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richard-whitehead73
Reviews
Predestination (2014)
Like with Donnie Darko, don't listen to the user reviews
Not sure why so many people are giving this a 9 or 10 and claiming it to be one of the best sci-fi movies ever.
Maybe part of it is that I just don't rate Ethan Hawke highly. I have read a bit of classic science fiction writing but had not come across the short story this was based on, however it was fairly obvious what was going to happen from early on in the movie and what the eventual plot twists were going to be.
My wife is of the opinion that the end goal wasn't the point but the journey, however even watching the movie with this mindset still provded me with a general feeling of "it could have been done a lot better". There is a Japanese movie "After School" that managed to subvert the viewer's expectations extremely well based on what we extrapolate from the scenes and what we accept as general cinematography, and these tricks could have been put to good use here. Alas, we end up with the film that we have here.
The highlight for me, however, is the use of filming locations around Melbourne notably the RMIT "Circular" building (corner of Swanston and. Victoria streets) being the home of the Space Corp, and the Melbourne University Old Law Quadrangle, when Jane leaves the etiquette lesson. I suspect the park where she gets left is something like the Treasury or Fitzroy gardens but not too sure there.
The Good Fight (2017)
Better than The Good Wife
I really liked the majority of the Good Wife with a few exceptions. Those exceptions were Peter, Alicia and Will. They felt like the bland/straight man (comedic wise) centre that everything else revolved around.
Now that all of them are out of the way in some form, the show can continue free from what was holding it back. Diane was pretty much my favourite character but while she is centre the rest of the characters are all very compelling (apart from Maia) and the storylines are a bit more ethically/morally nuanced.
The other benefit is that as this world has already been established in TGW, there is not a lot of time lost introducing character or setting the scene, resulting in storylines that start moving immediately.
Persona 4 Golden (2012)
Most things are not as good when compared to an excellent successor
I decided to write this review to counter the one that said "it isn't as good as Persona 5".
That might be true (yet to play Persona 5 due to not opening a PS4) but it is sort of like saying "Back to the Future 1 is terrible because it isn't as good as Back to the Future 2" or "Godfather part 1 is terrible as Godfather part 2 is superior". You could technically say those statements but it is dismissing all the work that the previous entry put into establishing the universe and system.
Prior to playing Persona 4, I couldn't envisage how any game could top the story and characters of Persona 3. The overall system was a lot of fun, the characters and interactions memorable and the conclusion was brilliant. After playing Persona 4 though, I struggle to go back to Persona 3 as so many quality of life improvements were implemented in the 4 that makes 3 seem clunky by comparison. Somehow they also wrote even more engaging characters (Yusuke is more relatable than Junpei, Yukiko is more real than Mitsuru, Chie is more fun than Akihiko, Rise is less annoying and more helpful than Fuka, Margaret is way better than Elizabeth), a better location (spent a couple of years in rural Japan and Inaba is spot on for how these towns look and feel), and the gameplay was even better.
The main downside for the game is that once the mechanics are understood (which is not difficult, the game holds your hand quite a bit) it becomes relatively easy. A few battles are still complex but mostly you want the shadow world sections to finish so you can get back to the story. Spend a bit of time at the beginning grinding extra levels and the game is very easy as you are almost always ahead of the difficulty curve.
I can imagine that with everything that is great about Persona 4 is made even better in Persona 5 and the few problems are fixed up making Persona 5 seem like the better game. That is the nature of game development. But if you have played 5 and want more of the series, go back and play 3 and 4 but judge them on their own merits and enjoy the story and the people you meet along the way.
Babylon 5 (1993)
Is it still the best?
For a long time, Babylon 5 was my high watermark for sci-fi series. In the last few years though, I am not so sure anymore. The main issue is that it has aged badly, with the sets, CGI and acting all showing that it was made in the 90s on a shoestring. That said, the overall storyline and meta themes running throughout the series are still 1st rate.
The beauty of Babylon 5 is that it does what good sci-fi is supposed to do, and takes a modern day concept/idea removes a sticking point due to technology and then asks "how would this play out now?" A few of the episodes miss their mark, but in 2019 a lot of them are even more relevant now than back in the 90s.
It's challengers come from:
Nu-BSG which doesn't ask for as many different storylines and concepts as Babylon 5 does, but does one to an exceptionally deep level.
Westworld, like nu-BSG limits it's scope and goes for depth and ethical questions.
The Expanse which is closer in form to Babylon 5 than the others, offering a larger political spanning space opera with multiple players.
Each series has their strengths and weaknesses, and whilst I can't say that Babylon 5 is the best ever, it at least inspired other series to push boundaries of what was possible in a TV series giving us the golden age of structured series we are having at the moment.
For that, it will forever be a trailblazer and a classic.