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Reviews
The Last Detective: Dangerous Liaisons (2007)
Sickening
Much, much darker than any of the previous episodes. Disturbing. Unrelenting. Not the same TV show. I
Sickening.
After my first viewing it was nearly 20 years before I watched The Last Detective again.
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters (1999)
Ludicrous
Sure, watch the whole series, because it is pretty good. Throughout the series you will see things that would never have happened in Britain's navy of the period, but most of the technical mistakes are understandable from the standpoints of budget or storytelling. (Example: It is impossible to shoot a musket or pistol of this era with the accuracy shown here.) Another reviewer describes the Pellew/Hornblower relationship portrayed here as Over The Top, and I agree.
But this movie goes so very far from presenting a good Georgian naval officer, let alone CS Forester's Hornblower, that I actively dislike the movie. A good officer would not criticise his commander to his face, especially not in front of witnesses. The Hornblower of the books is always circumspect in the presense of suprior officers.
Serious spoilers follow:
And a good officer would not allow a brief a romantic entanglement to jeopardise a mission in the way shown here. (We can discuss the similar death of a mistress in later years, but she was a combatant, not a damsel in distress.)
An English earl and major fawns over Hornblower despite the junior officer having opportunity at only to demonstrate general competence, and poor horsemanship.
Finally, the climactic scene in which Hornblower's ship appears suddenly in a clear day, and then, from a mile offshore drops cannon fire just over the heads of the shore party, goes beyond my ability to suspend disbelief.
Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989)
At least Dawn Treader is okay
The BBC adaptation of Prince Caspian is a shambles. CS Lewis' brilliant original story is barely intact. The direction is amateurish. The fight and battle scenes are worse than laughable. The special effects are awful - even by the standards of 1989. The animal costumes are ridiculous. Jean Marc Perret, who plays the prince, is particularly bad, and the rest of the acting is poor. The lion Aslan is supposed to be fearsome, but just looks like a big plush toy, and has a voice that would lure you to sleep. If you have not read the book, you will have no idea what happens at the climax of this mess of a movie.
Obviously, Prince Caspian was intended for a young audience, but today's children are too sophisticated for this production. The novel, while a children's story, is quite readable for adults. A decent adaptation would be watchable for adults too.
The DVD release also includes The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is a much better film. (Okay, it's not a film - it was videotaped.) Dawn Treader is about two hours, Prince Caspian is half that.