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Ahsoka (2023)
Too slow paced and flat characters
I found some pacing problems, and I wonder why those weird silences when the characters are talking? It looked like the actors had to wait 3 seconds to respond to the other actor... so odd.
Ahsoka looks too flat, this is not the Ahsoka we know from previous shows. Actually, I didn't like any of the three main female characters, so I have to give the actors the benefit of the doubt and blame the director.
Anyway, we shouldn't expect too much from this show, this is a miniseries that works as a setup for the movie, so most likely we'll only see Ezra and Thrawn for a few minutes in the last episode.
The sets, visuals, sound, music and other technical aspects are top notch, so I'll go with a 6 and I'll update it after the season finale.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Classic Star Trek?
This series was promoted as a return to the classic Star Trek, and as I suspected from the beginning, it turned out to be a lie and the show another letdown.
Apart from the "classic" episodic format, everything else is "modern" Star Trek, just like the other two series only here we have a captain, but the captain of the Starfleet flagship is just a cook who took over a pirate ship by... cooking! Spock is portrayed as dmb; the nurse knows more than the doctor; the protagonists and heroes of the show are the first officer, the security officer, the pilot, the communications officer, and the said nurse, all female characters, of course.
The teenage language used and the casual interactions between the crew, the officers and the captain make them seem more like a bunch of high school classmates than a Starfleet starship crew.
And what about the sci-fi quality of the writing? After all, this is supposed to be classic Star Trek, and the 5-year mission of the Enterprise is to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and go where no man has gone before, right? Well 98% of the episodes take place in the Enterprise sets, and deal with personal traumas, personal conflicts or conflicts between some crew members, love triangles and cooking recipes. Oh wait! One episode was about a pre-warp human-like civilization that managed to develop warp technology in a matter of a less than a decade just by watching the final battle on DVRY S3 through an old telescope lol! This episode and the one about the pirate ship taken over by cooking speak for the quality of the sci-fi in this show.
1923 (2022)
Too much soap opera and historical lies
Overall it's a good show, most of the cast is great, well directed, great photography, generous locations, and so forth. My main problem with this series is that romances are so corny, and it spends too much time in Jack and Elizabeth's love story which I don't care at all. Spencer and Alex story is more interesting, but the last scene on the small boat it ruined it all, so corny and off Spencer character.
The other problems I found have to do with inaccurate historical events or lies. But we all know what culture dominates Hollywood and that they don't waste any opportunity to throw the catholic church under the bus with all kind of lies (and I'm not a catholic). Catholic church had nothing to do with indian "education" in the 20th century, let alone in Montana.
Spanish catholic church had a great influence in the former mexicans territories (in the South) up to the early 19th century. Moreover, one priest says he was in Argentina a few years back doing the same, but Argentina got rid of the Spaniards and became an independent country in 1816, and it didn't actually have the "indian problem" while it was a Spanish colony. This "problem" arose during the expansion to the South in late 19th century and was "resolved" by the militaries during the so called "Desert Campaigns". The remaining native population was never "civilized" by the catholic church.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Open your eyes wide and turn off your brain
Great visuals, poor storyline and writing. It seems 13 years weren't enough for Cameron to improve a single line of the dialogues. Tons of cliches. Tons of plot conveniences and plot holes, like where were the Metkayina when Jake and Neytiri went to rescue their family? What was the dynamics in the relationship between Quaritch and Spider to understand their motivations and decisions at the end? It's not even clear the motivations of Quaritch to hunt Sully to begin with. Some may say that these and other holes are due to a cut Cameron had to do to the original 3 and a half hours movie length, but that's not a valid pretext as he could've cut some parts from the long and dull set up in the first hour. Besides, it's not like Cameron is an independent filmaker that was victim of a big studio decisions, he has full control over the final product.
Overall it's a mediocre movie with great visuals and packed action. If you aren't a fan of the 3D experience and have a big screen at home, just wait and see it at home some rainy Sunday when you feel like turning your brain off for a couple of hours.
Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Couldn't pass through the beginning of Season 3
I tried hard and made a big effort to give it a chance, but it's too bad and I don't see how it could get any better. Really bad writing, mediocre cast, and unlikable main characters about whom I don't care at all.
It's a low budget show made from the main series' scraps and leftovers, and if it wasn't made under The Walking Dead brand, no one would watch it. Though, the main series started the downfall just at the same time this one was beginning, so it's not a coincidence.
I forgot to add that I got sick of that cheap shaky camera resource.
Overall it's a dull family drama using zombies as plot device. If you're looking for a true survival drama in a post apocalyptic world, this is not it.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Freefall after the Saviors
Another example of how to turn a success into a failure by overextending a series due to greed, espacially the whole Commonwealth storyline, which was a complete nonsense. The last episode was deplorably unsatisfactory, a sweet ending for a soap opera full of setups of possible spinoffs and even a trailer of the future miniseries about the two main protagonists, accompanied by an easy and out of tone resolution and decorated with cheap CGI.
Overall, post 2016 the show turned into an estrogen and progesterone fest. Some characters died way before their time, like Glenn, and Carl, who was killed in a stupid way to help a secondary character just to let in a female character (his sister) right before the time jump, according to the show's new tone; and others that should have died earlier were kept until the end without a good reason, like Ezekiel, who never fit anywhere after the Kingdom's fall. Negan, one of the best and most interesting characters of the show, instead of having a real and credible redemption arc, he ended up reduced to a Mary Sue caricature as a result of the over the top and exhausting conflict with the unlikable Maggie and her unforgiveness.
I could go on for hours with tons of flaws and nonsenses, but to sum up I'll only add that it was a great series until the end of the Saviors' plot and Rick's departure. The 6 rating is an average of the first seasons which I would rate 9 and 10, and the last ones 4 and 3. Avoid the the last seasons and make a better use of your time.
Iron Sky (2012)
Funny, grotesque and smart...
... as any good caricature should be. This film reminded me of don't look up in so many ways (though this came out several years earlier). It's easy to understand why this movie bothered so many american reviewers, and unfairly downrated it. Should this satire had been about russians it would be rated at least 7 stars. Some others may have expected to see a truly space battle sci-fi flick and got disappointed.
Aside from that, it pleasantly surprised me for its visuals and CGI quality, despite it was made 11 years ago. Good cast, acting and well written. The story is hilariously absurd and wisely used to deliver its political message in a straight easy way, and some may criticize this for lack of depth and subtlety, but it's a comedy intended for all kind of public.
Jung_E (2023)
Nope
South Korean film hilariously fulfilling current Hollywood standards, with strong, smart female characters and extremely poor and dmb male characters. The heroines are a sort of female universal soldier and her daughter in this case.
The movie is barely watchable even for those who like video game adaptations (this isn't one though). Some decent CGI, poor acting, poor writing and nothing new in the horizon: conscience storage/transference, cyborg bodies, and govt or big corps using them with dark purposes.
Unless you have nothing else to watch, you can skip this one and give your time a better use.
Halo (2022)
Fulfils its entertaining purpose
Fanboys of the game don't understand that a game is a game and a show or a movie is a different media governed by different rules. Same thing don't understand fans of a book when adapted to audiovisual media. This kind of "purists" should stick to their object of fanaticism and just let "common" people enjoy or judge for what they see.
As someone that didn't even know there was a game called Halo, and don't care a bit about it, I should say it was a good season and it fulfils expectations for this kind of show.
Good cast (most of), good CGI, good pacing and decent writing, but it should've provided further development of this universe for those who don't know anything about it beforehand.
Quantum Leap (2022)
Started well but went downhill
I think the first 6 episodes were ok, then this exorcist lame episode came and everything went downhill as of there. I won't compare it to the original because if I do I should qualify this remake or reboot with 1 star, starting with the cast. The last episode, first trying to deliver a valid political message against corrupt doctors/hospitals bought by big pharmas and then closing with an "these guys are heroes", ended up being a joke. A thumbs up to the long-arc side story involving the mystery of the MC's decision to secretly leap, his outsider partner, and so forth. I expect more adventure and less trauma and melodrama for the next season (if it's renewed).
The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)
Overrated
It was hard to watch up to the first half of the season, I quitted it several times until I finally got hooked from the second half on. The setting up of the family relationship was incredibly long and dull. Despite the family bonds premise, the amount of screen time spent in little girl Molly and her grandfather Josiah is absurd for a sci-fi show. I was thinking of another sci-fi show with a slow-paced set-up and family relationships as a pivotal point to the plot, like Night Sky; unlike this one, that one was well written, well executed and with a great payoff.
Fortunately the main alien character arc saved us from just another apocalyptic/ecologist story, and there're a couple of interesting characters like agent Clay and Sister Prescott that made it more watchable.
It should've been 2-episode shorter, and not renewal for a second season was a wise decision, it was fine where it ended and it would've been pointless trying to force a continuation with this alien civilization on Earth.
Kaleidoscope (2023)
Another flawed Hollywood rip-off
This would be the american version of Money Heist, rushed and played with non charismatic actors (except maybe a bit Paz Vega), in a miniseries format, and sold under the false premise that you can watch the episodes in random order to hook the audience with this sales pitch. One of the main differences is in Kaleidoscope all male characters are dumb, or are swindled by a female character, or are taught a lesson by a female character, as usual with american Netflix products.
As said before, characters are flat and non ?charismatic, and even in the emotional segments of the show you never get really involved with and care for them. I'm not sure if this is due to poor cast selection, poor direction, script problems, or a combination of all of these factors.
Aside from the alleged random episodes thing, this is just another heist planning execution betrayal story that went wrong, carried out by a heterogeneous group of people (as usual), and with a twist at the ending... or was it at the beginning?
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Good slow paced "human" movie
I wonder the age of the commenters complaining about "slow", as if slow paced films were synonym of bad and dull movies per se. It's the generation that grew up consuming low culture superheroes type of movies and video games, the same people complaining right now about the very well written and more adult oriented SW show Andor and downrated Ad Astra a year before this movie. Another "issue" seems to be the movie doesn't explain the cause of the apocalypse, but this isn't about that, it wouldn't have added anything to the plot or the characters' storylines. Aside from that, it's a good movie about an old man trying to save the only thing he has left.
Manifest (2018)
Hard to watch
When I heard this show was going to have an ending, I finally decided to give it a chance. Now I see why it was cancelled after three seasons.
It's an old format long seasons low budget tv series, which gets repetitive and dull over the time. The series starts mainly as a soap opera with a sci-fi plot device, and includes too many unnecessary secondary storylines and subplots. It's the typical series written and rewritten on the fly that becomes chaotic and incoherent at some point, leaving several plot holes and interrupted storylines along the way.
Also there are too many changes in characters' personality and motivations, and wrong decisions like keeping some characters that should've died and ended up ruined when the showrunners decided to keep them throughout the 3 seasons. Besides there's excess of freak, weird, traumatized and generally annoying characters. Even the protagonist himself, from season 2 and on is the whole time altered, overexcited, repetitive and showing no nuances at all.
The premise was interesting, but poorly executed. They wanted to cover all kinds of genres and catch all kinds of audiences and ended up making a big mess going from cheesy soap opera to sci-fi and thriller, and from supernatural, paranormal to religious and mythological stuff.
Unless they've taken note of all the flaws and come up with a really amazing and satisfying finale, I wouldn't recommend it.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Great backstories
The Tales of the Jedi watching experience will differ a lot depending on how deep you are into the Star Wars universe; the more you are into it, the more you'll enjoy and appreciate these short tales. Every tale has a purpose, same as many details included in each one of them, whether to fill a canon gap, to explain the path or motivations of a character, or to expand the background of a character or a situation in connection with some previously released material. Having this in mind, It's essential that at least you've seen the 2008 The Clone Wars series, otherwise this show won't make much sense to you. Dave Filoni is real Star Wars and this franchise is still alive because of him.
House of the Dragon (2022)
When the wire that held the cork gave way...
When the wire that held the cork gave way all the wokery in the writers' mind finally was released. Right after King Viserys death we see a group of conspiratorial men setting in motion a pre-planned take over, which of course Queen Alicent wasn't aware of, and with which she gets in only because she misunderstood her husband's last words. And because she's a woman, she's a wise and balanced person and will strongly oppose this bloodmongering group of men's plan to killi all their rivals. On the other side, once the black team learn the news, we see a group of unwise, reckless, warmongering men and Princess Rhaenyra being the only prudent, wise and thinking person there trying to stop a bloodshed in the name of her father's legacy. NONE of these portraits and characterizations reflect the books, and needless to say that Daemon getting physically violent with Rhaenyra is also out of character according to the books.
We had a great series up to episode 8. Episode 9 was the weakest of the season, and after these biased turning points at the finale, I'm done with this show.
Avenue 5 (2020)
Nonsensical comparison with The Orville
A spaceship and a comedy doesn't mean Avenue 5 can be compared with The Orville. Seth MacFarlane's show is a comedy for the most part during Season 1 while heavily parodying Star Trek, yet a totally different kind of humor is used, and it's basically a space opera.
I find Avenue 5 roots in Airplane! (1980), the cult comedy film that parodies the disaster genre, particularly the 70s Airport film series, known for its use of surreal humor, visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and dark humor (and I should add scat humor here). Avenue 5 is also a satire of government, political, and media indifference to human life, and incorporates some dystopian elements related to savage capitalism.
The setting could be a dysfunctional spaceship floating around the Solar System, or a luxury cruise ship out of control in the Indian Sea, it doesn't matter.
The Midnight Club (2022)
Midnight Nap
Setting aside the fact that this looks more like a group of teens in an expensive rehab resort than a group of terminal patients in an hospice, the first three episodes were engaging, then it goes downhill and I had to make a huge effort to get to the last one. I think part of the problem was the number of main characters, and so the need for room for each one of them. Maybe they could have put some of them in the background for further development in the next season, this way avoiding stretching this season that much. And to make things worse, I didn't really get to empathize with or care about any of them. On top of that, the mystery subplots about the house, the cult, etc, yet opening more windows but no really interesting views to get hooked on. Overall, it works better as a mystery box rather than a horror show, but it's a very long ride for so few answers. It seems some people are stuck in Netflix and will judge and rate their products by comparison between their own products only.
The Watcher (2022)
Frustrating either way you see it
Before watching the show have in mind that the family in the real life case actually never moved into the house, which means 98% of its plot is pure fiction. So it would be fair to say that this miniseries is loosely based in the real case, or that the real case just "inspired" this show. If you have read about the case beforehand, you'll feel frustrated after watching this. If you don't know anything about it, you'll also feel frustrated as everything goes to a dead end and you won't get any answers. And finally, if you just like suspense and thriller stories you'll find a convoluted storyline full of unnecessary twists and turns, with a good and promising beginning and a dull and contrived ending. You'll also find political messages, as usual in all Netflix products. My rating would be a 5, but I'll give it one extra star because of the cast.
See (2019)
Epic
Great show. A unique and original concept for the overexploited post-apocalyptic subgenre, which this alone says a lot about a tv series. Overall a top quality show, as all Apple Tv products, and like most Apple products, unknown for so many people. Great writing, cast, photography, acting, direction and music. Jason Momoa fits Baba Voss character as a tailored suit, I couldn't think of another actor playing that role. I only had some complaints about the pace during part of season 2, and the actor playing Kofun, but I think he improved during the last season. It might seem a bit gory for some people, especially during the first season, but the scenes are so well done that the result is very artistic, not grotesque at all. Three seasons with a satisfactory, although predictable, ending, and that's why it's a 9 and not a 10 to me.
Andor (2022)
A more adult Star Wars storytelling
And we finally got a good Star Wars story after the Obi-Wan joke and the childish and dull redemption story of Boba Fett. If you think this is boring, have in mind this is a 24-episode series, so it's natural and good that the writers take the first episodes for context and characters development. This isn't about laser shootings and space battles only, It's a drama. The protagonist (as most people around) has experienced a traumatic life, which gives the series a darker and more pessimistic tone than usual, hence meant for a more adult public than usual. Still a long run ahead to make up a definitive mind of it, but so far everything is very good: writing, visuals, cinematography, cast, acting and soundtrack, and we'll see what's up with the pacing.
1883 (2021)
Massive drama
You need to be in the right mood to enjoy this slow-paced melodrama, where about everything that can go wrong it will indeed go wrong. Overall the plot is based in the historical context at the time, but many events in the series are fictional and dramatized in a way to tell a politically correct story at the present time. The storytelling is also thought-provoking about the true meaning of "progress", and the consequences arising from man's intervention in Nature.
The photography and cast are great; the tension is kept throughout almost the whole series, and it'll make you feel you're making the trek with them. Its goal for showing how hard and wild was the pioneers' life during the West expansion and the extreme dangers they faced, although sometimes exaggerated, is highly accomplished.
Like in my case, you don't need to see anything of the Yellowstone series beforehand, or even to be interested in it to enjoy this series.
Archive 81 (2022)
Overrated...
The story starts well and will make you want to see more; then it goes downhill and at the end it falls apart. The ending is dull, totally lacking in impact and emotion; it looks like any season ending, and you'll feel it didn't reward the time spent to watch the whole thing. To make things worse, the story doesn't worth more than a couple hours movie. The male protagonist is a mediocre actor, not up to a leading role, and this makes the product even worse. I think for example of Daniel Kaluuya, with him it would have worked a little better. The miniseries is not dull because of low budget, bad effects or just mediocre acting by the protagonists, the main problem is lack of imagination and lazy writing, something characteristic of Netflix for some time now when it comes to own productions.
The Last Ship (2014)
Contrary to what most comments say ....
... season 3 was the best. Overall the series is an epidemic of cliches and an overdose of cheap jingoism and flag-waving in another too basic good vs bad guys stories, only here the only good guys are a bunch of marines.
Except in season 3, the enemies are always dumb and crazy, the dialogues are poorly written, the effects are cheap, the melee fight scenes are filmed with shaky cam, the war combat scenes are the ridiculous ones where the enemies just run towards the good guys' weapons to be shot down, etc. There is also an epidemic of plot holes, and the script confuses a major pandemic that kills 70% of the world's population with an unjustified and unexplained technological setback, just to justify the lack of an air force, aircraft carriers, etc.
The two most interesting characters are Dr. Scott and Tex, but unfortunately the doctor is terminated at the end of season 2 and Tex only appears at the end of season 3 and is also terminated.
In seasons 4 and 5 the showrunners tried to provide the characters with some depth by mixing in some family or marriage drama, but it didn't work.
This series should have a disclaimer at the beginning saying "to be seen only by some Americans" and at the ending credits it should say "propaganda by the US Navy".
The premise was good but it was poorly executed. It's hard to understand how this series made it to the 5th season, it could and should have ended in the third season.
Prey (2022)
"Modern" Hollywood pushing the limits too far.
Remove the alien from the plot, leave the lion and it would have been a great movie about a rookie hunter girl who gets to defeat the beast and returns to the tribe as the heroine. Instead, this is the story of a healer girl who accomplishes what her whole tribe of warriors could not, nor a group of 20+ armed Frenchmen, nor a group of heavily armed commandos 260 years later, and so forth. The CGI didn't look good most of the times. The good thing? Tension was kept throughout most of the film, and it didn't waste time with tribal daily life and stuff like that, and the cast and acting was good.