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Reviews
Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard (2009)
Not Bad, But it's Really Just Exposition for the Third Movie
I loved the first two books in Luc Besson's 'Arthur and the Minimoys' series, and I felt the American version of the movie was fine, if lacking in some crucial scenes. Sadly, the last two books in the series have never been released in the U.S., so I never actually got to find out what happened in them. However, I bought the DVD just to see if they were any good in film form. Sadly, the second film does not hold up. While the first film was far from flawless, it did feel like a self-contained story. Here, however, you can tell that events have just been strung along with little consequence just to fill time and make room for the third movie. For example, it's established that after Maltazard fled at the end of the first movie, someone else took his thrown, isolated his kingdom, and sent their own soldiers out to get in Arthur's way. Who is this person? What are his goals? I have no idea. We never find out in either of the sequels. The only reason this is brought up is so that random henchmen can chase Arthur for a little while. Not to mention that Arthur's search for Selenia and the bearer of the message gets tiresome quickly. It's all basically filler until the end when Maltazard FINALLY shows up (with a completely new voice who sounds nothing like David Bowie, I might add), to reveal that he plans to trap Arthur in the Minimoy world while he becomes human size. One thing I can't help but find ridiculous is the fact that while the shrinking/growing process on human characters changes them back and forth between Minimoy and human, if it's a Minimoy character, they still look the same when they get bigger. So really, all they did was take the threat from the first movie, and apply it to the regular world. It still doesn't change very much. This movie just felt unnecessary, and if you skip to the third, you won't miss much.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)
The Dumbest Spider-Man Cartoon Ever
And with 40 years of 'em, that says something. This show is the most stupid, horrendous, and nonsensical take on the character I've ever seen. But, let's start with the good. The animation is decent, and has an interestingly muted, dark look. However, this is where we translate into the bad. While it looks nice, it completely clashes with the tone of the show. It's a light-hearted camp-fest, but you couldn't tell from the animation. Then there's the humor. It's not funny. At all. I only laughed once during the first two episodes, and that was when Flash was convinced to shove himself in a locker. The rest was either groan- inducing or wall-banging. And when it tries to be dramatic? What a surprise, that fails too. In the second episode Peter is conflicted about letting the other heroes join him because if they die, they'll somehow be the next Uncle Ben. The problem is, they've repeatedly been shown to be MORE capable than he is! He doesn't need to worry, they're better than him! This is just dumb writing, and it never seems to stop. But supposing even with all these flaws, you still think it's good. Then read what my biggest problem with the show is: Spider-Man is no longer the character he was intended to be. Spider-Man is SUPPOSED to be the hero who we can see ourselves as. He has to figure things out on his own, without help from others. He's forced to fight alone, and grow as an individual. That's completely abandoned here. This Spider-Man is given everything he needs from S.H.E.I.L.D., whether it's training, Intel, or tech. He hardly has to do anything for himself. He gets free reign to be irresponsible, because he always has S.H.E.I.L.D. to cover for him. That's not the Spider-Man we know and love. That's a cheap imitation, and it deserves to be canceled.
Sherlock (2010)
The Greatest Crime Drama Ever Made
Does anything more than that need to be said? Sherlock is an absolutely brilliant show. Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely stunning, abhoring us with his lack of care of others, while intriguing and appealing to us when he shows his vulnerable side. Martin Freeman is the perfect everyman who's found himself enjoying being caught up in these strange events. The chemistry between these two (not necessarily romantic, but it's possible) is amazing, and you can tell the actors are giving it their all. And the writing is the best writing ever conceived for a crime drama. While most tend to be formulaic and rely on gimmicks, Sherlock eschews all of that in favor of using the mysteries as a means of studying the characters, and the people behind these crimes. And while it may take place in the present day, it's clear that Doyle's original works have never been forgotten in the translation, something Elementary hasn't quite figured out. Whether its a direct influence on the plot, or just a simple mythology gag, Doyle's presence is always easy to feel. While it does have a few slip-ups here and there, it's just so good the rest of the time, you really can't tell. Or at least, you're not dwelling on it. This is an absolutely fantastic show, and I encourage anyone who likes anything to do with detective stories to give this a try.
Elementary (2012)
Yet Another Crime Drama
In an era where crime dramas are everywhere, Elementary is nothing special. It's not a new concept to put Sherlock Holmes in the modern day. It's been done many times before, and even now, BBC has a show called Sherlock that's still running. Interestingly enough, CBS reportedly tried to get the rights to air it before they announced Elementary. I don't know if that's true or not, but it makes sense. The biggest problem with this show is obvious right from the start: it's just another detective show. The characters have all been seen before, the plots doubly so, and most of the actors seem unsure of their roles or just simply wooden. It's not without merit, however. The camera-work, sets, and costumes all look very good, and it's clear that a lot of effort was placed into the production values. The actor who plays Gregson is the best actor on the show, and it's clear he's giving his best. And Johnny Lee Miller is also trying his best too. But that's where the problems start. It's clear that the writers have no idea who Holmes is supposed to be. Is he supposed to be like the character in the books? The slightly-altered character in Sherlock? A completely different person who's just trying to help? No one's really sure, and it doesn't help. Lucy Liu is wooden and lifeless as Watson, and hardly ever changes expressions. And finally, the biggest problem is this: with the advances in technology and police training, Holmes deductions aren't needed to solve standard crime-drama material. Even if crime dramas exaggerate, Holmes brings nothing new. And the only way to solve for this is to make the police incompetent. Many things that Sherlock notices should be easily detected by them, but aren't. It just leaves a sour taste and reminds one that this is not the Sherlock Holmes we remember and enjoy, but a cash-in that only serves to make a quick buck. If you want to see a really good adaptation of Holmes, watch Jeremy Brett's work or watch BBC's Sherlock. But if you like the standard by-the-numbers crime drama, then yeah, this is for you.