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Colin from Accounts (2022)
Who calls their kid "Berlin?"
Colin from Accounts is a dog that brings Ashley and Gordon together when he's struck by a car. It's a fairly flimsy premise to bring a couple together and the dog barely features in the plot other than as a device forcing Ashley and Gordon to interact. After the initial premise has served its purpose, the story quickly develops into a romantic comedy.
Ashley "Ash" is a med student in her late 20s, trying to balance career with a chaotic family life, while Gordon "Flash" ('Flash Gordon' get it?) is in his early 40s and runs a brewery & bar. It's a very awkward relationship that has lots of comedic moments mixed with some serious dramatic subjects like health, death, age-gap relationships, and more.
The story doesn't drag its heels like some streaming series' do, but the story loses a little bit of steam in the middle of the season, there is also a bit of forced conflict during Ash's birthday episodes that hits and misses. However, the performances are generally well acted, the humour is light and mostly situational comedy and the characters are slightly quirky which lightens the tone (which can get a bit serious at times). It's not a comedy masterpiece or must-see viewing, but it's not a bad little story and the runtime feels just right at 8 episodes. It ends with some closure, but leaves things open enough for a potential second season.
Fantasy Island (2020)
As entertaining as you let it be
The story; it's Fantasy Island, but dark. It's inexplicably strange with interwoven character stories. There are creepy scenes, but they won't keep you on the edge of your seat. The violence isn't even that graphic. Overall the concept is decent, on par with many modern Twilight Zone stories, but it's not particularly clever or memorable. If you want a deep horror or thriller, look elsewhere, but this movie can be fun to watch if you don't demand too much from it.
The presentation: The cast is good with several familiar faces and their acting is acceptable for this type of production - no one seems to be "phoning it in". Sound & visuals are reasonably well produced, it looks at good as any basic horror flick and doesn't look "cheap" even if it was made with a modest budget.
The Pacing: It takes a while to get started, but there are some fairly good action scenes, however the final act is a bit self-indulgent and doesn't feel as climactic it should have been.
Overall: No it's not a masterpiece, but it's not terrible. It's just incredibly mediocre.
Top Gear: Episode #32.1 (2022)
Flogging a dead donkey or Lightning in a Bottle?
Doesn't sound like a complicated formula to replicate, get three guys to travel in novelty cars and do random challenges. Then have one guy test drive a premium car, with lots of glamour shots of the car speeding around a test track.
So, many attempts to recreate this formula have been made and mostly with limited success. But why? Surely there wasn't anything particularly rare or unique about the trio of Clarkson-May-Hammond, so why hasn't Top Gear succeeded without those three?
Perhaps the problem isn't with the presenters per-se, but with the application of the Top Gear formula... or more specifically, trying to recreate the same formula that C-M-H created, but with different presenters. For years, producers have tried to recapture that same "lightning in a bottle" using the same approach that worked so well under the peak years of Clarkson's tenure. Now it seems like the producers are flogging a dead horse (or Donkey in the case of season 32s opener).
The reality is that there just isn't much entertainment value from watching 3 men race cars and buggy's and drag race "donkeys". Note the distinction here, the entertainment value should come from watching Paddy, Chris and Freddie do these things; we the audience need to feel connected to each of them. By diving into the formula of "3 men doing things together", we missed the early development of getting to know each of these presenters on their own, who they are, their idiosyncrasies. So that when they are together, they aren't just 3 men, they're 3 unique characters.
This episode, like the season before it, was mildly interesting, but not rewatchable. They drove an RV across Florida and participated in local motor sports. No memorable moments. 3/10.
Overhaulin' (2004)
Quality rebuilds of American Classics
Firstly, this is a show for American Classic car lovers who like custom rebuilds instead of restoring originals. Most of the cars are around 40-50 years old, and in a rough but drivable state.
Each episode follows the same format, a prank on the owner to reveal that they've been chosen to get a custom rebuild. Then Chip Foose (project lead) sits with a friend or family member and goes over some custom design choices, colors and styles. We get to see Chip's artistic impression of what the finished car will look like before we switch over to the workshop.
We then follow the workshop team as they show us the work involved in the rebuild. Overhaulin' takes the time to show all the processes every step of the way. Not to micro-detail but enough to keep the audience involved so we can follow what's being done.
Some criticisms are that the prank to start the show is a bit cringe, and does get repetitive. They want to surprise the owner with the custom rebuild so it's understandable that they need to find an excuse to take the car, and there are only so many ways they can do it. Another criticism, is that Chip Foose takes the lead on the customisation. Again, the rebuild is meant to be a surprise for the owner so if the owner were involved, we wouldn't really get that reaction at the end of the show when the car is revealed. In that regard, it's very similar to Pimp my Ride, the owner doesn't know what they're going to get. However...
The work done on the custom cars seems to be of a very high standard, no filler and spray and LEDs. The cars often get a full rebuild, new engines and transmissions, interiors, hand crafted trims and rims. In my opinion, the finished cars look stunning and judging from the owners reactions, most if not all, are extremely happy with their Foose custom classic.
Resident Alien: Girls' Night (2022)
Kinda Meh
Season 2 has struggled to find its footing as Harry finds himself stranded on Earth now. This episode is centred on the female characters and tries to 'flesh out' their characters a little bit more. It makes sense for writers to develop more usable characters to include in future storylines.
Topics like beauty standards and pay-equity for women are covered in this episode, somewhat heavy-handedly but if it's done in a fun and entertaining way, then cool. Unfortunately it wasn't. Patience is revealed to be a town that seems to be regressive, where women earn 75% of the pay of men, sexual harassment is rampant and unchecked, and even the town Mayor and Sheriff are misogynists. Heavy stuff for a comedy to tackle.
For me, what made me roll my eyes was when our resident alien Harry took the appearance of a woman and was criticised for "taking her body without consent". It felt oddly forced and out of place, as the alien can assume people's appearances and has done so for a person the entire first season without the issue of consent being raised. The ability to take on the appearance of other people could have been used in amusing ways, but apparently it's inappropriate without the person's consent.
We then get treated to a handsy co-worker groping Harry while in female form before the co-worker is violently assaulted. If the humour was more slapstick, this might have been fine, but it's likely the co-worker was seriously injured and that wasn't a fun or humorous way to tackle sexual harassment in the work-place.
It didn't help that in an earlier scene the young girl Sahar lectures Harry on letting Max suffer the side effects of the alien ball he took, and refused to return it to Harry. It was made clear that Harry had been aware Max may have side-effects from being in close proximity to the alien ball but as Max had stolen it, the side effects would be his punishment. At this point in the season, Harry is being treated like an unlikeable, disrespectful character always being told off, rather than a culturally comical "fish out of water" character.
If you're going to have social issues in a comedy, they need to be handled in a fun way that doesn't break the show. The funniest parts of this season are the intro cartoons.
The Secret Garden (2017)
A very different version of The Secret Garden than what you're used to
This adaptation is small in scale, it looks and feels like a crowd-funded movie made for distribution online (or a made for TV movie). Unless you're willing to over-look the amateurish acting and lower overall production quality, this movie isn't for you.
The costumes are nice, it almost feels like the cast are a group of LARPers (Live Action Role-Players) who had access to a limited number of industrial locations and decided to make a movie. The aesthetic is Steam Punk, if you don't know what that is, then this movie is probably not for you.
The film-makers must have aimed for a 90 minute runtime, but they really should have condensed it down to 45-60 minutes. The story and pacing is far too slow (and dull) to keep younger audiences entertained, so if you're wanting to watch a family movie that's suitable for kids, this movie is probably not for you.
I've rated it 2/10, not because it's terrible, but because it has limited appeal. It may be passable for some people, but I believe most people will be bored if they weren't put off by the weak acting first.
The Black Hole (1979)
Too family friendly for it's own good
The Black Hole sounds creepy and ominous doesn't it? It does seem like they tried to make it a deep space thriller, but with cute loveable robots with big cartoonish eyes. Yeah that didn't work well. It's not even an action adventure either, you have to wait until the very end for any action. Even at the end the movie gets confused about what it wants to be, hints of 2001 A Space Odyssey are mixed with android laser fights and a cowboy gunslinger robot named Bob (voiced by classic cowboy actor Slim Pickens). Is this meant to be serious sci-fi, or a childrens movie, or both? It seems too slow and serious to entertain kids.
Reviewers often mention Maximilian, a dark red robot with mixers for hands. Perhaps children of the era might have thought he looked cool, I guess he still does, but that does bring me to the visual effects. This movie has heavy usage of green screen effects, and although most scenes hold up well, there is a scene were green fringing was distractingly obvious. Overall the movie is a visual feast and the sets appear to be grand in scale - for the year it was made.
The characters are a little under-developed, it would have been smarter to have had a proper first act before the black hole, where the characters could have been defined a little better. Characters might seem roguish or have abilities that could have been explored more, but felt superficial.
The Black Hole should have been a dark, atmospheric, grown up science fiction thriller. Many of the elements were there, but because it was a Disney production, it feels like studio executives came in and said "This is too dark. Add some cartoonish robots for the kids and make them fly around and act zany with happy voices to lighten the tone!". Considering the metaphorical ending, this should never have been made a PG movie, underneath it all is a dark, violent thriller that wanted to get out, but the movie suffers because they repressed it to make it family friendly.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)
The stakes couldn't get any lower!
Agents of SHIELD (AoS) is linked to the Marvel movies, but the episodes only reference random characters or events, the episodes are mostly independent from the movies.
The series takes a while to find its feet and I don't recall ever really liking the first season. Seasons 2 & 3 are where it develops its characters and builds up bigger seasonal story arcs. Seasons 4 & 5 are a little mixed, we even get an appearance from a high-tier Marvel cinematic character (reimagined for AoS). While season 5 definitely promised a lot, with our Agents literally tasked with saving the world, however it fell a little flat. Season 6 was quite fun, largely because of Enoch and some nicely woven together story arcs. It was the first to have a reduced episode count.
In my opinion, AoS is more fun and action packed than the newer Disney series that are padded with mundanity, however you can tell when Disney's influence impacts on AoS story writing and it becomes most apparent in Season 7.
Season 7 is a time travel arc. It's not necessarily a bad thing to use time-travel to make a social commentary on the differences in historic culture compared with today. While in the past, characters are often confronted with the social issues of that time. It is a little cliche now though, and when over done, can come off a bit cringe-worthy. What saves season 7 from being a rip-off of Legends of Tomorrow are some nice touches like the time-period themed opening titles and a film noir black and white episode.
Overall criticisms are that lives mean nothing when some characters can be easily "resurrected" while others are killed at random and barely mourned. It does undermine a death scene when there's a good chance a character will be brought back again in some form. Visual effects are quite good for TV and the writing is generally quite good, at least some thought is put into creating a new story arc for each season.
Ready or Not (2019)
The Purge Meets The Parents
In an age of endless reboots of horror franchises like Evil Dead, Halloween, and Friday the 13th, Ready or Not gives us a quirky slasher flick that is fun, well-paced, and makes us root for the main heroine.
As with similar movies like The Purge, it's best to suspend all belief and just go along with the premise here. There are a lot of violent scenes, nothing extremely gory, mostly blood splatter or cuts, nothing you shouldn't expect in this genre.
I'd liken Ready or Not to a mash up of Meet the Parents and The Purge. Grace, the bride, is disliked by her new father-in-law, and her husband has been estranged from the family for some time, so everyone in this dysfunctional family is trying to get along.
That is, until the family tradition of playing a game on the wedding night starts a violent game of hide and seek. The character of Grace is believable, she's not an ass-kicking action hero, but she holds her own considering the circumstances. She's also sassy with attitude, which makes her fun and likeable to watch - like a female version of Ash from the Evil Dead perhaps? Well, not quite.
Ready or Not is no masterpiece, there are a few predictable twists and turns along the way, and some implausible close-calls and escapes. However, it doesn't take itself too seriously and flows at an enjoyable pace. Thankfully it ends just at the right time before getting too repetitive.
Ladyhawke (1985)
Love tragedy in a medieval setting with an 80s synth score
The movie isn't really action packed, it's very much a love story at it's core. Ladyhawke is a simple story of cursed lovers, who to transform into animals. One spends the day as a hawk (Michelle Pfeiffer), while the other spends the night as a wolf (Rutger Hauer). This prevents the couple from being together, and there are a few touching scenes that show the longing the couple have to be together again as humans. Hauer portrays a convincing warrior and a forlorn lover, denied time together with his true love because of a jealous Bishop who also loves Ladyhawke - and if he can't have her no one can!
So, as luck would have it, they discover there is a way to break the curse with the help of a God-fearing thief (Matthew Broderick). Broderick also acts as the "go-between" for the lovers while they are separated by night and day.
The visual effects are a little more than simplistic frame fades. Although we don't see any graphically detailed animal transformations, costumes, props, sets, and scenery are all very immersive... But the 80s synth score... uh... it really breaks the immersion for me. Most movies that are set in medieval times have period-appropriate scores, but the music used in Ladyhawke really does not fit. If only it could be released with an audio mix with a more fitting musical score...
Ladyhawke is a light-weight watch that could have been richer and deeper if the fantasy elements were explored further, but it is carried well by Hauer so it's still an enjoyable watch.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
MMA: Magical Martial Arts
This story is more magical than most of the other Marvel hero adventures, so it's more like Doctor Strange than Iron Man. The magical elements in the movie were a refreshing change from all the aliens we've been seeing in Marvel movies lately. However, you can watch this movie without having seen any other Marvel movies before.
The fight scenes were well choreographed, maybe almost too slick looking? They reminded me of Jackie Chan fights with how precise they were. Despite beating each other severely, no one seems to bleed in any of these fights, so it might have been better if it took the leap into R rating territory like Deadpool.
Although some scenes had slightly janky looking CGI - it was only a little sub-par in places. The final action set-piece is epic though, proving Shiang Chi is a force to be reckoned with in the MCU.
As with all the MCU movies, it doesn't take itself too seriously, with moments of humour. Although sometimes you'd wish they would be a bit more serious, I guess it's the MCU formula to add humour. It's reasonably well paced, although these movies are always longer than they need to be. Then you have to sit through end-credit scenes that hint at the mysterious origins of the 10 rings, and a potential sequel or tie in with another MCU movie.
Overall, it's not bad, a good adventure, some good fights, and a BIG finish.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Jungle Snooze? An adventure that relies heavily on visual effects
Thematically Jungle Cruise is like a mash-up of The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean. If you liked either of those movie series, you'll probably like Jungle Cruise. However, despite some stunning visuals, the plot is long winded so it does get a bit tedious at times while you wait for things to really get going.
The casting is OK, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt work together well enough, Jack Whitehall is also serviceable as comic relief, but the characters do feel like copies of the characters from The Mummy. Jesse Plemons is a quirky villain, but lacking in menace. With all the other CGI villains, Plemons is pushed into the background for large portions of the movie.
Overall, it's a decent adventure, it's just not as good as it's peers that it tries to imitate. Be warned, this movie contains "Dad Jokes" galore.
Mr. Robot: eps1.3_da3m0ns.mp4 (2015)
The quintessential "filler episode" or the key to everything?
Some reviews say this episode means more when you watch the 4th season... Perhaps. In the context of season 1 however, it plays like a fever dream and is more than a little self-indulgent. If an episode only makes sense when you've seen 3 more seasons, then it's clearly too early to watch it in season 1.
Some viewers may like the detour down the rabbit hole, however this early on in the shows run, I felt like this was filler. To maintain momentum, after the first 10 minutes of this episode you can easily skip to the next episode. An episode that potentially wastes your time, that you can skip over so easily just can't be rated 10.
Maybe it's worth coming back to this episode much later in the show's run, but most viewers can easily skip this and not feel like they've missed anything substantial to the plot - which is why I consider it filler.
Junior (1994)
A comical premise. A bland romantic comedy.
If I wouldn't recommend this to my friends or family, I can't in good conscience, recommend this to anyone else. The idea of a biological male having a baby is silly and it is the basis for most of the attempts at comedy in this movie. The basic premise couldn't carry this movie alone, so we got a B plot. Arnold and Emma are both socially awkward scientists and their relationship is used to add some generic romantic comedy to pad out the movie, however they really have no on-screen chemistry romantically or comedically and their relationship plays out in such a cliche way.
There are some laughs mid-way through as Arnold begins to act more maternal during his pregnancy, but the plot struggles to be funny, so to compensate, we get some slapstick moments thrown in as well. Sadly they often fall flat.
I wish this movie embraced it's silly premise and tried to have more fun, but instead it dwells on the relationship between Arnold and Emma, and the sentimentally of becoming a parent.
There are far better rom coms, far better zany comedies, and if you're just after a classic Danny DeVito comedy, go watch Ruthless People instead,
No Time to Die (2021)
Another Bond era is over.. and not a moment too soon.
"Do you expect me to talk?", "No Mr Bond, I expect you to die". An iconic line from a movie several decades old. Craig may well be remembered for the line about scratching his nuts. We knew then that Bond lacked the sophistication of previous incarnations. Now No Time to Die has finished the story arc that started with Casino Royale - a movie showing "Bond, before Bond was Bond" and subsequent movies in this series that were also Bond before he was Bond. I'd honestly waited for Bond to be Bond again, until Skyfall when it appeared Bond was now past his prime, so I guess he was Bond off screen?
Let me digress, with how each Bond actor categorised an era in Bond films. Connery defined the 60s with charm and dry wit, Moore defined the late 70s and early 80s with a refined yet more tongue in cheek Bond (and some of the most romantic Bond songs). Dalton briefly defined the late 80s with a harder Bond, while Brosnan re-energised Bond with Golden Eye, and epitomised the suave 90s action spy until Die Another Day - a miss-step in many people's eyes. They were all slightly different films, encapsulating the style of the time, but we always felt like Bond was Bond, who ever played him. Then along came Craig, Daniel Craig. Breaking the mould as easily as he'd break someone's head into bathroom porcelain. The 2000s rebooted Bond was obviously a reaction to the success of the Bourne trilogy.. err, quad, uhh series of films.
Casino Royale was largely well received but many people still criticised the direction that Bond was taking, and the actor who was cast to play him. Arguably Craig can act, although his engagement with the role diminished as his fee rose. Undoubtedly the most financially successful Bond movies with general audiences, even if QoS and SPECTRE didn't sit well with the die hard Bond fans. Less charm, sophistication, and wit, the new Bond era was gritty, emotional, and cynical. A Tux does not maketh the man in the case of Craig's Bond.
No time to Die, like the previous films in Craig's run, has good quality action set pieces, visceral fights, high stakes, and Bond saving the day. But is it any better than say Quantum of Solace, or SPECTRE? My initial impression after seeing it in theatres on Thursday was yes but... And it's a big but, we still never get to see the Bond as we knew him in previous eras, and the way Bond has "degraded" over this series, I doubt we ever will again. Closing the book on Craig's era as Bond gives the franchise a chance to reinvent itself again, to react again to the competition. Sadly, the franchise has spent more time looking outward at current social trends, and it's competitors like Jason Bourne, Mission Impossible, Atomic Blonde, and the rest. But it's had an identity crisis and forgotten where it came from... one man only armed with a PPK, and his charm and sex appeal against tyrants who want the world to bend to their will. So, watch it, enjoy the quality action, I mean it's decent and maybe the last time we see a Bond movie now Craig is gone. But it does raise the iconic question...
Will Bond Return?
The Twilight Zone: 8 (2020)
Can a Twilight Zone story be too far fetched?
This episode is in the style of movies "The Thing" or "Life" even "Planet of the Apes" but it suffers from a flimsy plot underneath it''s slick veneer. The cast manage to keep a straight face throughout, but I felt like this script was written by a high school biology student, it seemed so unbelievable and contrived. I'd advise skipping this episode, unless you like 80s B sci-fi movies.
The Twilight Zone: Among the Untrodden (2020)
Means Girls meets The Craft?
One of the better stories of JP's season 2 (and 1), and one I'd recommend, another being The Who in You (skipping every second episode seems like a good pattern so far). Set in a boarding school, we're introduced to the "mean girls" who of course mercilessly bully the new girl. The main characters of Madison and Irene develop a bond and we see a change in both of them (ie: character development). Some themes covered in this story are supernatural abilities, bullying, self-discovery, and true friendship. Production-wise, both leads are well performed and I felt like I was watching a made for tv movie - but just the right length I think. The episode also has its fair share of twists, with one that may not be so easy to predict (unlike the twist in S2. Ep01).
There is some mature dialogue, so its not "kid friendly", and although it covers themes like bullying, it doesn't spoon-feed the audience about the effects of peer-pressure or the need to "fit in".
The Twilight Zone: A Traveler (2019)
A traveler came one night
Story: Mysterious stranger trope. Who is he, what does he want?
This episode had a Stephen King vibe at first, but that quickly shifted towards a vibe of 'Huh, what?" as the story introduced elements that seemed to be added just to pad it out a bit to fill in the run time.
Direction: Ok, by now I'm starting to wonder why these episodes don't feel as unsettling or weird as they could be, many reviews blame the writing. Most of the stories so far have had decent premises for a good Twilight Zone story but fall flat because they lack the tone. I believe that the direction and story editing may be the weakest link.
Acting: Great, Greg Kinnear and Steven Yeun were fantastic. Yeun played the friendly yet menacing stranger well and the scenes between him and Kinnear were well done.
Twilight Zone-Factor? As this story unfolds and we realise the true nature of the stranger, we should be anxious about what is about to happen, instead we get a scene with them eating pie.
The Twilight Zone: Replay (2019)
Black Lives Matter
Story: So, another magical item episode, this time it's an old-school camcorder. We meet a nice mother and son on their road trip to his first day at college. But this is the Twilight Zone and things take a turn.
Perhaps a little over-blown considering the middle-class appearance of the mother and her son; but there is a strong message about human rights and inequality that climaxes with an intense scene that evokes the Black Lives Matter movement.
Direction: Parts of this episode felt rushed, while other parts seemed to be given too much time.
Acting: All performances were solid.
X-Factor? Aside from the BLM message (which will hopefully date this episode in years to come) there isn't much that will linger with audiences after this episode.
The Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (2019)
Flight 1015
Story: Despite the name, it's nothing like the old "Monster on the wing" story, however this really is quite a good episode for the first 20 minutes or so. We have a flight in a storm, with an anxious passenger (Adam Scott) listening to a podcast that he believes is retelling the story of his flight. This plays out as you'd expect, however my issue with the story is the very end scene where the characters seem to act out of character and it creates a very dark ending. Sure it might not be a predictable final act, but it feels largely unnecessary.
Direction: Again, adequate, you're never going to feel any rising intensity in this episode, even as the story gets closer to the end. Twilight Zone stories like this should make you feel a little uneasy, and aside from the odd ending, this one doesn't.
Acting: Adam Scott does an OK job here, although he doesn't act as panicked or desperate as someone could be if they really thought the podcast was about his flight. John Lithgow did a far better job in the Twilight Zone movie.
X-Factor: The ending seemed like an after thought. For me, the final act lingered with me, but only because it just didn't fit with how everyone was behaving throughout the episode.
The Twilight Zone: The Comedian (2019)
The Comedian Episode
Story: This is a fresh take on a familiar Twilight Zone trope of a character dealing with the negative consequences of a gift; unfortunately each scene foreshadows what will happen next, that the story is quite predictable.
Direction: A full-episode length story, however the pacing is adequate and the episode flows well, but lacks any sense of anxiety or tension that should have been built-up as the story progressed to the climax.
Acting: Kumail Nanjiani is fantastic as the comedian, he makes this episode more watchable that it really should be.
X-Factor? None, a forgettable story that doesn't linger with the viewer after watching.
Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell to Earth (2018)
Doctor Who vs Predator AKA The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Tonally, this was noticably different from an episode in say the Matt Smith era, which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on your opinion of the Matt Smith era! I sense they tried to do a lot with this episode and I wish it was all that they aspired it to be, .. but it tried and perhaps that should be encouraging.
STORY REVIEW:
As with all regenderations [sic: regenerations] the Doctor is in a confused state, which is often fun and gives us a light-hearted introduction to Jodie Whitaker, the 12th..wait no, 13th..uhh 14th Doctor.
After a long wait, I sat with much anxiety and excitement as this extra long season opener began streaming. 1 hour and 6 minutes later I can say that we were given a roller-coaster ride! This episode certainly had a more mature feel than Dinosaurs in London, but I loved the mysterious atmosphere of the first 25 minutes. The story plataued in the middle as the Doctor and her companions talked a lot of story exposition - and yes the story needed their narrative because events seemed to play out on screen without any initial explanation and just seemed to happen to drive the story forward.
The climactic third act lacked the backing music to add the oomph we'd hear with Matt Smiths Doctor and the tension or excitement that I suspect we were meant to feel, felt a little underwhelming. I think this was partly because a lot of what was happening on screen seemed counter-productive. Think about whether it's worth risking many lives to save one and hopefully you'll understand what I mean.
So we end with a final act which tries so desparately to be emotive but felt so derived and cliched that we wondered if the Doctor's presence actually improved the overall outcome. The story was just not deep enough to support the long runtime and that's why I rate it lower, however, it could have worked out much better as a 45 minute episode later in the season.
PRODUCTION AND CAST:
It's not easy avoiding the elephant in the room, the Doctor is still not a Ginger. I know this made a lot of people very angry and was widely considered "a bad move" - to paraphrase the Hitchhikers Guide. Production values appear to be about the same as usual, average CGI effects, nicely made-up humanoid aliens that still fall short in believablity compared with what we see in many US productions.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I will finish what you started.. or will I?!
The Force Awakens relaunched the franchise to a generally positive reception. The Last Jedi has divided opinion greatly, does it finish what JJ started, is it really a bad movie, or just a bad Star Wars movie?
Straight up, this movie has top notch production values, the visuals and set and sound design feel authentically Star Wars. Acting performances are generally well done, and there are some excellently choreographed action sequences. As a piece of stand alone cinematography - this is a first class production and Disney has shown it's not scrimping on the budget with the franchise.
The controversy really begins when we start looking at the storyline and characters. This is where terms like "you've ruined my childhood" get thrown about. The direction taken in The Last Jedi was certainly not one which many old-school fans might have expected it would take, and some of the plot-twists leave a lot to be desired. The purpose of the new direction is to move Star Wars into a new (post George Lucas) era and expand the universe beyond what we've seen before. We're introduced to more force abilities, more new characters, and new worlds. However, some of the new settings seemed shoe-horned in rather than fulfilling any significant purpose to the story arc. Character depictions deviate from expectations, with little pay-off. I wonder if the writers could have given previous leading characters more heroic roles whilst not undermining the next wave of characters in any way? In any case, the emphasis was definitely on the new characters, they are the stars of this new franchise so perhaps it was for the best.
We are left with a feeling that the past movies are no longer relevant to the new wave of Star Wars, the older characters almost feel like their purpose was to simply pass on the torch. In many ways this movie is a transitional one, preparing us for the next in the series. It has let down many die-hard fans in the way it handled this transition and we can only hope that the change in direction will give us an epic closure to this trilogy and not an epic disappointment.
SUMMARY
A+ for entertainment value, great action sequences, awesome on big screen
C+ for storyline, character arcs could have been handled better in more deft hands.
Overall history will judge this movie by the movie that follows it, and it's not the type of movie I would recommend watching more than twice.