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Manhunt (2017)
First impressions
So yes, I am gonna review only the first episode unfortunately. I saw the new document Unabomber: in his own words (2020) and it was really good. But this series is stupid.
First of all this Fitz guy. Whoah, he is such a genious. He solves word puzzles for fun which makes him so good at seeing the first letter in every paragraph. Something that no one in the whole army of Unabomber task force could not figure out in weeks of work! Lets imagine they have been studying Unabomber with that task force for five years. And they cant figure out that kind of puzzle? I would say the people in that task force are as old as the task force itself.
Why is there only one smart guy in that force and why they would want him to only do what is told snd nothing more. They go and pick him up because he is so good and then just makes him write some bs essay and wont listen his ideas. They threat to send him home because he wants to really find out who the guy is. I would imagine there would be a ton of people wanting to catch the dude. Like really motivated people to find the answers.
Its just seems so idiotic version of the story it isnt worth it. The real story was so much better so why making it so much worse by these stupid bs things. Aaagh! I really wanted it to be decent at least.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Great movie to watch one time
So first of all I liked this movie a lot with my first watch. It's funny, pretty wicked and has a more serious ending. The strength of this movie is eventually it's plot. The movie starts light heartedly and seems like very innocent movie. The first time watch is great so I wan't to discuss about the plot here so spoilers incoming.
But before the major plot I want to tell about the things that aren't so great in my opinion. I was some what disappointed when I learned that this movie was CGI animated. It's no a huge problem because it does look good but I still have a problem with the overall look of the movie. It's not necessarily the CGI itself but editing and the speed of everything. There is too much happening on the screen for the most of the time. I think these great looking animations and effects are wasted because most of them last just like 2 seconds. There is not enough time to appreciate what you see on the screen and most of the time there is also too much stuff on the screen at the same time. It looks and is very cool that basically all the things are made of Lego, like water is transparent blue little parts, the sea is made out of Lego and smoke is made out of grey bricks. But on some action scenes there are like hundred different projectile parts on the screen flying around and the screen is just full of stuff and explosions. Then these different camera angles are on for just 2 or less seconds and action is essentially just too fast little moments.
Characters are just little too shallow in my opinion. The Hero is supposed to be this no one like in so many movies, that's ok. But supporting cast has some minor problems. The love interest is ok but it's little bit too hasty with her decisions. I know she is meant to be very fiery personality but some things don't make sense. First she is very dubious about the chosen one. But still she doesn't take the attitude to just drag him with her and do things by herself. Instead she still expects him to do things even though she doesn't believe in him at all. I think her character would be more convincing if she just told him to sit around and say "let me handle this". That would make it better when the chosen one finally starts to fulfill it's destiny.
Plot is great with it's mysterious connections to the "real" world and the lego universe. But after the first watch it's not a mystery anymore and that lowers it's rewatch value some what. I really like how the movie shows how child's imagination differs from the systematic and serious attitude towards playing with Lego and it's heart warming when this is discovered by the dad.
Tuntematon sotilas (2017)
Refreshed classic
First of all I watched the lengthened 5 part TV- series version of it and enjoyed it very much especially towards the end. So that in mind I am not reviewing the cinematic version here. I really think watching it this way really benefits the movie and I continue referencing it as "movie".
This movie is really hard to review since it's the same story I've read few times in a book and seen the 1955 movie version almost every year since the early 2000's at least and I think it's a perfect classic. So all the performances I can't help but compare them with "originals". That fact really blinds my eye to some degree and I think in my head "oh he said it wrong and it wasn't as funny or convincing". And yes, in some instances the performances aren't as convincing and it feels like actors are just reading the script. But mostly those are the case of minor roles and all of these problems really are in the first part of this movie. The 1955 classic has some of the best and funniest dialogue of any film I know! The start of that movie is so strong it's impossible to top. It's like trying to remake the start of "Full metal Jacket". There is no way any actor could top the performances you see in that film either.
I think they should've given the start a little more drama or tension since they can't compare with the funny side of things. Or just build up the characters more. After the start which in my opinion is little too short the movie starts to show it's strengths. The action scenes are really awesome. Perhaps they aren't as big and epic as in some huge war movies but this is told in a perspective of a platoon mostly. Scenes are intense, realistic and just brilliantly filmed! They are perhaps not huge but instead they are really detailed if that can be said. For example you see soldiers reloading their weapons and preparing their grenades and just doing all the little things you rarely see in a war film. I think the actors were really well trained (most likely and firstly in Finnish military if they served their duty) to do these actions.
One last thing is the weaponry and armament used in this movie. In my knowledge there is EVERYTHING correct about the weapons in this movie. The biggest things at least. I haven't compared the common rifle if it is 100% correct but that doesn't matter to me. To me matters the other small arms types and most importantly armor or tanks as some calls them. They are correct type and they ARE actual working vehicles which really shows. And I think this is one of the best usage of tanks in any movie because it is realistic and very intense. The movie "Fury" is million times worse than this.
My conclusion is that it's great movie with great acting, action and drama. Everything that is "new" in this movie compared to the classic is great. And things directly compared are good as well. Especially after the start it really is great.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Ultimate Star Wars experience for newer generation
I am huge Star Wars fan since I was a kid growing up at 90's. I was 11 when Phantom Menace was released, went to see it and never liked it. More I watched the prequels the more I was disgusted by them. So eventually I get to conclusion that it's better to forget 'em. I still love the original trilogy and I have seen them million times.
Every time the Star Wars title blasts in to my face with the music I get goosebumps. I liked how the plot of the film was simple enough from the start and I got the idea what is happening and it got me curious on what is going to happen.
The first scenes were really captivating to me and I instantly got sucked into it. Visuals and sounds AND THE MUSIC really worked for me! Maybe, just maybe, the music isn't as distinguishable than in originals but there are definitely some pieces that are just amazing.
The movie introduces the main characters nicely. I like how they give just enough time to the main characters at first and they instantly tell something about em like "what they are doing" etc. But also the movie raises a lot of questions which to me is good thing since everyone knows there will be more of the story to be told. So obviously some questions need to be let unanswered.
But this movie is not going to be known for very deep characters and complex story lines. People are criticizing this movie not having those things but think about the original trilogy: That story had been told already in different forms. I think this movie captured Star Wars feel perfectly. It had everything to me, it was fun and exciting experience. People seems to take this movie even too seriously but even the originals had stupid gags and jokes that are now classic puns.
This is Disney Star Wars but since Disney bought it I thought that actually Star Wars is very much like classic Disney movies! There is fun characters, serious villains, hero or heroin... fun things, serious things, exciting things...
I cannot wait how the saga continues from here.
Narcos (2015)
Well produced and entertaining but slightly disappointing
The first episodes really draws you into it and the pilot episode feels like you are watching a movie. A great movie. But that partly brings it to it's problems. The show goes too fast without getting deep into the characters. It feels like the show is structured as a movie and not a series that has time to develop the characters. The cast and everything else is "fine" in this but I can't help but to think if they just went much slower pace with it and this could be as epic as Breaking Bad.
So this makes me think "what do they want to show in this series?" It seems like they only want to tell the story but nothing else. Time seems to go by so fast that I can't keep up with it. I have no idea how long it has been since the beginning of the show. Now I am near end of Season 1 and I can't tell if its 5 years, 2 years, 1 year or what? That wouldn't matter so much if the story was going slower. But since things are happening so fast they should tell where we are in time. But usually again only movies tell like "2 years later" since movie has much more restricted time to show things. But this show doesn't have reasons like that so I feel a bit disappointed in it. It lacks of character development. This show would have had much more material and potential to have much deeper telling that it has now.
Gravity (2013)
Gravity does not pull emotions
About Gravity I heard it had "great visuals" and it does look good. I don't go into that in more detail because many movies can look good but seems like that is all for so many of the expensive movies these days. Money is spent on flying stuff on the screen.
I also heard that Gravity would be "slower paced" movie. And to that I say bullsh*t. I have heard comparisons to 2001 Space Odyssey but this movie does not come close. Problems with the Gravity are characters all three that we see (and even the ones that only hear!) and the action. I do not get why in earth does so many movies have to be full of destruction and explosions happening all the time. Every action scene (if you can call them that) is happening right on the clock. When character gets to safety instantly everything goes BOOM second after. It is not exciting at all.
And next is my nitpicking marathon: From the start I was annoyed by the ridiculous dialogue and stuff that the astronauts were doing. Clooney was wasting his jetpack all over like he was freaking BORED IN THE SPACE! Okay no matter what but that experience would be so amazing I bet you could not be bored even if you worked there for years. It is totally different world to be out there I don't think that character was born in space did he? Or did hes family move in the space while he was a kid and he was always wanting to be somewhere else on an adventure! WTH! Seriously. I don't buy it.
And then there is some pointless Indian accented character which acts like a total retard: "-Hey watch this! Yeiii", screaming while bouncing around in his safety harness. I was thinking: "that thing will snap but anyway it is so retard thing that he is doing it does not matter since he is going to die and I would not care less for that guy". And would you guess he was hit by debris through his face! Oh but I should feel sad since he had a family on earth :'( at least he was the only one enjoying it! In that world only the idiots really enjoy being in space
Then is this chick who is doing something but it doesn't work and she needs to fix some other things to make it work. Then she must open this hatch which is bolted on with regular bolts so when she screws the bolts loose they will fly all over the place. Okay, it is an exterior of a space telescope. Well who idiot designed that thing! Even me an average Joe can think that it is pretty inconvenient to have those bolts flying around in space! There is million ways to prevent that and this movie tells they have not come up with a solution for it.
That perhaps seems like a minor thing. But no. That short moment is an important detail about the space this movie is creating and it is in the beginning of the movie so everyone's focus at that point is still fixed on the screen. That kind of small details really make it or fail it. And Bullock even says she is sorry and is used that the bolts will fall into the garage floor, like "Whoops! I forgot I was in SPACE and not my GARAGE! Well that happens!" Yeah, I can totally understand floating in zero gravity is very unnoticeable and you can forget it anytime. Being in space is so booooriiiing!
So I like Sandra Bullock's looks in this movie and it was pleasure to watch. But the great visuals are ruined by the fast movement and moving camera. The movie can be about moving from place to another but the camera can still be still sometimes! The special effects are once again wasted on such haste. Everything is moving and exploding and destruction and death and screams and breathing and AAAR=?#)(!"#21?!"#/(!"&#?)!/)?%RGH! But it is not moving. Emotionally.
The movie lacks tension because it does not build it up and everything is just happening too fast. After all I still enjoyed watching the movie but I am disappointed that the true potential was wasted.
The Hunger Games (2012)
No action, no cognition, no nothing!
This idea of dystopian society is not new in films but I really like it. It has lot of potential to be very interesting from many angles. For example there are potential for very nice action which this movie lacks. There is lot of potential to have good analysis of human mind and actions in desperate situation which this movie lacks. There is lot of potential to give statements about our current societies problems etc. which this movie lacks.
This movie is not well directed or acted. I am not an expert in this but after seen over 600 films and some of the best ones multiple times I have something to compare to. I think the closest to this film is Battle Royale what I have seen. Of course many compare these two films I think. In Battle Royale you really can see the fear and chaos from the characters in the situation but in Hunger Games there is none of that. These movies are also good example in the way that the actors are equally unknown and I guess equally inexperienced actors.
Only character you know something about is the protagonist Katniss. But as I watched I did not really care about her and I cared others even less because I did not know any of them. This movie is very predictable and shallow. Still movie has some entertainment value that I watched it trough. Maybe just to see how bad it actually was. It is not the worst but it throws off a mass potential.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Show full of idiots
I think this series could have been pretty good. But this show has lot of problems with interesting story telling. Characters are not interesting at all and they don't do anything interesting. The biggest problem is that characters make so stupid decisions and they are so dumb I can not relate to them.
-Spoiler alert- There are countless plot holes and stupidities I just need to address some: First is Rick being "dead". Shane is a goddamn police officer and can't even tell if someone is dead or not! He just puts he's ear to Ricks chest? Thats so major fail I can not comprehend.
Secondly Merle cutting he's arm off. I face palmed so hard on this. Those cuffs ain't indestructible... Well I did not stop watching there but man this show is dumb. Nothing more to say. Thank you.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
A Big Disappointment
Let me introduce myself. I am a huge Star Wars fan from time before prequels. By the time this movie was released I had seen the original trilogy many times and fell in love with them. When this movie was released I was very excited! I was 10 years old and perfect audience for this film. I remember having goose bumps at the title screen as I had when I saw "Star Wars" special edition in 1997 in theaters.
After the title screen I really could not understand much from the film. This is so called "kids film" but actually the whole plot is something so complicated even adults can't figure it out. At the time I didn't think it was a bad movie I just couldn't think it at all. Maybe I remembered the characters in it. That's all! The reason I have not made much opinions about the film before is that I never have watched the movie with a real focus of what is happening. That is because I have always lost my interest while watching. The movie has become more awful every time I watch it. So I finally must admit my disappointment to this film: It is awful.
The film consists great action but the plot and characters (not actors) are so dull and uninteresting that I simply don't care what is happening. I have seen "Phantom Menace" many times and the original trilogy countless times and I usually like watching movies with thought.
Now I reveal my secret of understanding this film: redlettermedia "Star Wars" reviews at: http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/ I recommend watching those reviews because they explain so much of the films in great detail. It is great that someone had the dedication to analyze those films because I couldn't do it personally.