That scene towards the end of the first episode is everything you need to know about this show. No, wait, you don't need to actually make it that far, thank God. The first scene of the first episode is everything you need to know about this show. Disney have seemingly chosen to ditch any and all subtlety and now it's a no-holds-barred approach. The dialogue is basic and bland. The CGI and pacing are terrible. Mark Ruffalo is just going through the motions as they assassinate his character in favor of Tatiana Maslany's better and stronger version. All of that just in the first episode. I can't imagine having to make it through an entire season or more. That would be a cruel and unusual self-punishment.
Reviews
17 Reviews
Westworld
(2016–2022)
Geometric regression
26 June 2022
Is that even a word?
Anyway, Season 1 is one of the best pieces of television ever. It's deep. It's philosophical without being pretentious. The characters are complex and appealing. The acting is authentic and natural. I watched it as it came out all the way back and it was out of this world. The good thing is it can be viewed as a standalone story. Watch it and stop there.
Season 2 is... decent. A far cry from Season 1, but not yet terrible. The story is confusing, some of the good characters are gone and the remaining ones are lesser. Passable effort overall.
Season 3 is awful. The show degrades to a feminist power fantasy, a continuation of what started back in Season 2, but it's all the show is about by this point. Characters are completely one dimensional, old characters that were previously amazing are debased and destroyed in an almost ritualistic fashion. Aaron Paul's character is one of the worst characters I have seen brought to television. You could replace him with a bag of potatoes and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The story is dreadful, which is such a shame, because the issue at it's very core is actually very interesting and could itself one day become a reality.
Watch Season 1 and stop.
Anyway, Season 1 is one of the best pieces of television ever. It's deep. It's philosophical without being pretentious. The characters are complex and appealing. The acting is authentic and natural. I watched it as it came out all the way back and it was out of this world. The good thing is it can be viewed as a standalone story. Watch it and stop there.
Season 2 is... decent. A far cry from Season 1, but not yet terrible. The story is confusing, some of the good characters are gone and the remaining ones are lesser. Passable effort overall.
Season 3 is awful. The show degrades to a feminist power fantasy, a continuation of what started back in Season 2, but it's all the show is about by this point. Characters are completely one dimensional, old characters that were previously amazing are debased and destroyed in an almost ritualistic fashion. Aaron Paul's character is one of the worst characters I have seen brought to television. You could replace him with a bag of potatoes and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The story is dreadful, which is such a shame, because the issue at it's very core is actually very interesting and could itself one day become a reality.
Watch Season 1 and stop.
Breaking Bad
(2008–2013)
The emperor has no clothes
26 June 2022
I was pressured for a very long time to see this show. I kept hearing how amazing it is. Basically, the pinnacle of television. I put it off for a long time to make sure I have enough spare time to appreciate it, and also I've been a bit bored lately, so I finally decided to give it a shot. I went in it completely blind as I somehow have managed to avoid seeing any spoilers for it since it has come out.
So let's start with the positives:
Now onto the not-so-good parts:
It pains me to say this, it really does, but it seems "Breaking Bad" is a victim of the emperor has no clothes phenomenon. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent show with some really strong points, but it's being pulled down by a lot of issues people seemingly don't want to talk about. So much so that I got tired of waiting it to become good and eventually dropped it halfway through Season 2 and only remembered to write this review 2 weeks after the fact.
So let's start with the positives:
- The acting and dialogue are amazing! 10/10. The scenes feel very naturally flowing and I can feel myself being pulled into them as if I'm in the same room. The interactions between the character are organic, the issues they are facing feel familiar and down to earth, making it very easy to empathize with them. Bryan Cranston in particular is amazing at portraying all the feelings and struggles of Walter White.
- The setting feels like a character in it's own right. It does a great job portraying some of the depressing and sad ways life can go wrong. The junkies, the backstreet deals, missed opportunities and regrets, all thrown together into a giant dust bowl.
- Scientific accuracy is something I will always appreciate
Now onto the not-so-good parts:
- The pacing in this show absolutely atrocious. Definitely one of the worst examples I have seen so far. It starts fast, then grinds to an absolute halt, then starts again, then grinds to a halt again.
- This, coupled with the story. It's just... not that interesting. At times it's overly indulgent, some scenes really overstay their welcome. I often found myself reaching for my phone or going for snacks, because it was just so... boring. Something interesting happens, and then for long time nothing happens. It's what feels like 75% of the show is people just discussing what happened, but they rarely say anything interesting. Think of a slice-of-life series, but without the entertaining parts of a slice-of-life series.
It pains me to say this, it really does, but it seems "Breaking Bad" is a victim of the emperor has no clothes phenomenon. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent show with some really strong points, but it's being pulled down by a lot of issues people seemingly don't want to talk about. So much so that I got tired of waiting it to become good and eventually dropped it halfway through Season 2 and only remembered to write this review 2 weeks after the fact.
Rotten
(2018–2019)
Significantly better second season
3 August 2021
First season is hit-or-miss. The milk and the peanut episodes are particularly bad. A lot of the episodes rarely get beneath surface level. But there are also some really good ones, like the garlic one and the chicken one. The first season is also way too heavily focused on the USA.
The second season however is a significant improvement. The documentary expands beyond the borders of the USA, to countries like Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire and France. It also dives deeper into the issues and does so in a more coherent manner.
The show isn't overly dramatic. It looks to different view points during it's presentation of the issues and lets you form your own opinions without pushing an agenda, which is a big plus these days. I also like that it doesn't place the onus on the viewers to address these problems or try to guilt trip them into action. It paints a bleak picture of corporate greed and the callous disregard for anything but profit margins. I've definitely become more cynical after watching it.
The second season however is a significant improvement. The documentary expands beyond the borders of the USA, to countries like Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire and France. It also dives deeper into the issues and does so in a more coherent manner.
The show isn't overly dramatic. It looks to different view points during it's presentation of the issues and lets you form your own opinions without pushing an agenda, which is a big plus these days. I also like that it doesn't place the onus on the viewers to address these problems or try to guilt trip them into action. It paints a bleak picture of corporate greed and the callous disregard for anything but profit margins. I've definitely become more cynical after watching it.
The Great Hack
(2019)
Heavily biased and an insult to actual whistleblowers
11 May 2021
The CA scandal was among the biggest known privacy data breaches in history and an important wake up point regarding social media and data rights. But this documentary does that very little justice.
Obvious leftist bias aside, the documentary paints Christopher Wylie and Brittany Kaiser as whistleblowers and even victims. These people are neither as they profited extensively from their work and their motivations for blowing the lid off are far from selfless. Labeling them as such and putting them next to the likes of Snowden and Manning is insult to the latter.
Kaiser's attitude of "I swear I'm human" comes off not only as insincere but laughable at times. Yeah, she gives that sob story and how she lost her way. But oh, she later found the way back after she realized she helped the evil white men Republicans. Funny that, since she was pretty OK making mad cash working for them, but as soon as she saw the storm coming she dropped everything and decided to become a "whistleblower". It's hilarious in it's ridiculousness. But the documentary tries SO HARD to paint her as just an innocent young girl who made mistake and now seeks to make amends. This woman is egotistical, ruthless, opportunistic and cunning. Dangerous combination. She loves the camera and being in the spotlight.
This documentary is pretty funny and sad in it's irony as it does exactly the same thing it tries to shed light upon.
Obvious leftist bias aside, the documentary paints Christopher Wylie and Brittany Kaiser as whistleblowers and even victims. These people are neither as they profited extensively from their work and their motivations for blowing the lid off are far from selfless. Labeling them as such and putting them next to the likes of Snowden and Manning is insult to the latter.
Kaiser's attitude of "I swear I'm human" comes off not only as insincere but laughable at times. Yeah, she gives that sob story and how she lost her way. But oh, she later found the way back after she realized she helped the evil white men Republicans. Funny that, since she was pretty OK making mad cash working for them, but as soon as she saw the storm coming she dropped everything and decided to become a "whistleblower". It's hilarious in it's ridiculousness. But the documentary tries SO HARD to paint her as just an innocent young girl who made mistake and now seeks to make amends. This woman is egotistical, ruthless, opportunistic and cunning. Dangerous combination. She loves the camera and being in the spotlight.
This documentary is pretty funny and sad in it's irony as it does exactly the same thing it tries to shed light upon.
Why Did You Kill Me?
(2021)
Don't believe the low scores.
26 April 2021
People giving this low scores and complaining that there were no likeable and good characters? Well, guess what? If you are expecting an epic tale of how the authorities have failed and the family instead takes matters into their own hands and using their streets wits catch the bad guy and win the day, you will be disappointed.
This isn't fiction. This is real life. Cases like this, there are no winners. There are no innocent people, except the victim. Sometimes that's the reality people live in. Impoverished neighborhoods, poor families, dog eat dog situations, hopelessness and dead-end futures. There are no heroes who rush in to save the day with their indomitable spirit and righteous cause. These are ordinary people. And ordinary people are fallible. Not everyone makes the right choices. Sometimes to disastrous consequences. That was the entire point of the show.
The editing was great and I also liked their choice to recreate the scene with toy cars and the mock-up layout of the streets, instead of using the often cringe-worthy live-action reenactments.
This isn't fiction. This is real life. Cases like this, there are no winners. There are no innocent people, except the victim. Sometimes that's the reality people live in. Impoverished neighborhoods, poor families, dog eat dog situations, hopelessness and dead-end futures. There are no heroes who rush in to save the day with their indomitable spirit and righteous cause. These are ordinary people. And ordinary people are fallible. Not everyone makes the right choices. Sometimes to disastrous consequences. That was the entire point of the show.
The editing was great and I also liked their choice to recreate the scene with toy cars and the mock-up layout of the streets, instead of using the often cringe-worthy live-action reenactments.
I'd rather have not watched this
27 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The thing that most stood out in my mind after watching this documentary is "What the hell is wrong with people?". Like, the mother was obsessed with social media and as she herself points out was bossy and domineering. Maybe she was abusing her husband, who knows.
But Jesus Christ man, if you don't like it and want a hot new girlfriend then just leave!? The guy killed his pregnant wife and his two little kids. He drove his still very much alive daughters to their killing place for 45 minutes. They were begging him not to do this and he strangled them with their favorite sleeping blankets? He buried his spouse in the middle of nowhere AND DUMPED THE BODIES OF HIS LITTLE GIRLS IN AN OIL TANK, like they were trash! And then tries to act normal and hide all this? This is so far beyond messed up I don't think there are words to describe it. Brutal, vile, monstrous, cruel... all are not enough to encompass what he did. Perhaps the only fitting description is pure evil. The guy is pure evil.
Pardon my cynicism, but I was already running out of faith in humanity. But this is just a new low. To do this to your own children who adore you and think of you as a hero? I think I'd have rather lived in ignorance.
But Jesus Christ man, if you don't like it and want a hot new girlfriend then just leave!? The guy killed his pregnant wife and his two little kids. He drove his still very much alive daughters to their killing place for 45 minutes. They were begging him not to do this and he strangled them with their favorite sleeping blankets? He buried his spouse in the middle of nowhere AND DUMPED THE BODIES OF HIS LITTLE GIRLS IN AN OIL TANK, like they were trash! And then tries to act normal and hide all this? This is so far beyond messed up I don't think there are words to describe it. Brutal, vile, monstrous, cruel... all are not enough to encompass what he did. Perhaps the only fitting description is pure evil. The guy is pure evil.
Pardon my cynicism, but I was already running out of faith in humanity. But this is just a new low. To do this to your own children who adore you and think of you as a hero? I think I'd have rather lived in ignorance.
Abducted in Plain Sight
(2017)
I don't even know...
10 December 2020
I've been thinking what to write in this review for 15 minutes and the title is the best way to describe what I just watched. This goes so far off the borders of what should be possible in real life that you just have to think there is something missing. The quality of the documentary is great, but the content is just so baffling, so utterly unbelievable it just overshadows everything else. You just have to see it for yourself.
Raised by Wolves
(2020–2022)
I was blown away!
24 September 2020
Incredible, unique, bizarre. A must watch for true sci-fi fans. Important to note is the emphasis on fiction, not science. And that's completely fine.
The story is gripping, mysterious and most importantly mature, it constantly twists and turns and you never really know what's going to happen. The cinematography and soundtrack are amazing. They work very well together to create an eerie and haunting dystopian atmosphere. It's truly an alien world, but not so alien as to be unbelievable. You don't want to be on that planet, but you also want to know it's secrets. The pacing is just right, it doesn't drag it's heels but it also doesn't rush past you. The themes it touches upon are clear and they have been done many times before, but it presents them in it's own unique and captivating way. The acting is great, with only the children being hit or miss sometimes, but it never breaks your immersion in the show. I can't recommend "Raised by Wolves" enough and I can't wait to see more of it.
After reading some of the bad reviews here it became clear to me that the people who wrote them either didn't watch past the first two episodes, how dare the writers not explain everything in the opening sequence amirite, or came to this show straight from Marvel and just missed the point entirely.
The story is gripping, mysterious and most importantly mature, it constantly twists and turns and you never really know what's going to happen. The cinematography and soundtrack are amazing. They work very well together to create an eerie and haunting dystopian atmosphere. It's truly an alien world, but not so alien as to be unbelievable. You don't want to be on that planet, but you also want to know it's secrets. The pacing is just right, it doesn't drag it's heels but it also doesn't rush past you. The themes it touches upon are clear and they have been done many times before, but it presents them in it's own unique and captivating way. The acting is great, with only the children being hit or miss sometimes, but it never breaks your immersion in the show. I can't recommend "Raised by Wolves" enough and I can't wait to see more of it.
After reading some of the bad reviews here it became clear to me that the people who wrote them either didn't watch past the first two episodes, how dare the writers not explain everything in the opening sequence amirite, or came to this show straight from Marvel and just missed the point entirely.
Devs
(2020)
Overall good show, except the lead actress
16 May 2020
The best way I would describe this show is Kubrick meets Nolan. Obviously it's not of the same quality, but the cinematography and the soundtrack combined with the plot remind me of the movies of those two.
Most of the different elements in "Devs" are good, not great mind you, but good. It could have easily been an 8/10, but my biggest problem with this movie is the main protagonist Lily Chen, played by Sonoya Mizuno. I just don't understand why she was cast. The performance is bland, boring and frustrating. It really, really takes away from the show. I occasionally found myself fast forwarding through her scenes because I just couldn't bear to watch them for too long. All the other actors do a good job, especially Nick Offerman as Forest and Zach Grenier as Kenton, so she just ends up sticking out like a sore thumb.
The ending falls into the category of "yeah, it's fine, I guess". It could have been better but I suppose it's pretty hard to write an ending that covers all points to a plot like this.
Most of the different elements in "Devs" are good, not great mind you, but good. It could have easily been an 8/10, but my biggest problem with this movie is the main protagonist Lily Chen, played by Sonoya Mizuno. I just don't understand why she was cast. The performance is bland, boring and frustrating. It really, really takes away from the show. I occasionally found myself fast forwarding through her scenes because I just couldn't bear to watch them for too long. All the other actors do a good job, especially Nick Offerman as Forest and Zach Grenier as Kenton, so she just ends up sticking out like a sore thumb.
The ending falls into the category of "yeah, it's fine, I guess". It could have been better but I suppose it's pretty hard to write an ending that covers all points to a plot like this.
The Expanse
(2015–2022)
One of the best pieces of television out there
3 August 2019
I picked up "The Expanse" way back when it started, but like many people dropped it after the first couple of episodes. It didn't seem like my cup of tea at the time. Prior to the release of Season 2 I decided to give it another go. Fast-forward to today I've watched the series twice and will probably watch it for a third time before the new season. I also recently started reading the books and I'm already halfway through the fourth one.
There is nothing else I can say that hasn't already been said about this show. Watch it. You'll not regret it. The first couple of episodes seem slow and not very good because of the amount of worldbuilding that is required to get the story going. But the show picks up very fast once you get through them and after Season 2 it's just excellent. And those first couple of episodes are extremely interesting the second time around when you know what's what.
As a rule only one series in my watchlist can hold a 10/10 rating and that's currently "Chernobyl", but if it wasn't for it I'd most likely give it to "The Expanse".
There is nothing else I can say that hasn't already been said about this show. Watch it. You'll not regret it. The first couple of episodes seem slow and not very good because of the amount of worldbuilding that is required to get the story going. But the show picks up very fast once you get through them and after Season 2 it's just excellent. And those first couple of episodes are extremely interesting the second time around when you know what's what.
As a rule only one series in my watchlist can hold a 10/10 rating and that's currently "Chernobyl", but if it wasn't for it I'd most likely give it to "The Expanse".
The Boys
(2019– )
Very good breakaway from the superhero trend of today, but quite tame, considering the source material.
3 August 2019
When I found out they were making a TV show out of the notorious comic series, I was pretty excited. I really needed something fresh in the superhero genre to break the monotony of the family-friendly movies of today.
And boy does this show deliver. The acting is excellent, special shout-out to Tomer Capon for his performance. The story and the character differ noticeably from the comics, but that's not a problem at all, in fact it's better because it gives a fresh spin and you don't really know what's going to happen even if you have read the print.
The only problem I have with the show is just how tame it is compared to the comics. When I saw the TV-MA rating I expected this to be a festival of debauchery, cruelty, violence and blood and gore. And while it does have plenty of these it pales in comparison to the source material.
Still, it's an excellent show you should really check out if you are looking for something different.
And boy does this show deliver. The acting is excellent, special shout-out to Tomer Capon for his performance. The story and the character differ noticeably from the comics, but that's not a problem at all, in fact it's better because it gives a fresh spin and you don't really know what's going to happen even if you have read the print.
The only problem I have with the show is just how tame it is compared to the comics. When I saw the TV-MA rating I expected this to be a festival of debauchery, cruelty, violence and blood and gore. And while it does have plenty of these it pales in comparison to the source material.
Still, it's an excellent show you should really check out if you are looking for something different.
Another Life
(2019–2021)
Another Life has many problems, but people are being horribly unfair to it.
28 July 2019
I didn't know about this show until a friend send me it's trailer shortly before it's release. The premise sounded interesting and being ravenous for more sci-fi TV series, I was hooked. I couldn't start watching it immediately after it was released, so a few days passed and I wanted to check it's iMDB page to see how it was doing. I was quite disappointed to see it's rating being so low, but nevertheless I decided to watch it and soldier through, see why it's so bad. Does it have problems? Absolutely! But it definitely doesn't deserve the hate it receives. It's off to a really rocky beginning but it does get better.
Admittedly, the story isn't anything new or unique. It's nothing we haven't seen before - Arrival, Alien, Nightflyers, Annihilation, you name it, it probably has it. Just because it's not unique doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, though. It has an overarching story line about this alien artifact that landed on Earth and the search for who sent it, but it also follows a sort of mystery-of-the-week format. During the first episodes the series suffers from lack of worldbuilding. It doesn't really define a frame of what's possible and what's isn't possible in this universe. For example, humans have achieved FTL travel and a sort of stasis, but they eat out of MREs and later when they cook actual food it turns out they didn't bring too much of it. Why they can travel faster-than-light and have super advanced AIs but can't bring enough food isn't clear. Also, since humans have achieved FTL travel how far have they expanded? Is the FTL engine widespread or is their ship the only one? If so, why? And that's just one example. As the show goes on however some of the things get explained, like what they use in their FTL engine and so on.
Now the characters and the acting is one of the biggest pitfalls of the show. The quality of both varies significantly between each character. The difference between the lead character and most of the other actors is quite noticeable. And some are just... bad. Also, why are they so young? Are they some kind of geniuses? This is the most important mission ever in the history of mankind so why are these people there? A lot of them, if not all of them, are CLEARLY mentally unstable, immature and carry a lot of baggage with them. For such a mission you'd want to send well-balanced professionals with an extraordinary amount of experience. And some of these people actually meet for the first time after they leave stasis. So it just doesn't make sense to me why these people were chosen for such an important assignment, even if they are the smartest people on the planet. Now as the series goes on you start getting little bits and pieces of the characters' backstories and relationships, some more than others, and they do get more developed. For the first few episodes, which to be honest were really bad, there isn't any chemistry between any of these people. The interactions between them don't feel natural, and instead very artificial and the confrontations feel very forced, at least in the beginning. But again these things do get better as the show progresses. However, a big peeve I have with this show is the clothes the crew wears. There are no uniforms, this is even mentioned in the show, but what some of these people wear is something you'd expect to see on a nights out. It's always super fashionable and it just looks weird and out of place in a show like this. So some of the reviews here are right when they say the crew looks like and behaves like they've been recruited at a bar or a night club. Again, it just doesn't make sense why these people in particular were picked for a mission of paramount importance.
The science doesn't always check out and again goes the issues stems from the lack of defined borders of what's possible and why certain things work or don't work the way they do. There is also the thing with dark matter being shown as... a dark cloud. Dark matter is dark because we don't know what it is and we can't see it, not because it's a sort of dark smoke, as it was depicted in the show. This is being compared to The Expanse, which I adore, but this isn't The Expanse. This is a super soft sci-fi, which doesn't excuse the cloud of dark matter or the behavior of gravity around a black hole, but some other things can be overlooked.
This review has become quite long, so let's wrap it up. If you come into this show expecting the next big thing or something good, you'll be disappointed. It has many, many issues. It lacks in many areas and doesn't particularly excel at any others. I will mention however the overarching storyline is good, it has the potential to be very good and the ending makes me wish Netflix doesn't cancel this show, but tries to polish and make it good. Get some science consultants in it. Reset the cast, get some new people. Flesh out the inner workings of the world, define the borders of possibility. It doesn't have to be something super complex, but it has to be believable. I believe it CAN become better.
Admittedly, the story isn't anything new or unique. It's nothing we haven't seen before - Arrival, Alien, Nightflyers, Annihilation, you name it, it probably has it. Just because it's not unique doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, though. It has an overarching story line about this alien artifact that landed on Earth and the search for who sent it, but it also follows a sort of mystery-of-the-week format. During the first episodes the series suffers from lack of worldbuilding. It doesn't really define a frame of what's possible and what's isn't possible in this universe. For example, humans have achieved FTL travel and a sort of stasis, but they eat out of MREs and later when they cook actual food it turns out they didn't bring too much of it. Why they can travel faster-than-light and have super advanced AIs but can't bring enough food isn't clear. Also, since humans have achieved FTL travel how far have they expanded? Is the FTL engine widespread or is their ship the only one? If so, why? And that's just one example. As the show goes on however some of the things get explained, like what they use in their FTL engine and so on.
Now the characters and the acting is one of the biggest pitfalls of the show. The quality of both varies significantly between each character. The difference between the lead character and most of the other actors is quite noticeable. And some are just... bad. Also, why are they so young? Are they some kind of geniuses? This is the most important mission ever in the history of mankind so why are these people there? A lot of them, if not all of them, are CLEARLY mentally unstable, immature and carry a lot of baggage with them. For such a mission you'd want to send well-balanced professionals with an extraordinary amount of experience. And some of these people actually meet for the first time after they leave stasis. So it just doesn't make sense to me why these people were chosen for such an important assignment, even if they are the smartest people on the planet. Now as the series goes on you start getting little bits and pieces of the characters' backstories and relationships, some more than others, and they do get more developed. For the first few episodes, which to be honest were really bad, there isn't any chemistry between any of these people. The interactions between them don't feel natural, and instead very artificial and the confrontations feel very forced, at least in the beginning. But again these things do get better as the show progresses. However, a big peeve I have with this show is the clothes the crew wears. There are no uniforms, this is even mentioned in the show, but what some of these people wear is something you'd expect to see on a nights out. It's always super fashionable and it just looks weird and out of place in a show like this. So some of the reviews here are right when they say the crew looks like and behaves like they've been recruited at a bar or a night club. Again, it just doesn't make sense why these people in particular were picked for a mission of paramount importance.
The science doesn't always check out and again goes the issues stems from the lack of defined borders of what's possible and why certain things work or don't work the way they do. There is also the thing with dark matter being shown as... a dark cloud. Dark matter is dark because we don't know what it is and we can't see it, not because it's a sort of dark smoke, as it was depicted in the show. This is being compared to The Expanse, which I adore, but this isn't The Expanse. This is a super soft sci-fi, which doesn't excuse the cloud of dark matter or the behavior of gravity around a black hole, but some other things can be overlooked.
This review has become quite long, so let's wrap it up. If you come into this show expecting the next big thing or something good, you'll be disappointed. It has many, many issues. It lacks in many areas and doesn't particularly excel at any others. I will mention however the overarching storyline is good, it has the potential to be very good and the ending makes me wish Netflix doesn't cancel this show, but tries to polish and make it good. Get some science consultants in it. Reset the cast, get some new people. Flesh out the inner workings of the world, define the borders of possibility. It doesn't have to be something super complex, but it has to be believable. I believe it CAN become better.
Love, Death & Robots
(2019– )
If "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" was a TV series, that would be it.
20 April 2019
After having delayed watching this for quite some time, I just didn't think it would be my cup of tea, I finally decided to give it a shot one evening. And I'm really glad I did, because the overall experience is amazing and I definitely recommend it.
Now notice I said overall experience. That's because, as I mentioned in the title, this is a series of many different flavors. And not all of them are good. Goes without saying this is subjective, but the quality really, really varies between each short story. Some are straight up 9/10, while others go as low as 5/10. My personal favorites are "Sonnie's Edge", "Three Robots" and "Good Hunting". After you watch it you might agree or disagree, that's just the nature of the show.
I have to mention the A-list voice acting, though. There are some serious names in the credits and it was a lot of fun to try and recognize each voice and where I might have heard them before.
Love, Death + Robots is definitely a breath of fresh air and I hope we see another season at some point in the future.
Now notice I said overall experience. That's because, as I mentioned in the title, this is a series of many different flavors. And not all of them are good. Goes without saying this is subjective, but the quality really, really varies between each short story. Some are straight up 9/10, while others go as low as 5/10. My personal favorites are "Sonnie's Edge", "Three Robots" and "Good Hunting". After you watch it you might agree or disagree, that's just the nature of the show.
I have to mention the A-list voice acting, though. There are some serious names in the credits and it was a lot of fun to try and recognize each voice and where I might have heard them before.
Love, Death + Robots is definitely a breath of fresh air and I hope we see another season at some point in the future.
Nightflyers
(2018)
Not as bad as some people make it out to be, but not much better either. Requires you to suspend your disbelief significantly
6 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
So the year is 2093 and apparently the Earth is dying and humanity is looking at extinction. We've started setting up colonies on the Moon but it's taking too long. An object of alien origin is then detected outside the Solar System and a colony ship departs to meet the aliens with the hopes of saving humanity.
So far so good. It is implied multiple times how important this is and how high the stakes are. But for some reason it seems like the crew of the ship has been randomly picked from some angry mob on the street. They are trapped in a tube floating through space where the only thing standing between them and a cold death is some few inches of steel. But instead of thinking things through and acting accordingly, they start throwing fits and going on witch hunts. Their behavior is entirely unprofessional and just doesn't make sense in the context of things.
Some backstory would have been nice as well. I get that they want to slowly reveal information about the characters in the process. However, the action starts immediately and without knowing anything about anyone, you don't really care what happens to them at all. World-building is non-existent.
I have quite a lot of gripes, like the psychic kid being a jerk to everyone because "society is bad to me", or the inconsistent gravity on the ship, which relates to the lack of any world-building, but I'll try to put these behind me for now.
As I said, it's not all bad. The visuals are good, the ship looks cool, and the story does hold an air of mystery and seems interesting enough. There are some redeeming qualities. But it requires you to overlook the flaws of the how and I can see how some people may find this hard to do. It's understandable.
One has to wonder though if SyFy canceled the absolutely stellar "The Expanse" in favor of this show. Perhaps they wanted a piece of the George R. R. Martin cake and axed their most successful series in a long time. If that's the case, then I'll tell them it was not worth it. At all.
So far so good. It is implied multiple times how important this is and how high the stakes are. But for some reason it seems like the crew of the ship has been randomly picked from some angry mob on the street. They are trapped in a tube floating through space where the only thing standing between them and a cold death is some few inches of steel. But instead of thinking things through and acting accordingly, they start throwing fits and going on witch hunts. Their behavior is entirely unprofessional and just doesn't make sense in the context of things.
Some backstory would have been nice as well. I get that they want to slowly reveal information about the characters in the process. However, the action starts immediately and without knowing anything about anyone, you don't really care what happens to them at all. World-building is non-existent.
I have quite a lot of gripes, like the psychic kid being a jerk to everyone because "society is bad to me", or the inconsistent gravity on the ship, which relates to the lack of any world-building, but I'll try to put these behind me for now.
As I said, it's not all bad. The visuals are good, the ship looks cool, and the story does hold an air of mystery and seems interesting enough. There are some redeeming qualities. But it requires you to overlook the flaws of the how and I can see how some people may find this hard to do. It's understandable.
One has to wonder though if SyFy canceled the absolutely stellar "The Expanse" in favor of this show. Perhaps they wanted a piece of the George R. R. Martin cake and axed their most successful series in a long time. If that's the case, then I'll tell them it was not worth it. At all.
Alpha
(II) (2018)
Beautiful!
17 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
That's what I'd call this movie if I had to describe it in a single word. The music, the environment, the cinematography, everything is just absolutely gorgeous. I might even try to find some of the shots as wallpapers, they were that great.
The story isn't anything special. The movie might as well be named The Origins of Dogs: The Movie. But it doesn't really need to have any very deep and profound motives and subplots. There are the problems of survival, kindness, loyalty, friendship between human and animal, but if you come in expecting something groundbreaking you won't find it here. And the movie ISN'T worse because of that, it's better.
The only issues I have with the movie are the mother and father characters. They could have used some more fleshing out. They aren't really of that importance, but in the end after they see their son alive after believing he is dead they are more or less like "Oh wow, you are alive? Cool!" and that's pretty much it. The ending is just felt somewhat anticlimactic during that point. It's just a minor gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.
The movie made me feel really good and I definitely recommend it. If you love dogs, it's basically a must-watch, because dogs are awesome.
The story isn't anything special. The movie might as well be named The Origins of Dogs: The Movie. But it doesn't really need to have any very deep and profound motives and subplots. There are the problems of survival, kindness, loyalty, friendship between human and animal, but if you come in expecting something groundbreaking you won't find it here. And the movie ISN'T worse because of that, it's better.
The only issues I have with the movie are the mother and father characters. They could have used some more fleshing out. They aren't really of that importance, but in the end after they see their son alive after believing he is dead they are more or less like "Oh wow, you are alive? Cool!" and that's pretty much it. The ending is just felt somewhat anticlimactic during that point. It's just a minor gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.
The movie made me feel really good and I definitely recommend it. If you love dogs, it's basically a must-watch, because dogs are awesome.
Life
(I) (2017)
This movie is an insult to everyone with at least a bit of common sense!
2 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I made an account specifically to rate this movie and write a review.
This is the most nonsensical, most illogical sci-fi, or just any movie, I have ever seen. It tries to be scientific but it fails catastrophically at that. Like, it's apparent that humans somehow know the probe is going to bring back life from Mars and so Miranda NORTH has made some contingency plans in case things go SOUTH. Only, those plans are so useless that I can come up with a better plan in under 1 minute. Make a modular lab that in case of a containment breach can simply be detached from the space station and sent towards deep space or the sun. Done. No need for firewalls 2, 3, 4, 5, 100.
Characters, who by the way are as interesting as a sack of potatoes, do the stupidest things imaginable, state "facts" just to break them 1 minute later, contradict themselves at every turn, constantly break protocol and just avoid using common sense as much as possible. Damn, one of them even hides the alien, let's it feed on his leg and smuggles it in a room with all the rest of his living colleagues even after it broke his arm, brutally killed his best friend and, hell, even his captain sacrificed her life to prevent it from coming back to the station. And you know why he did that? Because.
The alien apparently needs oxygen but it doesn't need oxygen. Yes, you read that right. First, it's shown that it can store oxygen for prolonged periods of time. But then, it's shown that it can't survive without oxygen for prolonged periods of time, thus they bait it with oxygen sticks. I mean, it could just "suck" one of them and go about it's business killing people or whatever.
And the logical fallacies just keep piling on and on.
You probably think I'm one of those scientist-wannabes who get angry at even the slightest mistakes and constantly nitpick movies. But I'm not. I could have overlooked a couple of mistakes but they are just so much and so glaring, it's incredibly annoying. You know, if this movie didn't try so hard to be scientific, I suppose I could rate it with like a 3 or 4. It would still suck but not as much. But as it stands, it's a movie you should avoid at all costs.
TL;DR - the only reason to watch this movie is if you are getting paid for it.
This is the most nonsensical, most illogical sci-fi, or just any movie, I have ever seen. It tries to be scientific but it fails catastrophically at that. Like, it's apparent that humans somehow know the probe is going to bring back life from Mars and so Miranda NORTH has made some contingency plans in case things go SOUTH. Only, those plans are so useless that I can come up with a better plan in under 1 minute. Make a modular lab that in case of a containment breach can simply be detached from the space station and sent towards deep space or the sun. Done. No need for firewalls 2, 3, 4, 5, 100.
Characters, who by the way are as interesting as a sack of potatoes, do the stupidest things imaginable, state "facts" just to break them 1 minute later, contradict themselves at every turn, constantly break protocol and just avoid using common sense as much as possible. Damn, one of them even hides the alien, let's it feed on his leg and smuggles it in a room with all the rest of his living colleagues even after it broke his arm, brutally killed his best friend and, hell, even his captain sacrificed her life to prevent it from coming back to the station. And you know why he did that? Because.
The alien apparently needs oxygen but it doesn't need oxygen. Yes, you read that right. First, it's shown that it can store oxygen for prolonged periods of time. But then, it's shown that it can't survive without oxygen for prolonged periods of time, thus they bait it with oxygen sticks. I mean, it could just "suck" one of them and go about it's business killing people or whatever.
And the logical fallacies just keep piling on and on.
You probably think I'm one of those scientist-wannabes who get angry at even the slightest mistakes and constantly nitpick movies. But I'm not. I could have overlooked a couple of mistakes but they are just so much and so glaring, it's incredibly annoying. You know, if this movie didn't try so hard to be scientific, I suppose I could rate it with like a 3 or 4. It would still suck but not as much. But as it stands, it's a movie you should avoid at all costs.
TL;DR - the only reason to watch this movie is if you are getting paid for it.
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