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Reviews
Reacher (2022)
A Faithful Adaptation of the Books
As a fan of the books, I was impressed.
The first season is a faithful adaptation of the first book in the series "The Killing Floor." The casting was spot on for all of the characters.
The actor who was cast to play Jack Reacher is the right size, build, and looks exactly like he is described in the books (as opposed to Tom Cruise in the films). Alan Ritchson plays the character perfectly. He speaks, acts, thinks, and has the exact mannerisms of the Reacher of the books. His characterization alone would have been enough to give the show a positive review, but the plot of the book is also faithfully adapted and paced well, the action is well done, fighting well choreographed, and the other characters are cast correctly with good actors playing them faithfully. I absolutely loved it.
The only reason I'm not giving this show a 10/10 is because there was unnecessary nudity in several episodes. I know it has a rating of TV-MA, but as Daredevil showed the world, a show can have a TV-MA rating and have realistic violence without needing to include nudity or gratuitous language and still be an incredible show. Implication and lead up followed by aftermath rather than showing nudity can go a long way and make a show that appeals to a larger audience.
Otherwise, the show is excellent and I look forward to seeing them adapt another book for the second season.
Dune (2021)
Finally, a Faithful Adaptation of the Book
Ignore all of the negative reviews being left by fans of the 1984 film. This is Dune as it was written by Frank Herbert.
This film was exactly what I was hoping for when it was first announced. Being a big fan of the book, I kept hoping that someone would actually adapt the book as it was written. The 1984 film is many things, but it is not a faithful adaptation of the book. Dune: Part One is an adaptation of which I think the author would have been proud. The first time an ornithopter is fired up and flown was worth the price of admission alone for me.
This is not a Star Wars film. It is not a campy movie. There is no rock music, outlandishly loud 1980's style costumes, speedo wearing Sting, unnecessary things added that were not in the book, or overbearing amount of exposition. It is not another big, loud, dumb Hollywood blockbuster filled with funny quips, nonstop action, plot-holes and huge explosions (though there is action and huge explosions at points).
It is a very serious, dark, epic, well written, well acted, well scored, and visually gorgeous film. As a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, I do not say lightly that it is the science fiction equivalent of the Lord of the Rings, and one must understand that they are watching a movie like the Lord of the Rings going into it. It is paced the same way as the book, so like the Lord of the Rings there are many scenes of talking, plotting/planning and traveling. Like the Lord of the Rings it expects you to understand terms that are being used based on context and the limited amount of exposition given, and both are sufficient to the task if you pay attention and don't mentally check out during the film. It is purposefully an incomplete story because it is an adaptation of the first half of the book (the book is quite long) with Part Two waiting to be greenlit if Part One is a hit.
If you want a simple, dumb, fast-paced action-fest in which you can turn off your brain for two and a half hours (not that there's anything wrong with that), this film is not for you. If you want/are expecting an adaptation/remake of the 1984 version, this film is not for you.
If you want to see a Lord of the Rings kind of epic sci-fi film, this is the film for you. If you are a fan of the books, this film is for you. If you want to experience the kind of epic landmark film event that only comes along every 20 or 30 years, this is the film for you.
Eureka: Do You See What I See (2011)
The Single Worst Episode of Eureka
See title.
It's terribly written, not funny, and wholly uninspired.
It could have, and should have been one of the greatest episodes of the entire series, a la Community's "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas," or Farscape's "Revenging Angel." but it instead ends up as a soulless, tacked on Christmas episode that feels more like obligation than a labor of love. The animation looks good, and that's all I have to say that is good about this episode.
Seriously, having seen every episode of this show twice, skip this one. It is a waste of time and does not contribute to the main storyline.
Huge disappointment.
Supergirl (2015)
Superbad
I will preface this by saying that I have no issues with female superheroes being the lead in a show or movie, but being a female superhero is not enough to carry a show anymore than it is being a male superhero.
I am a fan of Arrow and The Flash TV shows. They've had their bad moments, and even bad seasons, but they still get the fundamentals of what makes a TV show work. They have good ensemble casts (Felicity from Arrow excluded) with good chemistry, good plotlines, good villains, good writing, believable issues, pretty good CGI, and good acting.
Supergirl has none of those things.
The writing is terrible, cheesy, clunky, and cringeworthy. George Lucas' "I don't like sand..." line comes to mind when hearing the dialogue, but the worst of all of George Lucas' romantic dialogue in the Star Wars prequels is still better and less cheesy and cliche than the majority of the lines uttered in this show.
The cast has little to no onscreen chemistry.
The fight scenes would be acceptable during the 1970's Superman era, but are laughable and cringeworthy by even 1980's standards.
There must be a requirement for every single DC show to have at least one prominent gay/lesbian character because they all shoehorn them in, regardless of whether it has anything to do with the plot or comic book characters, and then attempt to add as many minor ones as possible and/or episodes dedicated to the issues they face, regardless of whether they have anything to do with the episode's plot. I understand that they're trying to be "inclusive," but it really feels forced on this show, and it takes over a lot of episodes that should really be about the title character.
The acting is terribly cheesy, and downright horrible at times. It's almost like they hired actors based upon looks, rather than actual acting ability because the cast members looks great, but get considerably less attractive the more they speak and act. The movie "The Room" has more believable acting at times than this show (which is not a compliment to "The Room!").
Even the crossover event with The Flash in the first season is terrible.
If you're thinking about watching the show because of the other DC shows that you enjoy, please do yourself a favor and skip it.