chunkyant Reviews

Under the Dome (2013–2015)

Different from the book.

[7/10 · 1 August 2023]

If you've read the original novel, don't expect thus to be the same. Season One follows the basic storyline of the original source material but this is its own thing.

The series blends several characters in new versions and once it hits the second season it deviates from the original considerably.

For those who never read a Stephen King novel, this is an entertaining Sci-Fi/Fantasy series which has an intriguing central mystery and a fairly satisfying resolution. If you have read the book this is Under The Dome in name only.

Come to this series with an open mind and find an enjoyable mystery.

Willow (2022–2023)

Not as bad as some make out.

[7/10 · 2 February 2023]

Contains minor spoilers.

Willow is my mum's favourite film, so we eagerly awaited this continuation.

What we have is a fairly decent fantasy show with some bizarre writing and soundtrack choices.

The story follows on from the original by being set 20 years later. Sorcha is Queen, her twin children are preparing for their futures and the kingdom is safe (having hidden itself away behind a mystical barrier) and life is good for everyone. Madmartigan is missing, a story choice necessitated by the illness of Val Kilmer, presenting one of many mysteries. What happened to Ellora Danan, the baby at the heart of the film? Why has magic been banned and what became of Willow Ufgood?

Ayrk, the lovable but somewhat feckless Prince, falls for one of the serving girls, naming her Dove, who has a way with recipes. He proposes to her and she agrees to marry him. His sister Kit trains with Jade, one of the palace guards and a woman she is clearly in love with. Unfortunately Kit has been betrothed to a Prince, played by Tony Revolori from the Marvel Spider-Man films. Neither Kit or the Prince is enthused by the situation but agree to go ahead with the wedding. It is during these festivities that the palace is invaded and Ayrk is kidnapped.

This sets in motion a quest to rescue Ayrk from acolytes of The Wyrm, an ancient evil that threatens to destroy the world. The kidnappers are allies of The Crone, a witch who gave original villain Bavmorda her powers and the enemy who feared the birth of Ellora. Queen Sorcha sends Kit, Jade, the Prince Graydon and Thraxas, squire of Madmartigan, to travel beyond the barrier and find Willow. He knows of The Crone and can tell the adventurers where they can rescue Ayrk. Unbeknown to the heroes, the serving girl has also left to find and rescue Ayrk.

Finding a deserted and spolied Nelwyn village, the gang find Willow is now the High Aldwin of the Nelwyn and is living with his daughter. Life hasn't exactly gone as Willow would like. He fell out with Sorcha over the training of Ellora, with Sorcha making the decision to hide her true identity from her and banishing magic. Sorcha is concerned because Bavmorda's spirit still exists, within herself and her children.

Willow agrees to help everyone find Ayrk. He will take them beyond the lands seen in the film to parts of the world where evil survives. It is around here that we learn that one of the travellers is the hidden Ellora Danan (most will have a pretty good guess at working out who she is) but is concerned that he has had multiple visions of a final battle where in order to defeat the evil of the Wyrm, Ellora must die.

Willow as a whole is a decent fantasy show with plenty of action and adventure, characters who have proper arcs and a good mix of practical and CGI effects. What lets the series down for me is some strange choices in the writing. This is a fairy tale world so it is very jarring when characters suddenly speak like they've stepped out of some US teen drama, or behave like they are in a totally different franchise. We have a whole episode with trolls who act like amateur dramatics Lord Of The Rings Orcs and sound like they've stepped out of a Game Of Thrones parody. It just does not work and doesn't fit with the overall tone of the film and series.

The other choice I found strange is the decision to suddenly drop in a well-known rock/pop song (original or cover) generally at the end of an episode. Again, it doesn't fit with the type of series this is.

Overall Willow is a franchise with potential and the door is left open with a cliffhanger and several unresolved plots for a second season, which I hope it gets. It just needs better writers who understand the source material.

Give Willow a chance.

Extraordinary (2023– )

Loved this.

[9/10 · 29 January 2023]

This is the kind of comedy we Brits have excelled at for the last 40 years.

Set in a world where at 18 most people inherit a super power, we follow Jen, a 25 year old who still hasn't been granted her power.

There are some cool and original powers in the series. Jen's best friend can channel the dead, her mum has the power to control Tech but has no clue how modern gadgets work and we meet a man who can 3D print items from his arse, graffiti artists who can walk on walls and a woman trapped in the body of a teenage girl.

Although the main plot is following Jen as she tries to fit in and find her ability, the show is filled with brilliant characters and great sight gags.

Full of toilet humour and sure to offend many it's truly funny.

Wedding Season (2022)

Four Weddings And Mass Murder

[8/10 · 14 September 2022]

Imagine the pitch meeting - A Carry On script written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Snatch era Guy Ritchie. That's basically what you get in this series, a mash-up of Four Weddings And A Funeral, This Life and every murder mystery you've ever seen or read.

The Wedding Season of the title is the period during which a group of friends attend various weddings of friends and associates. At each one our hero Stefan encounters Katie and is drawn into her increasingly chaotic personal life, peaking when Katie is accused of murdering her husband and his family on ger wedding day.

Using flashbacks, what ensues is a chase across the UK and the US while Stefan and Katie try to uncover the killer or killers, evade the police, prove their innocence and stay alive. With help from Stefan's friends they gradually unravel the mystery while Stefan discovers exactly who his mystery girl really is.

The series is genuinely funny and the characters likeable. The series hinges entirely on whether or not you take to Rosa Salazar's Manic Pixie Dream Girl and if you buy into Stefan's obsession with her. We did (I watched with my parents, both in their mid-late 70's) but I can understand many who don't. We enjoyed both leads and the supporting cast and binged the whole series in two sittings, one on the day of a wedding!

The series has plenty of twists and the plot is somewhat contrived but with shortish (average 32 minute) episodes it doesn't outstay its welcome. The series does end on a cliffhanger which, if unresolved, provides an ending which is in keeping with what has gone before.

This is the perfect series for watching in one or two sessions on a winter's night and I would recommend it, just not if you're planning a wedding in the immediate future.