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Reviews
NCIS: Sydney (2023)
Jesus people. It's not that bad
"NCIS: Sydney" brings a whole new vibe to the NCIS world. Sure, some compare it to the OG series, but rarely can a show reach the hights of its original. That being said, I never liked the original, so maybe I'm just a clean slate. However, this show does have its own flavor, diving into Sydney's scene with fresh characters and storylines. Albeit, the storylines aren't ground breaking, but compared to any aussie dramas its actually decent lol. It might not be what die-hard fans expect, but if you give it a chance on its own terms, you'll find it's got its own enjoyable factor and keeps you hooked in its own way. At least give it a season, there are no cool shows like this on Aus tv.
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
What am I watching?
Im up too episode 3 and this is nothing like Mikes previous work? Something about karma for a big pharmaceutical company and selfish siblings? So many modern references it takes you right out of the show. Everythings feels contrived and its been light on the horror element so far. You don't feel empathy or sympathy for the main characters cause they're all written to be terrible people. It is so "on the nose" that I honestly don't think I can keep watching. Literally, every episode seems like its focused on one of the kids and how they get their comeuppance, which makes it less interesting cause you don't care about them. Felt like the used every trick in the book to appeal to "modern" audiences, which has just made it unbearable to watch. My god, disappointed.
The Last of Us: Part II (2020)
Finished it, processed it... still feel empty
Disclaimer: loved the first
Ill keep it short.
Barely any new gameplay mechanics? Only been in the making for SEVEN YEARS.
Repetitive: go one place, clear it, go another place, clear it- for THIRTY HOURS
The graphics were great 7 years ago, but have not improved at all (albeit still decent). Esp. with red dead graphics, this pales in comparison.
The worst crime however was the ending, which is so depressing it made me wanna snap my disk. Ellie deserved a better ending, on a farm with Dina. Her revenge plot has made her unreconisable as a character. And I miss Joel. I feel as empty as Ellie did at this point, the only character I care about is Dina!
Also, is the cure storyline over? Would give the series some purpose at least
Essentially, they took the hate theme way too far
The Witcher: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials (2019)
Good ep
Good ep but.. all I could think of was the Shrek ending.
The Witcher: Much More (2019)
A review from Josh Albon:
"Honest review as a fan:
As an actual TV show this is not that great when compared to other shows out there. Considering this has been billed as "the next Game of Thrones", to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. This is simply not in the same league.
The production value is clearly very good. Right in the first episode we have a big battle and lots going on. The problem is, there is immediately too much going on, and there has been no world building prior to any of the events, no character development and no real context for what you are about to watch. It is as if much of what has been written outright expects you already know the characters and where they are and what is going on. This is not good writing in my opinion and does not serve to immerse you in the world. You feel disconnected and you are watching over the top emotional scenes about characters who've had less than 10 minutes screen time. It makes no sense.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute there is a load of stuff happening with multiple concurrent stories with different characters, then the next minute you get a long monologue with corny exposition often poorly acted by a sub-par supporting cast. And as for the casting itself, there are clearly some questionable casting choices which in my opinion are there to make a political statement rather than casting actual actors who make sense.
The main characters luckily are the few redeeming features of the show. Henry Cavill does a good enough job as Geralt in spite of some terrible writing. Note I say, good enough. It's not spectacular. Yennefer also, is probably the most enjoyable character to watch besides Geralt.
The swordplay is fantastic and definitely the highlight of the show, although something seems odd about the CGI being used for many of the monsters. I can't quite put my finger on what it is but everything looks 'off' when it comes to the CGI.
There is a LOT of cringeworthy dialogue, just as you start to get invested in a character the show seems to switch to something else entirely or provides such a cliche piece of dialogue you'll be thrown right out of your immersion. It seems to happen far too much that the show never seems to get into any kind of rhythm, it feels more like you are reading a comic book storyboard constantly trying to grab your attention, than a cohesive tv show with some actual thought behind the pacing and narrative.
My biggest criticism has to be that there is a real lack of believable world building which I think for a show like this is absolutely needed. If you compare to Game of Thrones, which I know many will find cheap, GoT didn't just start off by throwing event after event at you and expecting you to keep up with what was going on from corny exposition every other minute. It started off instead in a relatively small scope, focused on a few select characters in a single time frame and built from there over successive episodes and series. The Witcher sadly doesn't do this at all, it expects you to already have an understanding of the world and throws way too much over the top stuff at you from the beginning.
Overall, it's at least watchable, but I certainly don't understand the hype everyone seems to be giving it. I found it to be a big fat disappointment."
The Witcher (2019)
This review from Josh Albon sums it up:
**Edited**
"Honest review as a fan:
As an actual TV show this is not that great when compared to other shows out there. Considering this has been billed as "the next Game of Thrones", to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. This is simply not in the same league.
The production value is clearly very good. Right in the first episode we have a big battle and lots going on. The problem is, there is immediately too much going on, and there has been no world building prior to any of the events, no character development and no real context for what you are about to watch. It is as if much of what has been written outright expects you already know the characters and where they are and what is going on. This is not good writing in my opinion and does not serve to immerse you in the world. You feel disconnected and you are watching over the top emotional scenes about characters who've had less than 10 minutes screen time (Ep1: Eist and Calathes death). It makes no sense.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute there is a load of stuff happening with multiple concurrent stories with different characters, then the next minute you get a long monologue with corny exposition often poorly acted by a sub-par supporting cast (Ep2: One example is switching between Yennefer and the relatively weak elves plot). And as for the casting itself, there are clearly some questionable casting choices which in my opinion are there to make a political statement rather than casting actual actors who make sense (Triss and Fringilla, although show runner Lauren has stated it was a decision made purely on merit).
The main characters luckily are the few redeeming features of the show. Henry Cavill does a good enough job as Geralt in spite of some terrible writing (Ep1: One particularly awkard moment is the disscusion about the rhyme with Stegabor). Note I say, good enough. It's not spectacular. Yennefer also, is probably the most enjoyable character to watch besides Geralt.
The swordplay is fantastic and definitely the highlight of the show, although something seems odd about the CGI being used for many of the monsters (The cockroach monster and the dragon specifically). I can't quite put my finger on what it is but everything looks 'off' when it comes to the CGI.
There is a LOT of cringeworthy dialogue, just as you start to get invested in a character the show seems to switch to something else entirely or provides such a cliche piece of dialogue you'll be thrown right out of your immersion (Think Jaskiers "there I go again, dropping exposition" line, or Geralt's "petty squabbles of men" and "navigated vagaries of male traditions", also the constant mention of destiny or the on-the-nose dialogue of the lesser evil ultimatum). It seems to happen far too much that the show never seems to get into any kind of rhythm, it feels more like you are reading a comic book storyboard constantly trying to grab your attention, than a cohesive tv show with some actual thought behind the pacing and narrative.
My biggest criticism has to be that there is a real lack of believable world building which I think for a show like this is absolutely needed. If you compare to Game of Thrones, which I know many will find cheap, GoT didn't just start off by throwing event after event at you and expecting you to keep up with what was going on from corny exposition every other minute. It started off instead in a relatively small scope, focused on a few select characters in a single time frame and built from there over successive episodes and series. The Witcher sadly doesn't do this at all, it expects you to already have an understanding of the world and throws way too much over the top stuff at you from the beginning.
Overall, it's at least watchable, but I certainly don't understand the hype everyone seems to be giving it. I found it to be a big fat disappointment."