Reviews

This film-documentary is accidentally a psychological evaluation of a very selfish person, called Alex, and his lovely, but naive, girlfriend Sanni.

Others in the comments section have, as usual, missed the point entirely. They lambast the girlfriend as an overly emotional weight that holds Alex down, keeping him from fulfilling his greatness as a free solo climber. In reality, she's gone much further and been more supportive than any normal woman would be. All she asks for in return is love, commitment, and for her crazy boyfriend to stop putting his life at risk for no good reason when his latest climb - up El Capitan - is complete. I'm afraid she's going to be disappointed.

As I watched the film, it became painfully obvious to me that Alex had a problem with his amygdala (before they mentioned it in the film) and with empathy and emotional intelligence in general (which the film doesn't really discuss). It brought to mind my own relationship with a covert narcissist that came to an end last year. There's quite a few similarities. His girlfriend continually tries to break through and find his soul - but she's wasting her time - just like I was with my ex. All he wants to do is climb large cliffs without a rope, and her feelings simply don't come into the equation. I really felt sorry for her, because she's so sweet. But she doesn't get it. Oh, she understands that he has issues with expressing emotion and that he's self centred, but she doesn't appreciate that there is no way he's ever going to change - or ever going to truly love her. Now, you might make the callous argument that he does - that she knew all along "what she was getting into"- but that doesn't exonerate him in the slightest. Nor is it completely true.

They're married now with a child, but I'll be very surprised if they remain together another 20 years. Even worse, I don't think he will ever stop climbing unaided - so he'll end up like so many free solos have before him... dead. They carry on and on until they're in their 40s and 50s - well past their prime - and then they fall to their death. He'll leave his kid fatherless and his wife a widow, all because he gets off on the thrill of being near death- and has a self serving need for attention. And what, exactly, is he achieving? While I'll be the first to say what he does is an extraordinary feat, it's not exactly aiding humanity or progressing mankind. And it's not being a dad. And it's not learning to appreciate life. This selfish little narcissist cares only for himself and he always will.

The parts about the actual climb are well presented, but it's hard to root for someone that doesn't appreciate how lucky he is and what he has in life. He's literally seeking death. Also, it's clear that his mother is largely to blame for what he's become. I'm glad I had a good mother who loved me and supported me. No-one should want to end up like this guy. He's a walking red flag. When someone tells you "All my old girlfriends told me I had a personality disorder" it's time to believe them. Selfish people who are going to leave you a widow should be left with themselves, because that's ultimately the only person they will ever love.

It's well acted and has a message - but, sadly, it goes way too far into absurdity. At least the majority of the script is half decent.

Let me tell you why the request would never be even entertained:

1. There is no guarantee the princess isn't already dead. 2. By doing the act, he would actually encourage more of the same from other terrorists. Giving into demands has never been the policy of any government for this very reason. The only exception I can think of is if there was a nuclear weapon about to blow... the fatalities in that case may warrant drastic action - but not even that is likely to make a PM have intercourse with a pig. Just nonsense. 3. His wife would not be that unsympathetic, especially after a year. 4. Kidnapping a royal or high ranking official doesn't happen. Guess why? Because unlike us poor suckers, they're seen as super important and have round the clock armed guard. You'd be dead if you tried. 5. There's no guarantee of compliance.

I think the premise of this episode came about to get word of mouth out about the show. It relied on the controversial, silly nature of it to get people to tune in. That's probably the real message here....

(If you want to watch a great show that ended properly, seek out Babylon 5 and Breaking Bad).

Anyone else tired of seeing

"I don't get it!? Why are so many people rating this 1 star??" "Ignore the haters!" "Ignore the trolls!"

?

Well, rather than calling people names or "not getting it", perhaps it's time to get an IQ and see what is absolutely obvious:

Half of season 6 - and all of season 7 and 8 - have been shockingly bad. The writing has fallen off a cliff because they didn't have GRRM's novels to extend this to another 5 seasons of glorious writing that made sense.

We got, instead, a mad queen out of thin air - and a stupid, contrived ending to go with it. I mean, honestly, BRAN as the king! I don't know whether to laugh or weep. None of this makes any sense and even more annoying is the fact Sansa ended up ruling the North.

Jon Snow's arc thrown away. Why bother bringing him back to life if the prophecy and all the lead up was going to abandoned? Dany's arc destroyed in the most monstrous way imaginable. Bran didn't even get a proper arc - he just looked cryptic all the time for no reason. Jaime's arc thrown away. Arya's arc went nowhere and Bravos was a load of tosh. We still don't even know what Varys heard in the flames. Who cares, right? Sansa's entire story line after season 4 was horse manure and this episode just puts the final steam on the turd.

Also, I can't stand Sophie Turner - she's playing herself - Rich and in love with herself. She's no longer portraying her character.

And just when you felt it couldn't get any sillier, Sam does a Lord of the Rings by creating the book A Song of Ice and Fire.

GRRM deserved better than the garbage D&D have churned out. They are utterly clueless.

Get lost!!

When I first saw this episode, I was dumbfounded by its utter stupidity. And, then, it hit me: 'We have Dumb and Dumber at the helm - not GRRM. It's going to get worse.'

And it did. Look at what became of Game of Thrones. This episode is a massive clue as to the utter stink of those two inept writers. They haven't a clue what real life is about or what believable fiction is about. They do EVERYTHING for shock value without one ounce of understanding to the logic of it.

They actually think it's fine to show a character in medieval times stabbed multiple times in the stomach, who then goes for a non stop sprint after it without a care in the world. Arya would be DEAD. It's that simple.

People who accepted this episode at the time should reflect long and hard on the fact they were partly responsible for the utter DRECK we got in Season 7 and 8.

D&D are a menace. They should never, ever be allowed to write another TV show or film.

Also, whose bright idea was it to make the Waif (who remained totally unexplained and without character development) into the T-1000????

It's the best episode this season, but that's only 7/10 by Game of Thrones S1-4 standards.

D&D = Dumb and Dumber (the writers).

Let's look at the good -

1. The Tyrion-Jaime scene was top notch and exactly the way it needed to be. Sadly, Dumb and Dumber wrecked all the other heartfelt moments this and last season. I guess we gotta be thankful they've now managed to write ONE great scene.

2. The battle for King's Landing was superb and visually what we all expected. The 'no mercy' strategy was gripping throughout.

Now, the bad:

1. Once again, certain characters survive certain death for no other reason than D&D are stupid. Jaime, Euron, Arya, Greyworm, etc all have plot armour yet again when it suits. What is it that Dumb and Dumber don't understand about human anatomy? Arya was stabbed in the stomach multiple times in season 6 in one of the lowest and most stupid moments in GoT, and now we have the same for Euron and Jaime. Jaime actually then travels on forever afterwards as if it were just a minor flesh wound he'd received. It's so, so disappointing to see such poor writing in this show. D&D are HACKS. Arya has buildings caving in on top of her as she runs around King's Landing with dragon fire raining down and unsullied slaughtering everyone in sight. She'd be dead multiple times.

2. The Mountain is undead. When did this happen??? We've not been told he's immortal until now. It was laughable. The whole thing looked like a cheap zombie B movie.

3. Dany's descent into madness wasn't a descent (like it will be in the books, should it occur); instead, it's been the most unrealistic character change in TV history. In just a few episodes, she's gone from wanting to take King's landing with minimal losses to actively hunting down innocent people and frying them alive - when she's clearly won the war already. Even when she was contemplating burning King's Landing to a crisp in previous episodes, she was never capable of hunting down women and children in the streets like a bad Hollywood villain. They've ruined her character by rushing and forcing the story - Magic wand, lazy writing.

4. Varys' death was silly. He deserved better than to be found out for some futile last minute plot. Burning him alive with Drogon... was that even necessary? Hasn't Dany heard of a sword?

5. Dumb and Dumber seem to think Cersei is a tragic character who deserves our sympathy. No. She's a horrible monster who has caused untold suffering and death - all for her own petty wants and schemes. It's insulting they gave her such an easy death, and one that actually tries to be nice to her! It was also totally unsatisfying to see her killed by a bunch of rocks in a cliche 'hold me close as we die together' scene.

Look, Dumb and Dumber: we all know that you love the actress who plays Cersei, but she's an ACTRESS. You're writing a CHARACTER for a fictional show, you blithering idiots.

6. Dany threatening Tyrion with death is also out of character, as is Jaime still giving a damn about Cersei.

7. Tyrion arranging for Cersei to escape is LAUGHABLE. There is no way on earth he'd do that. He'd arrange for Jaime to escape (maybe - and even then how would Jaime get away unseen??) - NOT his crazy, demented sister. It's almost as if Dumb and Dumber have forgotten everything Cersei has done to Tyrion and to everyone else.

8. Euron's death is so bad it's hilarious. "I'm the one who killed Jaime Lannister..." LOL WHO THE HELL CARES? And why did he want to in the first place? The scene is also extremely badly acted and will likely be ridiculed in 1000 memes. Oh, and did I mention that he survived a direct hit from Drogon's fire and then swam ashore to meet Jaime by complete coincidence on the beach?

In conclusion: This episode has a few moments where you can remember how good Game of Thrones used to be - and lots of moments where you are reminded that those two fools - Dumb and Dumber - are now completely in charge.

Unfortunately, this episode also can't erase the destruction those two idiots have wrought on this show. Watching Drogon roast and toast reminded me of what they've have done to GRRM's epic fantasy. The best this season isn't saying a lot.

A message to Dumb and Dumber:

No-one invested their time to see Cersei as ultimate ruler with her unrealistic, weirdo pirate friend - all made possible by your insane and illogical writing.

Everyone with a brain cell can see how you've forced that entire plot - and have had to give her an army and a load of dragon killers and other unworldly weaponry just to even it out for "drama".

Only the stupid and thick will buy this latest episode.

For everyone else:

The scene with Bronn is the only thing that stands out as decent. Everything else is against logical writing. They're going full "Dany is a tyrant" out of nowhere - "Sansa is a traitor" - and, oh, what a joke it is to see Cersei more powerful than the White Walkers.

The whole thing is a joke. It's better than the last episode, but how could it be any worse?

Let's just get this nonsense over and done with, shall we?

PS. Tyrion wouldn't have walked up to the castle, pleading with his sister for the 100th time, and in full view of 1000 arrows. GRRM doesn't write garbage like that. He isn't stupid and nor is the book Tyrion.

--

Also, has anyone else noticed the feminazi propaganda that this show is now about? None of it happens in the books

• Greyjoys led by a woman (Yara) who is a wonder woman
• Brienne is everywhere and beats Hound and Jaime and everyone else
• Cersei still on throne and main threat
• The child Mormont who can slay Giant zombies
• Sansa
• Arya the comic book hero.
• The Sand Snakes and their mother... who took over Dorne.

And on and on. NONE of this happens in the books.

The show already jumped the shark back in Season 6 with some very silly moments that arose from the fact Dumb & Dumber are, in reality, not good writers; without Martin's material, they are exposed as nothing more than a pair of hacks.

This episode is the final nail in the coffin for this show. The mortal threat everyone has banged on about since season 1.... defeated in 10 seconds by a girl with a dagger. Out of nowhere. Totally illogical. Total nonsense. Magic wand, lazy writing at its finest.

The entire season has been all about fan service from two writers completely out of their depth.

It doesn't help when you have actors like Sophie Turner who are now playing their whored-out, money grabbing selves rather than who they are meant to be portraying. Just look at what money and fame have done to her on and off screen. She's so VAPID.

But, don't worry, the mindless fanboys and dumbos amongst us will, of course, lap it all up-just like good, brainwashed, Hollywood subjects.

Baaaaaaaaaaa Baaaaaaaaa

You hear somethin'? Oh, yeah, just sheep.

What a crying shame it is to see a show so good become a ridiculous MESS!

Season 1 to 4 = 10/10. Season 5 = 9/10. Season 6 = 7/10. Season 7 = 5 /10. Season 8 (so far) = 3/10.

Pretty soon, the only people who will be defending this show will be the dumbos and easily pleased...

TVW = TV writers.

Since the TV show left the books behind (around S5 on), the show's writing has gotten worse and worse. I think the first poor episode is probably the one where Arya is being pursued by the T- 1000. It is utterly absurd. But this season (s7) has been by far the worst.

Aside from the odd decent moment, and the awesome spectacle of the dragons, it has been average at best. Melodrama has replaced a proper narrative. Contrivances have replaced logic. Let me give you some examples:

1. Daenerys has spent her entire time planning to invade Westeros. And when it was finally time to do so, the dumb TVW threw a spoke in the wheel. Out of nowhere, she suddenly can't hurt any bystanders, so holds off the attack on King's Landing (Yeah, 'cause she hasn't had to hurt any innocent people in order to get to the position she is in now, has she!?) This silly little contrivance is designed to prolong Cersei on the throne (itself a really dumb idea) as long as possible in the most artificial way possible. The TVW are completely shitting on logic in order to force this demented Mexican standoff. The latest episode goes even further... A proposed alliance between Cersei and Daenerys and Jon - to defeat the Army of the Dead. Jon and co have to prove to Cersei that the army is real by capturing one of the living dead. Just think about how DUMB that sounds. As if Tyrion, or Daenerys, would be entertaining anything of the sort, especially at this moment in time. Tyrion would never even advise it, because he isn't stupid enough to trust his sister for ANY REASON.

2. The long awaited reunion of characters was handled in a really clumsy way. It was dreadful. Where was the real emotion with Sansa- Arya or Bran-Sansa? It was non existent. It was like these people were just ordinary buddies who chanced upon a meeting. I was really looking forward to seeing the reunions, because we have been waiting since SEASON 1 for it. What a complete let down that was.

3. Characters are everywhere, at any time; it's almost as if they've been chatting with Seth Brundle. Daenerys hears that the Lannisters have taken Highgarden - and the next minute, her army is right there with Jaime in the thick of it. The continuity has gone out of the window. Whatever the writers want to happen happens. Magic wand, LAZY writing.

4. Melodrama / soap opera nonsense. In the last episode (S7E4), I had to suffer watching jaime being saved by Bron in the most ridiculous way there is. The cliché and brainless 'last second save'. And then, as I fully expected, we open episode 5 to discover they haven't been captured and have miraculously managed to escape unscathed, floating in deep water while WEARING ARMOUR and A SWORD! Holy crap. That's what happens when you run out of actual genius (Martin's work) and have to work on your own crappy, limited brain (TVW).

5. Characters aren't behaving like they should be. I've already mentioned Daenerys in regards to this, but it extends across the board. Bran "OOooo I am suddenly not Bran anymore... but I can feel who he was" or some slop. He still hasn't explained ANYTHING to anyone, even though the world is about to do battle with a mortal threat that he understands better than any other person on the planet. Sansa's turned into some awful caricature, totally alien to who she is as a person. And don't give me the Ramsay bullshit, since that was a dumb TV move in the first place and never happens in the books. Cersei is somehow queen and ultimate ruler, and making logical tactical decisions. But, here's the thing, it's already been established long before now that she is a useless tactician, and a naive, childish brat, who has no leadership qualities. But that's all out now, because they need her to be a main antagonist on the show. Speaking of Cersei, her one remaining child died and her emotion to it was zero. That's after it being well established that her only reason for carrying on with life was her children. Oh, but let's just switch off our brains again. The TVW said it's all OK! Whoopi-doo.

6. Contrivances. For example, Jorah Mormont needs a cure. Suddenly, he's managed to trek to some sort of hostel hundreds and hundreds of miles away, seemingly to just die - where he meets up with Sam - who not only finds a cure in a random book, but manages to pull off the delicate procedure, explained within, at the first time of asking. Then Jorah is back with Daenerys super-quick time. It's just so damn lazy and transparent.

7. Dialogue. This has taken a big hit as well. It's always been the case that the writers think swearing is uber-cool and shoehorned it into as many places as possible - but now they are out of Martin's material, a lot of the meat is gone. Tyrion stands out the most. The TVW are in over their heads. They are out of their depth.

Does anyone think Martin will be remotely THIS incompetent? The TVW have always made a mess when changing things (very often for no sane reason) from the books. For example, army numbers and population numbers being exaggerated to absurd levels; ridiculous and unrealistic events, like Sansa marrying Ramsay; over the top swearing, sex, nudity - for no other reason than to appeal to the mindless, lowest common denominator. But this is worse.

It's still entertaining, but the quality slide after S1-4 is larger than people are admitting. Some cool scenes with dragons isn't making me blind and dumb to all these issues.

edit. At least E7S7 was decent.

This film is the latest to fail my 30 minute test. I give every film 30 minutes and, in that time, if the film has promise, I watch the remainder. The only films that fail the test are those that are very poor, for one reason or another.

In the case of North by Northwest, the issue is blatantly clear: The script is ridiculously contrived, and the story is totally unbelievable. I cannot watch a serious film when it disregards reality in such a casual, off-hand manner. The premise of a man on the run because of mistaken identity is not too shabby, but there are so many insulting things the writer does to force the story. I'll give you one example, of many, in the first 30 minutes:

Protagonist is abducted at gun point from a busy public building (already, that's absurd) by two men, who then take him elsewhere. He meets their boss, who tells him that he may as well drop the innocent act, and that his identity is known. After he unsuccessfully tries to convince the abductors that they have the wrong man, they force bourbon down his throat, and then attempt to crash him off a cliff, in an effort to make his death look like an accident. Even though the quantity of alcohol he has ingested would render him completely helpless, he somehow fights off one of the abductors and takes control of the car, managing to drive it for a long while before the police apprehend him. He is arrested and tells his story to the police and judge. So far, the writer wants us to believe that these professionals have:

1. Abducted someone in this ridiculous fashion 2. Made a massive mistake with one of their targets 3. Been too stupid to realize after the protestations that the protagonist is not the man they are looking for 4. Have chosen a ridiculous method to kill their target. Seriously, if they were as organized as we're led to believe, the protagonist would just disappear. No professional would drive someone off a cliff.

The level of realism is already rock bottom, and it only gets worse from this point on (sigh... for example, the protagonist decides to do his own investigation work, which involves entering the hotel room of the intended target, even though he has come close to being murdered. NO-ONE WOULD EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING THIS. HUMANS DON'T BEHAVE THIS WAY.

Everything that happens is totally unbelievable and against how real people think and operate. In order to make the film work, the writer has had to cheat by making everyone act like a moron. I absolutely guarantee you that if you take the initial incident and apply it to real life, it would end with the villains apologizing for mistaking you for someone else, your own death, or the villains being arrested. With a foundation that is SO rotten, nothing of worth can possibly grow.

I love some of Hitchcock's films (especially Dial M For Murder, and Frenzy), but this is just absolute nonsense.

The biggest problem with this movie is that large parts are dedicated to a theme that has been done to death by the Left Wing Progressives of Hollywood. The absurd premise of this entire picture is that if you kill someone, no matter the justification, you yourself become the bad guy; it's cliché, it's worn out, and it's just not true. To someone who accepts this pseudo-philosophical garbage, the Dark Knight might have some sort of meaning, but to the rest of us, it's just a rather silly message that turns Batman into a gibbering do-gooder with both hands tied behind his back. I'd put my faith in David Cameron before the weak-ass Batman portrayed in this movie - and that's saying something.

In the real world, a mass murdering psychopath would be hunted down and shot without any remorse whatsoever. No-one would care. There is no grey area here. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME IN REAL LIFE. IT IS LAWFULLY ACCEPTABLE, especially when the said murderer is in the MIDDLE OF A RAMPAGE. Instead, in Nolan's fantasy world, killing a despicable killer (even to save others) is a no-no. Batman would much rather keep his 'morality' intact by sparing the killer time and time again - even at the risk of his own life. There are numerous examples of Leftist propaganda in this film, and silly scenes that serve only to give the liberals a warm heart, like the serious criminal who decides to throw away the detonator in order to save innocent lives. GIVE ME A BREAK. I'm not buying that cliché drivel. It's time for Hollywood to enter the real world. This film is an apologist for criminality.

How on earth has this garbage managed to fool so many people?

Given that the main theme of the film is utterly flawed, you won't be surprised to learn that almost all of it is. Like all of the films in the Nolan trilogy, there are WAY too many inconsistencies, plot holes, and totally unbelievable situations. Batman Returns is largely more realistic than this film is, and it wasn't even trying to be realistic. THAT should give you a good idea of how bad this is. At least the fast-cut editing has been toned down a little from Batman Begins.

The biggest mistake this trilogy made was to meld the comic book craziness with real life logic in the hope of making a gritty, realistic Batman. News Flash: The comic Batman is totally and utterly unrealistic. You either create a decent comic film, or you take only elements that can generally work in the real world. This trilogy tried to create some kind of hybrid and, because of that, it falls flat on its face. But even the parts that should be believable regardless are done badly - like the police force. In order to make the joker a super-villain, Nolan made everyone else a super-moron. LAZY WRITING.

There's not enough space to expand on every point I've made, and the film throws another curve ball at you before the end: The main law maker himself has a 100% reversal into a super-villain, because the Joker killed his wife hahaha. As you can no doubt tell, the script is completely bonkers. If you are going for realism, then don't insult my intelligence with this crap, Nolan.

Imho, the Dark Knight is the strongest of the three films, but it's still a giant mess. My rating: 5/10.

I am being generous giving this abomination a 2. It's getting 2 because the characters were portrayed more or less like in the game (which was, for the most part, a well written fiction), and the graphics were nice.

Everything else about this film is wrong. Like with reviewing all terrible things, it's hard to know where to begin.

1. Localization is BAD. Let's start with my title: "Dilly Dally, Shilly Shally". This is a symptom of a terrible localization. You'd think that after the original game's problematic localization that at least THIS would be up to scratch... but no. I won't waste your time telling you what the Japanese was meant to convey—just Google it and find out. The nonsensical phrase above indicates the localization team was either on drugs or mentally deficient. The whole localization is poor. It's actually a slight improvement to watch this film in Japanese with English subs. I say 'slight' because that won't fix the crap script, plot, pacing, or anything else, sadly.

2. The plot makes absolutely no sense. Part of the reason is that Final Fantasy VII is a massive game with a huge story and, any sequel, even if well scripted, would likely need to be three hours long to tell a coherent tale. No effort was attempted. I watched the "Complete" version of this film and timed the amount of scenes dedicated to meaningless, out of control, and totally implausible battle sequences— it came to around 1/3 of the film. When you see things like this, you should instantly be aware that the writers are compensating for a lack-luster story. In this case, they are also appealing to FF7 fanboys, who will buy anything Final Fantasy as long as it has cool graphics. Square Enix has churned out a lot of Sequel-Prequel cash-ins since 1997. And fans just keep on biting.

3. The pacing is dire. The film is so busy trying to disguise its short-comings with battle sequences that it forgets to tell a story or have a proper narrative. No sooner are your characters in a setting where some meaningful dialogue can take place than something happens to thrust you into another coma inducing battle sequence.

4. The film is written like it is a game. Sigh... The genres are completely different, but some morons at Square Enix (including some of the original staff) thought that it would be a good idea to use game elements in a film. As a result, physics, gravity, logic, and reason are thrown out of the window. Characters are smashed into walls at 100 mph without a scratch... Look, I'm getting fed up with this review already. Just like the film, it's boring me. Needless to say, if you are intelligent enough to understand why believability matters to a fiction, you are too intelligent to watch this insulting film. In the game, battle elements are often treated as non-story elements because that's desirable—a player uses logic to decide how to interpret the battle in the wider scheme of things. The story in the game maintained the suspension of disbelief and didn't go too far, too often. This pile of rubbish doesn't care. Unfortunately, I have had the misfortune of debating this issue on a fan forum, and the overwhelming majority agreed that logic doesn't matter and that any and all things that happen in a story are acceptable. Little wonder, then, that these same people praise and defend this garbage.

5. Apart from Cloud (who is now an emo), the characters were well designed and acted like their game counterparts. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. The game versions had proper motivations and lengthy conversations. This film just wants to get you to the next battle sequence. It doesn't help that the fanboy servicing required numerous retcons (like dead characters returning - itself a sign of lazy, crap writing) to take place, and for every established former character to make an appearance, no matter the justification.

I am one of the biggest FF7 fans. I have recently finished a complete relocalization for the original game, found here: http://goo.gl/QBrX7B. But unlike some fans, I am not deluded by fanboyism. I know the short comings of the game and of this movie (if you can call it that). This film was made for the sole purpose of exploiting mindless fanboys - to make a quick buck. And on that front, it worked. If you aren't familiar with the game, I dread to think how much worse this film will be for you.

This film is an ABSOLUTE example of what NOT TO DO.