manfred_wichmann Reviews

Black Lightning (2018–2021)

Forget the haters - enjoy the show

[10/10 · 16 February 2018]

The show has a lot of potential and is very entertaining. Of course there are some flaws here and there, that's the same with Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash and (very much so with) Legends of Tomorrow.

Of course there are also the haters (who also hate Black Panther) who don't want a black superhero. Yes, there are cliches here and there but that doesn't make it less entertaining.

Some people say the characters are not likable - watch the show and see how they develop.

Enjoy the show!

Black Panther (2018)

Awesome movie - go and see it!

[10/10 · 16 February 2018]

Don't believe the negative reviews, the movie is awesome!

Does it have a good amount of action? YES Is the movie too long or slow? NO Are the characters awesome? YES (though a little generic) Is the cinematography great? YES Is the set design terrific? YES Does it have a good story? IT DEPENDS

The story is probably the weakest aspect because it's not really new (but let's be honest, new stories are rare, everything is somehow a variation of something). Many things are predictable (like in other Marvel movies) but that doesn't spoil the fun. The mixture of traditional African influences with modern technology is awesome though. Some ignorant person called Africa a "sh*thole", this movie is a prophetic re-imagining of Africa.

I wish some characters would have had more screen time but you can't have it all.

Now go and see the movie!

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)

Terrible, terrible, terrible... so disappointed.

[2/10 · 9 February 2018]

So this is a movie about the 15:17 to Paris?! Well, a few minutes of the movie are actually spent in the train but the rest is a bunch of scenes patched together that it makes me wonder that the movie has been approved by a studio.

We see the 3 main characters childhood and honestly I didn't care about it at all. Some typical bullying in school, everything was pretty pointless in terms of characterization.

Then the glorious "join the military" phase and some scenes at the military, nothing new, more pointless scenes, I couldn't have cared less.

Later then the trip to Europe - as somebody who grew up in Europe and traveled to all of those locations I have to say the shots in Europe were poorly made. I don't know if that's Mr. Eastwoods fault or who was responsible - for somebody who has never been in Europe you get the wrong ideas - everywhere.

Funny as always - people who are supposed to be Germans speaking with a nice American accent - but that's in almost all American movies.

Finally a few scenes on the train, the terrorist gets disarmed in like 2 minutes, some drama then about a guy who got shot and then we have some kind of emotional moment when actual footage of French President François Hollande presenting the three men with the Légion d'honneur was used.

I found this movie was a waste of my time, Mr. Eastwood was more entertaining when talking to an empty chair, the three real life actors are no actors (which is not their fault) and of course what they did in real life is admirable.

The movie is not.