lennartengelbert Reviews

Ronja the Robber's Daughter (2024– )

Why?

[5/10 · 2 April 2024]

This production passes the minimum requirements to be watchable, but the persisting impression is why they made it at all. A bit darker than the original movie, the tone is yet quite mild and the dialouge not far from the book.

After watching 3 episodes, I am still wondering, why am I watching this?

The darker angle, is bathing in poor acting and a sense of rushed production. Sometimes almost cliché driven with rather weak and not very well represented subplots and story arcs.

Production quality is on par with other low to mid budget fantasy shows, and is utilizing passable basic CGI and clever practical effects.

I will watch the rest of the season, but I am not looking forward to it.

Barbie (I) (2023)

3 stars for Margot in meaningless story

[3/10 · 19 November 2023]

Give this a miss. Colorful nonsense, with meaningless dialouge, stupid musical numbers and endless Barbie referenses.

The extremely doll house type of scenography is tiresome and eye watering after a while.

Charachters are like robots with no deapth (of course) and the drama is based on a wierd conflict inside the 'Barbie world' that is completely unrelatable and quite stupid.

This film does not know what is is supposed to be. A musical? No. A comedy? No. A reflection upon the negatives of the capitalist society? No. A childrens movie? No. A film for women who grew up with Barbie? Maybe, but I just don't get it. More like a stressful and endless mix of Barbie fantasies and bits from left to right, up and down.

Margot Robbie had a massive payday no doubt, but please do not make a sequel!

Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell, what were you thinking? Not their proudest moments, and a complete waste of talent.

Clarkson's Farm (2021– )

Season 2 stands fast. Brilliant!

[10/10 · 12 February 2023]

In short: Jeremy Clarkson is quite unique, as is anything he get's in touch with. But the entire cast brings it. They really do.

This is a true live action reality show where each and everybody contributes to a fantastic and enjoyable feast of natural comedy, but not without some serious glimpses of how hard it can be to be a farmer under the pressure of regulations and rather stupid local politics.

Just watch it, enjoy it and flow with it. Do not overthink what you see, but it would surprise me if you didn't learn something from this show. It's nothing short of brilliant!

Only downside is that it was cut a bit short. Some parts where sort of rushed through. There were room for atleast two more episodes if not more.

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Good looking yet mostly speculative series

[4/10 · 12 November 2022]

The premise of this series is interesting. Explaining how an ancient high standing civilization may have existed some 10000 years ago. Graham Hancock asks some really good questions about man's early history. Yes.

However, when Graham Hancock connects the dots and explains his theories it becomes speculative and to a certain degree naive.

The way he completely reject certain information, forgets to mention some important, but contradictionary facts, is amazing.

Beautiful photography. Delicious graphics. But it does not save his very one-man-centered speculative conclusions.

Joe Rogan as reference? Really?

Give it a miss. It does have some value though as a documentation of the more non-serious 'science' television that's out there.

Sadly, many people may be decieved by the series good looks and packaging and actually think of Graham Hancocks very loosely founded theories as facts.

No Time to Die (2021)

Get ready for a prequel - finally!!

[9/10 · 9 January 2022]

In short: a great Bond-movie, with great action, somewhat silly plot but somehow ok. A disturbed villain with absolutely no reason to live. A few dozens of henchmen somehow finding it worth while to work a poorly paid and dangerous job for the very same villain.

The 25th film and Bond somehow loses his life? Well, why not?

Get ready for a prequel with a young and cool James Bond. A prequel in the past but somehow in the future? How cool is that?

By the way. The substitute 007 was a total fail.

The Deep (1977)

No real suspense, but a classic

[6/10 · 5 January 2022]

As good as it is to have the author onboard the production, it may cause the film to drag through too much detail trying to be as true to the book as possible.

Making a film based on a book, well, that's not just about filming the book as it is written. You have to translate and adapt the story to the film format and decide on what needs to be focused in order to tell a story visually. In this case I think they should have tried harder to make the story more effective by killing a few darlings here and there. This is also the major problem with this film. It becomes a mix between an episode of a 'Columbo' and 'Magnum P. I.' with a touch of 'Thunderball'.

That said, with excellent underwater story telling we are thrown in to a story where the characters are forced to deal with challenge after challenge not saving all the suspense or the action to the end of the movie, but rather one after another from the beginning until the very end. In that sense it is not unlike a classic, and well made, Bond-movie. The film can be slow at times, but never uninteresting. The characters may be a bit archetypical at times but never unbelievable.

A solid classic worth your time.