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Ozark: A Hard Way to Go (2022)
It left a lot to be desired
I'll say it up front: watching this episode made me quite sad. But not for the obvious reasons.
When Ozark first premiered in 2017 i was hooked from the start. Something about these characters made me deeply care about them. Sure it didn't have the brilliance and attention to detail of Breaking Bad, which it is often compared to, but it delivered a strong and unpredictable story with an awesome cast and stellar cinematography. The first season built a strong foundation for what was to come and it's cliffhanger ending is still one of my favorite moments on Netflix. The following two seasons used this foundation to deliver an interesting and gripping storyline with it's main characters turning progressively against each other.
The first part of the fourth season followed the previous success but felt a little off, i still can't describe why. The second part on the other hand seemed to stall in it's plot and focussed more and more on character development, which was a little too late in my opinion. Especially Wendy's transformation to the selfish and dominant wannabe badass felt forced and should have been more subtle, but instead we got it thrown into our faces until every single one of it's viewers got the message. It wouldn't have been so bad, if it would have ended in a fitting conclusion but it didn't, what brings us to the final episode.
Episode 4x14 is problematic, to say the least. It felt more like a season finale but not like the one of an entire series. The writers said they wanted to create a bittersweet ending but they missed their goal by a landslide, at least in my honest opinion. There are many plotpoints which felt extremely out of place, most notably the car accident, which was already teased in 4x01. The Byrdes just shrug it off without any notable injuries and without it being mentioned ever again. I have some speculations why they included it, but none of them would lead to it being mandatory for the progression of the story.
Wendy's arc feels kind of unfinished at the end as well. Sure, she has a short glimpse of change when she recognizes the Ruth situation is out of their hands but this feels extremely far fetched and happens way too quick for the buildup they did over the last episodes.
Ruth's death was predictable as soon as she killed Javi and then started to build herself a new home. It still gave the episode a spark off sadness but it's execution should not have been so rushed as it was in my opinion. At least they got her character right up until the very end.
But what bothers me the most is the fate of the Byrde family. It feels very unlikely and anticlimactic. If they wanted a truly bittersweet ending, they should have killed off at least one of them, preferably one of the kids so the parents are punished for their behavior and dragging their children down this path of violence and destruction while also giving them a reunion with the other one which distanced themselves from their parents.
The final scene is the cherry on top of everything bad with this ending. It adds nothing to the plot and feels out of place, especially since they added a sound clue how it went down instead of leaving it for the viewers imagination.
In conclusion i have to say i was very disappointed and saddened by how the writers treated the ending of this well written and thought out show. It wasn't on a level of disappointment like S8 of Game of Thrones but they truly missed their shot on this one. It feels like it was written by an entirely different group of people when compared to the previous episodes and seasons.
The actors as well as the technical departments did everything they could but weren't able to prevent a bad ending from tearing down the building which they so carefully constructed over the last 5 years.
Dark: Das Paradies (2020)
Awesome and bittersweet
This series finale is everything i wished for. I really had my doubts after seeing big franchises like Game of Thrones, Star Wars and The Last of Us having huge problems with their final / current entry and i did hope that Dark won't be one of them. But my hopes were not only fulfilled, they were smashed. This finale might be the best Series Finale since Breaking Bad. Every loose end is connected, important questions are answered (well, not all, i really want to know what happened to a certain body part of a secondary character) and the ending itself is bittersweet.
Everything is connected. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning, well at least for me. I will watch the whole thing once again immediately!
Death Stranding (2019)
Come on Lou. One last delivery!
When this game was revealed, it certainly looked interesting. But i wasn't intrigued by it, it just looked too dark and f...ed up for me at the time. But as more material was shown and i matured, i began to like what i saw. I bought the game on day one and began to play, but somehow, i wasn't hooked. So it just sat there on my hard drive for a couple of months. Until i decided to give it another shot. And this time the game got me.
I love games with a slow pacing and long cutscenes and this game was exactly what i was looking for. Something to relax after a hard day at work (i work at a hospital and it was kinda stressful in the recent time, due to a certain viral event). I loved the core gameplay loop, walking through this beautiful landscape, sneaking through mule territory and escaping the BTs. Combined with the awesome soundtrack and stunning graphics, the gameplay made a very good time.
But what stands out the most is the story. While being extremely cryptic at the beginning, Kojima manages to combine all the parts into an epic and extremely emotional ending.
The characters are so unique compared to other games. And one of them stands out in particular: Clifford Unger. In my opinion, this is the best written antagonist i have ever seen, games and movies combined. In the first war chapter, i was actually really scared of him, in the second, i wanted to know more about him. And in the third? I actually felt sorry for him. Especially when it is revealed, that the BB he was looking for has been Sam all the time and not Lou.
And then there is that heartbreaking last delivery you have to do. No mules, no BTs, no timefall. And still it was the hardest mission of the entire game. It just might be my favourite mission in all of gaming.
This game might not be my favourite game of all time (this title goes to God of War 2018), but no other game managed to make me cry like this one did, even more than Valiant Hearts: The Great War, which i didn't think could be topped at being emotionally destroying.
Thank you Kojima!
The Lion King (2019)
The remake we deserved, but not the one we needed
When i went into this movie i had hopes that it would be as good as the original cartoon from 1994 was. But my hopes were shattered, after the first few minutes. This movie is nearly a shot-for-shot-remake of the original. It does almost nothing new and the things it does (1 new dull song and 1 changed scene) were way better in 1994.
The only good things this movie does, are the visuals, which look beatiful and photorealistic (except for the characters), and it's soundtrack.
Do we really need these sort of remakes, where they change nothing over it's original source? It's our fault these kind of stupid movies exist. We vote what we want to see. Not on paper, but with our wallets!
If you are about to decide wether you should watch it: don't do it! Watch the original instead, you will have way more fun.
Dark: Enden und Anfänge (2019)
I want season 3! And i want it now!!!
After the end credits rolled, i was speechless. I expected the second season to be good, but what we got is way above my expectations! Season 3 can not come soon enough! It poses more questions than it answers and got rid of all my criticism of the first season (sloppy dialogue, mediocre acting).
This is by far the best german TV-show this century has seen and it is on one level with "Das Boot", which was my favourite german TV-show until now!
Dark: Dunkle Materie (2019)
Could also be called "Destiny"
This episode shows the destiny of a lot of characters, who we knew (and loved) and shatters our hopes for them to have a happy end.
Dark: Anfänge und Enden (2019)
The perfect way to start a season!
This episode may be the best one the show has had so far. It is thrilling, intense and asks more questions than it answers. So hyped for the second season!
Dark: Alpha und Omega (2017)
German TV as good as it hasn't been before
Well, the title of this review might be a bit exaggerated, but this show is by far the best one Germany has produced this millennium. With an outstanding plot, an outstanding production and good (especially in the later episodes) actors, this episode concludes an awesome season and leaves you with more questions than answers. Now, with S2 only a few weeks away, this is the perfect time for a first or even second/third... watch. You will detect so many details that you haven't seen on your first watch.
June 21st can't come soon enough!
Dark: Alles ist jetzt (2017)
Wow
I did not expect the series to go into even deeper territory than it already has done. But this episode does.
While we see every time period of the cycle, almost every character has to face an existencial question about what their part on the world and within the construct of the mystery is.
Dark: Kreuzwege (2017)
An almost perfect episode
This ep is one of Dark's best. A lot of big questions, while the big riddle is moving forward to get solved.
There are also some existencial questions about time travel.
Dark: Wahrheiten (2017)
Solve one riddle, open up two more
This series keeps getting more and more mysterious. Although they answered one major riddle, they added even more than before. And they have the guts to implement plot points, where almost every other german TV-show would not be brave enough.
This is german television as good as it hasn't been in the last 35 years since Das Boot was released.
Dark: Doppelleben (2017)
Everyone has a secret
While the big mystery seems to stagnate during the first three quarters of the episode, the focus lies on the characters and their desperate attempt to figure out and to live with the things that happen to them. There are some great moments between characters, but here and then the episode falls back into previous habits, like dull dialogue and blatant exposition.
Overall this episode is not as strong as the previous one, but it's better than episode 2.
Dark: Gestern und heute (2017)
The question is not where, the question is when!
A major part of this episode takes place in a year that differs from the one the main storyline is set in. But most of the characters are there, though there are of a different age. The writers did a good job of telling who is who. They used multiple methods to achieve their goal, one of that is a montage where both the older and the younger self of a character is doing mostly the same as the other one, showing both at the same time via picture in picture.
A lot of the flaws of the first two episodes have been reduced, but not completely removed. There is still blatant exposition at some points (because they basically had to introduce every character again), and some flawed dialogue as well.
But in general, this episode is by far the best one yet, coming pretty close to a true masterpiece of german movie and TV-production!
Dark: Lügen (2017)
Worst of the series. And still good
This episode features every negative aspect i criticised about episode one and doubles down on it. As someone who's native language is german, the country where this show has been produced, it is at some occasions pretty hard to watch. Even more of the dialogue feels dull, and there are a few really bad acting performances. But the story itself is continuing to be intense, mystical and awesome, as well as the production value.
Dark: Geheimnisse (2017)
A decent pilot with typical flaws
When Dark was first announced, a lot of people compared the first german Netflix-production to Stranger Things.
But i can tell, it is nothing like that. Dark is grittier, darker (no pun intended) and deeper.
The first episode is one of the weaker ones, together with E2. As a german native speaker, some of the dialogue seems odd, no one would talk like that. The acting is a mixed bag as well, sometimes the performances are pretty strong, sonetimes they are way too dull (if you can call it that way). I guess this is because german film production is way behind, especially if you consider TV-shows. Almost every show here has really bad writing.
On the technical level, there is nothing to complain. The cinematography and the lighting is phenomenal, by far the best i have seen in a german production since 2004's Downfall. The makeup and costume design fullfills it's purpose and the score is setting the perfect mood for the show.
Do yourself a favour and watch it. The first two episodes are a bit hard to watch (especially if you are a native speaker), but with episode 3 or 4, it get's so much better, becoming one of if not the best german TV-show ever.