dahmenjudith Reviews

Kohlrabenschwarz (2023– )

Outstanding quality for a German production!

[9/10 · 6 February 2024]

To be honest, I don't watch a lot of German film productions because frankly, many of them are full of clumsy dialogie which throws me off and keept me from getting immersed in the story. I only gave "Kohlrabenschwarz" a chance because it was created by Tommy Krappweis, whom I knew to be a fantastic author with refreshingly-creative ideas, capable of writing thrilling stories, which - in contrast to most other German productions - would never lack a good amount of clever humor.

All of that would not have been worth anything if the actors hadn't delivered a convincing performance, but luckily, every single casting choice was a brilliant one, and I honestly was hooked from the first minute on.

When you throw a thrilling crime drama in a blender along with some mystery and a good deal of humor, that's when you get Kohlrabenschwarz. I know it sounds weird to combine these three, but trust me, this show is SO worth your time, and I almost dare to _promise_ you that you'll be well entertained.

I wish there were more German shows of this high value.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023– )

Shows & movies simply turn out better when the book's author is involved.

[10/10 · 20 December 2023]

Remember the movies? These two films which basically had _nothing_ in common with the books except the names of the places and characters?

As a long-time fan of Rick Riordans books, I was very sceptic when I first heard that Disney+ was planning to take on the Percy Jackson stories, but when I learned it would be a series this time (meaning probably less rushed, more time for world building and character development), and that the author would be heavily involved in the production, I dared to be cautiously-hopeful.

What shall I say? This series is everything we had hoped for and more! This is what "bringing a story to life" means. It is SO true to the books, and the few subtle changes they made are reasonable and even give some scenes more value. It's not a word-for-word copy of the book, which seems to be what some viewers did expect, but that's not how adaptations work. The story does tick off all the important waypoints of the book though and leads to the same status quo in the end.

All actors give their 100%, and some talents blew me away, like what especially Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, Virginia Kull, and Toby Stephens can convey with facial expression alone, without a single word being spoken? Astounding! The chemistry among the entire cast seems to be fantastic, and it shows. The props and sets are all so beautiful, especially the lighting in every scene, and along with the enchanting soundtrack by Bear McCreary, the whole package is a magical experience which made my little nerdy heart very happy.

Throughout the entire season, the script writers have done a phenomenal job. I've never seen a show before where so many things come full circle at a later point. The writing is so coherent, and you feel like not a single word is placed in the script without being given some thought and value.

Also, I know some people have been complaining about the action scenes being too few and too short, but if you go back and read "The Lighting Thief" novel, you'll notice that book 1 didn't have a lot of action in it to begin with, and I honestly appreciate that this show kept the action sequences short and crispy, which left more room for precious character development and worldbuilding. Plus, by keeping the fights short, the CGI department could give their all and create stunning-looking, almost beautiful monsters.

I wouldn't know what to improve if I had done the show myself except maybe two things: 1. Longer episodes in season 2, please.

2. Where IS the season 2 announcement? Don't let us hang here, Disney Plus, this show SO deserves to be renewed because it's fricking outstanding!

The Gryphon: A Remedy for Bad Times (2023) Season 1, Episode 1

A surprisingly captivating start.

[8/10 · 30 May 2023]

Last night, I watched the first episode of Der Greif ("The Griffin", available with English subtitles on Prime Video).

I was sure I wouldn't like it, I was sure it would be typical German cringe since there aren't many German productions I like, and the trailer looked just like what I had expected.

I can't say yet if I'll like the entire show, but what I can say is that episode 1 was truly captivating. It captures school and family life in Germany in the 80s and 90s really convincingly, and the atmosphere surrounding this whole Black Tower prophecy thing is dense and thrilling.

To my own surprise, I'm planning on watching the rest of the show as soon as I can find a little time to do so. 👍

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023)

A reunion special that works.

[8/10 · 20 April 2023]

I never thought I would ever write a review about a Power Rangers show, but hey, I can actually recommend watching this reunion special!

Honestly, you don't even have to be an actual fan to enjoy these 55 minutes.

Is it cheesy? Sure! Does it have some awkward one-liners? Of course it has, it's Power Rangers! Does the 90s nostalgia hit you right in the face and bring back childhood memories (which also make you feel really old at the same time)? Absolutely!

BUT on top of that, it's so much better than the show which was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993. You can tell that in contrast to the TV show, the returning cast members and the crew deeply cared for this production. (Although to be fair, never seasons like Beast Morphers and Dino Fury have improved immensely compared to the past!) There's lots of fan service in the best way and not at the expanse of the story. In fact, the story is so tightly-knit and moves at a fast pace (without feeling rushed) to fit everything that happens into 55 minutes.

In contrast to the TV show, where nobody ever died and stayed dead, this reunion special has real stakes and consequences, and after 30 years in which they were never allowed to use the words "kill" or "die" on this show, these words suddenly become quite meaningful.

The special is still suitable for the target audience of the TV show, aka primary school kids, but you can tell it's mainly made for these 90s kids who are in their late thirties or even older now. As another fan pointed out: It's wild seeing these weapons suddenly CUT INTO opponents instead of just slashing past and causing some sparks which sent the monsters flying.

So, if you are up for a nostalgia trip into your childhood, go watch this 55 minutes special. I definitely had fun (and also shed some tears).

The Villains of Valley View (2022– )

Just the kind of sitcom I didn't know I needed!

[7/10 · 14 November 2022]

I never liked to watch sitcoms, but this one is surprisingly entertaining.

It doesn't take the whole superhero/supervillain society too serious, comparable to the movie "Sky High" maybe. The actors are all good, especially the actress who plays Amy sticks out, she's fantastic. Even the SFX are decend for a sitcom. The script is well-written with not too flat jokes but actually good fun which makes all characters likeable in their own way.

I can't wait to see where this family's adventures in their new U. S. suburb life will lead them in season two.

Yay, I guess I found the first sitcom I like!

The Quest (2022)

Return to Everealm

[8/10 · 12 May 2022]

As a fan of the first hour (The Quest 2014 blew me away!), I can't help to compare the old and the new. I'll be honest, as soon as the soundtrack set in, and I realised they had gotten the same composers from 2014 back, I was hooked, and a second later, I was fully emersed in Everealm.

Yes, the show has its flaws, that was to be expected.

Filming with underaged teenagers makes some things more difficult in general with limited filming hours per day and such. Some of the after-challenge-talks among the Paladins came across kind of staged and clumsy although I'm sure they were authentic. As soon as a scripted character was present and asked them questions, this awkward atmosphere was gone, so maybe to that more next season?

The scripted characters sometimes - very rarely though - acted incomprehensively, especially the castle's guards and also Prince Cederic. He drove me nuts with his actions.

Some of the challenges were well thought through, others were hard to grasp for the audience and the Paladins alike, and the fact that there was no elimination this time (Thank the Fates!) often made it hard to understand how the winner was chosen.

While most of the props and costumes were top notch (I SO appreciated that the royals wore different costumes every day as royals would.), a few props and costumes looked super cheap like bad LARP equipment, and the same goes for the creatures, which is very strange because some were SOOO lifelike and others looked like unconvincing Power Rangers villains. It was almost as if two different teams had worked on the make-up, props, and costume department.

Apart from these points of criticism, there's only good things to say.

The writers filled the story with so much lore and history, so much character development. The characters have depths, they have pasts, there is no black and white. The story starts off much darker and with an imminently menacing atmosphere. All actors were 100% convincing, I suffered with them, I cheered with them. The special effects (I know how difficult CGI fire is!) were fantastic, the music combined the old Quest soundtrack and also had new beautiful themes. The Paladins were a fantastic team, each of them super likeable, and they were 100% immersed in this world - as was I.

I can't wait to return to Castle Saenctum next season!

Continue the Quest.

Little Women (2019)

Good acting but awfully hectic script

[4/10 · 17 January 2022]

Yesterday, I watched the 2019 adaptation of "Little Women". The actors did a good job, especially the actresses were impressive. Sadly, that's the only good thing I can say about this movie. Ugh, it was soooo rushed and so hectic! 😳 There was no time at all to build up empathy for the characters, and the numerous time jumps, though generally a clever idea, were utterly confusing due to the fact that the movie doesn't have two sets of actresses but used the same people to play the main characters as age 12 and age 19.

The 1994 version made me laugh and made me cry, the 2019 version was not for me.

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (2018)

Perfect in Every Way!

[10/10 · 5 August 2019]

Michael Ende's "Jim Knopf" books were among my favorite books as a child, and of course I had watched the puppet series by "Augsburger Puppenkiste" and still listen to the wonderful audio book today. So, as a decades-old fan, I was sceptical when this real life adaptation came up, but now that I've finally seen it, I can say: This might be the sweetest movie I've ever seen, and it made my heart jump with joy from beginning to end!

Everything about it is perfect, from the script to the actors, from the sets to the music. They really managed to capture the essence of the books, dusting the story off a little bit without losing the enchanting atmosphere Michael Ende had created in the original story. Even the unavoidable romance which even stories for children seem to need these days was not annoying or awkward but refreshingly natural and lovely.

The sets, especially Morrowland and the different versions of Emma, are super cute, and all the actors are perfectly cast. Eden Gough is the sweetest Png Pong you could imagine, and Milan Peschel's Tur Tur touched me to tears! Solomon Gordon is such a natural, and his smile & laughter are simply contageous. Oh, and I love that Thomas Fritsch was chosen as the German narrator, I could listen to his voice for hours.

Last but not least, the soundtrack played a big part in making this movie so magical. As someone who had already enjoyed "Wickie und die Starken Männer", I recognized Ralf Wengenmayr as the composer right away, and once again, he has done a fantastic job creating atmosphere and joy with music! I still had a smile on my face hours after I had finished watching this movie, it made me so happy.

I can not wait for the sequel!

Carmen Sandiego (2019–2021)

Refreshing new approach on a belowed 90s show

[8/10 · 18 January 2019]

The new 'Carmen Sandiego' is absolutely binge-worthy. I just watched the entire first season in one go. I think it was a very good decision to make it rather a prequel instead of a remake. This way, fans of the old show (like me) get thrilles when old characters show up before they became what they were in the 90s show. I especially loved a certain cameo scene in an elevator, but no spoilers here. Talking of characters, all of them are well-written and interesting. I love how they have managed to include 'The Player". This brings me to my only point of criticism though: The gender equality is way off balance on this show, and it takes a lot for me to notice such a thing. Apart from The Player, all male characters are dull and clumsy, while all leaders on the show are women, and all women are agile and smart. This was just a bit too much even for me. I hope season two manages to balance this out a bit better - and I hope we won't have to wait too long for the show to continue because season 1 was great fun!

ReBoot: The Guardian Code (2018)

Refreshing new approach, I liked it!

[7/10 · 30 April 2018]

I am surprised to find all these negative reviews and ratings here. Before you ask: Yes, I DID watch the original Reboot series back in the days. Still, I don't know why people are so angry about this sequel? Did you expect a 1:1 continuation of the story in the same style of a 24 years old animated series? I really enjoyed the old show in 1994, but I was open for a new approach, and I really like what they've done with the theme here. It is very entertaining without being stupid, the humor is intelligent, the actors are decent average, some are even downright brilliant. I'll name Hannah Vandenbygaart here specifically because her portrayal of the V.E.R.A. is superb. Megabyte's voice is just the right mix of menagic controlled calmness which has already creeped me out as a kid, I love this guy. To sum it up: Good cast, solid story, appealing graphic design and even some character development, which is something you can't always expect in a series like this.

The New Legends of Monkey (2018–2020)

Family friendly, highly entertaining, a joy to watch!

[8/10 · 29 January 2018]

I really enjoyed this series. Sure, it's not epic like Game of Thrones, but for me, not everything has to be epic all the time. Sometimes, a series can simply be entertaining, and that's what "The New Legend of Monkey" did to me: It entertained me, and that's good enough for me.

One of the few aspects I didn't like was the modern touch on some characters like Davari and Raxion. In an otherwise medievalish setting, something like this always pulls me out of the story, so I didn't enjoy their scenes very much.

Apart from that, there's really only good things I can say about this series. The weapons look sharp, the costumes look dirty, the make-up is adequate, the soundtrack adds to the atmosphere, the story is exciting, and the dialogues are great, often hillarious (in a non-ridiculous meaning).

Most of all, the castdelighted me! I heard people complaining about whitewashing because the legend of the Monkey King is a Chinese legend, and there are not only Chinese people on the show, but seriously: I've rarely seen such a diverse cast, can't you people be happy about this? I haven't looked all the actors up, but apart from "white" people, I've definitely seen Chinese, Thai, Polynesian, Maori, and some others I don't trust myself to define without accidently placing them in a wrong country. ;-)

Chai Hansen did a fantastic job to portray Monkey as a bigmouth with some hidden layers under his proud skin. Rachel House was as much a joy to watch as she is in every movie and series I've seen her in. Luciane Buchanan is a talented young woman I had never seen before, she portrayed Tripitaka very well. Josh Thomson portrayed Pigsy as a gentle giant with a heart as big as his shoulders, he was real dearie. My favorite performance of all came from Emilie Cocquerel, another actress I had never heard of before. Her performance reminded me so much of Alice in 'Once Upon a Time' season 7 that I had to make sure it's not actually her. I LOVE how she portrayed Sandy, and this scrubby goddess was by far my favorite character.

Conclusively, I think I can say that the exciting script, the clever dialogues and overall the great chemistry among the main cast is what made 'The New Legend of Monkey' such a joy to watch. I'm very much hoping for season 2 - 4 as the plot indicates!

Power Rangers (2017)

Loyal to the Original, just better!

[8/10 · 4 April 2017]

This movie was quite a positive surprise!

I had expected a modern version in the style of the 1993 original series, just with the advanced CGI technology of the 21st century. While the original still holds an iconic status among fans, it was pretty ridiculous at the same time (which is probably a reason for it being so iconic ;-) ), and I'm happy to say that the new movie is a lot more serious. Not serious in the way of "nothing to laugh", there are plenty of jokes, mostly good ones actually. They simply left out things like the exaggerated ninja poses, Rita's shrieking laughs, and Bulk & Skull.

Also, the movie shows us a lot more of the heroes' character backgrounds. Instead of being the most popular gymnasts and martial arts champions in the high school, the five each have their own personal problems to deal with, and some of them are not even popular at all to begin with.

I love how their characters have more depths than in the series and how they develop along with the storyline. It's not just an action movie with a lot of fighting, on the contrary. Way more than half the movie deals with the five developing their characters, learning, accepting, and some very nice bonding moments.

The actors are perfect for their roles, really. I needed some time to get used to Kimberly with dark hair because I kept mixing her up with Triny at first, but the dark hair really suits her. Concerning Billy, I was a bit sceptical when I saw they had casted a black actor and also seemed to have made Billy the comic relief. I don't like it when Black people are only casted to be made fun of, but luckily, Billy has some amazing character traits which make him an important piece of the story.

I must admit I've really enjoyed this movie, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

4 Against Z (2005–2007)

Great script, convincing actors!

[8/10 · 20 February 2016]

When "4 gegen Z" was originally broadcasted in 2005, I was already in my early twenties, but my neighbors' kids, 6 and 8 years old at that time, loved the series, and since it sometimes frightened the little one, I often stayed and watched along as "mental support" - at least that's what I used as an excuse to watch it myself.

To be honest, "4 gegen Z" was one of the very few children series at that time which provided a well-written script and good actors altogether, that's why I even enjoyed it despite my age.

Of course, being an adult, you always know that everything will be fine again at the end of an episode, but the kids don't know that, and since the stories are so enthralling, and the villains are portrayed so convincingly by Udo Kier & Andreas Pietschmann, you can't help but to share the thrill with the four guardians. Even the four children actors of the first two seasons (I think I've never watched the third!)grow into their characters within the first few episodes and become very believable, not as wooden and drawling as most of the German children actors nowadays.

Actually, the only censure I'll give this series is one for the very cheap set design in the underworld. Sometimes, I felt a bit sorry for Mr. Kier & Mr. Pietschmann, when they had to show their acting skills in front of cheap sets, unrealistic special effects, or these awkward Zanreloten with their ridiculous papier-mâché helmets.

Anyway: If you manage to overlook this flaw, then "4 gegen Z" was one of the most enthralling children series of the past decade, and I wish German TV would broadcast it again (or upload all episodes to Youtube like it was done with "Die Pfefferkörner"), because if I zap through children's TV nowadays, I have to switch channels within moments to keep my head from banging the wall from all that stupidity.

Mara and the Firebringer (2015)

Big Hopes for German Filmmaking

[10/10 · 2 April 2015]

I've been following the development of this movie ever since I read (and fell in love with) the book trilogy and author Tommy Krappweis announced he was going to turn the first volume into a movie himself.

At first, I was very sceptical since I'm generally no big fan of German movie productions, mostly because we have very few convincing actors. Some of the best are assembled in this movie's cast, and though that doesn't automatically add up to a good movie, it did in this one! If I had to say which actor impressed me the most, I really wouldn't be able to decide between Jan Josef Liefers as Professor Weissinger, Christoph Maria Herbst as Loki, and Esther Schweins as Christa Lorbeer. They all did an amazing job bringing the book's beloved characters to life.

Everything about this movie reflects the lifeblood/passion with which Mr. Krappweis has handled both the book trilogy and the movie. The entire story is exciting, dashing, funny, and magical. All aspects of the Norse mythology are well researched and will please every academic on that subject. The characters are multifaceted, especially the Norse god Loki, of course. The visual effects were created under the administration of John P. Nugent, who is best known for his work in Lord of the Rings, Matrix, or Prince Caspian of Narnia.

Mr. Nugent himself has a cameo in the movie, as have several other men who were involved in the making of that movie: Mr. Krappweis' father Werner, professor Rudolf Simek, upon whom the character of "Professor Weissinger" is based, and even Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd made a guest appearance in the Mara movie! The great synergy of the story, the cast, the locations and the visual effects is perfectly concluded by a phenomenal soundtrack and a theme song titled "Ein echter wahrer Held" ("A real true hero") which stays in the head for days.

I'm hoping that one day, somebody will do subtitles for the movie so that the English speaking world can enjoy this movie with the entire family as well. It's definitely not only suitable for children but every adult who liked fantasy and/or Norse mythology will be entertained in the best possible way.

The Quest (2014– )

A high quality fantasy-adventure for the entire family!

[10/10 · 20 September 2014]

When I first stumbled upon a Trailer to "The Quest" (by accident, because there was hardly any advertisement for this show!), my first thought was: "Oh no, not another reality show! Reality shows always have the same concept: Making stupid people do stupid things so that the stupid audience has something to laugh at the expense of the contestant's dignity. And then there are always those bitch-fights and a lot of defamation going on. Man, I hate reality shows, why can't they leave their hands off my favorite genre, the fantasy? I know exactly how this is going to be: They will take the worst nerds there are, put them into cheap costumes, let them battle each other in stupid LARP-combats, and most likely they will film all of that in front of cheap scenery along with bad, non-credible actors that will cost the show the last bit of authenticity!" What shall I say? I have never been so happy for having been entirely proved wrong and this is the first time ever I'll give 10 of 10 points to a show in the IMDb. Since "The Lorf of the Rings" came to cinemas in 2002, I have never been that enthusiastic about anything anymore.

Funny fact: The producers behind "The Quest" actually ARE the producers of "The Lord of the Rings", and they got the idea for "The Quest" even 12 years ago when they thought it was unfair that only the actors got into horse-riding and sword fighting workshops, and they imagined how great it would be to give "normal" people the chance to experience such an adventure.

However, the thing that most distinguishes "The Quest" from other reality shows is not even the fantasy setting (which by the way includes high quality armor, real weapons and most notably a REAL European castle which was bustling 24 hours a day for an entire month by countless extras and four extraordinary convincing actors who did an awesome job improvising 80 % of their actions and dialogs!) but the interpersonal acquaintance on set AND off set.

There was no backstabbing, no cat-fighting, no intrigues. The contestants ("The Paladins") didn't fight against but alongside each other. They grew together strongly, became friends, comrades, they helped each other out and watched each other's backs. They didn't vote out the strongest competitors but knowingly always kept the one they believed could become "the one true hero" to save the magical world of Everealm. There was no prize money in the end, it was really all about the good deed of helping the residents of Everealm become a free people again.

Even the producers didn't try to defame anybody. On the contrary. Best example maybe: One of the contestants has the habit of grunting while laughing. What would be the usual way for a reality show to deal with it? They would repeat every grunting sound twice in slow motion to give the stupid audience a stupid reason to laugh. What is The Quest's producer's way of handling it? They let the cutters cut out every single grunt so that the contestant wouldn't be embarrassed! Isn't that nice? Isn't that the sort of acquaintance between people we all want to see more on TV? This way, "The Quest" emphasizes completely different values than other reality shows. Without having a single boring moment, the show is exciting and entertaining for every family member between 6 and 92 and teaches everybody a lesson in loyalty, bravery and moral along the way. Since nudity, violence and abusive language are no subject of this show, I really MEAN it when I say: There's finally a show that you can watch with your entire family, and every one who has kept himself a sense of adventure and wonder will enjoy it! (This review used to be a lot longer, but there's this restriction on 1000 words, so I had to crop the parts out where I talked - all spoiler-free of course! - about the cast, the soundtrack, the contestants and so on. If you are interested, here is the link to my full version review:)