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Dune: Part Two (2024)
The chosen one
The movie has everything most critics of the previous instalment ask for. More action.
Everything is still very beautifully done. Life on Arrakis seemed tough but it never felt unrealistic to me. All the creatures and settings seemed real which really helped with the immersion. The scenes on Geadi Prime was done so well.
The performances of the actors were also suburb. Timothee and Zendaya turned in the best performances I have seen them in and Rebecca Fergusson also puts in a Stellar performance. Javiar was my favourite though and he completely sold me on his blind faith.
Hans Zimmer's score is amazing as always.
I don't know what exactly it was, but I couldn't get as immersed in the world this time round as in part one. Maybe the hype of the movie spoiled it for me.
I strongly suggest people watch this in IMAX Laser.
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
Build up to the last one love concert
I went in completely blind. Haven't heard anything about the movie until I saw it and decided to go watch it.
We get a little bit of back story of Bob Marley and Rita and his path to be the messenger etc. But there are lot of information I was missing. Someone with much more information on Bob Marley had to tell me a few things like the significance of Rita washing his hair. I just thought that was a loving thing she did, but apparently it is to signify his conversion. I might have missed this, also the country I am currently in might not have allowed that information to stay in the movie. But I felt like there were a few occasions where I was left a bit out of the loop.
Over all, I found this movie to be okay. Our cinema only had about 8 people in it on the first Friday, but as I said, I was unaware that this movie was playing so it might just be that many others wasn't aware either.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
a fair adaptation
I have been waiting for this for this adaption since the first rumours started popping up. I am a huge fan of the original animation but I will try to keep that out of this review until I get to the comparison part.
We follow the avatar and his friends while he is trying to find out what his role and responsibilities are in the world that he has just woken up in, while they are being pursued by many enemies.
The world that is being displayed looks really beautiful and detailed and the bending effects are amazing.
I found most characters likeable and for most part the story still had me engaged the whole time. We get some amazing performances by some of the cast and I feel in general that all of the actors did a fine job.
I did feel however, especially in the earlier episodes that things are being spelled out a little bit too much for me. The exposition was a bit too much for me and the way it sometimes came over didn't feel natural at all. When they did the exposition as in episode 6 I felt much more engaged.
In comparison to the animation, this show presents things more linearly right from the start which I feel might hurt the show. The mystery in the animation played a big part in the best moments in the show.
The adaptation of many of the arcs felt quite well done and to me it just made sense since we didn't have 20 minute episodes to do all the side quests on their own.
I do feel that the animation is the better product, but I am glad that this exists and I going to watch all seasons that this show will hopefully get. I thing now that the world is introduced the follow up seasons will have a much better time as they would not have to try to coney all this information about the world.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Good solid show
So far, I am only 2 episodes in and I must say I am intrigued. So far it is episodic, so I felt more at ease to take a break but it left me with a positive feeling.
I would say that I generally liked the movie with the same name, but it always just left me with the feeling that they can't possibly not have known.
This take starts off with them being paired together with the company and their cover is that they are a married couple. So far I like that they show the awkwardness such a situation would leave the characters in. The characters seem very believable to me.
Sometimes the mission plots don't seem as believable to me. The mission info exchanges doesn't look like it gives them a clear enough objective and that it is purposefully vague just to get more out of the story.
Edit: Finished the show - I think my negative listed here might have something todo with the bigger plot of the follow up season if there is ever going to be one. Upped my rating to 7 from 6.
One Piece (2023)
Very good adaptation
From watching previous attempts at adapting anime I have to assume that it very difficult to do as very few of them have succeeded so far, but one piece definitely did.
The show is weird and wacky and the tone is equivalent to its anime counterpart, but everything about it feels that it fit's the setting and world that they are trying to create. Nothing feels out of place for the world they are trying to portray.
The main cast all did a wonderful job portraying their characters, and the major secondary cast (the previous generation) were even better. Mihawk and Zoro were my favourites, but I think I may be partial to the sword carrying variety of characters.
The show leaning into the more anime type tropes and mechanisms seemed to have translated really well.
Gen V (2023)
Good spin off show
Gen V is set in the world so spectacularly realised in The Boys. It follows a student, Marie, that was orphaned while manifesting her compound V induced powers.
She gets the chance to go to the prestigious Godolkin University were she meets other Supes where they navigate their lives as the first group of young people knowing that their powers were not from God, but from compound V.
Each of the followed members have their own set of personal issues that they have to deal with that makes them all feel relatable, while trying to compete for school ranking. We follow the Gen V crew through adjusting to this new world, tragedy and mystery.
The show seems good, the world lived in and the characters believable.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Amazing
This was an amazingly shot movie. Most if not all are practically shot without the use of vfx which I find quite amazing when visualising the thought process of Oppenheimer.
I recognised most actors even in small rolls which was quite amazing. Just shows that many actors wanted to be part of this amazing work.
Murphy puts in an amazing performance which so far I expect to do put him in contention for an Oscar for the leading actor position. I also suspect RDJ might walk away with a best supporting actor, if not he should definitely be on the nomination list.
All the actors did a fantastic job. The cinematography was amazing and the direction.
Some people complained about the dialogue, but I could hear everything fine.
This film kept me engaged for the entire runtime.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
A fun watch
So far this is the best experience I have had in the cinema this year, but a few of the contenders that I assume it would be up against isn't showing in the region I am currently in.
The movie is a good addition to this genre, it had it suspenseful moments, thrilling car chases and other really amazing stunts that is worked in between the movie.
I mostly felt engaged with all the newer characters and it was good to see the recurring cast again.
Somethings in the plot just felt a little too convenient, but for most part it was easy enough for me to overlook this.
This is a part one, but it does feel like a complete movie - we just basically have an idea of what the mission for the next one will be by the end of this movie.
The Flash (2023)
Satisfying end to the DCEU
This is a generally fun movie that I think is quite rewatchable following the flash on the DCEU's take of one of the more famous flash story arcs.
The tone of this film is much lighter than some of the other DCEU instalments but there is still heavy subject matter being addressed. The comic relieve doesn't feel too forced and some of the sillier things is in line with things I remember from the flash comics.
The acting was on the better side of the comic book movies although I didn't feel as much chemistry in the relationship of Barry and Iris than say what they had in the longer justice league movie.
This was an enjoyable watch.
Citadel (2023)
Better than average - updated to good
Is this show original? No, I have seen a few shows with similar premises before. Although I liked that it wasn't just convenience as in the previous similar content was. Did I enjoy the show? Yes I did. It feels better than some of the other productions I have gotten from Amazon.
The show also look very beautiful, but Amazon production normally look quite good. It probably underachieves for its budget but I think it is probably still as of episode 3 on the higher side of the Amazon series/movies that I like.
Some of the acting seems off beat but not glaringly so. I also think the fact that they kept the plot quite simple actually helped the story. There are some other threads in there but it isn't overly complicated.
Update after finishing the whole show: Some of my expectations was subverted. I am updating this from 6 to 7 from better than average to good.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Good adaptation
Really fun experience that feels very true to many games I have played. I could actually see which of my friends in my campaign are which characters, from the minmaxers to the negotiators etc.
Some of it seems a bit off though if you know what spell levels certain things are. Some of the things I just chalk of to them home brewing so nothings seems to out of what could happen.
It was also nice noticing a lot of Faerun in the backstories of the characters and some noticeable characters from lore, when even some people in world don't know.
The actors also did a pretty good job and it looked like they enjoyed themselves.
Daredevil (2015)
Best Marvel tv show
In my opinion, this is still the best Marvel show on the small screen and up until the conclusion of the infinity saga it was my favourite marvel live action period.
After the outfall of the first avengers movie, I felt that this dealt with what people were going through quite realistically. You know super things are happening but the people on the ground feel so relatable.
All the characters feel so well fleshed out from the protagonists to the antagonists. I liked seeing the everyday interactions of people in this setting and dealing with the consequences of the paths they take.
This series also had the best villain from all the Marvel tv shows I have watched so far.
The Wheel of Time (2021)
An average start
This is also just based off one season of the series so far. The first season had some really good moments, but on a whole I felt something is off with the pacing and this might be it's biggest flaw.
I did read the books so I did notice some changes, but I am not big into following the source material to a tee. Some things just don't translate well to the big screen. But I do feel that some of the peoples power scale is progressing too far and might make the stakes a bit lower, but I am keen to see how they play that out.
I think they were trying to drive the mystery about who the Dragon was too much, as I think a large part of the viewership based already would read the books. It was fun none the less, but it should have maybe ended in the middle of the season.
I am probably going to complete the series or what ever they give me, but so far it is average at best.
Edit: Upped the score just before season 2 finale. Much stronger season.
Arcane: League of Legends (2021)
Might just be my best adult animation series
I am reviewing this after season one, so this might still change with time, but so far I think this is my best adult animation series so far. And I thought that that title might go to another series that came out this year.
I played a bit of League of Legends, but I would hardly call myself a fan as I mostly preferred to play Dota, but what they have done here is really special.
This story really made me care about almost all of the characters. The main story is so gripping and the other people backstories gives so much weight to those characters that even the people that you are routing against you have so much empathy for.
The style of animation was also very unique and it seems like they used different techniques for different situation but everything seemed to fit so well.
So far this series is excellent.
The Lion King (1994)
A good way to start my cinema experience
This was my first cinema experience. I thought we were so lucky to get front row seats to the show.
This is the experience that I compare every movie to for me to consider it beyond very good. I love so many things about the movie, from the story (I didn't read/watch the story that it was inspired from at this time yet), to the score (I am pretty sure my love for Hans Zimmers work stemmed from here), to the funny quips etc.
All these things blended so well and was done so tastefully. You could also see the care that was done to portray everything as accurately as possible.
They also got very talented actors/ voice actors. I still prefer this version of the Lion KIng and in my opinion it is the best of the animated Disney movies or maybe just Disney movies in general so far.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Was an okay experience
I remember watching the first Avatar and being blown away by what I saw. This movie is probably better than that but I think it suffers from the same effect as some of the other groundbreaking movies' sequels.
The first Avatar's story was also not something ground breaking and it was basically the technology that drove the whole excitement factor for it. I also know that a lot of work went into this technology as well but it didn't seem to translate as well to the big screen to me.
The story was also not as gripping to me, but I could follow the story quite well. Avatar: The way of the water felt very average but I have no regrets in watching it.
Andor (2022)
Best Star Wars experience yet
I must say, that this is to date, my best Star Wars experience. Real care was taken to flesh out all the details with the characters and the story to not leave gaping plot holes.
We spend enough tome with the characters in the small moments that we understand most of their motivations and why they react a certain way.
The acting was really well done through out the series. I cared about almost all of the characters enough for each of the arcs to be really impactful.
I did feel that the first three episode lingered maybe too much in Ferrix, but the end result of that is that I was really invested in that community as a whole.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Pleasantly surprised
I got to the cinema and I have already gotten the impression that the movie might not be as good from people around me. So I didn't really have high expectations going into this.
The movie started off with a sadder tone as tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, which also set the backdrop of the position Wakanda finds itself in. The situation escalates when a new power is revealed and this sets Shuri off on a heroes journey that I think this movie did better than their other female leads. Although the start is not a place I would have thought Shuri would have been emotionally considering how she was after her fathers death.
There was some logical inconsistencies with the start of the plot but it was small enough for me to gloss over, especially since Marvel generally don't let you dwell on those type of things.
A lot of the character arcs were satisfying and I did not feel the run time. I think this was of the stronger movies in a weak phase 4.
The Boys (2019)
Probably more realistic
Have you ever wondered why all super beings become heroes and won't just take the easy way out. I mean, if you think about it honestly, if you got super powers would you only use your powers for good? Would you not get an ego? Would you not think of yourself as better than and more deserving than the normal people?
This show plays with all these concepts and binds it together in a really good story. It also shows how people that are normal view these super powered beings and all the different responses different people varying from hero worshipping to how dark we can turn in order to eliminate the perceived threats.
Really good show to watch.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Incredible
I watched this movie after a couple of years on television on our national broadcast station and I still remember the feeling when it was over. I was absolutely blown away. They did advertise it, but I wasn't really expecting much, maybe the low expectation is what made the impact so high, but I am still pleasantly surprised by the way this movie makes me feel every rewatch I do.
This movie is the story about two friends and how they cling on to hope to survive the dire circumstances that they are in and resisting being institutionalised.
The whole cast put in some stellar performances. The story is amazing. Even with it being set in a prison there are some amazing imagery. The score is amazing (I only picked up on some things after a few rewatches.)
This is my favourite movie of all time.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Beautiful, but lacks substance
I have read most of the works that the show is based on and although I do regard the LotR in highly, I won't call myself a super fan of the franchise. Fantasy though is my favourite genre and Tolkien is considered the father of modern fantasy.
I also understood that not all the rights for The Silmarillion etc was bought and that some rather large changes will have to be done. Especially with them trying to contract the history to one story line.
This show is very aesthetically pleasing and it actually made me switch from streaming this on my laptop to permanently watch the whole show on my television.
The cinematography throughout the show was really good. I was happy with the CGI for the most part. I thought the costuming looked really good. Most of the choices for armour etc looked really good, better than I remember them being described, but I was good with that.
The show however suffers from a few things.
The dialogue does not match with anything Tolkien I have read. For most part, it felt flat and it rarely gave me any insight into the characters.
I also feel that they tried to juggle too many story lines in one go, and the one I was excited about was just a few scenes at the end, which I thought would get much more focus.
I did not feel invested in the story of many characters, with the most empathy I could feel was with the villain of the season and the Elrond/dwarf story line.
My biggest negative is that it broke my suspension of disbelief too many times. Just because it is fantasy, doesn't mean things doesn't have to make sense. You have to make sure you follow the rules of the world you are portraying, which I feel was broken many times during this story.
The power scaling seems off, the fighting scenes seem too blatantly to go for the cool look rather than what would make sense. Too many people survive amazing things without explanation or hint of anything helping them.
All things put together, I could watch it through, but it is on the bad side of watchable for me.