Reviews

I'm just here to point out that you can still enjoy this movie even if you don't really know anything about the game universes it stemmed from. I only have a passing familiarity with them and it was still great.

Obviously you'll appreciate it more if you have played any of the games but it still stands alone as a good popcorn film for any age really.

The leads were great although maybe Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach wasn't the best choice. I've loved her performances in other projects but IMHO her character demanded a more fantastical element than what she delivered. I'm being really picky because it was still pretty good but I was only waffling to make the character limit oh, I've made it, yay. Forgive me, Anya Taylor-Joy, you're still the best!

I am a new 30 rock fan having only discovered the show a few months ago. 7 seasons of binge watching later and I am quite sad I've reached the end.

I wasn't going to write a review, I just thought I'd stop by, give the show a solid 9 out of 10, then leave. My mistake was a quick visit to the user reviews... wtf people?

The final straw was the guy who claimed to have never laughed out loud the entire time watching. How did you last so long? Who hurt you? I get the impression that this show appealed to those with some empathy for other humans, so now you know why right-wingers probably aren't too keen on it (you can tell from their review that it was the politics they didn't like).

In my case, there was rarely an episode that I didn't LOL very loudly!! The jokes were usually funny but it was the plot and situations that caused the most hilarity. The actors were great too but others could have probably pulled off the same impeccable timing that made the events very funny. It was the writing, period.

Anyhoo, I've made it past the minimum word count so I'm gonna leave it here. This show is a keeper and will be re-watched many times in the decades to come ... assuming we make it that far!

Just watched the first episode and it was really quite good. As there seems to be some far right brigading going on, here's a review as a counter to that BS.

After a slow beginning that serves to introduce London 125 years ago we see that something appears in the sky, the various main characters all witness it and then we cut to three years later. Nothing is over-explained so you are a bit in the dark to start with (like any good mystery) but the action kicks in, you get caught up in the story and it's hard to look away. I was gripped after the slowish start and it didn't let up.

At at the end of the episode we revisit the what they saw in the sky and it helps to neatly tie-up the first episode and set the scene for what's going on and what is to come.

This is science fiction, and a mystery, thriller, drama, and period piece all rolled into one. It's entertaining, thrilling, original, quite dark, and very certainly not boring.

And yet, with around 60 reviews posted so far, we have about five disgruntled white men who have bravely, from the safety of their homes, joined the brigade initiated from whichever incel-filled forum they lurk in to warn us about things that range from the sublime (Victorian woke superheroes.....Yeah, right. What next? I guest (sic) the villain will be some blue-eyed Nordic character) to the ridiculous (it's "left wing, feminist claptrap" because it's "Historically inaccurate rubbish"). Hilarious I know, but these are copied verbatim, just look for the 1/10 reviews.

No, youhave-50990, this is not a "pretentious, teen, woke tv-series", it's quite dark in places and I won't be letting my 11yr old anywhere near it but that doesn't stop "tosserdosser" from breathlessly explaining that this is a "kids programme", albeit one that "inexplicably (has) people throwing swearwords round like confetti and levels of violence that'd make a butcher blanch."

Of course these people don't have to watch this engrossing new series but that's not the point. How dare women take the lead roles and have the show focused on them! And at least one of them is so blind in his hatred that he failed to observe that the show didn't depict any women of color in the hero role but still wrote: "Middle-age white men villains. Check. Female heroes of every color and creed crushing the villains. Check."

Here's my own check-list, or bingo card list if you will, for your far right brigader: "Woke", "Middle-age white men villains", "blue-eyed Nordic", "feminist claptrap", and "evil guy is a white male". It's a short list so far but I'm sure there will be more in the future. Look forward to my follow up review at the end of the season!

TL/DR --- this is an intriguing new show that is entertaining, thrilling, original, quite dark, and very certainly not boring. And it pisses off the far right! What more do you want :)

A hobby of mine is to check out the reviews of really bad movies and to expose the astro-turfed reviews. Every single person that reviewed this movie favorably has only one review on IMDB. A pox on whoever is paying these people!

The other thing I want to ask is: Why, Harvey, Why?!?

I have just started my 3rd run through of this amazing show and it is still one of the best shows you will ever see. The writing, characters, music, cinematography, direction, i.e. everything is perfect, I simply can't see where they went wrong.

The only gripe I have is directed at Rob Morrow who chose to pursue a movie career instead of sticking with Northern Exposure and season five suffers greatly from it. But still, we got four seasons of the most thought-provoking and emotional roller-coaster riding experiences you will ever see or feel.

Watch it with an open-minded friend, this isn't one to watch by yourself unless you think you can handle it!

I'm not usually a fan of this type of show but I gave it a go, I liked the first episode, and so I kept watching each one. A few episodes moved me which means I'll keep watching until they don't.

It's well written -- the plot usually involved some sort of injustice which is why we end up caring what happens.

There is good chemistry between the actors, so great casting.

I'll admit the show isn't that inspiring which is why this review is a bit tepid, but it's not a bad show in any way, just good solid, comedy/drama.

Give it a go!

I've seen this twice now and I really can't fathom the hatred for this smurfy reboot into reality that is The Smurfs. It can only be outrage that the movie wasn't pure animation and totally faithful to exactly what many of us grew up with, but the most tragic thing in terms of the IMDb score is that it IS faithful to the original!

The adorable little blue and white bundles of joy spend most of the film singing or humming their theme song but it's never overdone and their attitude to life absolutely perfectly spot on and faithful to the original.

I've gone through some of the most-voted comments and am dismayed by the amount of irrationality displayed and the absence of objectivity. In terms of the plot, I'm not sure what more you all expected the writers to come up with to cover the intended age-range of the audience, but I was happy enough and the movie pushed all the right buttons. It's more of a kids film, sure, but there's more than enough to keep adults happy.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching it each time and am choosing my time carefully to show it to my 5 yr old kid. I'll probably add it to his movie list for 8 yr olds.

I'm glad the lowish IMDb score didn't discourage them making a sequel, but I wish it wasn't so far out of whack! I would normally give this an 8 but it's 9 as a protest vote at the score.

Watch this film and see for yourself. And then don't forget to vote!

It's scandalous that the author of the featured review for this show admits he hasn't actually seen the show and bases his entire review on one 10 second clip! Work it out, IMDb!

I gave this show a chance purely out of spite, especially when I saw it had Jane Lynch in it. She was half the reason to watch Glee and, as it turns out, this show is the perfect vehicle for the style of humor we've come to expect from her, but this is a better and updated version: sharper, darker, and, most importantly, funnier! All the people behind this show need to do is keep up the quality of the writing and to not waste the talent they've brought in. I love the hell out of Kevin Pollack and I hope he gets to do another episode.

But Jane Lynch is the reason to watch. If you liked her in Glee, you won't be disappointed. I should point out that this show is nothing like Glee so if you hated that show, please don't be put off!

9 laughs out of 10 from me.

Jim Henson, the guy who gave birth to The Muppets, created a show for everyone. He wanted kids and adults alike to be able to get into the show. Why this new version chucks out that idea I can't fathom because it stinks to high heaven. Didn't they try this out on a few test audiences made up of people NOT in the 18-34 age category?? Obviously not.

I will be honest and admit that I didn't get more than half way through the first episode so maybe the show turns it around in the last 20 minutes but having read some other reviews it seems it doesn't.

The only reason I'm giving this 2 stars is because I didn't wanna be one of those guys who just smacks a 1 on what is obviously a lot of effort. But for CRYING OUT LOUD, WHY DID YOU THINK THIS WOULD WORK and not be CANCELLED AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY?

If you want The Muppets, you can't go wrong with the original series, but you WILL go wrong with the new version and it's why Jim Henson's ghost is not happy.

There is no other movie that i can watch bits of that brings tears to my eyes. And i'm pretty sure its the whole package and not just one aspect of the film that does this. The combination of dialog, plot, and cinematography just kicks ass AND its a PG13 movie.

OK, lets talk about WHY this movie was made. Does anyone think it was made just for the money? Glad there's nobody that stupid. But was it made ONLY as a homage to the original Speed Racer? No again. The Wachowski brothers saw an opportunity to make a hugely exciting and original film that explores the concept of being so good at a particular skill that a fair description of it is magic or art. In this case, the skill in question is driving. The style of the film (lots of colour and anime thrown in where possible) embellishes this focus.

Combine this with the usual anti-capitalist themes the Wachowski brothers throw in to all their films (eg, doing things for money is bad, m'kay?) and its not hard to build a obstacle-laden plot that our hero must traverse to make it to the finish line. Some people are complaining about the plot, but i can't for the life of me see what's wrong - it serves to highlight the themes of the movie extremely well. If i must make a criticism it would be that the morals of the film are laid on with a bit of a trowel but as i understand that this is a movie for EVERYONE, i can cut the directors some slack when they are trying to make sure EVERYONE gets the point.

The last thing i would say is that, for me, i can define my friends by this movie. Anyone who isn't tempted to yell out 'Go, Speed Racer, go!' (i said tempted, you don't have to embarrass yourself like i did) is no friend of mine. If you weren't inclined to yell this out, please check you have a pulse.

I just don't hand out 10/10s willy nilly. If you give a movie the highest rating you are saying movies don't get any better. I find it highly ironic that in the same way Speed Racer (the character) would get a 10 for his driving skill, the Wachowski brothers deserve the same for their movie making. If i could give them a score 2 or 3 points higher than everyone else, then i would have to award 12 or 13 out of 10. A pity i can't. What ... a ... movie.

When The Matrix came out i was very suspicious, and having just seen V for Vendetta, now I'm sure. The Wachowski brothers may not actually be real life revolutionaries but they sure do understand them. Completely and utterly. Not since i read Jack London's "The Iron Heel" have i been in awe of such masterly artistic communication. Virtually everything you see on the screen is designed to heighten the impact of the plot and dialogue - the costumes, bleak weather and mood, everything - it's so interesting to watch. I remember raving about how they didn't waste a single second in any scene of the first Matrix and they've basically done it again with this film. The director could maybe have saved a further 2 to 3 minutes but that's it.

But it's the plot, dialogue, theme and ideas behind the movie that make it so thrilling to watch. As a revolutionary sympathiser that is. For those who think Che Guevara was a cold blooded murderer, and Fidel Castro a dictator, you're probably a bit shaken if you actually sat through the entire movie but you definitely wouldn't say it was much good. You'd probably want people to quickly move onto their next movie fix, like those guys at the end of The Truman Show who wanna know what else is on after Truman signs off for the last time.

For those who think the Cuban revolution is one of the most inspiring & heroic stories of all time, much better than what fiction can come up with because it is real and still undefeated (yay!), then i guarantee there's a good chance that if you go to see V for Vendetta, you're probably going to whoop and sing out "Yay!" like I did when something happens to a big building that represents the current political system.

Where the flaw of the first Matrix film was the implication that a saviour would deliver us from the system, Vendetta makes no such mistake. I thought the dominoes was a nice touch in case there were some unclear about the masses part of the answer to the social problems caused by the current system.

This movie will reverberate for many years to come because it manages more than any other in recent times to express the real issue of the day. And that is a tiny rich minority have vast power which is wielded through State machinery. Of the total amount of Terrorism that happens in the world, probably 99% is State Terrorism and the rest individual. The Bush gang think they can get away with the charade in Iraq, but then films like Vendetta are released into the wild and the similarities are just too many and obvious for people to not at least think about it for a bit. But the film also looks into the near future and what doing nothing will lead to. But not in any sappy, liberal way - the message is its gonna take lots of guts and courage and it will probably scare the living sh*t out of you.

One more thing: V for Vendetta introduces a completely new side of politics to all those without much political consciousness. If you go to see the movie, you might just come out a changed person. You might not have gone through the hell that Evey Hammond did (a very effective plot twist, my awe is squared) to experience a sufficient enough radicalisation to become a hard-core Marxist-quoting revolutionary overnight, but again, it introduces a side of politics sometimes completely alien. In any country where the people have no real interest in voting in 'democratic' elections (like Australia where I live for example), I hope they go "oh, so that's what politics really is ...". If that is their reaction, the Wachowski brothers would most likely see their film as a success.

Sirs, you have more than made up for selling out with Matrix 2 and 3. I am in awe ... 10 out of 10.

Now that I've calmed down I can write the review. I tried straight after watching the film and used the word awesome about 6 times. You may have appreciated my passion but the review would have hardly been illuminating.

OK, the film is awesome but I think its fair to also say it is excellent: its highly entertaining and it makes us, the audience, think (and argue about ad nauseum on IMDb). I wasn't bored for a second, more like I was paralysingly concerned for what was going to happen next. What more do you want? Like another reviewer expressed, this film gets a massive 10/10. It would have only got a seven or an eight except that there are at least two or three scenes that would be in the top 1000 scenes of all time. I tried to mark it down but found I couldn't. Nothing wrong with the script, cinematography, music score, & acting (great chemistry between the two Irish brothers). But that would still have only garnered a nine.

The extra mark goes to the director for his inventive story-telling - while The Boondock Saints is linear from start to finish, throughout the film we get the information a little differently. It doesn't give anything away to say a large part of the film concerns various crime scenes. In one of them, you get the crime scene first and then you get to see what happened. Willem Dafoe plays the clever FBI agent. First we see him try to guess how the crime scene came to be and then we get to see how it happened and thus see if the FBI agent was right. Good idea and well done.

But the director doesn't just leave it at that. For one of the crime scenes we get to see Dafoe's explanation as the action occurs. Really thrilling. And I haven't even mentioned the Firefight scene. Look at some other reviews for very passionate explanations of how we get to see the full acting range of the astounding Willem Dafoe.

I haven't seen a film this good - that wasn't an immediate smash hit but deserved to be - since The Matrix and The Usual Suspects. It is my humble opinion that the quality of The Boondock Saints is in that sort of company.

Finally the question of the moral dilemma. Can there be any justification for vigilantism? Firstly the film obviously turns around this question and then we get the excellent footage through the credits of vox pops of people on the street about what they thought of 'The Saints'. The full range seems to be included (lots of 'no comment', 'its wrong' and 'where can I sign up') and it is excellently edited with a reasonably clear narrative achieved from the hundred or so people we see in the few minutes of the credits.

But I can add a quote from someone who you could more or less say was a real life example of The Saints and whose image is probably the most recognised image in the world today - Che Guevara. He is accused by some as being a murderer (he did kill quite a few people) and is also thought of by lots of Cubans as a hero. The religious of those might even say he was some sort of saint so maybe the quote might be relevant. You decide.

"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine."

If the system and all its laws strays too far from an easily discernible moral compass - its easy to understand the sympathy people have for 'The Saints' as witnessed in the closing credits. But we ALL have to become saints or it ain't going to work.

Where can I sign up, indeed.

This film rocks. Really it does. So the first OBVIOUS thing is that the film will appeal to other lovers of rock and not to those who aren't. So please, if rock music is really not a big part of your life then don't go and see this film and then write a cynical review on IMDb!! It's like rubbishing a particular horror movie just because it's about 'horror' - you never liked the genre and should never have gone to see the film - its the same thing.

The script was pretty decent I can't understand what people thought was wrong with it - the same old story? So what!! The way it was done worked brilliantly - the young rockers really could rock!! I think some people objected to the MATERIAL of the script rather than the quality of the film - ie it was ludicrous that rich school kids would be hijacked to play in a battle of the bands or that the school principal was pictured getting a bit drunk. Oh take your propaganda elsewhere!!

The film captures the spirit of rock 'n roll and that is no mean feat - just witness the appalling 'Garage Days' and cheesy pop song. Probably the best aspect of School of Rock was how real the performance scenes were. Yes the band really played but the crowd reaction and atmosphere were pretty authentic for a staged film performance. For lovers of rock music, it was like we were transported to the gig - we really felt for the music and performers because we remember what it was like to first pick up an instrument and totally rock out. It was awesome that the film brought this out of me. Thanks to all involved.

I finally got around to seeing Fight Club last night (on 9 April 2004) - a good 5 years after it came out. You see I've been avoiding watching the film for quite a silly reason ... and now I can't believe how much my first impression of Fight Club was off the mark. You see, we only have one life and I'm certainly not going to spend it watching vehicles for profit-making passed off as art. With Hollywood still kicking around, I don't watch 99% of films made. That makes me soo happy just thinking about it. I see about a dozen movies a year and by golly I make sure all of them are worth it.

So, my reason for avoiding 'Fight Club'? it was because I just couldn't think a movie with that title could be any good. That's it. Please hit me, I deserve it.

Anyway, bit by bit over the years my desire to see it increased. People kept telling me what a great film it was. I would ask them to rate some other films to check out their critical analysis skills (relative to mine) and sometimes people would have exactly the same movie tastes but they would include 'Fight Club' as one of their all-time favourite movies. So I thought, one day I'm *totally* bored maybe I will ...

I watched the film ... what a ride!! Totally thrilling and rich in ideas, the highest quality art in every department, and bravely executed (the last scene is definitely the Scene Of Our Times). My only criticism is from a movie-impact point of view - I don't think the film gives a helpful reflection of how humans really are. Despite the dialogue correctly identifying the source of human alienation (the capitalist system), it seems quite a few people have missed half the message. When people say they are Tyler Durden or that all humans are, and then forget to mention that this is not inevitable or a natural part of our nature but one induced by living inside the system, well this is dangerous. They look at the world going to pieces around them and say 'we're f**ked' and see humans as the source of the world's problems instead of the system. Actually the film's dialogue does repeat this over and over, I just wish more people would understand the difference, especially on this site!!

Anyway, this experience has taught me a lesson - if you don't give people a go, or ideas a go, you don't learn anything and if you do, you will. If you only want to experience the good you'll miss out on a lot of it due to inbuilt prejudice. I nearly didn't watch this film - I'm shuddering just thinking about it.

So, if you haven't seen Fight Club yet, do yourself a favour - forget the title and any images in conjures up in your mind - there's so much more to the film. I wished I'd seen it at the movies - I would have loved to watch other people's expressions as they came out after seeing that last scene. Again, watch this film - don't make the same mistake I nearly did !!!

While the movie truly is one of the best ever made in terms of the impact is has had on so many people (IMDB #2), I hope people understand that in this case, most of the power comes from the story, the rest from the presentation. I was a Stephen King fan when i was young and this story was one of the reasons.

The flaw in the movie comes right at the end. The movie simply goes on for about 30 seconds too long. Storytelling is also about knowing how to end a story and King got it right in the book. The movie's ending does not contain the same wonderous, makes-you-think impact that King's does and that's a shame because for me the movie is now less than perfect when it actually deserves 10/10 on its own merit. Oh, what it could have been !!

Another King story ends well, Firestarter, and they did get it right in the movie. But Firestarter isn't as good as "The Shawshank Redemption". Nothing much is.