Nothing to say really besides: that’s how you do it!
This has without a doubt the most impressive stunts of the franchise, and it really knows how to use its characters and challenge them. There’s a lot of propulsive energy, lush cinematography and great editing. Lorne Balfe does a great Hans Zimmer impression, and Chris McQuarrie does a great Chris Nolan impression. Alright maybe I’m oversimplifying there, because I have to commend McQuarrie for doing another stylistic reinvention of the franchise, the cinematography and general feel aren’t just that of Rogue Nation 2.0. I’m not even sure if the constant evolution of this franchise comes from a place of creative ambition or commercial opportunity, but at least it keeps the films fresh. Some of its core elements will always remain the same, however. For example, the plot’s once again just a vehicle for all the juicy stuff. You could call it out for being generic or basic, but they find so much creativity and fun in these tropes that it becomes very entertaining (intrigue, the mask sequences, the craziness and constantly rising intensity). Sure, there’s a very predictable twist at the end of the second act, but more often than not, it managed to surprise me. Henry Cavill is a great new addition, bringing back Rebecca Ferguson was the best choice they could’ve made, and Pegg & Rhames remain the reliable anchors that add some heart & humour. It’s all exceptional stuff, it could very well go down as the best action franchise in history if the next films stick the landing.
9/10
Good episode after all. I enjoyed it,and it didn't feel rushed. I knew Patterson was shot, but I didn't expect Borden aka Nigel to not drive her to the hospital,but to Shepherd. Even though you know Patterson wasn't going to die, it was difficult not to cringe when Shepherd was torturing her.
I really loved Roman and June's relationship. it was very comforting. I really love their dynamic as actors. And that ending, though. There's something wrong with Patterson. I mean, why did Borden go directly to Shepherd when she asked him to kill her? And why did he say that Patterson was back at the FBI? Did they jut a microchip in her or something? and that book code. Weller's reaction when he knew Patterson knew about it was awkward, even after she said she had read the notes. It was weird.
And the question I've been asking myself for a very long time? What's Patterson real name? Why don't we know about it? I don't think I've missed it. it felt weird when David called her Patterson, and now Borden did it again. She's his girlfriend, why doesn't he called her by her name? Is her name Patterson too? I don't know, I think it will be important, otherwise, we would've known it already. Maybe she's the real Taylor Shaw? Btw, next week's episode's promo looks promising.
[7.0/10] Patrick Stewart can act. That is, perhaps, no revelation. But the strongest moment in the series premiere of Star Trek: Picard is simply giving him a moment to emote, to condemn, to express his distress and regret over the state of things. When pushed to explain why he left Starfleet, the fire that fueled The Next Generation is revived, and the ghosts of the utopia it operated in are exercised.
Picard left because of xenophobia, because of isolationism, because of an abandonment of the principals of altruism and mercy and acceptance that buttressed the Federation he knew and believed in. That connection to larger ideas -- of a once noble nation turning its back on those in need out of a fear for what opening one’s doors to the world could invite in, and an architect of that community severing his ties with it when it shrinks from the ideals he so deeply believes in -- not only imbues this story with a real world resonance; it’s pure Trek.
But it’s not enough to offer a man meditating on his legacy and the institutions that devolved on his watch. So we need a mystery box. And we need a terrorist attack from a group of “synths” on Mars that scared the Federation into submission. And we need Romulan refugees resettling in an old Borg cube. And we need Romulan fighters trying to root out and destroy the last of the synths. And we need a mysterious young woman -- half River Tam and half Daisy Johnson -- to seek out Picard’s help to sort it all out.
It’s all...fine. It’s naive to expect a modern day science fiction show to rely on the staid, contemplative tone that The Next Generation thrived on. I don’t mind Dahj kicking ass in a hand-to-hand combat scene that makes Kirk’s karate chops look like childsplay. I don’t mind a wire fu-esque battle between her and a cadre of Romulan attackers that involves dodging phaser fire, leaping grand distances, and gory-ish explosions. Times change, and shows have to change with them, even if it means making allowances for the sort of fireworks that once disappointed fans in Picard’s jump to the big screen.
But what I do mind is how generic so much of the rest of the episode feels. Make no mistake -- it is a tall order to follow-up to one of the most beloved science fiction series of all time, that honors past successes while forging a distinct path for the show at hand. But if you shaved off the serial numbers and took away the easter eggs, this could be any other modern science fiction show, with a look and dialogue and mysteries that suffice but don’t wow.
The best you can say is that in the early going at least, Star Trek: Picard doesn't feel like fanservice. Sure, Picard’s dog is named “Number One,” and he orders earl grey tea, and he has a futuristic safety deposit box full of familiar trinkets. But when the show invokes the past, it does so in service of the story in the here and now.
And yet, that’s both a blessing and a curse. Revealing Dahj as Data’s daughter adds some emotional potency to her pairing with Picard. They make Brent Spiner’s guest appearances in the episode more than a fond reminder of everyone’s favorite android, but as a touchstone for Picard’s close relationship with his former protege. For all the flack Star Trek: Nemesis caught, one of its saving graces was the way it suggested that, flesh and blood or no, Data was Picard’s son, his family. So by making Dahj a sort of granddaughter to Picard through that bond makes her relevant in the early going, when the show has to be economical about establishing its characters and stakes.
But at the same time, that’s part of the problem. Stewart and Isa Briones do their best, but the on screen chemistry isn’t quite there yet, so the results feel more like Star Trek: Picard drafting on the good feelings of old, even if it wants to move in a new direction. Fans of the Next Generation will shudder to hear the name Bruce Maddox, the man who tried to have Data declared property, invoked. Still, it feels a tad cheap to have him missing and potentially responsible for some sort of new-fangled “biological synthetic” that is cloned or replicated or somehow otherwise spawned from Data.
All the while, “Remembrance” has the same, overly glossy look that the rest of modern Trek does. All the while, we get characters giving tearful statements that tidily deposit their backstories, with performances that can’t support the psychological weight the show wants to place on them as well as Stewart can. All the while, we get another damn mystery box, where we’re left to guess who made Dahj and her twin sister, and whether the twin’s new flirty Romulan acquaintance is part of the apparent terrorist group, and what the true motivation of the “synths” who blew up Utopia Planetia was, since the show apparently can’t muster that intrigue while still putting its proverbial cards on the table.
And all the while, we have to cut through clunky scenes that try to establish all of this. Little of it is outright bad. This is a competent production with a stellar lead actor and enough reverence for the source material not to upset too much of it. But when you’re bringing back one of television’s great characters and invoking the legacy of the series that started a new age of Star Trek, I expect better than solid but less-than-inspired adequacy.
None of it quite matches that one moment of personal truth or the real life implications of Picard’s disdain for what the organization he once loved has transformed into. When “Remembrance” deposits him into its adventure, it becomes just another off-the-shelf science fiction series, albeit one that can harness the history and world of The Next Generation, The Original Series, and even the 2009 reboot.
In that one scene, though, Star Trek: Picard gives us a glimpse of the show it could be. “Remembrance” soars when it allows its lead performer to do what he does best and embrace the thematic resonance and introspection that were the hallmarks of his prior series, rather than flash and whodunnits and twisty reveals. Only time will tell whether, with so much narrative throat-clearing and table-setting out of the way, the series sets a course for the better.
Maybe I just haven't been perceptive enough or maybe they did a terrible job of marketing but I was under the impression that this was the final movie in the series. I based this idea off the fact that the final book is called "Allegiant" and they didn't put "part 1" or anything in the movie's name. I walked out of this movie feeling completely underwhelmed. The movie ended with zero closure and it answered no questions the viewer may have. The entire movie seemed like an awful setup movie for a movie that I didn't know existed. It took several google searches for me to even find that there is a movie following this one. Overall I thought it was a pretty weak attempt at the book series. Even when I try to keep this review based on the movie as it's own separate entity I can't say it was a very enjoyable. There were a couple neat little things like the small drones but other than that the special effects sucked and the movie was boring. I hope the next film can recover for me a bit of the (granted, little) respect I had for this series. I don't usually walk into these movies expecting much, I just go to be entertained and try not to over analyze but I really didn't enjoy this movie.
A solid episode of Manifest though flawed. Everyone is acting like Real_Dad attacked someone without provocation but mysteriously ignoring the fact that 828_Racist actually threatened his son.
This episode our new character Zeke (which will be the name of my future first son by the way). With his lack of desire to return there was a while when I thought he might be a serial killer or something. After all so far we haven't really had any 828 passengers who are bad people. We had a domestic abuser who lost his memory. We have the Spy_Passenger who I still don't understand.
So by the way 828 racists are a thing apparently. I don't know how people who write TV think hate groups work but these are Alex Jones like conspiracies and you see them in every show like this, Manifest, The Event, Flash Forward and each time it's just silly. No one would buy this. Much less successfully start an entire movement on it. After all there are people who think they're saviors where are they? Why aren't they debunking the livestream which should clearly show that 828_Racist threatened a child. Why don't the police know that matter of fact. Why isn't Real_Dad pointing this out. This is TV writing. People do things for reasons and then when asked about what happened they stutter "uh uh uh.. i just lost control". No you didn't. You had a reason for what you did. Oftentimes a mitigating one.
Another thing I don't understand. Why is it so hard to remove spray paint? that must be the most ingenious invention ever created because NO ONE can solve it. They just all use water and scrub uselessly. Why doesn't ANYONE go out and buy some solvent. There are pages and pages and pages on how to remove spray paint but all you ever see is a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. It's my understanding that if you get it while it's wet, maybe that'll work but considering how long that X was there you're going to need more than that.
But look how minor my complaints are this episodes. Spray Paint and super effective "racism". Like the one where-- that was last episode. Like Last episode this was pretty good, even with my nitpicks. I didn't mind Olive_theDaughter even though there was plenty of potential for her to insist that she should have been filled in earlier. The whole "everyone who knows dies" thing kinda feels contrived. They're drawing conclusions with barely any evidence. Correlation is not causation. People who know have died but that doesn't mean knowing is what makes them die.
Oo ooo oo.. Also. they played Bananagrams. As a board gamer I like to see fun games being played. not boring family games like monopoly and connect 4. Bananagrams is an excellent family game. it's exactly the sort of family game modern families should be playing.
Ok, feels like it started scared of its own hugeness, with rushed and didascalic conversations to then slowly build up its identity. Hopefully they will dig deeper into the more philosophical aspects that they introduced in the last third of episode!
Where do I even start? First of all, congrats to Elizabeth Henstridge on directing the best episode of a spectacular season (and one of the best episodes of the show)! I love it when actors get to branch out on their shows and try new things. She did a terrific job.
This episode was all around perfect. It was a total nail-biter, you could really feel the urgency of trying to find the solution the whole way through, but there was also plenty of humor (Coulson explaining everything to Daisy, Daisy and Jemma's made-up word bit, Enoch repeatedly kicking everyone's ass) and good old-fashioned Feelz with a capital F. I'm glad it was a Daisy-centric episode as she didn't appear at all in episode 7 and only had a couple scenes last week. Chloe Bennet was fantastic. She had to carry this entire episode on her shoulders (the runtime was 42 minutes and she was literally on screen for like 40 of them, I can't imagine how many hours of filming that translates to) and she made it look easy. You can really see how much she's grown as an actress since season 1. She's always had talent and charisma, but over the years she's had the chance to polish those raw qualities and she's really become one of the best actors on the show.
I'm very sad to see Enoch go. He's been with us for a while now and I've grown attached to him. But at least he wasn't alone and he sacrificed himself for his friends. And his death scene was SO beautiful and moving. Did he foreshadow the season finale when he said the team would fall apart? That's definitely something I could see them doing, leaving SHIELD just to finally have a life.
Man, Chloe and Enver have brilliant chemistry together. Daisy taking an entire loop just to have a conversation with him and then going in for that kiss was lovely. It's a shame he won't remember any of it. And I guess he's gonna die now, just like every single one of Daisy's love interests. Although I don't think they would kill an important character two weeks in a row, Enver is still only listed on IMDb through episode 10, so I guess we'll see what happens next week. I would really like to see them end up together though.
11/10 overall. I'm so glad this final season is so good. Imagine if it had turned out to be as meh as season 6. That would've been a huge bummer. This is the send-off that my team deserves.
Only three spots left on this list, here we go!
5x14 "The Devil Complex"
Just like Elizabeth got her chance to really shine back in season 3's bottle episode, this was Iain's tour de force. That episode really stabbed me right in the heart when that twist was revealed. That was the episode Fitz became a morally ambiguous character for me. I understood the reasoning behind everything he did, but hurting Daisy the way he did made me feel kind of :grimacing: about him (and yes that emoji encapsulates my feelings better than any words could because that's the exact face I make when I think about him in that episode). I still don't like the fact that the writers just straight-up killed him at the end of the season instead of actually making an effort to fix things between him and Daisy. It felt like such a cop-out. But this episode was amazing and intense and I loved it but also kind of hated it? You get it. Either way, Iain was on fire and the writing was brilliant.
Well, that was a ride. The episode draws from a huge amount of Trek backstory and crafts something bursting with emotion. I think that the the view of Picard's face lining up with the classic image of Locutus is one of the most arresting shots ever done in Star Trek.
Patrick Stewart is completely on form throughout, and it's hard to pick one singular moment that stood above the rest. From his anger about the Borg while speaking with Agnes, to his PTSD when first arriving on the Cube, to his genuine happiness at seeing Hugh again and all the work he's doing, this consistently feels like the Jean-Luc Picard we all knew. He's shown first hand that disconnected Borg are not the monsters he had assumed. Small bursts of moments from First Contact were used effectively, including an unexpected glimpse dof the Queen. The terror of what he experienced may never fully go away despite the strides we saw him make over the years, and it rings true.
Other random thoughts:
[8.5/10] What I like about speculative fiction and other imaginative stories is that so often, they’re better at getting to the human condition than their down-to-earth brethren. The Good Place is a high concept story about people trapped in the afterlife with champagne-bringing ants and magically appearing and exploding motorcycles and impossible spa days. But it’s also about self-improvement and feeling useful and dealing with complicated, sometimes unfair emotions, something this series can capture in a way that’s much harder without the sort of bizarre setups at play.
That’s why my favorite story in this one is Eleanor’s. I found myself spending much of the episode asking -- why is Eleanor so dead set on stressing out Chidi. It seemed to come from a good place (no pun intended) of believing that he needs to be put into pressure-filled situations to bring out the best and most “help your fellow man” ethical in him, but she seemed to be going overboard for reasons that were opaque to me.
The episode lays it out explicitly -- she did it because she’s angry at Chidi, angry at him for leaving her and getting to enjoy this blissful new life in paradise, even though she knows he did it for a good reason and that the current bliss is not his fault. But not only is she dealing with these complex emotions; she’s had the person who she would go to deal with them ripped away from her, which just makes her all the more frustrated, on top of her guilt for feeling that way. It’s a complicated cocktail of conflicted feelings, one that are so achingly human, and hard to articulate without the handles of mind-wipes and out there magical scenarios.
But they’re also somehow truer and more affecting that way. The turn in the episode is Eleanor breaking down when she realizes what she’s putting the man she loves through. It’s a great performance from Kristen Bell, and it’s what help makes her sympathetic here. It ends in a great pep talk from Michael, one of understanding and empathy, and it ultimately helps us understand Eleanor, and what she’s going through as a person, much better. Truly great.
On top of that, it’s just a funny episode. Chidi and Jason is a pairing we don’t get especially often, and so the dynamic of Jason’s general recklessness and impulsiveness mixed with Chidi’s usual anxiety and cautiousness leads to a lot of great comedy between the two. Chidi trying to cover for and restrain Jason is a laugh every time. And Jason by himself is superb here, between his thinking every time someone needs his help, it must be to open a jar, and his repeat motorcycle explosion.
But the B-story is nearly as good. I like Tahani’s plot and epiphany here especially. Her efforts to ply John with the exclusive celebrity treatment he was denied in life make for some amusing back and forth between them. But when she tries to turn their friendship and pivot toward self-improvement, he’s resistant. The great thing about that is 1. John has an unexpectedly legitimate point that while she was living it up with fortune and fame, he worked his behind off (albeit in a kind of shady industry) to build something on his own, and 2. Tahani is right that despite being on opposite ends of the spectrum, they were both made unhappy by their obsession with fame and exclusivity.
The result is a little tidy, but I like Tahani reaching John through her understanding that obsession with status leaves you lonely and unfulfilled. And while it’s a little convenient, that being the thing that spurs John to apologize for his mean comments is a nice touch. Plus I love Janet as Tahani’s supportive girlfriend.
Overall, this is The Good Place at its best, taking the fantastical and ridiculous and finding the real, human truth underneath it, that’s harder to uncover in more staid circumstances.
