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Reviews
The Imperfects (2022)
Silly fun
Went into this with zero knowledge, popped up on my "because you liked this other show you may like this" list so gave it a go.
It's a bit silly but enjoyable fun with decent enough characters and story development just on a budget.
Essentially shady scientists experiment on a group of people to try and help evolution along, because of this they develop "super powers", a sort of mish mash of Agent's of shield, Doom Patrol and X men but played without the comic book style, much more straight laced.
Although Rhys Nicholas as the genius bad guy scientist is so over the top he's superb, his shock of ginger hair and his perpetual "I want to speak to the manager, I'm so offend" tone totally throws you off kilter as it's so out of step with his bad guy character but works great.
The effects won't win awards but aren't bad, just comparable to the budget.
Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
A shallow copy
I loved the first film, a silly romp through the monster genre made better by the isolation of the town, even though it was in the entire valley it was still claustrophobic.
This is just a shallow, formulaic copy of that with none of the heart or fun. The South African nature reserve they've somehow evolved at is isolated but a short hop to the town so just pop along, the graboids have evolved but are dumber, slower and easier to kill.
There are a few places they try something different, Burt trapped in the cage could have been interesting, but it starts and finishes so quick and easily that it's one of many opportunities missed.
Everyone is just a cardboard cut out clichéd figure, think Crocodile Dundee just less developed, the bad guy is an evil poacher pretending to be from the government, the helicopter pilot is a drunk with a heart of gold, Burts son is a 40 year old surfer / biker Cross cameraman who speaks like a ninja turtle, I genuinely kept expecting him to say cowabunga dude!
The high point was Pearl Thusi as the Dr but she was criminally under developed and used.
Resident Evil (2022)
Mehh at best
At best a mehh show, only seen p 1 so far...... Finally got through it all, it doesn't improve and actually gets worse in places!
The story bounces between then and now with no warning or reason other than the director watched Pulp Fiction and thought it was cool, it is, so copied it but poorly.
CGI bounces between rather good, gooey caterpillar, to flipping awful, yes you fido and the zombies look like they were grabbed from a budget comi-con!
The acting, like the CGI, goes from very good, lance reddick, to angsty daytime teen drama, most others.
The soundtrack is very poor and just doesn't fit with whats going on on screen.
I'll finish it but so far just, mehh.
Batwoman (2019)
Dull, flat and clichéd
Came with an open mind, yes the trailer looked less than great, but I like the other CW shows so had a go at the pilot, it's rather bad.
So many of the characters are just lazy off the peg shapes to fill a space on screen, bring little to the story or are just clueless.
Yes KK is a lesbian, but so what, so are other very good CW characters, Sarah Lance is probably the best written CW character, but KK is awful. The character is flat, wooden and vague not helped by some of the most wooden acting outside of a Thunderbird episode, the character deserves so much more.
The bat suit is terrible, I've seen way better in a comic con que, again should be so much more.
Finally, why do such a big reveal at the end of the first episode, no buildup, no pre-amble, just tra la your dead sister is the big bad, as I said, just lazy.
Will I watch more, probably, eventually but I'm in no rush!
Another Life (2019)
A fan fiction movie, at best!
What a load of bumf, it makes no sense at any point.
The entire show bumbles from one disaster to the next with absolutely no ability to learn; in one episode they land on an alien planet with air, so remove their breathing equipment, no checks, ljust do it. Return to the ship, usual sci-fi health check and all clear, two of the crew then die from alien germs very shortly after, they then accidentally find a cure, happy days.
Very shortly after they find another planet, go and land and the crew all go ashore with no breathing gear!
One of many what the hell moments, another is the crew accidentally get stoned, the cure, medication-nope, sleep it off-nope, they have a bloody disco.
In honesty this is the best you can expect from the crew though. All are emotionally stunted or damaged, all are beyond self centered and all are so shallow it beggars belief, the crew were apparently all chosen from the reject pile of emails for some reality show.
I got through the entire season, purely from stupid stubbornness, it wasn't worth it!
Rogue One (2016)
Almost there but a few slips
First off the bat, this is a good film and is a worthy addition to the Star Wars saga.
This is firmly in the vain of Star Wars 4 - 6, NOT 1 - 3.
To be fair 1 - 3 is a bit pants, Jar Jar Binks anyone, they are a bit shiny, a bit clever, a bit crisp around the edges and a bit polished. 4 - 6 are a bit grubby, a bit dog eared and a bit dark; R1 is firmly in the 4 - 6 camp, the ships are a bit battered, the characters are a bit grubby and war weary and not the nice guys usually portrayed, they've done bad things for the rebellion.
This is a good change of tack for these films. The beach battle scenes wouldn't be out of place in any WW2 movie, a full on war movie feel; the space battle is on an epic scale, loved it.
There are a few down sides that do detract from the overall movie. The turnover of characters is huge, because of this you don't get the attachment you do with the characters of the trilogies, which is just as well as they do pop off so fast. The CGI for Tarkin isn't quite there, he's a bit "not right" on screen but a welcome addition. Finally, the opening, WHERE WAS THE OPENING SCRAWL, the film just starts but no opening blurb and no opening Williams score, sort of a duff start.
Overall though, see this film.
Passengers (2016)
Ignore the trailers, its a romance!
Went into this with minimal information, a brief on-line review and the trailer, thought it was worth a go.
The trailers do not reflect this film in anyway shape or form, the trailers show a bell's whistles action sci-fi adventure movie, the film is a romance movie with some sci-fi in it.
This is less 2001 and more Romancing the Stone in space, look it up, a good 80's action romance romp. Be warned this isn't a sci-fi for "the lads" this one to go to as a couple.
As a movie it's not actually a bad film,just badly advertised so'll get low reviews for failing to meet expectations.
Martin Sheen as the barman is a joy and a great giggle to watch, jumps into the roll with relish, Lawrence Fishburn is only there for a blink but stamps himself onto his roll fully.
Unfortunately the rest of the main cast, both of them, just look to go through the motions and just get to the end of the movie. In most instances this wouldn't be an issue or noticed but with Fishburn and Sheen on screen the difference in the two styles are very visible.
BUT this isn't a bad film, it's not great but not bad.
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Hardcore Henry, hardcore fun
Quite possibly one of the most original films I've ever seen!
Those of a delicate disposition with an objection to bad language and over the top violence stay away. There are both in HUGE amounts from the get go!
Saw this on the back of a single trailer and no reviews and I'm so glad I did. The trailer doesn't do the 100% first person perspective justice, I was expecting reality film shaky cam throughout a-la Blair Witch type films, there wasn't. Yes the action is absurdly fast and the editing break neck but you don't notice the shaking, the film wont allow the diversion from the screen.
Throughout the film you never see the "star" Henry, just hand gestures in the shot franticly miming what he's trying to say as not only do you never see Henry, you don't hear him, he's mute! Strangely this causes a great deal of empathy to the character, you really want him to get to the end, get the girl and beat the bad guys. With no hero on screen the rest of the cast have a big job to make the film stay interesting and they do and it's a joy.
Sharlto Copley plays a huge part as Jimmy, the helper in the film to keep the action going and to tell the story of what's happening and what's next, he's like the end of level boss in computer shoot em ups which this film almost is. Copley plays sooooo many different characters in this film, at the end of each "level" he's there to introduce the next mission in the game / film, then he dies! And he's back at the next level end as a total different character, Jimmy goes from mad scientist to drug crazed sex fiend with so many different characters between, punk, professor, homeless dude and more! An absolutely breathtaking and breakneck performance.
Danila Kozlovsky as the scary evil albino bad guy is almost pantomime bad guy over the top in this, it is absolutely spot on for this film, a subdued, calm bad guy would be lost and out of place in this riot of a film.
Yes there are a few questions in the film, where did the leather clad, sword welding, biker, samurai dominatrices come from or go to (yes you read that right); also why is evil albino guy telekinetic!?!
Don't know either answer, guess what, don't care. You just accept they're there, they're gone and he is, weird but true.
The twist at the end is less a twist and more a corkscrew of a shocker, didn't see it coming and a real shock when it arrived, a real wow moment.
Deadpool (2016)
See this film!!
Started laughing at the start and carried on almost all the way!
Is the film gory, um yep; is the violence over the top, yep; are the fight scenes top notch, oh yep; is there constant bad language, um yep.
This is not an intelligent film, but doesn't claim to be, this is a fun film, a fun adult film.
It is a step away from any of the other superhero films who now take themselves very seriously (throughout the film other superhero films are constantly made fun of including the "superhero landing", saw Batman V Superman the next week, it was there!), its tongue in cheek humour is a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to see.
Pizza, this film then pub and beer, a top notch night out!
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Almost a great movie, almost
I went into this with the standard doubts, "Batman v superman, hmm, Superman every time?" this total blows that question out of the water, on the right day Batman will kick Superman into tomorrow.
Ben Affleck plays an older, world weary and cynical Batman (and plays him VERY well) who stands as the voice of doubt against the new messiah, Superman. Henry Cavill plays a hero with doubts, and plays it well. The battle scenes between the two, too big and full on to be fights, are some of the best I've seen or some time, the new Bat-mobile and Bat-plane are darker and more utilitarian than any seen before.
The action and and acting make this a joy, but....
Lex Lutor / Jesse Eisenberg is truly awful and if he played a bigger part in this film would have managed to single-handedly destroy this film. Eisenberg plays a badly written role badly, he appears as a second rate gibbering Joker rather than the articulate and intelligent criminal mastermind as he appears in either the films or comics.
Wonder Woman is 2 dimensional and so under-used, the action scenes with her are great but in-frequent, otherwise she's blink and you miss her, a real shame! The 5 second cameo's of Cyborg / Flash / Aguaman are almost pointless unless you look at this film as a launch pad for the Justice League, rather than a film in it's own right; its almost like Empire Strikes Back, it was there to make Jedi look good and a launchpad for the next film rather than its own film.
This is a very good film and deserves a sequel of some form but it could have been a great film.
Locke (2013)
Explosion in slow- mo
Saw this for 1 reason, missed the start of the film I'd booked!
What a great thing that was, whilst Tom H's accent starts as a mix of mid-Wales and mid -Poland (yep, that off) it soon settles down and becomes more Welsh as the film moves along.
The slow boil of watching a successful man's life slowly disappear and dissolve around him is both an emotional roller-coaster and exhilarating in equal parts, all starting with the opening scene, does he turn left and home / family or right and the unknown. He turns right and the slow explosion of his life begins with bits slowly disappearing the closer to his destination he gets.
The story of one man in his car is held together and moved along by a superb cast there at the end of the phone only, all essential in building this to one of the best moves I've seen in so long and a joy to watch.
Dad's Army (2016)
Clonky script but still a giggle
I'm not old enough to remember the original but, like most, have seen them all on repeats; this doesn't compare to the original but is still worth a giggle. Yes most of the humour is of the silly post card style a-la roly-poly and sausage gags but still raises a giggle.
The script doesn't have the same flow as the original so in places is clunky and forced, with respect what would compare to the original easy flow of cast and gag in harmony.
The cast are near faultless, Catherine Zeta-Jones is superb as a 40's German spy / vamp, the heels, the clothes and the wiggle; Toby Jones is no Arthur Lowe but is almost there and fills the screen every time he's on it; Bill Nighy is a brilliant Wilson with all the put upon grace of the original and Michael Gambon as Godfrey was a joy to watch. The rest are all great but the one weak link was Jones, not a patch on Clive Dunn and rather a flat uninspiring character, shame. The two original cast cameo's were great but just that, cameo's and all too brief. Mrs Mainwaring finally making an appearance along with the rest of the wives was another great idea especially saving the day at the end.
Unfortunately the script is the one thing that this film falls down on, it hasn't the original charm and flow and was missing the Mainwaring Hodges bickering and battling, would have been a great pairing of him and the Germans after Mainwaring.
Will it stand up against the original, um no but it never really had a chance of that but it does stand up as a bit of Saturday afternoon silliness.
The Purge (2013)
Save your cash and look somewhere else.
Beyond Rhys Wakefield giving a passable turn as Heath Ledgers Joker, polite, friendly, grinning like a loon, constantly flicking his hair and mad as a box of frogs,this is the worse film I've seen this year bar none and is well in my top 10 stinkers!
So all crime is legal, at one point the father says "only 10 years ago we were struggling with the rent and now we're buying a boat." Aw how nice but how about a family holiday abroad or is that too clever an idea for this dull, plodding yawn fest!
A good idea ruined by 2d characters no-one gives a monkeys about and an absurd plot poorly executed, how can the daughter, the token coloured character and a group of loony killer students ALL hide in 1 house, an apartment block, fair comment but a suburban home, nah.
Save your cash and look somewhere else, 85 mins of tedium!