When did you last go to a movie in which the audience applauded as the credits rolled? (It is not a typical Canadian response.) Behind me, a young female law student was weeping. As I sat there, I was deeply and intellectually moved by the power of this woman's life and the subsequent effect she has had on our lives, on my life, and I had been totally unaware of her. Let me put that in context. Although I am 20 years younger than RBG, her litigational years were my culturally maturing years (college, university and entering the work force). That was the culture of my years, her years, and I thought I knew the seminole personalities of my time but I had never heard of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Indeed, until these past two years (in which she has gained a rock-star like celebrity) I had no idea of her influence on my life. This movie (and the excellent documentary, RBG, which, on the recommendation of other movie goers last night, I watched as background for this review) have now convinced me that I would not have been allowed to be the person I have become had she not addressed the legal restrictions of gender in the law of the United States that undermined a global sense of personhood. I am Canadian, so these were not my laws she changed, but the culture of the civil rights struggle in America was not lost on us. My maturing personal ethic of the time, cradled by my faith in a just God and a loving, growing relationship with Jesus, was not of feminism but of the rights of every person to live under a judicially just system and in a compassionate and culturally rich society. I appreciate now that this was the justice for which RBG challenged her legal system. Thank you, Mimi Leader and Daniel Stiepleman for telling her story. Now, concerning the merits of the movie, itself: The cast is superb and the performances of Felicia Jones and Armie Hammer were deep and warm. I was also impressed by how the role of young Jane Ginsburg, adeptly performed by Cailee Spaeny, gathered in the emotional climate of the time. Wonderfull cameo performances. The cinematography and soundtrack brought a sense of grandeur and the costumes a sense of style and subtle class. I give this movie a 10 (important) out of 10. [BioPic]
Yet another show by Netflix that's sub-par. Superhero nuns fighting demons and monsters shouldn't be this dull of a dud.
It starts with a massive bang with a squad of women wearing stealth suits, crashing into church shouting about being ambushed by mercenaries. They pull an angel's halo out of their wounded leader. A nun dies to protect this artifact from a demon possessed solider. The opening scene felt like a mix of John Wick with John Constantine stories.
But then the action & show grinds to a halt. Nothing really happens for the first 5 episodes. Things slowly pick up & we get to last 10 mins where bad ass action once again picks up only to end with a massive cliffhanger (you will literally say "what the fuck").
This show was a waste of 10 hours of my life. What great potential this show had, but as usual Netflix gives you dud.
The entire 10 episodes are designed for the show creators to get budget for season 2 (where hopefully something happens that moves the story forward).
I would say wait for season 2 or even season 3 to be released before wasting your time watching this show.
Primal is an apt title. The show depicts primal violence, primal rage, primal grief. But what I was most surprised by was its display of primal empathy. Yes, the show is gorgeously and lavishly animated. There are shots that will take your breath away, and it knows when to rev up the engine and when to slow down and luxuriate in the stillness and beauty of the environment, much like Samurai Jack before it. Yes, it is a brutal and gory show- every hit has impact, and the fifth episode is bloody enough to make Mortal Kombat blush.
But the core theme running through the show is empathy. The animation pays just as much attention to the eyes as they do the action sequences, knowing that in a show without words, eyes are truly windows to the soul. A perfectly placed soft smile will melt your heart. And each episode returns to that theme of empathy. It'd be an easy excuse in a prehistoric story to say that at our primal core, humanity are monsters. But we're not- we're animals. Animals can be brutal, violent, ruthless. But they think and feel as well, and it is empathy that is the main characters' biggest strength.
It is empathy that leads them to bond and grieve together. It is empathy that leads Spear, the neanderthal, to help a pack of starving humans without second thought. It is empathy that diffuses a situation with woolly mammoths who did not want vengeance but simply the opportunity to mourn and honor their fallen. Spear and Fang the dinosaur's bond is what gives them strength, and the interconnectedness of life is reinforced even in its antagonists, whether in comparison like a group of bats and a spider working together to feed or in contrast like the group of apes that brutalize each other for the chance of brutalizing strong foes for glory. The protagonists even defeat the bats by leading them into the territory of a separate pack of beasts. Nothing is truly alone. The companionship of Spear and Fang is what sets them apart and strengthens them. Empathy is what keeps them alive. And it is that heart that elevates Primal from being not only something nice to look at, but an engaging work of art.
