end, or making death scenes funny. But the scene in end was beautiful.
Finnish science fiction history! they will be back.
Emmerdale: The Dingles - For Richer for Poorer (2010)
Not a masterpiece but quite good
Well this sounded interesting so T thought why not watch it. I have now been a emmerdale watcher for about 2years. Dingles have been my favorite family in the show. About this movie, it has a interesting method to show what happens, one shows the reality and the other how it had been if Zak really had gave in the lottery ticket. As Zak and Belle are the only ones who noes that he didn't it's interesting to follow everyone's reactions, of course it's a bit ridiculous in some parts, but the end message of the of family value is very good in my opinion. And after all the movie is better than the show, not so much drama and tragedy more like a comedy.