AlbJohFan Reviews

The Boys (2019– )

Edgy trash TV

[1/10 · 8 August 2019]

This Garth Ennis comic adaptation show is bad; not "badass" bad, not "so bad it's good" bad, "terrible" bad. It opens with a revenge story cliche; the love interest of our protagonist (Hughie) gets killed so Hughie seeks to take down her killer (the not-Flash superhero A-Train). On the way, Hughie teams up with a bunch of people to help him get revenge, including Garth Ennis' self-insert and Punisher-knockoff, The Butcher. The supers take exception, carnage ensues. The costumes are hit and miss (Starlight's and A-Train's outfits look good, but Homelander's is really tacky and The Deep's is bland), the soundtrack is alright and the special effects are so-so. But the characterization is spotty, and the story is bad

The idea of super powered people having huge egos and abusing their powers/doing bad things has been around since Greek mythology and the beginning of comics; that's what the entire concept of SUPERVILLAINS is about. Even then, we've had superheroes turn bad in works predating this one; DC Comics "Injustice" and "Kingdom Come" series come to mind (the latter even predates The Boys comics). The only positive in the story is that it shows big corporations cashing in on superheroes; the problem is corporations helping superheroes has also being done, with Bruce Wayne signing the Justice League's checks and equipping them using WayneCorp. Watchmen also did it before The Boys but with the government instead. It's grating how this iconoclastic drivel is treated as cool and realistic.

Speaking of iconoclasty, they really have the knives out for Christianity in the show. Not surprising, given that it's based on a comic written by anti-Christian atheist Garth Ennis and directed by anti-Christian atheist Seth Rogan (who previously worked with Ennis on the adaption of his Preacher comics - pretty much the "Strawman God and Christianity" comic series). There was no balance to their attacks and they didn't go after anyone else like Muslims (despite a character being traumatized by 9/11) or Hindus. They didn't portray any Christians in a positive light - especially having villainous not-Superman/not-Captain-America Homelander be a Christian clergyman - except Starlight, and the show implies she gives up her faith. It's so grating, even if you're not Christian or religious it'll get on your nerves. As a Christian myself, I wholeheartedly condemn this and would do so if another religion was getting this treatment; not that they'll do that, since Christianity is a soft target and if Christians were as bad as they say we are, people like Ennis and Rogen would be walking on eggshells around Christianity like the media does with Islam.

The plot is very predictable,especially if you know what an edgelord Garth Ennis is; Superheroes, they dangerous jerks! Main character loses his girlfriend due to another person's actions? Cue the revenge plot! Who helps the protagonist get revenge? A group of shady individuals who the protagonist will eventually fight and they become new villains! Christian characters; they're all negatives stereotypes or give up their faith! The one non-evil super is an attractive girl and meets the protagonist to help him? It's so obvious what's going to happen between these two characters the only question was when things would go all the way (I called it as soon as I saw the ad for the first time and I haven't read all the comics; Season 1 proved me right).

On top of this, the show watches like leftist propaganda with all it's "Hurrrrr Durrrr, corporations bad! Grrrrr, Christianity bad!" elements. I'm not sure this was the idea, but all it's missing is an anti-Trump joke. In conclusion, don't watch this series; watch Watchmen four times in a row (or read the Watchmen graphic novel), read DC's Kingdom Come or Injustice. Even check out the Arrowverse, you'll get much more from that. Watching this show is a waste of time even if you dislike superheroes, big corporations and/or Christianity.

Captain Marvel (2019)

This film is bad; SJW censorship and Brie Larson's bigotry just final nails in the coffin

[3/10 · 7 March 2019]

It's sad what Marvel has sunk to here. This movie is like a bowl of old lollies that have gone stale and fused together in the bowl; a foul-tasting garish mess - this movie in a nutshell. The plot is cookie cutter; hero with strange powers crashes to Earth, dons costume, defeats bad guy, showcases abilities before credits role, rinse and repeat. One of only two interesting bits was the interdimensional alien monster disguised as a cat, but that doesn't have much bearing on Captain Marvel's story (the only other part I liked was Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury). Bringing in characters from past films like Ronan didn't help Marvel's story and was only an attempt to cash in on other movies fanbases (especially since MCU Ronan lacks much of what made people like comics Ronan).

The biggest problem with the film is Captain Marvel herself; she undergoes no character development and when the credits roll the only change in her is that she has more superpowers. Even then, when it comes time for Captain Marvel to show what she's made of and defeat the final villain Yonn-Rogg, she does decimate his army but the stakes weren't as high as some other Marvel films (and even when they were, the first Guardians of the Galaxy film did that better) and the painfully obvious sequel hook is grating. On a side note, making the villain someone "conservative" and "almost devout" (according to the actor who played him) is just a smug attempt to push even more politics into this movie and it fails to make its message appealing or discredit its targets; what next, will Marvel be having Thanos wear a MAGA hat in "Infinity War"? After the credits, retconning that the idea for the name "The Avengers" came from Captain Marvel's uniform - rather than the damaged logo on Stark Tower as it was in Joss Whedon's first Avengers film - was the cherry on this rotten sundae.

Regarding the politics, there should never have been ad hominem attacks on the films critics, Brie Larson should've rethought her views rather than make bigoted speeches (speeches that never would've been tolerated if the genders were swapped or if it was directed against people of color), and the leftist/SJW Thought Police shouldn't have tried to censor anyone who had an issue with the above.

On top of all this, the pushing of a female superhero for the feminist narrative is outdated. Aside from the fact that female superheroes and strong female characters are welcome when written well, they're not new despite what the filmmakers claimed and have been around for decades; Supergirl and Wonder Woman were kicking a%% and taking names in comics before Captain Marvel was even an idea, heroes like Ripley were blasting bad guys on the big screen over 30 years before this movie came out and others like Samus Aran, Jill Valentine and Lara Croft were wowing gamers for over 20 years. And all of them did a far better job than this movie.

You'd be better off taking the money you would've spent on this movie and donating it to The Breast Cancer Foundation or buying a good movie like the 2017 Wonder Woman movie.

The Orville: All the World Is Birthday Cake (2019) Season 2, Episode 5

Now they're making fun of people who believe in astrology

[1/10 · 26 February 2019]

So the crew encounter race of aliens whose society is governed by a belief in astrology (while also flagrantly ignoring first contact safety protocols, but that's not the focus of the episode). These aliens plan to execute Kelly and Bortus because their birthdays are soon and these aliens believe anyone born under this star sign is a criminal. The solution, put a solar sail in space so the reflection will trick them into thinking that the star is back so the star sign is no longer a bad omen - it's the opposite solution to season 1's episode "If Stars Should Appear."

This episode insults the intelligence of the aliens they encounter and that of people who believe in astrology. While I don't believe in astrology myself, I find this demeaning. If you're going to discuss it don't do so in such a one-sided condescending way (but given the show's one-sided mean-spirited treatment of theism and religion I'm not surprised - I wonder who the writers next targets are going to be...). While they trick them with a fake star, what happens if the aliens develop space travel and discover that the "star" is a fake? The idea also lacks an understand of astrology itself given that a different star system has a similar method to earth.

So far the second season is slightly better than the first season (except for the departure of Alara). To describe my current view of the show I'll borrow a quote from Major Payne: "You're still a s##t sandwich. You're just not a soggy one. " Overall, to me The Orville is a s##t sandwich and the two pieces of bread are nostalgia appeal and good special effects.

The Orville: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes (2019) Season 2, Episode 4

Mercer is nicer than MacFarlane

[3/10 · 26 February 2019]

The episode proved less bad than I feared... in the same way cholera isn't as bad as dysentery. After some interaction between the crew and Alara - the most likable character in my opinion - leaving the ship, they encounter the Krill. There's a reunion with an unexpected character with no explanation as to how they escaped the situation they were in when last we saw them. Then Seth... I mean Mercer, and a Krill are stranded on a planet together and trying to survive. Back on the ship there's a romance subplot, but it feels tacked on.

The main focus of the episode is the point where, Seth... I mean Mercer, is stuck in a cave with the Krill and engages them in a debate between naturalism and mysticism/atheism and theistic religion. The chance for meaningful discussion is wasted just so Seth can argue with a strawman and pretend he's right and clever. He uses immature arguments promoting atheism, including the appeal to authority fallacy - essentially "advanced species aren't religious, so why are you?" - and also employs an appeal to emotion calling not believing in atheism childish and primitive. The other half of the strawman fallacy comes in because our Krill isn't given any good responses such as the existence of self-awareness, the fact that atrocities the religious are criticized for are also found at least equally among the non-religious, that the Krill themselves - evil aside - are still an advanced civilization (having interstellar travel, touch screens, laser guns and even a form of transhumanism - interspecies skin grafts so UV radiation doesn't kill them, explaining why our Krill is surviving the sunlight on this planet) or the fact that debunking one religion doesn't debunk all other religions because each is different.

Mercer does something for our Krill at the end, but it doesn't seem like it will work visa-a-vi Seth still seems to want to keep attacking strawmen. I will give credit that there was a debate and that Mercer tried to make peace, which is more than Seth is trying to do at the meta level - if anything he's fanning the flames of hatred (unintentionally or intentionally). At least the frequency of these author tracts is being toned down this season. Still, don't bother

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Nice to see the media and websites aren't censoring reviews of this like they are with Captain Marvel (2019); this one deserves praise.

[8/10 · 26 February 2019]

This is a movie greater than the sum of its parts - and they are good parts. The special effects are marvelous, and lend themselves well to the style of the manga this was adapted from. It's a blend of photo-realistic and stylized that catches the eye while making the characters and things in this world seem more than computer code or props. While the story isn't ground-breaking, but it's decent, exciting and a breath of fresh air.

Alita herself is a well-rounded and endearing protagonist and a badass cyborg. The twist about how to get to the elitist city of Zalem is horrifying but that makes the triumph of the heroes even sweeter. I highly recommend this film and hope it gets a sequel.

The Orville: Mad Idolatry (2017) Season 1, Episode 12

Who Watches the Watchers 2: Electric Bogaloo

[1/10 · 9 December 2018]

The worst episode of the series, in my opinion. It's a copy-paste of the Star Trek episode "Who Watches the Watchers", but accomplishes even less. The crew go to a planet that phases between dimensions and every time it's in the other dimension 500 years passes. Kelly uses advanced medical tech to heal someone's injury, then next time the planet appears there's a religion worshiping Kelly because witnesses misunderstood that act as a miracle; one miracle and she's got a religion that's lasted at least 500 years. Whatever you believe, real-life religions don't work that way and require more sustaining them than one act (Jesus is most well-known for one act, but Scriptures talk about many others Jesus also did). The episode only exists to say religion is bad, but doesn't even do so in an interesting or thought out way. Seth's avowed intention to portray that religion can be negative at times falls flat since this has been done so many times in sci-fi, religion can be a POSITIVE influence, attempting to religion has always yielded bad results in real-life (Soviet Russia and North Korea for two examples), and the behaviors people like Seth despise in religious people are also found among non-religious people.

The title of this episode also falls flat, because in the Abrahamic faiths, idolatry is a bad thing full stop so Mad Idolatry is a redundant title (like "a reddish scarlet color"). Mercer and the crew don't accomplish anything regarding the religion that sprung up around Kelly and all but one of them just abandon the planet when things go bad. (also villains based on the demonized version of the Spanish Inquisition popular in fictional media, never seen that before!). There's also the ending with its puerile, unexplained "societies outgrow religion" nonsense. This episode is the worst of the worst - the weakest episode of the series. Considering how bad this show is (I watched to give it the benefit of the doubt. When I first heard about The Orville, I thought "Seth MacFarlane doing a Star Trek homage? it's going to full of him ramming his views down people's throats I fear."), that's a hell of a thing.

The Orville: Krill (2017) Season 1, Episode 6

The Wrath of Strawmen

[1/10 · 9 December 2018]

I get the impression that the only religious characters in this show are going to be villains - even Star Trek was fairer and discussed both sides more than that (just look at the Bajoran Republic). Religiously motivated villains in sci-fi is a cliche and often a strawman, and this is a prime example. They're even reptilian aliens, another sci-fi cliche but a forgivable one that can be made to work. Religious people, like non-religious people, can misbehave or screw up that's true, and there can also be religions with bad teachings. Yet these one sided arguments the show's making aren't the way to go. Here Seth is just fanning the flames of hate.

The Krill place of worship looks like a chapel and Mercer mentions the Bible at one point - Seth was always prejudiced against Christianity in his works, and the Krill religious phrase "Temeen Everdeen" sounds pretty reminiscent of the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar". The scene with the chant and the severed head calls to mind the beheadings in Islamic terrorist attacks and videos. The whole "hating people because they don't think non-Krill have souls" doesn't make sense as an allusion; most real religions espouse at least some attempt at peace with non-believers. Especially Christianity, apparently Seth's favorite target for ridicule, has the teaching "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

The moral message of the episode falls flat for three reasons. One, the part that's a strawman argument against religion and veiled attacks on real religions which are nicer than what the showrunners seem to want people to think (way to fan those flames of hate). Two, the bit where they encounter and spare the Krill children seems tacked on - the focus of the episode (agendas aside) was learning about the Krill. Three, the idea that the audience is supposed to care about the fate of the Krill children falls flat for some after the main characters glibly killed the adults and the fact that the Krill seem to be set up as show's go-to bad guys. I recommend Star Trek: Discovery or the Expanse, they're much better.