Saw an advance screening of this one.
This is one of the most original and creative films I have ever seen. In the words of Casetify defending their copyright theft: it's "a bastion of originality".
Let's get a quick rundown of the plot:
Some farmers are chilling on their farm, enjoying their peaceful life. They have enough grain for themselves and a little extra. Big evil outsiders come in, and want their grain. This is a problem, because they want all of it. So the evil outsiders announce that they'll be back in ten weeks to take all of their grain, and boy howdy had they better have that grain ready, or else bad things will befall this little peaceful farming town. So the peaceful farmers decide to send out two of their people to go and find some SPACE WARRIORS:tm: to defend them from the evil empire.
At this point, you're probably saying to yourself, "This sounds familiar", but I assure you, it's a story never been seen before on film. Not once.
checks notes
- Seven Samurai
- The Magnificent Seven
- Battle Beyond the Stars
- A Bug's Life
- Star Trek Enterprise: Marauders
- The Magnificent Seven (again)
- etc, etc, etc
Now, what makes this one different, is that it's with Star Wars vibes!
rechecks notes
Oops Mandalorian did this one too in S1E4, "Sanctuary".
So what this movie lacks in originality, it surely makes up for in characters, right? Wrong! Out of the six or seven main characters in this film, all of them get less development than a random spider villain that shows up briefly halfway through. There are two interesting characters, one of which is the main character, Kora, whose flashback stories are infinitely more interesting than her present predicament, and Jimmy, a robot voiced wonderfully by Anthony Hopkins, who disappears after about five minutes of screentime.
This movie consists of the main characters going to a place, seeing a person do something cool, stowing that person in their spaceship for later, repeated a few times. We get a cool scene of Shirtless Guy trying to ride a bird lion thing, which is lifted straight from Avatar, a very derivative film in it's own right. There's a scene of Asian Sword Lady taking down a spider person, which is cool but again has no impact on the story or other characters whatsoever. It's a list of cool action scenes Snyder wanted to string together and came up with some very thin reasoning to get there. It also has the advantage of being a "Part 1", which means the movie is all setup and no payoffs, so nothing really happens in this film. The Moon does not Rebel.
The main Nazi Guy does get killed by our main hero, which should be a pretty permanent thing given that he is in fact dead. I almost gave Snyder a pass here for this next part, because earlier in the movie, he sets up a character that can bring things back to life! Holy reveal, Batman, she's still alive! Nope, they hook him up to some hoses and put him in a water balloon, and he's all better and more ready than ever to subjugate some farmers on a back moon somewhere for some grain, sans the re-aliving princess.
I will give a little credit to the visuals of the film; they're outstanding. This movie was great to look at, even better if you only look at the trailer and don't have to deal with the plot, which is what this film was designed for. Most of the exciting trailer shots were five second flashbacks which weren't fleshed out. I watched more slow motion shots of rice in this movie than actual characters interacting.
To paraphrase Honest Trailers' criticism of Nolan's Tenet: This movie is not Zack Snyder at his best, but it's certainly Zack Snyder at his most.
All that being said, I had a great time. Solid movie. Would recommend. Can't wait for Part 2.
Denis Villeneuve is the man!
There’s only one word that came into my mind after watching it: finally.
Finally, a blockbuster that isn’t afraid to be primarily driven by drama and tension, and doesn’t undercut its own tone by throwing in a joke every 30 seconds.
Finally, a blockbuster that puts actual effort in its cinematography, and doesn’t have a bland or calculated colour palette.
Finally, a blockbuster with a story that has actual substance and themes, and doesn’t rely on intertextual references or nostalgia to create a fake sheen of depth.
Finally, a blockbuster that doesn’t pander to China by having big, loud and overblown action sequences, but relies on practical and grounded spectacle instead (it has big sand worms, you really don’t need to throw anything at the screen besides that).
Finally, a blockbuster that actually feels big, because it isn’t primarily shot in close ups, or on a sound stage.
And of course: finally, a blockbuster that isn’t a fucking prequel, sequel, or connected to an already established IP somehow.
(Yeah, I know Tenet did those things as well, but I couldn’t get into that because the characters were so flat and uninteresting).
This just checks all the boxes. An engaging story with subtext, very well set up characters, great acting (like James Gunn, Villeneuve's great at accentuating the strengths of limited actors like Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa), spectecular visuals and art design (desaturated but not in an ugly washed out way), pacing (slow but it never drags), directing, one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores: it’s all here.
I only have one real criticism: there’s too much exposition, especially in the first half.
It can occasionally hold your hand by referencing things that have already been established previously, and some scenes of characters explaining stuff to each other could’ve been conveyed more visually.
Other than that, it’s easily one of the best films of the year.
I’ve seen some people critiquing it for being incomplete, which is true, but this isn’t just a set up for a future film.
It feels like a whole meal, there are pay offs in this, and the characters progress (even if, yes, their arcs are still incomplete).
8.5/10
What an absolute perfect ending, and I say this while admitting this ending didn't go the way I expected it to. Like honestly, how many of us actually thought Picard was going to survive this episode? I didn't, but I'm damn sure glad he did, even if we never see any of these TNG characters ever again, which I honestly doubt we won't given the ending. This was an emotional final send off however for this crew that honored and respected each of them throughout the season, every single one of them got their grand moment to shine, Riker with his asteroid, Geordi with his ship, Worf with his rescue, Crusher with her contraction discovery, Data defeated Lore, Troi rescued them in the end with her love for Riker, and Picard saved his son. And how about that borg queen, holy absolute hell was she horrifying looking or what? Anyway, what a beautiful ending that they all deserved, and one last poker game for the sake of it all. Am I excited about the future with Q showing up to tease the next series with the Enterprise G? Sure, but not as happy as I am that the old timers I grew up with got their swan song and somehow, someway, all survived. And if you didn't burst into tears when Riker and Worf decided to stay back to find Picard, basically sealing their death, then damn it I don't know what will satisfy you in life. Was this show perfect? Fuck no. Was the 3rd season without flaws? Bahaha, no! But if you can't appreciate what this really was meant to be here, I don't judge you, I just feel sad you couldn't feel the raw enjoyment the rest of us felt, because this was fucking awesome.
Unexpectedly theatrical and with substance - like gothic thrilling vice laden modern Shakespeare. This is a film about consumption, the weakness and naivety of arrogance, and a complex first love emotion rolling obsession/jealousy/narcissism into one driving force.
There are three acts for me: Oxford, Saltburn, & madness.
The first act didn't work for me till the second act kicked in. I was worried about a overly-parody-fied and caricatured script. Whilst I recognised the feelings and experiences of Oliver at Oxford, the people were too larger than life and the early laughs didn't land properly for me. Laughing at silly posh young people or uber geeks just wasn't my thing. Some of the cruelty and snobbery played out well though.
The second act puts the first into perspective. The first act which shows an alienated and floundering Oliver gain acceptance from a dislikeable group through the actually sane, kind-ish and likeable Felix sets up for the second act. More unlikeable rich people consuming each other and tossing people away like toys. But Oliver has Felix now and has picked up skills in getting things his way, seduction and sweet talking. But the acting from everyone at Saltburn estate is spot on - I properly laughed at Rosamund pikes and Richard e grants moments. Even though they are all spoilt, sheltered, unwittingly arrogant and judgemental - these characters you like, you see their vulnerabilities and insecurities - you have fun when they have fun.
Things start looking beautiful in the second act. Sometimes distractingly so. The light play, framing, and camera work are stunning. You feel you are in the throws of first love in the best summer of your life. Sometimes this was at odds with the drama or tension in the story.
Final act madness. The sympathy built up for the family now leads into the thrilling dramatic unwinding. The consumers become the consumed. Arrogance and haughty ideas of invincibility led to weakness and fractures.
This isn't an overly cohesive film for me, but I think that's intentional as mis direction. Clues for the real story are laid throughout and I had guessed the ending about two thirds of the way in. I really enjoyed the moments of summer headiness, where everyone is enjoying each other's company. Sometimes the inter-character drama and tensions were too much for me - almost descending into reality tv pettiness. I think thats intentional to show the unsympathetic side of the upper class and olivers push back - I just don't think it needed so much.
The pacing and focus was a little off for me at times. The film was full of symbolism and clever lines but it almost felt too full sometimes. Like vacillating rapidly between moods. There was a moment where I was full of tears at portrayal of grief when others were laughing - very interesting but it left me feeling a bit all Over the place. But excited!
The score and the setting and sterling acting efforts lift the film up into a grand feeling vision. I was a little disappointed that the tone of the trailers wasn't present in the film at all (bloc party song teaser trailer was amazing) . But the score takes this to a different place - British, establishment, old money, young love, hubris and longing - great score.
The film is exciting and there are unexpected moments and some brave choices too. I enjoyed watching this a lot and am excited for more films. There's a lot to enjoy here. Barry keoghans metamorphosis through the film is really really thrilling. Reliving 2006 is fun too - wish just a bit more was done with the music and feeling of that time. Some duff moments for me too so a 7.
Recommend
01x08 - The Creation of a Thousand Forests: 7.2/10 (Good, It Gets the Job Done, Slightly Flawed)
I had high expectations for “The Peripheral” after the two-episode series premiere, and although it has undoubtedly had its moments, overall, it has been a little disappointing.
The season finale, “The Creation of a Thousand Forests,” cleverly titled drawing parallels between tree branches and the various branches of realities that are shown to us, had a lot resting on it. In a complex science fiction show, it’s easy for a poor finale to undermine the entire storyline. Even if, from a narrative perspective, I believe the season finale concluded where it should have, the episode felt rushed and occasionally muddled. It’s unfortunate that the season’s sluggish pacing as a whole leads to a finale that needs to hurry along, sacrificing the necessary breathing room for the tale it’s attempting to tell.
This isn’t necessarily a knock on the show, but the first season only gave a very shallow explanation of what is actually going on, so it can be hard to follow unless you pay close attention. Even though it was great to see all the Sci-Fi elements come together in the end, I couldn’t help but feel like the show wasted time on unimportant subplots and didn’t invest enough in its characters. Therefore, even pivotal points in the story didn’t have the impact they should have.
Now that the foundation has been laid, hopefully, next season will make up for this one’s shortcomings. The show’s premise has been intriguing, and the ideas it explores feel substantial, even if it occasionally falters in execution. I’ll definitely be tuning in next season, but unless you share my enthusiasm for sophisticated Sci-Fi television, I’ll hold off on any recommendations, at least for the time being.
01x07 - Doodad: 7.8/10 (Impressive)
“Doodad,” the next-to-last episode, was impressive, despite its slight flaws. At last, we have an explanation for what happened to the data. As it turns out, Aelita intended to transfer the information to Burton’s haptics via a data download, but with Flynn piloting the peripheral, the data instead transformed into DNA and embedded itself within Flynn. That’s hardly the most intelligent idea the creators could have come up with, but I can buy into it. My other concerns were also addressed, particularly the lack of world-building. We were given some background on the stub and a further glimpse into the power dynamics of the “future” society.
Tommy isn’t a bystander anymore; he’s taken the initiative, and the road ahead for him seems exciting. I worry, though, that his decision not to inspect the dead corpse may come back to haunt him. It looks like some of the writing in this episode was a bit overblown, like when Bob slit his arm near a major artery to create a distraction, knowing full well that he’s battling a more than-capable guy. It felt forced and without any sort of insight. Wilf’s character has been slowly written off to being completely inconsequential, and it would be a pity if the authors didn’t find a way to keep him involved in the story, as both the role and the actor’s performance are rather solid. Connor’s journey is great, and his future in the Peripheral promises to be exciting; this, coupled with his developing “relationship” with Beatrice, he’ll likely come to play a significant role down the line.
I find the show’s premise intriguing, but so far, I feel like “The Peripheral” hasn’t been able to entirely do it justice. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t say whether or not it’s better, but I can say that “The Peripheral” has promise; all that’s needed is satisfactory execution. Ultimately, it was a good episode, and the season has been good thus far. I’m crossing my fingers that they can pull off the season finale and have the kinks ironed out for the next season.
Some incredible end to season two of the Warrior Nun series, also sad. Adriel is gone for good, sacrifices were not avoided and risks had to be taken. Warrior Nun "Ava" LIVES FOREVER #befree Many are wondering if Ava will pass away? But I warn and tell you that this contains revelations, but this is not definite confirmed information. I thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that we will see Ava in season 3 if one is announced and filmed. This is based on the fact that even though Ava was seriously wounded in a fight with Adriel she doesn't die for good but goes to another land, God Reya who nods to her before going to another land which I guess means some sort of deal between her and Ava. This would mean that Reya promised to heal Ava in the same way she did Michael. But the deal is that he gets to keep the halo for himself, and return home after a while. Their partnership could be useful later because it would seem that Reya is the only current god in the afterlife who would save Ava in return for destroying Adriel. Because Adriel had fled her land. So please remember that the above is only my assumptions and reports. They may be true in whole, in part or not at all. See you soon friends!! Warrior Nun season one and two available ONLY on Netflix. The above text is copyrighted in its entirety by me Auramo. If you wish to use this tweet elsewhere please remember to mention me in the tweet. #netflix #warriornun #ava
[7.3/10] We’ve reached the point in the MCU where even superhero story fans like me know little about the champions who take center stage in the various new movies and shows. I know Moonlight the faintest little bit from, of all things, Marvel’s recent Spider-Man cartoon, but otherwise he’s a big blindspot for yours truly. It’s interesting walking into one of these shows almost completely blind for the first time.
And if I didn’t know this was a superhero show, I’d suspect it was a horror movie or psychological thriller. Some of what “Dissociation” presents is fairly generic. There’s a mysterious villain type, and a put upon everyman, and some cryptic evil lurking just beyond the frame. But there’s also something distinctive about the setup.
I like the “lost time” conceit. Steven blanking out in key moments, finding he’s been gone for days, made dates he doesn’t remember, finding his jaw dislocated, is creepy in a cool way. Likewise, while it seems like an easy way to save on action choreography, I also appreciate the notion of him blacking out in the midst of moments where he needs to be a badass, waking back up to find himself in impossible situations. It’s an odd comparison, I’ll admit, but there’s a North by Northwest quality to it of an ordinary guy caught in an extraordinary situation.
Likewise, I appreciate the hints we get of Marc steadily putting his head above water to assume control. The recurring motif of mirrors and reflections that are just a touch off adds to the creep factor of the piece. And hearing the voice of the (presumably) Egyptian god speaking to Steven from the beyond is both unnerving and fun.
I take it as a pretty unavoidable part of the character, but the Egyptology bent is a little overblown. There’s a cool cultural angle there, but for the most part, the show hits some key bits of iconography and calls it a day. It is cool to see the protagonist running around the British museum. The collection of antiquity setting adds a certain flavor to the proceedings.
That said, the CGI here is a bit rough. While the image of the Egyptian god whose scepter just so happens to match Moon Knight’s symbol works well enough in brief glimpses, the more extended visions we get of demon hounds and the like feel too artificial and move without the right sort of weight. Likewise, when we finally see Moon Knight in action, the design and presentation is a little too Snyder-esque for my tastes, but I’ll have to see more of it in action.
All that said, I appreciate how much of this rests on Oscar Isaac’s considerable talents in the early going. Steven is an unusual character for him, more put-upon, less confident, more of a nebbish than I’ve ever seen the actor take on. Marc seems more in his usual wheelhouse, but it’s fun to see Isaac inhabit a role that feels real and recognizable, but outside of his usual on-screen persona.
Ethan Hawke as the judgy servant of a bad god didn’t do much for me in terms of how the character’s written, but Hawke does a solid job as a performer. And you can’t go wrong with F. Murray Abraham as the voice inside your main character’s head.
To that end, the first episode of Moon Knight feels a little like past Marvel flicks (albeit ones made by Sony), with analogues to Eddie Brock in Venom and Norman Osborn in the 2002 Spider-Man movie. The internal dialogue, sense of some other force taking over, and sign of something amiss the protagonist can’t quite put his finger on abides. There’s room to distinguish, particularly since Steven is a lot less self-possessed than either of those other two characters, but longtime cape fans will recognize the archetype.
Overall, this one has potential, particularly given the talent involved and the eeriness of the premise. But in this opening salvo at least, the show is perfectly solid but doesn’t do much to wow you as it sets the table for the season to come.
[7.6/10] A good chunk of “Scavengers” is just good clean fun (so to speak). Burnham and Georgiou’s jaunt to the Orion junkyard/stronghold to rescue Book feels like a good spin on the Movie Trek vibe that Discovery often goes for.
There’s interesting personal dynamics with Michael’s barely-sublimated feelings for Book and her testy but maternal relationship with Georgiou. There’s a good overarching task, not just to rescue Book from Orion slavery, but to retrieve a black box that may help solve the mystery of The Burn. And there’s the tension that comes from Burnham once again going rogue, while she and Geogiou have to fool the Orion overseer long enough to escape with their prize, their friend, and their lives.
That’s a damn good setup. There’s nothing very deep to it, but it’s fun to see Mirror Georgiou go full baddie here, selling the ruse to the Orion slaver and seeming cunning and combative, which is Michelle Yeoh’s most entertaining mode on this show. At the same time, we get just enough of a flavor of life in this slavery-ridden salvage yard to understand the dangers Book is facing and care about the other poor souls trapped there with him.
It’s ultimately a good old fashioned Star Trek caper. There’s ruses, secret communications, a group of good people in need, and a MacGuffin that needs retrieving. There’s the ingredients at play to make it interesting: tension, romance, vulnerability, a ruse, and a righteous cause. Things go wrong and go right at a good cadence, and there’s even amusing references to canon like Burnham mentioning a search for “self-sealing stem bolts.”
Things are more mixed for the scenes on the Discovery. “Scavengers” seems to follow a familiar Star Trek structure, with the fireworks happening on the planet of the week, while the rest of the crew deals with other sorts of crises on personal issues in the meantime. It helps pepper an episode with different kinds of scenes and mix tension and relief for variety’s sake. The problem is that Burnham’s rescue/heist wraps up around the two-thirds mark, and the rest of the episode is devoted to on-the-nose conversations between crew members that turn subtext into text.
Some of those moments are good! Most of them involve Saru! I’m particularly fond of his scene with Tilly, a pairing that’s proved remarkably durable. There’s something meaningful about Tilly coming clean about Burnham going off against orders rather than protecting her friend, not just because it’s the duty of a Starfleet officer to report such things, but because she’s sympathetic toward Saru for the position that Michael’s putting him in. Tilly sees the bigger picture here, and her walking the line between loyalties to two different friends, not to mention her job, marks this as a choice with complexity.
(Not for nothing, her scene with Grudge the cat is pretty darn adorable to boot, and feels true to just about any cat owner like yours truly.)
Similarly, I like the scene with Burnham, Saru, and Admiral Vance. I still don’t fully trust Admiral Vance (maybe it’s just because he’s a high-ranking Starfleet officer, so he’s inherently untrustworthy in this franchise), but he’s very fair albeit plainly angry at both of the Discovery’s senior officers. He gripes at Saru for not raising the possibility of Burnham’s mission with him beforehand, and he gripes at Michael for putting others at risk to call her own shot, which reflects a certain amount of selfishness. And yet, he leaves discipline as an internal matter for the Discovery, evincing a certain “tough but fair quality.”
The follow-up, which features Saru demoting Burnham, lays things on a little thick in terms of the dialogue, but it’s also a strong choice. It shows that there’s a cost to Burnham’s choice to color outside the lines, both personally and professionally. As to the latter, she loses her position as First Officer, which retroactively adds weight to what she gave up to save Book and pursue the mystery of The Burn. As to the former, she not only disappoints a friend in Saru, but violates his trust, which has just as potent emotional consequences. Again, this show veers more toward making such moments melodramatic rather than making them feel real, but the emotional calculus of it works.
The same problem afflicts the budding friendship between Stamets and Adira. I like the idea of the two of them bonding not only of a shared love of science and Adira’s aptitude for fixes that make Stamets’s life easier when utilizing the spore drive, but over having lost someone they love who’s nevertheless still with them. The two performers have a good chemistry, and the mentoring relationship is a good one.
But the show, once again, gilds the lily. Having Gray explicitly state that he likes Stamets and thinks he could be a good friend, and also having Dr. Culber explain for any audience member too daft to get it why Stamets and Adira have losses in common, just goes too far. The scenes feel unnatural and hurt, rather than help, a connection between Adira and Stamets that works better with friendly chemistry than it does blunt exposition.
The rest of the business on the ship mostly involves marveling at the new 32nd century upgrades the crew can now enjoy. That means a heap of refits with programmable matter, combages that project info via holographic inputs, automatically receptive new controls throughout the ship, and even separated nacelles. That leads to some stilted attempts at comedy with Linus the Saurian showing up at inconvenient times due to personal transporter malfunctions, but it’s a solid way to show our heroes acclimating to and wow-ing over the technological advances of the future.
If there’s a theme to all of this, it’s the idea of people admitting things to one another, showing vulnerability and emotional honesty in the hopes that it will be rewarded by those close to them. We see it in Burnham sniffing out that Georgiou is suffering from some sort of PTSD-induced panic attacks over the loss of someone close to her (I think she says, son?). We see it in emotional exchanges between Burnham and Saru or Stamets and Adira. And, of course, we see it when the show pulls the trigger on romance between Burnham and Book, a relationship I’m not fully on board with, but am at least glad to see the series stop pussyfooting around on.
Still, the best part “Scavengers” is the escapade Burnham, Georgiou, and Book have in the Orion slaver’s scrapyard. The confluence of double identities, entangled affections, plot-relevant artifacts, and beleaguered freedom fighters feels like classic Trek. All the pieces are there, and season 3 of Discovery has been an improvement so far, I just keep waiting for the show to put it all together.
Without Eva Green's deliciously tortured Vanessa, this new evolution can't possibly be as good. But I'll give it a fair go just in case.
UPDATE 2nd July 2020
Okay, so I've finished watching the whole series now and I'm hoping they don't make a second. This wasn't a patch on the original and I found Dormer's characters rather hammy and annoying. The themes 'explored' in this series seem all too familiar right now, repeated over and over in many other shows. I suppose it ticks all the boxes for millennials, but they aren't watching anyway. What's wrong with just telling a story? On a positive note, I did enjoy the concept of Elsa and her son, Frank.
Spoiler alert:
I think it would have been more faithful to the original series if they had instead chosen to use multiple actors to play the roles inhabited by Natalie Dormer's demon, perhaps using subtle vehicles to gradually tip viewers off over the story arc until we discover the coordinated plot to expose the inherent discord, conflict and misery in humanity (do we really ever need any help with that?). We could have seen a proxy battle between good and evil played out between characters possessed by the two angels/demons. I suppose they must have decided it would be too confusing to continue with the possession theme from the original series if they spread it across multiple characters, but would we really need to know that until the lame ending anyway?
