genbucadd Reviews

The Witcher (2019– )

So far so good

[10/10 · 29 December 2021]

I really enjoyed season one of The Witcher, so much so that I bought the books and really enjoyed them. So it was with some trepidation that I watched season two. But it didn't disappoint.

Henry Cavill was an inspired choice and continues to be brilliant in the role of Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra is excellent as Yennifer of Vengerberg. Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla of Cintra is great. Joey Batey as Jaskier provides the right amount of humour for the series.

This series shows The Wheel of Time what a good fantasy series should be like. Let's hope season three keeps up the good work.

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

It's okay but nothing more

[5/10 · 29 December 2021]

A few years ago, I tried reading The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan (finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death) but only got through books 1 and 2. 1,500+ pages of not a lot happening left me underwhelmed and not eager to plough through the other 12 books. Plus, what I read appeared to be nothing more than a pale imitation of The Lord of the Rings. But I thought, Amazon's adaptation can't be any worse than the two books I'd read, can it?

Rumour has it that Amazon saw TWoT as its version of Game of Thrones. The biggest differences that I could see between the two are that The Wheel of Time saga was finished, albeit by another author, whereas we're all waiting (in vain, I fear) for George RR Martin to finish his Song of Ice and Fire saga. The other difference is that GoT was a very well adapted version of the books (until seasons 6-8, which we will ignore), whilst TWoT is not.

Anyway, for those not in the know the Wheel of Time saga (all fourteen books) is basically one of good v evil, with lots (and lots) of nods to JRR Tolkien. One of four friends from a small isolated sleepy village is The Dragon Reborn (and I guessed who it was fairly early in the first book), who will battle The Dark One in the final apocalyptic Last Battle (eleven books later). Aided by a bewildering cast of thousands, led by Moraine Damodred (an Aes Sedai) and her Warder, Lan, the Dragon Reborn and his/her friends must complete a ton of tasks and do innumerable battles before the final showdown.

Back to the Amazon series. I'm going to leave aside the diversity/political correctness issues others have commented on. The first few episodes moved along at a goodish pace, unlike the books, but it tended to drag mid way through (the White Tower episodes). It then picked up again after the escape through The Ways, which reminded me of the flight through the Mines of Moria.

Some of the actors are good but I'm afraid I just couldn't connect with any of the characters they portrayed. The conversations and endless set speeches/monologues sounded stilted, like the actors were just saying the words to quickly get through the scene. And all the dark brooding looks got a little irksome.

Amazon has gone all out on the visuals, which are sumptuous. However, I'm pretty sure there wasn't all the sex and swearing in the books. Maybe if there was, I would have stuck with them! From the comments of others, I can see that fans of the books are not happy with all the changes.

Finally, why has Amazon chosen to portray The Dark One as someone of Middle Eastern origin? Is it trying to make a statement? Is subtle racism creeping in?

All in all, I don't believe it's worth the effort of watching. You might want to watch the extended versions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (but please ignore The Hobbit films), or The Witcher instead. Personally, I won't be returning to watch season 2, if it gets made.

One final point. Amazon is filming a Lord of the Rings prequel. I hope (and pray) that they stay true to Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth and the races that inhabit it. However, if TWoT is anything to go by then I think we're in for lots of elf sex, dwarves swearing profusely and long, torturous speeches / monologues from the major characters. And you'll be able to hear Tolkien turn in his grave.

Invasion (2021–2024)

Good but could be better

[7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Apple TV's 'Invasion' chronicles an alien invasion, as seen from the perspective of four different characters in four (and then three) different locations - Aneesha Malik (US), Mitsuki Yamato (Japan), Casper Morrow (U. K.) and Trevante Cole (US army initially based in Afghanistan but then ending up in the UK).

The best and strongest storyline belonged to Aneesha Malik. Golshifteh Farahani, who plays her, was brilliant. It was a pleasure to watch her character develop from a cuckolded housewife, eager to please her philandering husband, into a woman who will stop at nothing to protect her children. With every episode she grew stronger, and her character became more defined, until in the end you were left routing for her.

Shioli Kutsina, who played Mitsuki Yamato, also had a well thought out story. As a member of the ground crew of a Japanese space flight I thought she did a good job of explaining the technical aspect of the story, without it getting too bogged down in the sci-fi aspect. Her own story made for a heartrending thread, and, like Aneesha Malik, I really found myself willing her on.

Unfortunately, the two other storylines really let the series down. Let's start with the Casper Morrow story (ably played by Billy Barratt). Sorry, but the whole Lord of the Flies thing in the quarry felt totally unrealistic and so contrived. I mean, are the creators/writers seriously trying to tell me that the Casper Morrow was able to scale an almost sheer cliff, which was dripping rainwater, in nothing but a pair of cheap sneakers? No way! And as was the 'I have a psychic connection to the aliens, look at the pictures I drew as evidence' sub-plot, I'm sorry but that really stretched the bounds of imagination to breaking point.

Which leaves the Trevante Cole story (played well by Shamier Anderson). I was left scratching my head over that storyline, because to be honest, it just didn't add anything. If the creators/writers (Simon Kinberg and David Weil) had left him out I wouldn't have missed him. And what was with the five-minute recorded phone message from his wife/ex-wife/girlfriend in episode 8? I can usually get, 'Hello, you've reached (name) but I'm not here at the moment. If you'd like to leave your na ...' before I run out of space! And what about Trevante's extremely long reply? Where was the end-message beep? And don't get me started on the red telephone box in Greenwich Park!!

But it reached the peak of silliness when Casper Morrow happened to run into Trevante Cole in a pub in London, whilst London is under attack from the aliens, and managed to persuade him to help him after showing him some of his drawings. Cole then merrily ran around London (and a hospital) waving his gun around (and never seeming to need to reload it), as you do in a country that has banned guns. Really?

And poor Sam Neil didn't even make it past episode 1! I honestly don't know why he was included as his storyline ended when he did. Perhaps Apple TV just needed a big name to help sell the series.

Overall, I thought it was good but it could have been so much better. I understand Apple has commissioned another series, but it would do well to dump Cole and Morrow and concentrate more on Malik and Yamato.

Oh, and try and spot which characters aren't using Apple products! I couldn't see one.

Red Notice (2021)

Boring and predictable

[2/10 · 29 December 2021]

Red Notice stars Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Gal Gadot. Ryan Reynolds plays Ryan Reynold, Dwayne Johnson plays Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot doesn't play Wonder Woman.

The story concerns the theft of three eggs given to Cleopatra by Mark Anthony one Christmas long ago ... or something. To be honest, I lost interest in this film about 30 minutes in. Probably why I have no idea what a red notice is and what it had to do with the film!

Badly written and with a total lack of humour one to be avoided, unless you happen to like watching Ryan Reynolds play Ryan Reynolds etc.

Werewolves of the Third Reich (2017)

Oh dear god ...

[1/10 · 23 December 2021]

There's bad, there's really bad, and then there's Werewolves of the Third Reich. If this is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek horror movie then it has failed spectacularly, because it's just not funny. Not even in a bad way. Badly written, badly acted and badly directed it has to rank as one of the worst British films ever made ... and there's been some real stinkers. It looks like it had a budget of £30 and managed to bring it in under budget. It's an hour and a half of my life I desperately want back.

Colony (2016–2018)

Not bad, a pity it was cancelled

[7/10 · 28 November 2021]

Colony follows the fortunes of the Bowman family as they fight to survive following an alien invasion. It consists of three seasons (36 episodes), but was cancelled after season 3, which is a great shame, because I really enjoyed it.

The cast is headed by Josh Holloway (Will Bowman), whose hairstyle doesn't change throughout series one and two, even during the flashbacks! Sarah Wayne Callies plays Katie Bowman, Will's wife, who divides her time between being a mother, bar owner and member of the resistance. The Bowman family is completed by sons Bram (Alex Neustaedter) and Charlie (Jacob Buster) and daughter Gracie (Isabella Crovetti).

The first series concentrates on Will's attempts to find his missing son, Charlie, whilst collaborating with the human authorities who are working with the alien invaders. Series 2 follows Will's rescue of Charlie and the aftermath of an act of resistance, whilst Bram moves closer to the resistance. Series 3 delivers the most, with a real shock exit of one of the main characters. It would have been great to see what could have occurred in season 4, if it had ever been made. Such a pity.

It's well worth a look.

Foundation (2021– )

It is NOT Asimov's Foundation

[2/10 · 19 November 2021]

So now that I've watched all the episodes of Foundation I can post my review. But where to start? Let's start with the positives. The visuals are, quite simply, stunning. The CGI really brings the whole thing to life. But then after the amount of money Apple has thrown at this series (purportedly $45m) you'd expect nothing less.

And now the negatives - and there are a fair few of them!

If you're looking for a faithful, or near faithful rendering of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series you're going to be disappointed. The series bears as much resemblance to the first two books (Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation) as an iPhone does to a slice of bread. Okay, so the names of some of the main characters (e.g., Hari Seldon, Raych and Eto Demerzel) and the planets (e.g., Trantor and Terminus) are the same, but that's it. For some reason best known to the writers (Josh Friedman and David S Goyer) they've introduced multiple cloned Cleon's, whereas in the prequels the story was set against the reign of Cleon I. The clones add nothing and make no sense whatsoever.

Moving on, whilst some of the acting is good (Lee Pace, Laura Birn, Terrance Mann in particular), the dialogue is poor. The characters are always seeking to explain what's happening to other characters (and, presumably, the viewer), which they shouldn't have to do if the story was more coherent. Oh, and what's with the sudden appearance of the Russians in episode 9?

All of that I could maybe forgive but for the crime against Asimov's universe, which others have mentioned (and I'm going to get geeky here). If Friedman and Goyer were serious about a faithful interpretation of the source material then they would never have had Demerzel, a robot, kill a human. Never! It's against the first of the three laws of robotics, which bind the whole robot series, as well as Foundation, together. To discard it shows how little respect Friedman and Goyer have for Asimov and his works.

I understand that Apple has commissioned a second series. After all, it wouldn't want to admit it's made a $45m dud! But I'm not holding out any hope that it's going to redeem itself. I certainly won't be watching it.

War of the Worlds (2019– )

Still waiting for a faithful adaptation

[2/10 · 6 November 2021]

This is an Anglo French 're-imagining' of the HG Wells classic. When I saw this advertised I thought, "Well, it can't be worse than Spielberg's rubbish remake or the truly awful BBC adaption." And I was right - it's not worse, but it's also not better.

It started out well, with some great slow build tension. I began to connect with the characters, especially the French scientist looking for her sister. So I was feeling hopeful. Then the robot dogs appeared and the whole thing collapsed into a dreary plodding mess. And don't get me started about the ending to season one! Seriously, what was that about?

Given the comments of others and the completely nonsensical ending to season one I don't think I'm going to bother with season two.

So here I am, still vainly waiting for someone, somewhere to finally do justice to one of the great classics of fiction. Maybe one day ...

Stargirl (2020–2022)

Started strong but ...

[6/10 · 16 October 2021]

I didn't hold out much hope for Stargirl, mainly because it's a DCEU series, but season 1 surprised me. I really enjoyed watching the main characters get into their stride and the villains, while being a little corny weren't too corny. But then season 2 came along and the moment I saw it was subtitled 'Summer Camp' I knew it was going to go downhill. And boy, has it gone downhill. It feels like the story could have wrapped up in four episodes but has been spread out to breaking point. Like The Hobbit trilogy. Which is a pity because the baddie, Eclipso, had the potential to be a really good villain and brought some dark moments.

I'm going to stick with it but I'm not holding out much hope.

Shazam! (2019)

For a DC film it's good!

[8/10 · 16 October 2021]

Unlike the MCU, the DCEU is more miss than hit, with only a few notable exceptions.

This is an enjoyable, amusing, well acted family film. The two leads (Asher Angel and Zachery Levi) are engaging and funny, and the supporting cast are well chosen, especially Jack Dylan Glazer. Mark Strong plays the baddie with subtlety, refraining from hamming it up like so many actors playing DC baddies.

It will be interesting to see how Shazam 2 turns out.

Pet Sematary (2019)

A below par adaptation

[3/10 · 16 October 2021]

A fairly typical adaption of a Stephen King novel, meaning poorly adapted. I can think of only a very small number of films/series that approach being anywhere near as good as the books, and this isn't one of them. Even if you haven't read the book you know what's going to happen within the first five or ten minutes. Give this one a miss.

Midnight Mass (2021)

A good series but beware the monologues

[8/10 · 2 October 2021]

As others have said already, this isn't horror but a really good slow build and intelligently suspenseful series. The acting in superb across the board, the direction subtle and the script thoughtful. The 'monster' is seen sparingly, which heightens the scares when it is finally revealed.

If there is a downside it's the overly long monologues per episode and the continuous religious message. I get that it is a small catholic community living on an island but the fervent religiosity begins to be tiresome. That said, I thought the introduction of a Muslim father and son, and the tension this creates with one of the hardline characters, was well written and added a good counterpoint.

No One Gets Out Alive (2021)

An a-z by-the-book horror film

[2/10 · 2 October 2021]

This film follows the 'A-Z of How To Make a Horror Film' textbook. No scares, characters with less dimensions than a piece of paper, a plot that goes nowhere and ridiculous 'reveals'. For example, the overly long scene in the landlord's bed/sitting room. If the central character had been less two dimensional, it would have told her all she needed to know regarding her fate.

On the plus side, the lead actor and the photography are good.