Ianoys7735 Reviews

Players (2022)

An Excellent Mockumentary

[10/10 · 17 June 2022]

This is made by the creators of the amazingly funny Amercian Vandal. The series is shot in a convincingly realistic documentary style, and follows the journey of a fictional League of Legends E-sports team.

The characters are fleshed out nicely and the acting is surprisingly good. They are not generic "gamer-boy" cutouts and the main characters have their own interesting backstories and motivations.

As a result, different personalities within the team clash and create conflict in a way that feels convincing and effectively drives the story.

Humour-wise, it's not in-your-face funny, but there are quite a few good laughs in there if you're paying attention.

The show doesn't hold your hand but is watchable as a newcomer to the gaming/e-sports scene. However some familiarity with the competitive scene will help you understand some of the more subtle jokes as well as appreciate the many cameos.

I hate that this is getting so many 1-star reviews but I can understand why. It's not a very obvious show but it's absolutely worth watching if you're looking for something that's just unique and different enough to be fresh and enjoyable.

Halo: Reckoning (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

An incredible episode in a series with grand ambitions

[10/10 · 22 April 2022]

I think people sometimes forget how rare it is to get something on the scale of Halo on regular TV. Building such a vast universe takes dedication and investment, but it's not without it's rewards.

And rewarded we are in this episode. The last 15 minutes of episode 5 are some of the most intense moments you'll see on television - putting it up there in the realm of The Expanse and Vikings. Grunts, Jackals, Spartans, and marines all duke it out in a convincingly vicious battle for their lives across a wide-spanning battlefield.

And just when you think the action may be close to an end, we are treated with an unexpected but more than welcome surprise which I won't spoil here. Needless to say, it does it's job of upping the stakes and setting up anticipation for the future.

Scrutinize things too closely and you may be able to glean some slightly janky CGI or filming tricks. But nitpicking such a grand performance on the small screen that you'd never notice on 1st watch does disservice only to yourself. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy Halo realized in live-action in such a glorious way.

I don't expect episode 6 to be as good as 5. But Halo's ambitions are clear and the show has convinced me to enlist for the entire season, eagerly anticipating what it has in store for the season finale.

Immoral Compass (2021)

This show would have single-handedly saved Quibi

[10/10 · 11 November 2021]

Hardest I've laughed in years. Unfiltered and original.

Watching this show is like listening to the most interesting man in the world throwing witty one-liners at you non stop that make you go - "dang, why didn't I come up with that?"