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charlesfnelson
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An error has ocurred. Please try againThese are in order of my favorites.
Reviews
Constellation (2024)
Relationships build characters.
A lot of criticism being thrown out at the fact this is largely a relationship drama. That's what life is, unless you live alone in a basement. It's how you build multi-dimensional characters. I've seen a few comparisons to For all Mankind, which is great, however, character development is clearly a secondary priority in that show. Not every series should be a marvel of science and technology and not every series should be a character drama. For me, this was a really good blend with a solid line of tension throughout.
The pacing is off kilter at times and I do agree that ep 6 was by and large an unnecessary rehash, but I also realize that everyone is not me. Overall, it does a really good job of humanizing an interesting concept of quantum entanglement and hints at the growing theory of universal consciousness. Well written, well acted and produced in its own tone that doesn't try to mimic anything else out there. If a season 2 comes around, hopefully they won't dumb it down quite as much but I would be happy with a continuation as is.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
This isn't Star Trek, it's something better!
I wanted to wait until Season 2 was underway to review the show as so many fail in their follow up. Not here and not now.
The execution across the series so far has been outstanding. It maintains the moral ideology that, contrary to some salty folks beliefs, has existed since TOS. It manages to also spare us from TNGs over reliance on technobabble that was so prevalent in 90s TV. I love TNG but you could probably tally Jordi and Data's lines to 30% phase conduit, positronic matrix and diagnostics exposition.
Strange New Worlds captures the essence of its legacy, cliffhanger moments, awkward situations a dash of comedy and then pushes it to 11 with an outstanding cast that truly feel like they embody the characters. But this trek has more emotion and connection with it's characters. Some of that is due to it's more serialized nature than past installments but most of it comes from the exceptional delivery of the cast and writers.
Given it's outstanding production values, it does leave me wanting for a little more exploration and touch less interpersonal relationships. But, that's looking at TOS, TNG, DS9 with rose tinted glasses and pretending they were any different. They weren't.
I have vivid memory from my youth. Every night I would go to sleep with TNG & DS9, and every time the intro played I thought to myself I hope this never ends. This series brings that feeling back and I cannot even articulate how awesome that feeling is, but I'd wager some of you know it too!
Cheers Trekkies!
Drive Hard: The Maloof Way (2022)
Made for "Car guys" that have never held a wrench.
It would be great to see a show filmed and edited for real gear heads, even a scripted one, but this ain't it. All kinds of nonsensical commentary from the daughter just for sound bytes. Things like tuning the distributor in a late model production car instantly turns off anyone who knows anything about them.
The stunt stuff is overly dramatized and looks like a weak attempt to launch careers of the daughters. Two episodes was enough to see its just generic product placement fodder and vroom vroom porn for people who pretend to know the difference between blinker fluid and wiper blades. CG is essentially rendering stunt driving obsolete, might as well aim for modeling careers right?
We all know you didn't have 5 days to get a car ready for a race, nobody does that. Production, fpv drone pilots, track time, and a long list of other factors are scheduled well in advance. Why do they even pretend? If you didn't get it done in time, you wouldn't air it.
When are producers going to realize they are being outdone by amateur youtubers? Much better off watching the Hoonigan stuff on youtube, way cooler, better production values and real.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part I (2022)
They aren't even trying anymore
I can't even critique this it is so utterly terrible. Bad acting, bad writing, bad directing, bad CG, bad choreography. The only redeeming quality is McGregor's acting and it gets overshadowed by how terrible everyone else is around him. He really should distance himself from the franchise.
The Last Duel (2021)
Underrated a bit
The first act could be paced a little differently and the writing for the perspectives could have been done a little better. Those aside, this is a shining example of how to give weight to a dramatic conclusion. Well worth the payoff and some of the best medieval combat sequences I've ever seen.
Away (2020)
Not intended for sci-fi neckbeards.
Others have said this but if you're mistaking this for an attempt to satisfy sci-fi fans, you are in fact the Idiot most of these reviewers claim not to be. Is it chock full of cliché? Absolutely. Is the science soft? 100%. Did the production care about either of these? Not likely. So many reviewers claiming their intelligence was insulted by the show when their intelligence failed to inform them of what they were even watching.
This is a character drama telling the story of the human impact that extended space travel can have on interpersonal dynamics and the lives of family left behind. It's undeniably forced through unrealistic conflict. That is it's most glaring flaw. However, it demonstrates why it is so important that there are studies going on right now about how people cohabitate in isolation as a small group. They simply accelerated what is a very likely scenario as an emotional hook. World Science Festival has a panel that talks about this very issue on the trip to Mars and worth a watch by the hard science enthusiasts.
For those looking for an emotional, cultural and familial drama with a space backdrop, you very well might enjoy this. I certainly did. If your hobby is to debate the accuracy of fictional works like Interstellar with strangers on reddit, you're probably not going to like it.