kbolton-27772 Reviews

Smallville (2001–2017)

Good, but it can cause fatigue

[7/10 · 11 April 2023]

The premise of this series, to tell the story of a young Clark Kent who is gradually discovering his powers as he faces adversaries with powers developed from contact from the kryptonite, is both simple and innovative. Superman has always been so powerful that he is rather uninteresting as no one or thing can put him in peril. Having Clark's powers developing as the series progresses and having him needing to protect characters that he cares about on a personal level adds both suspense and drama to the story though.

I remember being really engrossed in this series when I first started watching, but I can't remember what I felt about it as it progressed. Watching reruns on Prime now, I can see why. There is a lot of padding and reruns of the same storylines in regards to the characters. The love triangle between Clark, Lana and Chloe runs for far too long. It also requires the viewer to set aside that both Lana and Chloe would have abandoned their friendship with Clark given that he let them down on a weekly basis. It would also be plainly obvious to them, and also Lex, that Clark has a penchant for turning up in the most dangerous situations and the craziest things happen around him.

One of the major problems of this series is not the feeble mindedness of the support characters though but that Clark is not a likeable character. He manages to cause an explosion that results in his mother miscarrying, but there are no real repercussions for him.

Babylon 5 (1993–1998)

A Teenage Boy's Sci Fi Series

[8/10 · 26 July 2022]

Channel 4's adverts for Babylon 5 had the tagline: "the future is Babylon 5"; given how groundbreaking Babylon 5 was, they probably didn't realise how prophetic that statement was.

I was thirteen when I started watching Babylon 5 and I became captivated by it; a large part of that will have been because Babylon 5 is a series that is tailor made for teenage boys. Now that is not a criticism. Yes, there is lots of epic battle scenes that were peppered cheesy hung ho dialogue that are a staple for teenage boys, but that was not what Babylon 5 was essentially about. Babylon 5 is a story about how the characters, caught up in events largely outside of their control, who are struggling to define themselves and find their place in a mysterious universe; a teenage boy can relate to that.

It is the mystery that forms the lynch pin of Babylon 5 in its first two seasons, but as the seasons go by, the mystery peters out and the characters take the centre stage and bring the appeal. Two characters in particular, G'Kar and Londo played by the excellent Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik, are the real standouts. They have captivating story arcs where we see them develop from, in the case of G'Kar, an egotistical bully to an inspirational sage, and, in the case of Londo, a despondent drunk to a tragic anti-hero. All of the characters though, with the possible exception of the Babylon's leading man in seasons two to five (Bruce Boxleitner's John Sheridan) have depth. This is brought about by them all having some sort of weakness or personality flaw. It makes them relatable and so we, as an audience become involved in their stories.

As Babylon 5 progresses, the characters, with both story remains gripping, but there is less nuance in regards to the J Michael Straczynski's (the series creator) philosophical view points and the battle scenes become rather too epic for their own good. In the earlier seasons, the appearance of the larger more powerful spaceships would be a rare occurrence and we are in awe of them, by the time we get to series four, there are dozens of them involved in the space battles and we can wonder where they all were in earlier episodes where they would have come in rather useful. The vastness and the mystery of the universe as portrayed in season one is replaced by a monotone philosophical viewpoint and overly epic battles by the time we get to the midpoint of season four. The battle scenes do become less overwhelming by the time we get to the end of season four though where the central stories that started in season one are wrapped up.

Modern science fiction series are often criticised for being more concerned with providing a social commentary on the contemporary world rather than trying to see issues from different points of view; although more subtle, Babylon 5 was somewhat ahead of its time in trying to do the something similar. Humans that are hostile to aliens are portrayed as racist xenophobes, we don't have to put much thought into realising that our characters would take a dim view of Brexit. It seems a bit unfair that those from Earth who are wary or hostile to alien races are portrayed in such a dark light. The Babylon 5 story is set after an intergalactic war that nearly caused humanity's destruction. It would be understandable that some humans would not be overly enthusiastic about mingling with those that nearly caused their extinction. It seems ironic that humans are portrayed in such simple terms given that the alien species are not subjected to the same standards and it is the differing factions within the alien species that makes them memorable in comparison to the alien races in other sci-fi series.

Babylon 5, although not perfect, is a sci-fi classic. Built upon the vision and story of its creator, it reaches the heights it does thanks to the characters and the actors that portray them. Try not to take Babylon 5 too seriously as I suspect Starczynski does, but see it rather through the eyes of a teenage boy that is learning who he is and who he wants to be, and who will end up looking at his adolescence with a cringe, but also a fondness for the dreams that made him into the man he is.

Shattered (1991)

An twisting thriller that isn't difficult to watch

[8/10 · 13 May 2022]

I remember this film being on regularly in the 1990s, but eventually the repeats stopped and the TV channels moved on. This was a great loss however as, even when you know the twists that are coming, it is still quite engrossing and easy to watch.

The acting is good and the plot, despite the twists, is easy to understand.

I find this the perfect sort of film to watch last thing on a Friday when you are trying to relax after a long week at work.

DI Ray (2022– )

Run of the mill marmite

[4/10 · 7 May 2022]

This police drama is basically another police drama. If you like Line of Duty, you will probably like this, if you don't, leave this alone.

It's another series where the lead character has some personal ordeal to overcome. When the writers create series like this, they must have a standard list of characters and all they need to do is change the names.

What always gets me about these series os that it's not just the characters and stories which are generic, they are filmed in the same way and the dialogue is never distinguishable from one series to the next. I'm sure that even the music is shared between series.

If you like modern crime dramas, you'll probably like this, if you don't; give this series a miss.

Get Over It (2001)

Fun

[10/10 · 28 December 2021]

This is an easy watch that has comedy and romance.

The characters are all likeable and you get the feeling that they all enjoyed being in the film.

It almost makes me miss being a teenager.

The Mask of Zorro (1998)

Simply Perfection

[10/10 · 22 December 2021]

This movie is quite simply perfect. It has a simple yet gripping story that combines humour, action and romance.

The story is gripping and the action is thrilling, but what really makes this movie go from very good to outstanding is characters and the actors that portray them.

Each of the heroes has a tragic back story that means that you are invested in their arc and even the villains have some redeeming qualities.

I never tire of watching this movie as it is gets everything right. It never drags and keeps you entertained throughout.