lord_orsum
Joined Oct 2017
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lord_orsum's rating
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lord_orsum's rating
I shall admit to a certain amount of trepidation with regard to this film. It has been such a long time since the last Wallace & Gromit outing, I was worried that the magic would be lost. But thankfully, this is a very worthy installment in the franchise.
The story introduces the Norbot, the robot garden gnome. The script hits all the right notes, mixing whimsy, adventure and heart in the right quantities. There are visual and word gags aplenty (I am sure than I missed loads on my first viewing). The replacement voice for Wallace is indistinguishable from Peter Sallis (who would have been proud of his successor).
Welcome back, Wallace & Gromit!
The story introduces the Norbot, the robot garden gnome. The script hits all the right notes, mixing whimsy, adventure and heart in the right quantities. There are visual and word gags aplenty (I am sure than I missed loads on my first viewing). The replacement voice for Wallace is indistinguishable from Peter Sallis (who would have been proud of his successor).
Welcome back, Wallace & Gromit!
Benedict Cumberbach gives an excellent performance here as the eccentric/unhinged artist Luis Wain. Unfortunately, that is all that can really be said in favour of this film.
While apparently true (I have no idea how much license was taken with historical fact), the story meanders all over the place, with no characters earning the viewer's empathy. Luis himself essentially sabotages his own life at every turn, is clearly insane, and doesn't show any endearing characteristics.
The casting of actors of diverse races in a film set in Victorian London society reduces its authenticity. Such representation existed, but was very uncommon.
Sadly, at the film's end, I was left with no emotion other than "thank goodness that is over".
While apparently true (I have no idea how much license was taken with historical fact), the story meanders all over the place, with no characters earning the viewer's empathy. Luis himself essentially sabotages his own life at every turn, is clearly insane, and doesn't show any endearing characteristics.
The casting of actors of diverse races in a film set in Victorian London society reduces its authenticity. Such representation existed, but was very uncommon.
Sadly, at the film's end, I was left with no emotion other than "thank goodness that is over".
Overall, this is an excellent series. It presents the viewer with some hard science SF, and benefits from some genuine relationships amongst the core group of physicist friends.
One thing that I really liked was the absence of romantic interests except for one which is directly relevant to the plot. Most notably, the character Auggie is stunningly beautiful, yet no hint of romance is ever presented. This is very refreshing.
The main story of an impending (400 years away) alien invasion and how mankind would deal with it is well handled. What is less good is the Sophon supercomputers. Their virtually god-like abilities make any planned resistance immediately flawed. There are also some internal inconsistencies; the aliens cannot lie, yet there are multiple duplicitous events that they orchestrate.
Even with these detractions, I am very much looking forward to season two.
One thing that I really liked was the absence of romantic interests except for one which is directly relevant to the plot. Most notably, the character Auggie is stunningly beautiful, yet no hint of romance is ever presented. This is very refreshing.
The main story of an impending (400 years away) alien invasion and how mankind would deal with it is well handled. What is less good is the Sophon supercomputers. Their virtually god-like abilities make any planned resistance immediately flawed. There are also some internal inconsistencies; the aliens cannot lie, yet there are multiple duplicitous events that they orchestrate.
Even with these detractions, I am very much looking forward to season two.