Reviews

Warning: This review is only based on the first two episodes released side by side. And is only indicative of the show's quality during this time frame.

If there is anything to be said about Mob City is that it isn't ashamed of it's roots. Whiskey, jazz, smoke and guns...this is as noir a tale as they come. From the narration to the wardrobe. Not the usual TV drama audiences are used to. It takes a gamble in a genre that's not famous with the mainstream, and i applaud it for taking that route.

It is true however, that by thriving in a road that has been walked on time and time again, some archetypes and conventions are spotted from the very beginning. The downbeat detective, the friendly mobster, the comic relief, the love interest. What the show will do with these parts remains yet to be seen. But for now i can say that it didn't stop me from deeply enjoying it's premiere. The thing about archetype characters is that they can be a lot of fun in the context of referencing and as a homage to the genre the show so clearly has a love for. And i had a lot of fun with them.

Something has also to be said about the acting, that convincingly breathes life into these characters. Everyone is great, but of course i am always happy to see Simon Pegg even in the silver screen.

For now this is a cautiously optimistic review to series that shows promise and indulges in the genre it tries to bring to life ever so lovingly.

WARNING: This review is based on the pilot episode alone, which i have just recently seen.

When you base a TV show around a universe so massive in scope and so varied in content such as the MARVEL brand you immediately set yourself up not only to fill some incredibly large shoes but also to respond to a certain level of expectations.

When you hire the director of The Avengers to helm such ordeal, said expectations rise even to a higher level. Now granted, seeing as this is a TV show on ABC the scope is understandably expected to be more focused and contained.

So with these elements on the table, the show has to be good, right? RIGHT?

Unfortunately, it isn't. Unfortunately it isn't bad either. See, if it was bad at least we would have gotten a kick out of watching this sinking ship delving ever deeper into an abyss of rage, frustration and fan boy anger capable of making THE INCREDIBLE HULK blush.

Instead, what we get is a pretty standard TV show filled with the same clichés that every CSI episode has already aired once or twice before. The whole thing looks cheap and rushed. The acting is cheesy and often badly delivered. And surprisingly, not even Whedon seems to be with his head in the game seeing as the show just looks terrible. Even for it's budget.

It's bland and it's boring. It has nothing that defines it as a new IP worth of sinking your teeth in.

I really hope next week's episode can deliver or else, it's quite obvious this show won't stay in the air for long.

I'll give it an average 5 out of 10.

With the return of a visionary director to a genre that he helped to define, with a cast of talented actors and with lots of love for the source material, PROMETHEUS is a movie that should have been an instant classic. But instead it falls short of being something truly remarkable and stands as a sort of enigma to viewers everywhere.

First things first, Prometheus isn't a bad movie and it's not deserving of the popular bashing now being synonymous with it's name. It's also not a very good movie, as it's deeply flawed and plagued with pacing issues, character underdevelopment and confusing plot points. Instead it stands in the middle of those extremes. It's a movie with some very good ideas, that were lost somewhere along the way and ultimately failed to reach it's true potential.

With faults being directed at screenwriter Damon Lindelof (LOST) and plot holes being counted by the hundreds, i can safely say i don't feel like it's any of those issues that breaks the movie. Rather it's a deeper and more collective issue that plagues the entire process. This is a movie that is not sure of what it wants to be. It wants to be a solid prequel to the Alien franchise, a philosophical study about the origins of man and a golden age monster movie. And it's either all of the above or neither.

To conclude my points, this is a movie that does a lot of things right, but also takes many missteps along the way. And while it's nowhere near the quality of movies like BLade RUnner or Alien, it is nice to see that Scott hasn't lost his touch on what makes a movie gorgeous to look at. I do think that everyone should watch it at least twice to gather everything it has to offer and to draw their own conclusions about the movie in general.

Good 7/10