Reviews

What a boring, low-effort story. I feel like I'm done with this series. Last season was the same except for that great final episode. Here's what I struggled with....

Two of the weakest members of the crew fight off 2 dozen Klingons because they took a deus ex machina super soldier serum that lasted long enough. Preposterous as that was, the fight scene was out of the silent film era. I've seen fight scenes on children's show that were 100x more engaging.

The Doctor manages to get a Klingon to spill the beans on the entire operation by smacking him around a little bit. A Klingon. Afraid of a fight. Today is NOT a good day to die.

We needed something even more convoluted, so these two jump into space without a suit but of course they'll be rescued. We knew that before they jumped because the writing is atrocious and heavy-handed.

Spock, with tears in his eyes, suffering emotionally because nurse Chapel is hurt because she jumped into space without a suit! Spock should blame the writing and save his tears for the death of this franchise. Yep... they've already started to destroy Spock's character. We now have a crying Vulcan.

A Starship Inspector, who doesn't know a single person on the crew, decides to join in on the theft of The Enterprise because... why not (we learn at the end that she did it because she was bored). La'an Noonien-Singh out drinks a Klingon because of course this makes sense too.

Entire story based on a false flag operation because a group of unknown people want a war to make money - including federation people... who, we all thought, no longer valued money and Klingons who value honor above all else (except when they don't... I'm confused).

Here's another one. Let's reuse this tired plot device... let's hide The Enterprise among a ton of free floating rocks - surely the bad guys won't find us. If they do... we can engage in the starship version of a low-brow car chase.

The doctor turns out to be a wizard programmer and is able to reprogram a transponder to send a message instead of using it to help beam them up (hence flinging themselves into space without the needed transponder!!!). Spock figures out every detail of every single thing that happened on the planet like he was reading a report - no matter how preposterous it was - because it was all somehow logical.

Awkward conversation between Klingon commander and Spock. You have to see the entire back and forth. It is mesmerizing in how dumb it was. Klingon will only trust Spock when he agrees to drink blood wine. Really... my head is hurting following this nonsense. They don't even bother to figure out the extent of a threat that would have put The Federation and Klingons at war. They're just happy to drink blood wine.

How does the episode end? Apparently we can expect more "action" from the reworked Gorn species straight out of the 'Alien' movie franchise's personal IP. Scientific discovery, engaging alien worlds, stories without plotholes... these things get in the way of the mindless knuckle dragging formula the unimaginative money grabbers rely on. Star Trek is dead.

If you're a modern Star Trek fan and think this was a great episode, you might really be a Star Wars fan (yes... I said it). If you actually want to watch engaging sci-fi, I've got list of about 75 shows and growing - all of which are better than this series.

Warning!!! Major Spoilers!!! Using the spoiler tag to also speak freely and bluntly.

Biggest problem with this series is that the lead characters - The Scientists - are nearly all entitled, self-important, a--h-les. At no point do you ever care or root for them. They seem to exist to make the survival of everyone else as difficult as possible.

I cheered when The Commander said to Defne (and Arman)... "Spain was YOUR choice." (BOOM!). Man, that felt good!

Smile on my face when Cem made his final decision... See ya, Cem! You were a danger to everyone around you.

I liked the Navy guys - all of them. They wanted to survive. They had a plan (of sorts). Imagine you had a plan to survive - for you, family and friends. Suddenly a group of people show up and instantly try and sabotage everything you're trying to do. They risk your family's life daily.

These people want to be treated like royalty while at the same time, threatening the survival of everyone you hold dear. How many more people have to die because of them? That is the perspective here.

I made it through 6 episodes and couldn't quite make it thru the final one. I skipped ahead and saw Arman getting shot. This would have made me happy if it happened much earlier.

Anyway... if there's a season 2 (which I will not watch), they will probably bring back Arman the a--h-le. Thankfully, I won't be there to watch it.

I wasted too much time on something I hoped would be on the same tier as 'Into The Night'.

Intelligent plant-based lifeforms, cloning - with some 100 feet tall, eugenics, galaxy conqueror, Spock being Spock no matter what size he is, material that is 600x more dense than lead, plant based giant bats (I think they were bats), plants that move and lay down their own roots and move again, the original crew seeks/finds new life, Scotty at the helm making the tough choices (I always felt he never got enough credit)...

I loved this episode. I'm watching this series for the first time, nearly 50 years later (Nov/2022). This is the Trek I know. It's a time capsule for me. A lesser known series that tries to capture the essence of The Original TV Series in animated form. This episode does a good job of that.

I missed this kind of story-telling. The mystery, the reveals, the pure Sci-fi, the ideas, the thought that goes into building a good story, dialogue that's based on real life/death issues or mysteries you are reacting to.

A lot of today's Sci-fi dialogue are about feelings, discomforts, perceptions.

Some people work best when they are on mission, when they are humanely interacting toward an end goal. Trek was always best when it was about the mission. Even if it never felt that way, they were always on mission. The end goal in this episode's mission? To prevent calamity in the future by healing the present.

I am currently on episode 3. This series is associated with 'Games of Throne' because the talentless money-grubbers demanded it. In contrast to most period fantasy dramas of this type - HoD is a very simple & childish tale that wears GoT like a cheap suit.

Also, there's a sub-theme revolving around women not having the same rights as men. Doesn't seem to fit the era and there's no nuance to it. In GoT, these issues were dealt with by having a woman prove herself (Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, Arya Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Ygritte, Yara Greyjoy) - virtually all of them.

In House of Dragon, it's a privileged expectation that goes like this... If people don't like me in this male role (and I clearly haven't earned the right), I'll step into the role anyway because I'm special.

It's the typical writing you see from immature writers that are more interested in making a point than making that point through actual story-telling (like in GoT).

It's ugly, there's no nuance and no joy for the viewer. You are simply being preached to.

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After 2+ episodes, it's mostly about an entitled teenage princess who wants to be Queen. That's it! No layers, no other mainline stories, no other characters.

There is dialogue centering around her soft-bellied Father (The Beta King), her uncle (the weird prince who is either a warrior, a drunk, a dummy or unhinged... portrayed as all four) but it's mostly about a privileged teenage girl. As such... there's an awful amount of pouting, no action and lots of complaining that life is not fair when she imagines she doesn't get her way.

The show is so badly written that nobody does anything worthy, including our heroine. She has done nothing to merit anything accept for mastering the art of pouting.

Frustratingly... the show is written in such a way that we're suppose to feel empathy for her - as this character is the only one that's being fully developed (in a cardboard way). All the others are just simple supporting caricatures.

If you are a teenage girl who wants to be a princess someday, fancies dragons and still believes in unicorns - this series is for you.

If you are the type that's easily impressed with gowns, ancient wardrobes, lots of long white/yellow hair, hairdos in general and castles... but no plot whatsoever: This series is for you too because an actual story is so mundane.

If you are like me - hoping that after 2+ episodes it will turn things around - we are probably wasting our time. I'm going to stick with this a little longer anyway because...

The princess just ran off on a horse. It was the crazy pouting that hinted something was wrong. She was upset that she's suppose to start seeing the world through adult eyes. All she wants to be is queen with no responsibilities. Why can't people understand this! Poor girl...

Oh... did I mention that she's being chased by a knight in shining armor? Her protector. I kid you not. The horror that is her life.

Ok... going back in. Unpausing episode 3 at the 18min, 29sec mark. Wish me ughh!

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final update, 25nov2022: Made it thru 1/3 of episode 5. I'm done. The talentless, money grubbing hacks - like vultures - pecking away at the memory of GoT for easy cash. They win (again), we lose (again).

Well... after a kinda' mostly lukewarm (safe) season... 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' finishes off with a bang. If you want to have even more fun with this episode, I suggest (re)watching Balance of Terror (1966) - as this 1966 episode is closely related (I am so primed to do this now).

I found the Morbius character a compelling new addition to the MCU. The plot, not so much. It wasn't just generic and lifeless... it made no sense.

Morbius makes serum and becomes a vampire. Kills nearly everyone on boat. We're suppose to be fine with this but we never developed hatred for the bad guys because they were never developed in any way.

Now his best friend for life takes serum. He also kills but in his case, his killing is evil. Also, he wants to both force Morbius to accept his new powers and to kill his lifelong friend almost immediately. Why try to kill him?

The rest is predictable storytelling: They fight, Morbius wins, the end.

There were only 3 interesting things to come out of this film: (1) Morbius, (2) Michael Keaton (closing credit scene) and (3) The Bug Guy (?) at the end (the 2nd closing credit scene).

I would see a Morbius part two because I think (I hope) they got the really bad character intro out of the way and the closing credit scenes promise more interesting storylines.

Found the film engaging throughout except it felt a bit empty at the end. I understand the story was centered on Clint Eastwood and his love of horticulture at the expense of his family.

But... there was really good buildup as the DEA was zeroing in on a big bust. Yes, they got a huge haul of drugs. They didn't get any cartel members, they didn't dismantle the network or infrastructure. All they got was a Mule.

A Mule who was essentially oblivious of the cartel operations. His capture saved his life - which was in line with the plot. His final week of freedom was spent with his ex-wife which led to his redemption. At this stage of his life, this was far more important to him.

I thought if the film managed to have the current ending plus damage to the cartel itself in some form, it might have hit an 8 or even 9 rating. It was beautifully written and acted. But the too soft ending felt almost anticlimactic.

His daughter stated at the end, at least they will know where to find him now. His redemption, working with flowers (at the prison), his availability to family... a happy ending and a solid 7-rated film.

=== MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ===

Stephen King nearly ruined this series for me but he did get me to watch it. I had to quickly adjust my expectations but this is what he had to say:

"SERVANT, on Apple+: Extremely creepy and totally involving. Two episodes and I'm hooked." (December 5, 2019)

"SERVANT is back on Apple+.

M. Night Shayamalan, spooky as hell, crawls right up your nerve-endings, need I say more?" (January 15, 2021)

He oversold this series by miles. 'Servant' isn't creepy, it doesn't crawl right up your nerve-endings. I just finished the 2nd season and it's essentially a drama:

1. Dorothy is responsible for killing her own newborn. Creates a fantasy while the family enables her.

2. Leanne, a member of a religious cult, manages to become a part of the household (Leanne remembers Dorothy from when she was a child).

3. Religious cult seems spooky but they only appear to harm their own. Lots of ominous music when they make appearances. Also, difficult to leave this cult...

4. Lots of creepy music and insinuation that Leanne might have some kind of dark power (which is also very easily explained by coincidences).

5. Some dumb stuff: Sean (the husband) constantly pulling out large splinters throughout his body (he barely questions this), loses his sense of smell (does not have this checked out), complete loss of feeling from a hand (so he lights it on fire).

In the end, it's a good drama (crazy mother and her family take on a religious cult) in a long, drawn out (but engaging) story with lots of mood music. Good acting, small cast of characters, each episodes is only 30 minutes but feels longer (so they really make this work).

It's pretty good if you go in with the right expectations - ie; a drama dealing with unusual circumstances. It's long and boring if you believe what Stephen King had to say about this.

I was mostly enjoying this series through the first 9 episodes (with some caveats). It wasn't anywhere near as good as the original but it held my interest. Lots of teen drama and angst from Dexter's son was the biggest annoyance but despite this, the series was moving along pretty well - at around a 7 rating.

Suddenly... the ending. It was like the people involved in this production needed to apologize for the original series. They weren't producing this for fans of the show, for fans of Dexter. They were producing this to somehow makes themselves feel better about something.

Even Dexter's first kill in ten years seemed wrong. The original Dexter went after the vilest, most evil predators. The stomach-turning monsters who were generally still very active. Or anyone that threatened his life or freedom.

This version of Dexter went after a hothead for a crime he committed years before in a moment of anger. His only crime in all the years afterwards was being a complete tool. This was a red flag early on. If that wasn't non-Dexter enough, they had him going after a drug-dealer and later his supplier. It was as if they were chipping away at the old Dexter - creating a new version. Still, I didn't expect these apologists to end one of the greatest anti-heroes (and survivors) ever created in fiction.

Dexter was never about the morality police judging every little infraction. Dexter didn't live in that world. Dexter lived and operated in a hellish, PTSD inducing subworld. Only people like Dexter could navigate it, battle the evil within and remain sane.

I wasted 10 hours on this retooled garbage written by a bunch of apologists for the fainthearted. Now it's canon. No more Dexter. Harrison can go frack himself.

Comment mostly aimed at those who've already watched this film.

I expected at some point for the story to dissolve into predictable horror but it finished off pretty well (even if it got a bit weird at the end with the "son").

Some pros/cons:

I didn't like John Doe being a figment in the outside world. The only way for a figment to survive in the outside world is by killing the person who wished it into existence. Every other aspect to this story had really good Sci-fi except for this pseudo-nonsense. I was glad that it didn't become a major part of the story.

Also didn't like the electrician saying he'd get in touch with an estimate. It was seriously bothering me throughout the entire film. I was afraid he was going to show up and start cutting lines - destroying the 'dream machine' home. We never heard from the electrician again - odd that his scene was even included. Sloppy writing.

Loved that 'The Room' was capable of creating a virtual world. I kept thinking about all the fun things a person can do - limited only by their imagination. Only Shane (the son) seemed to have any real imagination. Why make the husband an artist if he was incapable of any creativity - instantly pulled in by base greed. Everything about him was pedestrian. He did manage some creativity towards the end (during the 'save the wife' scene).

I do wish they would have talked about the 'science' behind the food. You can eat anything but once you step outside... the contents would turn to dust at any point within the body, right? Spending a few minutes on this would have been entertaining (and driven the sci-fi aspect further) but, I guess, they were too focused on trying to create creepiness.

There are a few other annoyances sprinkled throughout the film (husband reacting too strongly at times, the long intro period where they toss money around/house messy/lose all motivation). But in the end, a fairly good story with a strong (and satisfying) ending.

Would love to see a (more tightly written) sequel after that ending (wife pregnant). A sequel can both creepy and fun and with more science (fiction).

Spoilers because I want to speak freely about some specific things in the film.

Loved the faster moving Predator. All the previous Predators have always moved too slowly (I know, it was the suit) but this movie really addressed the problem.

Did not like, at all, how the military was so quick to want to kill those helping them (Casey Brackett) or lock up those with knowledge of these aliens (Quinn McKenna). This, to me, was the biggest single failure in the film. There was this constant sense of betrayal.

Loved the dialogue and most of the script. I thought it was sharp, clever, well-written.

Still not sure how I feel about the lighter approach taken in this film. The Predator itself often felt like a backdrop to the other characters. It didn't have the menacing presence it should have but it was still a good film to watch.

Also conflicted about the vicious Predator Dog being turned into a harmless puppy thing. I still wanted hard-hitting, tense and dramatic - like the original film.

I did not like the ending. Quinn McKenna working with the same group that tried to lock him up, that tried to kill him. As if nothing had happened. I feel like the only reason they kept him alive was because of his son. McKenna should know this - given how savvy he is.

Nebraska Williams was a great secondary character. Sterling K. Brown as Traeger was phenomenal - switching between good guy and bad guy convincingly (I would have just preferred he was a good guy throughout). Jacob Tremblay as Rory McKenna was great as the autistic genius.

This film turned out to be my second best favorite - after the original. There's a prequel expected summer/2022.

The entire dramatic presentation was riveting. The acting was superb throughout.

Then it picks up steam and it wasn't just... I have a little bit of dirt on you. Suddenly the lead character is looking at attempted murder charges, attempted murder coverup, a half-brother, a suicide, his best friend's life will be ruined. Really?

Plus all the earlier stuff... drinking problems, bad knee, secret medical records indicating he'll never play pro ball.

The film didn't need most of this. I think the bad knee might have sufficed. I thought both sides made their cases well. I liked that about the film. I understand the complexities of changing the system and that a resolution was impossible within a two hour film. Still... the ending was pure cop-out: a choice that was forced upon him.

You are both enjoying the drama, the acting, the general story and learning about the financials of college football but equally frustrated at a hero weighed down with so many problems that he really could never have led this fight.