rotten-potatoes Reviews

Dark Matter (2024– )

Fighting my fanboy tendencies

[6/10 · 23 May 2024]

I have read the book several times. I am at a lost writing this because I do not know how to critic the series. I am totally conflicted.

As a series, it's boring. I am on episode 2 and bored out of my mind. I think the only reason I will persist in watching is based on my appreciation of the intellectual property. However, I love edgerton's conviction that he displays while dealing with this heavy existential crisis. Lastly, as a series and fan of the book, I hate hate hate the back and forth between the two characters!!

As a fan of the book, my critique is not much different. It's slow. What was covered in episode one of the series took what, a chapter or two in the book. However, in the book it was much more touching, and engaging than the first episode. I think this series is a travesty so far. And did I mention that I hate the back and forth between the characters.

Edit: I am finishing up episode 4. Gotten better, veering off the source material quite a bit actually. Still a lame series overall thus far, but if they could do something about the boring aspect, and more about the peril that edgerton is in, that'd help. Oh and why a series? Why not a mini series? To string this story along for multiple seasons is asinine.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Began with a bang, finished with a peep

[5/10 · 16 May 2024]

I was enthralled after the first ten to twenty minutes. However, certain aspects fell flat to me. I never quite felt the adversity at times.

Also, it's almost as if they spent over two hours to deliberately set up a sequel. In the first three movies, they were all great on their own accord. After finishing each of the first three films, I left hoping for a sequel. In "Kingdom", I am expecting a sequel.

Maybe I will enjoy this better in syndication, but while I sit here in the theater with the credits rolling, I feel let down. I am not a fan and wish they could have done better. And to use a young actress was a mistake. She should have had battle scars, not look like a sweaty HS cheerleader.

Argylle (2024)

Movie almost made me hate Dallas

[6/10 · 29 April 2024]

While watching this film, I went from loving it to abhorring it. It started off as "the tourist" and finished more like "Charlie's angels full throttle." Why, like seriously why?

It was a great concept including: 1) Solid action heroes. 2) Some what original spy movie. 3) A beautiful lead actress in Dallas, even with the mom jeans. 4) Hilarious Sam Rockwell with his antics, including his normal dance routines. However, there was a campy undertone the entire movie, so I should not have been surprised by the last act.

The last act was pure nonsense. There had to be several writers, because they went in a totally different direction towards the end of the movie. Everyone loves a beautiful, tough lead heroine. However, the tough female spy the producers delivered in this movie, should be offensive to every audience member. That was terrible.

I am reluctantly giving the movie 6 stars because I legitimately loved the first 80% of the movie.

I wish there was a Snyder cut of this movie.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Future nerds will love it

[7/10 · 24 April 2024]

Let me get this straight, this is a new sci-fi story, with many new characters with compelling stories, and an awesome final fight scene? And people don't like it? That's how you know you can't trust people.

I'm not a follower. Which is ironic because I "follow" reviews to pick a movie. But bare with me. I am not afraid to make my own opinion. If you are like me, and don't need to follow the masses, you will like this movie. Are there boring moments? Could they have stopped with part 1? Are there some lame moments or characters that the movie could have done without? Yes, yes, and yes. But, what else am I going to watch on Netflix? Rewatch ozark? Maybe. But I love sci-fi, especially new sci-fi.

Part 2 was actually better than part 1. I already knew the basis of the film, and knew what to expect. Minus the characters going over there backstory it was pretty cool movie.

Cat Person (I) (2023)

Good but kinda annoying...in a good way

[5/10 · 1 April 2024]

I felt like I was in my twenties again. I could relate so much with this movie. I think that's what I didn't like it, because it felt so real. Dating is or was painful to me, and I think Kristen perfectly displayed how terribly painful all those in a relationship then not in a relationship emotions and rides can be. One great aspect of the movie, it doesn't say who was right and who was wrong. It's as neutral as a film can get, especially one so potentially controversial, which it definitely was not. It's just too real, in a very Hollywood artistic way.

I could see this movie being studied in art class or glee club or something.

Underwater (2020)

Not your parents Alien

[8/10 · 30 March 2024]

The movie went from 0-100 from the beginning. I liked that aspect. And it really never stopped, just a nonstop ride. There was some moments where it slightly slowed down to allow for some character development, and some people think this should have been featured earlier in movie. But meh I liked the pacing just fine. There's literally nothing not to like about the film. If you wanna say the writer heavily borrowed from the Alien franchise, so be it. But why not, it's a fool proof formula.

One extra bonus to the movie is the Lovecraft homage. I've never read his books, but I love a book series inspired by Lovecraft. And this aspect of the film is great and for me and really sets it apart from other monster horror movies.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Boys in the hood: hollow earth edition

[5/10 · 30 March 2024]

The whole hollow earth thing is lame. I can't stand the plot line. I guess everyone else likes it, but it's so unnecessary and wait for it...corny. Isn't the appeal and attraction of 300 foot titans fighting awesome enough? Do we need a plot device to unnecessarily explain more monsters? I don't. The radiation is enough of a background story for me.

I liked it, loved the action, the vfx, and well..the monsters. But everything else about this I hated. Which is strange, because the plot and storyline for skull island, first Godzilla, and Godzilla king of the monsters was pretty awesome. The mystery, suspense, conspiracy theory, and downright epicness of those films were phenomenal. But Kong new empire, they dropped the ball. Next movie should be set in space at this point.

The Boogeyman (I) (2023)

What in the teenage angst

[5/10 · 27 March 2024]

Babakook, don't be afraid of the dark, before I wake, come play etc. They all did it much better, not masterpieces obviously. But what all of those movies did, however, was avoid teenagers at the least. They weren't great movies by any stretch of the imagination.

I want to say something good about the movie, but there is nothing good about it. The only redeeming quality was the young actress, definitely not the teen one. I guess this movie was a metaphor for something, not sure, it sucked was all.

It was one part that involved a tv which had me laughing hysterically, that was that was the best part. The ending got a tad better, but I definitely won't watch this again. And I recommend everyone avoid this movie like...the boogeyman.

Into the Dark: Down (2019) Season 1, Episode 5

Nice guys finish last

[6/10 · 24 March 2024]

Some of the reviewers say they've seen movies like this before, but I haven't. Unless they mean B movies. I enjoyed this film, it was slightly original, it was not all dialogue, and had some nice suspense elements.

The dialogue and chemistry between the two actors was pretty good, and there was enough turns that made for some great thrills.

Only reason I will not score this higher is for the budget and B film status. That is no diss, but I cannot ignore its flaws.

I would rewatch this movie. I'd tell a friend about this movie. But if someone is only the casual observer and prefers budget and star actors in their movies, they should probably pass.

Madame Web (2024)

Charlie's web Angels

[4/10 · 17 March 2024]

When the young women left the forest and some pop song came on, I almost lost it. I am so jealous of the person who was allowed to write/direct this film. He or she has to be a tad under qualified.

The movie started off lame, like "Congo" lame. Got a tad better when Dakota was first introduced. Got lame again when the bad dude/spider guy was introduced. Got little better when the Charlie's web angels were introduced. Got real lame when the Charlie web angels were dancing to Brittany spears, which was by far the worst scene in the movie.

I loved madame webs abilities. That part of the movie was probably better than "next" with Cage. But unfortunately the movie had to fill in the other hour plus of content, and that's where it fails. So only madames abilities and Dakota Johnson acting were the only redeeming aspects of the film.

That AED scene, better yet any reference to EMS in the movie was LAME. But most people wouldn't notice that so movie gets pass.

Overall I enjoyed it. Probably wouldn't watch again. But it's worth a watch. And thank god ppl hate it because I would have definitely tortured myself to the sequel Charlie web angels deux.

Ozark (2017–2022)

Where has this show been all my life

[10/10 · 17 March 2024]

Wife and binge watched 4 seasons in about 4 weeks. Thank goodness we watched it together because otherwise I woulda knocked it out in a week on my own.

The show got me hooked about 10-15 minutes in. And that element that hooked me in that first episode, continued for 4 seasons. Episode after episode of this intense drama and suspense. And it should be technically a dark comedy, but it's so much tension and suspense that the dry comedy just went over heads.

My only criticism would be the first season, which is odd because it was so awesome. But all the irrelevant romantic scenes and stripclub scenes that added literally nothing to the series, I could have did without. But I'm nitpicking because the show was awesome.

I was gonna rate this 8 in an attempt to sound objective but then I thought, what would Wendy do?

Dune: Part Two (2024)

More subtitles than Godzilla minus one

[6/10 · 6 March 2024]

The subtitles killed the movie for me. The romance was a buzzkill for me too. It's long and 3 out of the 4 of us fell asleep. The music was loud too, guess I'm too old.

And all of that contradicts the action in the film, because boy was there a lot. It was a substantial amount of explosions, fights, battles etc throughout the film.

The movie was more dancing with wolves and less Star Wars to me. I loved the first movie. Watched the original 1980s version the first chance I had after completing the 2020 film. But this latest film was ok. Im not a fan of the book so I guess I am biased.

I will watch this again on streaming, and I am sure I will enjoy it more via that platform.

Code 8: Part II (2024)

They get a meh for effort

[5/10 · 4 March 2024]

First movie was ok. The second movie is ok. By no means are these the worst Netflix movies I have watched. I would even suggest someone check it out on their own. However, it could have been much better.

On one hand I get why the movies are so lame. Having strong characters who are over powered can get out of hand quickly, story wise and budget wise. Then there is the humanity aspect. This movie series plays off the everyday human who struggles not only with powers and prejudices, but also just living in general.

But on the other hand, having a weak lame main character is well, lame. And I know they set this up for a third film.

This second film was better than the first in my opinion. But to a certain degree that's not saying much.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024– )

That was literally fire

[10/10 · 29 February 2024]

Who in the world is criticizing this show. I wanna know. This was like watching the series for the first time all over. It had better cgi than most blockbuster movies, let alone series cough smallville (I'm old).

Initially, I thought the actors were a little stiff trying to emulate their cartoon counterparts. However, a few episodes in and I was totally into it. Like totally. I was gonna name the actors who did the best, but I stopped. Not because I couldn't identify any actors I liked but I stopped because I found myself listing almost every actor/character.

My only criticism is the humor. Humor literally made the original. The original had a perfect balance between action, humor, and comedy. Amazing from a show primarily for tweeners on nickoldeon.

I wish I could bend some intelligence into the people who are giving this awesome series a bad score.

Mayor of Kingstown (2021– )

I think I downloaded the wrong Hawkeye

[7/10 · 11 February 2024]

This is a great show. I heard "this is gonna mean war" one too many times. But that's the life of a tv series, gotta string us along I guess.

But I love the intricate plot lines at times, they will spend a couple episodes setting up a specific encounter. The drama is great. The suspense is great. It's so good that my wife has temporarily postponed her binge watching "love on the spectrum" and other cringe worthy shows to watch this gem. I struggle to find series that we both can enjoy, and boy did we find a great one here.

My only criticism is as I said before, the show is repetitive at times, but asides from that this is a series full of suspense and drama that will keep you entertained.

I.S.S. (2023)

The trailer was the movie

[6/10 · 27 January 2024]

I don't mean that as a diss, but the excitement and anticipation developed in the trailer was not followed through on the film. I don't know who to criticize in this situation, the producer or director.

For instance, the trailer showed someone space walking free falling. Now as I'm watching this slow burn movie I'm literally waiting to see the scene play out from the trailer, and easily could determine which member of the cast it will be. That is the sort of thing this movie suffers from.

I think technically the scenario this film presents to its audience is one of the most frightening events ever. A nuclear holocaust! As a tiny child living through the final days of the Cold War, this is theoretically a possibility. So that setting alone merits a watch of ISS to me.

I think every actor was quality. I was invested with the actors, I cared if they were hurt. In the end it's a decent slow burn suspense movie with no action that the screenwriter or director could have done better.

Cell (I) (2016)

I love the concept

[8/10 · 21 January 2024]

Guess I'm in the minority. I love this concept, it's not a poorly executed movie in my opinion. Some of the effects was lame. But for a zombie-like film, I was satisfied. I've watched this numerous times. I think the reason I like the film is because it has a weird edge that is not seen in most horror films.

It was definitely a low budget film but the quality wasn't horrible. The scale to which this movie demanded to truly represent what the entire world would look like in a similar event as displayed in Cell would be astronomical. I think the director did what he could and I enjoy revisiting this film every so often.

I'm a sucker for this type of horror movies and it passes my test.

The Marvels (2023)

Jump off or on the handwagon

[5/10 · 19 January 2024]

Whoa where do I start the one scene where bilingual came up was pretty interesting. Who green lighted this? Dorothy dandrige? It's cool how they tried to use the kree culture and created a very visually engaged experience.

The bad is I am not at liberty to say. There really is no reason either because at some point the criticism is not subjective but objective. At least men are not vilified throughout so that's a plus.

I am very upset that I was not able to see this in the theaters, even after purchasing it at home I am still upset about that. I one will change my mind that this was meant to see in the big screen. Oddly enough my wife walked out, and which I thought was ironic.

Another con is the special effects, they were kind of lame at some points.

In the end, the film was a fun ride. Better than blue Beatle. But as far as marvel comic films go, was pretty lame. Not sure who put this together but you about to lose yo job.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Everybody's a critic

[8/10 · 29 December 2023]

Black manta, not crazy about this iteration. But aquaman 1 and 2, that's my biggest critique.

Call me easy to please or a big sci-fi/comic fan, but I really really like this film. The first act I wanted to pull my ears and eyes out with all the black manta, and the story recap, but right around the time Orm came on scene, it rocked. The whole Atlantic City world is awesome. I'm gonna sound really crazy, but after the second aquaman the world they created is equal to avatar. I said it, sacrilege im sure but I says what I means.

I wish black manta had a better motive, but the arc they give him is laughable. There's even one scene where he says "thank god for global warming." Sorry but that's a corny lame line, and case in point why I hate his character.

I even found myself cheering for Brittany heard. I know I sound biased, but I loved it so there.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Everybody's a critic

[10/10 · 23 December 2023]

Action, sci-fi, some moving moments, good villain, a story that has a hero with a legitimate reason to fight.

If you like any or all of those attributes in your movie, then you won't be disappointed. I guess Snyder should be flattered with all the hate, it shows people are watching it.

I remember when the 1989 Batman came out, it had a lot of criticism. Read siskel and eiberts review. Point is popular opinion is at times not an accurate measure for grading a movie.

As far as copying or inspiration? Most sources borrow there inspiration from something. Case in point John Carter of mars novel is heavily borrowed from, and Time Machine by HG Wells. They are heavily borrowed from since their creation.

Bottom line, adventure movies set in space are a cash cow, and I'm here for it.

City of Ghosts (2002)

I was scurred

[7/10 · 21 December 2023]

I liked it. Not too bad.

It's kinda hard to critique the movie without giving too much away. But nice quality movie. My favorite scene has to be the karaoke. Not sure if he was pronouncing the words of the song correctly, but that was a nice scene.

The pacing is nice. The movie keeps you guessing a lot. Not sure what path the movie is taking until the last 10 minutes.

I've seen movies with a similar back drop, but this is pretty original movie. At least I have yet to see any movies similar. There is one movie with Sean penn and Robert Denero that "city of ghosts" reminds me of, but it's a reach to compare them.

The only negative I can think of in relation to this movie is its "weirdness". It's really out there at times. I guess they do that for ppl who have not traveled abroad yet. There's this uneasiness that is always present when visiting another country. At least that's my two cents. But this movie had an odd vibe at certain moments.

Definitely worth a watch though.

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Bootleg undercover brother

[3/10 · 25 November 2023]

Straight drivel. Total nonsense. Initially Jamie foxx's antics held my attention. I felt like I was watching the old Jamie. There was so many puns that I found myself laughing a lot. Even teyonhah Paris was quite funny, feeding off Jamie.

Boyega plays a horrible thug. In the movie he literally pimp walks from Jamie's front door to a closet. Like 5 feet pimp walked!! Who does that? But it wasn't a big deal because the humor and sci-fi potential held my attention.

But then the subliminal messages. I love to see ethnic actors in a movie but when it becomes the focal part of the movie, the experience suffers imo. Rather than watching a movie it felt like I was watching cnn. "Undercover brother" did it way better. In "undercover brother" the fried chicken scene to conspiracy brother was much better. Everything in "undercover brother" movie was done with comedic timing and not coming off as political, even though it technically might have been.

To be fare I did not finish "they cloned Tyrone". I turned it off after the second time they made it into the compound. But then again is that my fault or whoever made this imitation.

Invincible (2021– )

I'm glad it's not vhs

[6/10 · 17 November 2023]

I literally fast forward thru all the dialogue. Am I like this every series? No. Am I this way for a cartoon series that takes itself waaaay to serious? Yes. Between all the interconnecting relationships that I do not care anything about, to the emotional feelings of the hero, I cannot listen to all that every week. If the episodes were a little shorter and the drama was a little shorter, it would be more palatable.

The action is good though. I do not know why invincible has to get beat to a pulp every episode, but meh. I fast forward to the good parts and watch the fight scenes. I am a grown 40 year old man by the way, and have no problem with dialogue and plot. But I like my cartoon entertainment a little less mature.

Copshop (2021)

Coulda been a 10

[8/10 · 29 October 2023]

I thought I was watching shaft at times. I coulda did with all that, I just wanna see some action and strong punch lines. It was a little too exploitation.

But great plot. The second or third act, it got pretty good.

Reminds me a lot of taking Pelham 123, it's actually better in a lot of ways. But the acting and outrageous aspects hurt "taking." While in "copshop" they over did the "I'm a bad cop and super smart" aspect. That whole vibe continued all the way to end.

However, the movie had strong supporting actors. Double cross vibe was in full effect. And as a word of advice, Gerald butler takes a serious backseat fyi.

Fair Play (2023)

Free Luke

[7/10 · 9 October 2023]

That was an intense film. It made for an lively discussion with my wife.

It's a very interesting drama between a couple. It dives into some deep dynamics involving relationships and the workplace.

The couple try's to deal with some critical challenges while trying to function as a traditional couple. Commuting to work even presented a problem for the couple.

In short I found the film great. It was downright scary to me at times because I did not know what would happen next. The tension in the final 40 minutes was beyond palpable.

I think stock market films are always so tense. It was a great backdrop for a drama dealing with relationships.