Well, again, it is considerably dated but I thought it was still watchable…until the closing boat scene when I lost it and actually started laughing out loud. At one point in the movie, Bond looks at the yacht owned by Largo (the villain) and comments (to Largo), "She looks fast; I'll bet she'll do 10 knots easy, eh?" To which Largo replies quite proudly, "Actually she'll do closer to 20 knots." In nautical terms, "20 knots" is roughly the equivalent of 23mph…if you watch the closing of this movie, it looks like this yacht is doing more like 93mph than 23. LOL The "speed ramping" technique that was used (similar technique but without such a dramatic effect was used with the girl driving the Mustang at 90 - 100mph on a single-lane road through the countryside) to make the yacht look like its throttle was locked wide open as the yacht careened across the waves at seemingly mach speeds was enough to break the suspense of what was going to happen and the whole film became laughable at that point…so much so that it effectively kind of ended the movie for me. I sat through the remaining few minutes, of course, but by that time I was pretty much "done" with whatever was going to happen, it had become so silly. We're talking the old "Batman" TV show silly: pretty much everything except "Bat Copter" and "Shark Repellant Bat Spray" and "BIFF! ZOWIE! POW! BAM! OOF!" All that aside (although, seriously, as amusing as it was, it did kind of ruin the whole movie for me) I still thought this was a watchable movie. Granted, it's very outdated and some of the "gadgets" that Q provides Bond with - and the silly dialogue between them - are almost as bad as the aforementioned "Shark Repellant". (You have to watch the scene to appreciate that. https://youtu.be/QnFOs7QlJSI ) And my how the times have changed: back then, Bond was considered quite the "ladies' man" but some of the stuff he pulled in these older movies would - by today's standards - literally get him sent to a prison here in the US for "sexual assault". Nothing short of forcing himself on some of his female counterparts, seriously. And while I realize these movies are almost 60 years old, it is still a bit disconcerting watching a man force a woman - while she's struggling and resisting - to succumb to his own desires while he forces his lips onto hers. My how times have changed… It was still fun to watch; I hope the entire James Bond collection will stay on Amazon Prime long enough for me to watch the entire collection this time.
"Thunderball" is an average entry in the 007 franchise. Connery plays a downright brutal Bond, dishing out plenty of punishment to the SPECTRE henchmen and killing quite a number of other baddies. He's also quite a showoff here; making what has got to be record time with the ladies and memorably playing dumb while shooting trap with Largo. This features the jetpack escape in the opening scene, which is cool but pointless.
Largo as SPECTRE #2 is a lukewarm villain and his threat to use two nuclear bombs on cities unless he gets paid a ransom is lame. He's a bank robber, basically. Bond's mission was made more enjoyable by the help he got from other agents and the CIA. It played a bit like the squad from the "Mission: Impossible" series.
"Thunderball" features plenty of underwater action and the climax of the movie features an underwater war followed by a brawl onboard the Disco Volante. The boat narrowly misses smashing against the rocks so many times that it becomes truly silly and the film is so sped up that it's laughable.
It seems like much of the movie is spent following Bond either scuba diving or flying around in a helicopter looking for clues. There was a scene where Bond is being pursued by henchmen during a parade that drags on forever.
Of course, the Bond women in this film range from tough to spunky to naive, but they are among the most beautiful group in the Bond films. Fiona, Patricia, and Domino are integral to the movie.
This is the weakest of the first four 007 films.
[7.4/10] I don’t know if The Muppets need heart to be truly great. The Muppet Movie was a snootful of madcap humor, zany antics, and scene-chewing cameos. But it was also a stealthily earnest film about following your dreams and finding joy in pursuing them with people who share your hopes and your vision.
The Great Muppet Caper is, like its predecessor, another movie chock full of the wild and wooly antics decades of fans have come to expect from The Muppets. But instead of a broader notion of following your dreams, it’s mainly about...following a jewel thief.
That’s okay! The story of Jim Henson and company’s second major theatrical outing doesn’t aim as high in terms of sentiment as their first. But its story is still solid and exists to buttress beaucoup gags, set pieces, and musical numbers which still amaze and delight. The whimsy and off-the-wall fun are just as enjoyable, even without the sincerity these little dolls were known for.
The place where The Great Muppet Caper most plainly tops The Muppet Movie is in those imaginative musical numbers. In terms of pure song-smithing, the 1979 original still wins. But Caper’s tunes are still bob-worthy, and more to the point, Henson and his team find more elaborate and creative ways to use their smiling hand puppets and fleshier performers to bring them to life.
A visit to a “supper club” turns into a grandiose performance where puppets dip one another in time with people and Miss Piggy herself performs a little tap routine. The film’s opening number sees a chaotic city street brimming with activity and musical theater panache by man and muppet alike. And in the film’s most impressive sequence, the spotlight-stealing ham channels the spirit of Esther Williams for a sparkler-filled synchronized swimming routine. The songs aren’t quite as earnest, but the silver screen realizations are that much more eye-catching.
Likewise, Henson’s crew ups their technical prowess with their second at bat. With advances in technology and efforts to top themselves, there’s no limit to what a puppet can do in Caper. Aside from the aforementioned tap-dancing and underwater ballet, the Muppets shimmy up walls, ride bicycles en masse, leap and land in one another’s arms, and any number of other stunts that prompt a quick-fire “How’d they do that?” even forty years later. The sheer production wizardry at play marks the movie as an achievement on its own.
Even if the boffo technicals aren’t your speed, it’s hard not to appreciate the amazing chemistry that Henson (Kermit), Frank Oz (Fozzy, Piggy), and Dave Goelz (Gonzo) had achieved after years of working together. The whole muppet cast interact with one another seamlessly here, and the back-and-forth in big group scenes is impressive as a matter of scale.
Yet, even when it’s just a few of the major characters interacting, the rhythm and repartee is all pitch perfect comedy. Kermit the straight man, Fozzy the goofball, Gonzo the weirdo, and Piggy the primadonna play off one another with gusto in moments big and small. A quartet of writers provides the particular patter, and the movie’s lead performers bring it to life so naturally that these big strips of felt and ping pong balls can’t help but feel like old friends.
Among the human performers, Diana Rigg is a pip, whose uptight fashion mogul persona, Lady Holiday, make for an amusing foil to Miss Piggy and presages Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada while still managing to make the affected air work within an irreverent gag-fest like this one. (Ironically, 2011 The Muppets would make the comparison more explicit.) Charles Grodin hams it up himself, and the other celebrity cameos are all ably done, but lack the spark that Rigg brings to the table.
Part of that works in her dry responses to the abject silliness all around. Caper is just as slapstick-y as any of the best Muppet outings, while adding in even more off-the-wall gags for good measure. There’s a vaudevillian flair to the proceedings, with expert timing for running gags like the lone lightbulb in a crummy hotel breaking off right on cue. Kermit and Fozzy claim to be twins, with uproarious new layers to the joke each time it’s brought up. So much of the movie is pure farce, with a loony, anything goes vibe that keeps things light and irreverent at all times.
To the same end, Caper maintains the Muppets’ fourth wall-breaking style of comedy with flair. Whether it’s a trio of muppets commenting on the opening credits, or Kermit chastising Miss Piggy for overacting before coaxing her back into it, or Lady Holiday noting that they have to deliver the plot exposition somewhere, the playacting vibe of this Muppety story is a feature, not a bug.
Maybe that’s the cinch for this movie. Its predecessor had more than a few fourth-wall breaking moments, but it more or less played the emotional crux of Kermit’s quest straight. By contrast, the jewel thief storyline in the sequel seems almost perfunctory, a cheap excuse to throw our heroes into a bunch of wacky situations in London and let them bounce off of one another. (Sometimes literally.)
That too has its charm though. And what’s more, the movie seems aware of what it’s doing on that front. The winks to the audience are a small acceptance that the story isn’t all that important here. The “mystery” plot isn’t hard for even younger viewers to figure out, and when challenged on the reasons behind his two-bit skullduggery, the film’s antagonist simply shrugs and says he had to do all this because he’s the villain.
To the extent there’s any sentimental ballast here, it comes in the form of the familiar Piggy and Kermit romance. Their pig/frog coupling remains sweet and inherently goofy in equal measure, but even it feels a tad inessential given the way it’s wrapped in a loopy case of mistaken identity. For the most part, The Great Muppet Caper seems to acknowledge that deep down, this is all just for fun. But with this many laughs, this much charm, and so many superb silly sequences, the fun is more than enough.
The Bond franchise finds its long-term footing in this third installment, striking a masterful balance between larger-than-life characters, silly overindulgence and skilled espionage work - a tricky combination that doesn't usually work. Where Dr. No and From Russia With Love were deathly serious, concentrating heavily on suspense, Goldfinger is far less afraid to kick back and have a little fun when the opportunity arises.
There's definitely a healthy dose of the 1960s at play here, from the fashions on display to the attitudes of those wearing them, but in almost every single instance that results in a stronger, more vibrant cast. Despite their appallingly silly names, Oddjob, Pussy Galore and even Goldfinger himself are thoroughly deep, interesting, remarkable characters with a lot going on beneath the surface. The exploration of each villain's unique nooks and crannies, paired with an intensely curvy, unpredictable plot and the unmistakable presence of Bond himself, provides more fuel than any film could reasonably require.
Quick in wit and in pace, it covers a lot of ground with admirable efficiency, leaves us with two fistfuls of memorable moments, and raises the stakes to staggering heights. It's no wonder this is the standard by which all other Bonds are judged.
"This is gold, Mr. Bond. All my life I've been in love with its color... its brilliance, its divine heaviness."
007: the James Bond Rewatch-a-thon.
Oddjob is amazing right? He always was such a damn cheatcode in GoldenEye on the N64. Always had to aim low and he could kill you in one hit when his little hat. So annoying when friends picked him first, so satisfying when you got there first.
Anyway Goldfinger is another great entry in the Bond franchise. Another great outing by Sean Connery, you have one of the best bondgirls in Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore (she is immune for Bond advances, she lets us know), one of the best manservants ever in Oddjob, Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger is a delight, he is one of the better bad guys, a lovely evil plot, great locations, lovely theme song, humor, the introduction of the Aston Martin, a lovely scene with Q, M and Moneypenny, fun battle between Oddjob and Bond and offcourse a lovely ending. Love the way Goldfinger gets sucked out of the plane!
Goldfinger was a lovely rewatch, still as fun as the last couple of times I saw it. Along side From Russia With Love, the best Bond film with Sean Connery. Well worth a watch/rewatch!
This was a very good finale from start to finish (Andrew Bloom's review details this admirably), although I (like many people reviewing on here) was surprised about the lack of cliff-hanger, or direct avenue to a new season, but I actually think that finishing the way it did was the right thing to do, and brings to an end everything that "The Mandalorian" as a show was all about. Grogu is safe, Djarin has been instrumental in bringing about the saviour and reunification of the Mandalorian people, and Moff Gideon has finally been destroyed. All wrapped up, that is, except for two core questions that have underpinned the show since S1E1 - where is Grogu's home planet, and what are his species even called? I am disappointed that the answers remain just as much of mystery now as they were then, and it is the answering of these questions that would be the only reason, in my opinion, to ever do another season of The Mandalorian. I have heard that Thrawn may feature as the primary antagonist in the upcoming "Ahsoka" live-action show that is being released in August 2023, (but I can't find any official confirmation of that yet) as he has been mentioned numerous times by the Imps under Moff Gideon. The Mandalorians could easily (and probably will) feature to some extent in this new show, and maybe even Boba Fett, or some of the protagonists from Rebels and Bad Batch, as Thrawn will definitely be a tough nut to crack. look forward tentatively to Ahsoka, and hope it is is worth the wait...
It's hard not to give it a lower score but honestly just seeing the Praetorian Guards alone made the episode. There were a few things that pissed me off- how obvious the retreat into a trap was. And how in the 20 seconds they used to escape, they didn't use the same 20 seconds to open the front door and not only rescue Din but completely overwhelm the dark troopers. Not only that but the battle leading up to it was pathetic, no matter how good their training, the wouldn't best the Mandalorian's who've been training in Veskar armor in laser gunnery, hand to hand combat, rocket jumping literally their WHOLE LIVES. Plus the giant missiles on their backs and in their wrists...like c'mon. Dark Troopers literally stood no chance. Praetorian Guards on the other hand....maybe they might've taken down over half of the Mandalorians but no way they'd win against that many skilled and armored. Additionally I thought Veskar can literally glance and block lightsaber style weapons....WTF. Honestly the dark troopers, guards, and gideon himself EVEN with the blast doors trap stood no chance. This was heavily forced. They should've just written a more cunning trap versus beating the Mandalorians with pure fighting prowess. Makes me more mad the more I think about it.
[7.1/10] I’m torn on this documentary. It’s perfectly OK for what it is -- a quick-hit oral history of the first few years of Star Trek: The Next Generation focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama in the writer’s room in particular. I even like the central thesis of the documentary, and theoretically the point it builds everything else around -- that Gene Roddenbury had largely fallen out of favor with Hollywood after after Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and his choices around TNG, including to spearhead the project in the first place, were a reflection of man in failing health trying to show that he still had that spark and his success wasn’t a fluke.
My problem’s with the documentary are that it doesn’t interrogate that idea especially deeply or especially well. Shatner, who’s credited as writer and director, flattens everything down to a supposed tale of power, and cheesily channels everything through poker metaphors to try to connect it to one of the recurring motifs of The Next Generation. He asks a ton of folks involved with the program in those days about these behind-the-scenes details, but really only scratches the surface.
I firmly believe you have to evaluate the movie you saw, not the one you wanted to see, but Chaos on the Bridge largely left me wanting more, and not in a good way. The editing is frantic, constantly jumping back and forth between interviewees with an alternatingly bouncy/overdramatic/corny soundtrack to the point that the film feels almost afraid to settle on one topic for more than about two minutes. That leaves it feeling a mile wide but an inch deep in places.
That sense of unseriousness about the whole thing is “aided” by well-drawn but out-of-place sketches to help illustrate the stories being told, which reduce the major figures to players at a poker table, or gunslingers, or just comically exaggerated versions of themselves. Look, it’s Star Trek -- there’s plenty of room for levity in this kind of look back -- but it often seemed like Shatner and company wanted to channel all of these interviews into broad shtick and tortured metaphors rather than just taking what they found.
The film’s one great saving grace is that, presumably by virtue of Shatner’s name, the documentary got tremendous access to not only the surviving writers, producers, and executives involved in TNG’s development and progress, but also other key figures in the entertainment world to help put things in a broader context. However much I may bristle at the way Chaos on the Bridge chops those interviews up and even turns them into meatloaf in places, it talks to all the right people, and it’s compelling to get to hear the story from the mouths of the people involved.
In particular, John Pike contributes some interesting descriptions of concerns from the executive side of the equation, animated former-showrunner Maurice Hurley is open about his approach and frustrations with TNG (though the doc never addresses rumors that he sexually harassed Gates McFadden), and in the absence of Michael Piller, writer Ronald D. Moore speaks eloquently about the changes in the series’ approach from a storytelling perspective that proved a turning point for the series creatively.
I don’t know if Chaos on the Bridge ever really proves its thesis, though. It moves too fast through too much to do more than kick up a lot of interest dirt around Gene Roddenbury and his state of mind during the Next Generation years without ever fully patting it back down. That said, as a grab bag of interesting stories and fun anecdotes from the people who were there, it’s still worth watching if you’re a Trekkie, particularly if you’re as big a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation as I am.
This was a good focused episode and comes through with the promise to make this a Mandaloran heavy season. This episode sucked all that is great about Star Wars. It had a DEEP callbacks to the prequels while still staying relevant to the current storyline. But still found a way to please the fans by making the much maligned Jar Jar Binks actor play a Jedi Master who saved Grogu and he was badass. I think thats what some of the best episodes of the show has. Smart callbacks to the past but still an interesting story that stands on its own. I am really loving the Bo-Katan storyline. They introduced her last season and jaded, cynical and angry wanbee ruler who only had eyes on the Dark Saber and ruling her house. When Din took it instead she lost her followers and her way. Now this season she is starting to believe in the Way of the Mandalore and seems to have found a home who people she considered out of touch zealots not too long ago and to their credit they have accepted her. I will be interesting to see how her character grows or if she has some plan to take control? I know there is an Imperial Warlord after her and that dumb mercenary seaweed head from the first episode. I bet we see one of them next episode.
Another cool episode :) It's nice to have Mando back and see more of the Jedi (Ahsoka, Luke, and Grogu).
However, it's still "weird" that they seem to use a puppet for Grogu. The body animation is too unrealistic. This could be much better with CGI.
Mando's friend is badass but she should've indeed kept his armor... :o I hope he isn't dead yet but it doesn't look good at all. Cad Bane is definitely a character that I didn't expect to see again. Might be nice but I'm already mad at him (even though he didn't seem to be the first to pull the gun).
Luke using the force to walk with Grogu was funny :D It's also nice that he's building a school. I just hope that he won't hold on too much on the old ways of the Jedi. Attachment can be a bad thing for a fighter but it doesn't have to be (although Anakin isn't the best example here... :o). Anyway, I didn't like the choice that he offered to Grogu. Would be funny if Grogu doesn't choose Yoda's lightsaber though or if he chooses neither.
Ahsoka saying "So much like your father" to Luke was quite interesting.
I also hope the The Mandalorians will be able to change their way a bit. It could be nice if Mando would return to lead them with the Darksaber.
I can't believe it's been around 8 years since i last watched this show. I still remember so much of it, in rare contrast to other shows where many years have gone by. The show, or rather this starting episode is still as good as i remember.
The portrayal of the gravity of events is really good here, as is the interesting plot of the episode with having to escape from the Cylons by having to jump every 33 minutes, and we see the real dramatic effects from that on the crew, along with the moral dilemma at the end of the episode. But it was mitigated somewhat in that it looked like no one or most humans weren't on board the ship, and why would the Cylons send it back anyway, knowing the humans would likely destroy it, they should have come up with a bette ruse or excuse than the obvious "the cylons left us alone"
The characters are well developed (continuing on from the miniseries) and the dialogue is good.
However, there's a fundamental aspect to this show that is seen here and is going to be explored throughout the show, and it's heavily contraversial with fans. That is, the religious aspect to the show. It's brought up here a bit, and i think it's sloppily executed, just thrown in there, and it feels opposed to the gritty nature of the show, rather than well incorporated. I remember not liking this theme through the entire show, but now, i'll have to see where they go with it. Overall, this reboot has started out successfuly, continuing on from the great miniseries.
Season 1 of 'The Crown' is impressive, though isn't anything overly enthralling.
That's not a negative per se, but it's very much a show that I can sit back and enjoy as opposed to being on the edge of my seat. The standout part to this is the cast, who do an admirable job at portraying their characters. If I have one grievance it is that the story does feel very well told, too well in-fact - as in, you can tell it's written based on how everyone knows the subjects involved; Winston Churchill being the key example of that, it can all come across a little too on the nose at times.
As noted, the cast are fantastic. Claire Foy is an incredible cast as Queen Elizabeth II. Not only does she look like her, she portrays her exceptionally - very impressive performance. The aforementioned Churchill is played by John Lithgow, who I was unsure about during the opening episodes but by the end he also delivers - he's fun to watch in the role, even if it is a tad exaggerated portrayal here and there. Matt Smith (Philip), Vanessa Kirby (Margaret) and Jared Harris (King George VI) are also good here.
The whole look of the show is superb. Love the work of Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams on the theme/music, also.
[8.0/10] “The Solitary Clone” plays like a throwback to the days of The Clone Wars series. I used to accuse TCW of “video game plotting.” On a regular basis, some combination of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ashoka would fight some goons, then probably some bigger goons, then a few genuinely challenging enemies, before going toe-to-toe with the final boss of the episode. As much as I enjoyed the show, I got tired of that formula in its early seasons.
In a sense “The Solitary Clone” is just that. When infiltrating a planet to rescue a kidnapped superior, Crosshair and none other than the long missing Commander Cody lead the mission. They mow down a series of nigh-useless B1 battle droids, before having to contend with some mildly more challenging droidekas, then they have a legitimately harrowing fight with a few droid commandos of the sort that gave Ahsoka fits at the beginning of The Clone Wars, before taking out a strategy droid and facing down their target’s captor.
The action is exciting, with losses (albeit of barely-named “regs”) that show the costs of the assault, and some genuinely clever tactics at play. In particular, Crosshair’s use of reflective pucks, and the ensuing struggle within a spiral staircase, is some of the most claustrophobic, well-directed action The Bad Batch has offered this season. But the general shape of the way the battle escalates would be familiar to anyone who’s been watching Commander Cody since he appeared in The Clone Wars pilot movie.
But I take that to be the point here. Because even though the rhythms are the same, the context is very different, and I think The Bad Batch wants its viewers, especially the longtime fans, to contemplate that. Watching clone troopers fight through a bunch of battle droids on a Separatist planet where they’ve taken an opposing leader hostage is meat and potatoes, rah-rah stuff. But now the situation is different.
The government the soldiers are fighting for isn’t the Republic; it’s the Empire. The Separatists aren’t aggressors attacking our heroes; they’re an independent system that just wants to remain independent and avoid being gobbled up by the Empire. Many of the faces are the same. The overall progression of the fight is the same. But everything here feels off, to where who to root for, versus who the perspective characters are, isn’t as clear as it once was.
That's a feature, not a bug. Cody is doing what he’s always done. He listens to the orders of his generals. He battles his way through wave after wave of battle droids. He reaches the enemy target and gets them at a disadvantage.
Yet, that's where things are different. Governor Tawni Ames is a reasonable person. Her motives to protect her people from Imperial overreach are sympathetic. She is not a warmonger. In fact, she joined Mina Bonteri, a Separatist Senator, and a group of Republic Senators, in proposing a peace accord that was rejected by Palpatine. Bonteri was part of an episode called “Heroes on Both Sides”, crossing paths with the heroes of The Clone Wars and teaching Ahsoka in particular that the war wasn’t as cut and dry as “good vs. evil”, but that there were well-intentioned Separatists who had their own fair points and legitimate grievances to bear.
Now, Cody gets the same lesson. He recognizes her as someone else who lived through the horrors of that war, and persuades her to let the hostage go without a fight lest their actions this day result in more bloody conflict. In effect, he recognizes that despite his orders, Governor Ames is not a bad guy. He wants a peaceful, diplomatic solution to this, and manages to achieve it by laying down his arms and promising her that if she works with him on this, this can all stop without anyone else having to die for it. With the word of a fellow traveler as a bond, she agrees.
And Crosshair kills her.
You know it’s coming, and it still hurts a little. We know from last season’s finale that Crosshair is a true believer, not even needing the control ship to continue the path that he was set on during the Clone Wars. He has his orders. He follows them. It’s not his to question why. The Empire is the inheritor of the Republic, and thus the institution he owes fealty to. That's it. That's all it ever was. He does what’s asked of him.
But Cody can’t. There’s a grim tone that spills over Dessex as the Empire descends on the once-independent world. The skittering residents seem even more concerned as the stormtroopers show up to take their world by force and make an example out of them. Cody can’t abide it. He can’t abide the Imperial general breaking the promise Cody made to Governor Ames. He can’t abide Crosshair’s cold willingness to execute those orders, and the Governor, without a second thought. He is the latest trooper to cross paths with Crosshair and decide to go AWOL.
The reasons are clear. He tells Crosshair that there’s a difference between clones and droids, and it rings true, despite the comparisons Star Wars animation has drawn between the two over the years. Clones do make real choices, and they have to live with them. Cody still thought he was fighting for the good guys. But the game has changed, and after such a craven display, the familiar becomes foreign, and what you used to do unquestioningly suddenly becomes a moral compromise you can no longer stand. Cody’s the same, but the world’s different, and he has to act on that difference.
So true to the title, Crosshair is once again left alone. Even the other regs won’t sit with him. Anyone he has a bond with, even a passing acquaintance with, seems to have taken a different path. The world is the same to him, and maybe it is. Maybe we were just as wrong for rooting for one side over the other rather than recognizing the abiding message of The Clone Wars and, to some extent, the whole Prequel Trilogy. To the extent there’s anything but, this was a senseless war, and it didn’t matter whom you were cheering for, because the same forces were pulling the strings on both sides, they served to benefit from it, and everyone else, even those fighting for the right reasons, were sullied by it.
That's a hard lesson, especially for what is ostensibly an all-ages program. But it seems to be increasingly the purview of The Bad Batch. This series carries on the legacy of the show that spawned it, through the eyes of one of the heroes turned villains, ordered to kill the heroes turned villains, and finds himself ostracized and isolated for it.
I watched the movies when they originally came out in theatrical version 20 years ago, and while I loved them, I could not fully grasp their significance at the time (I was 11 when Fellowship of the Ring came out). So re-watching it 20 years later, in the extended version, three movies in a row, and knowing what I know about Tolkien, fantasy, the role that LOTR has in culture more generally, and the advances in technology that happened since this movie was originally released, I'm happy to say that this movie is even more awesome than I remembered.
Over almost three hours it hardly loses momentum - you feel energized and excited for this group even if you know everything that is to come.
I feel that The Two Towers and the Return of the King rely more on chromakey scenes, but I could barely notice them in The Fellowship of the Ring. The pacing is awesome, no comments on the acting or score, or cinematography. It feels rushed at times, but it packs SO, SO MUCH over its runtime that it's an incredible feat. Peter Jackson had an immense responsibility in adapting an astonishing book into a movie that would stand the test of time, and surprisingly, he pulled it off. I'm still in shock and awe with this movie.
I watched the first three episodes, and quite frankly this show is a complete mess.
It can't decide whether it wants to be a period drama, a detective show, urban fantasy, a war story... The dichotomies between these genres are too big, and the writer makes a crap job of marrying them together. They're not mixed well enough for the flow of the story to be smooth. It's like watching a show with multiple personalities disorder.
The dialogue isn't all that great, the timeframe of events is unclear, and there's no spark between the lead couple in the slightest. They have some type of chemistry, but it is definitely not of the romantic kind. Also the pacing is all wrong. There are way too many scenes so unnecessarily long. It made for a very boring watching experience.
As for the cast, they're not the best of actors, but they're not the worst either. However, I need Cara to just pick a freking accent and stick to it. I've seen her in interviews and I know that's not what she sounds like, so why have an Irish accent for some scenes and not for others? The accent wasn't necessary in the slightest. So why even add it if you're not gonna be great at it? So pointless.
If you wanna watch an Amazon Prime show about a wartime love story with fantasy elements, just go watch The Man in the High Castle. The first season is infinitely better, I promise.
[8.0/10] Wrecker is such a big teddy bear most of the time. Sure, he likes whomping folks and blowing things up, but he mainly scans as an overgrown toddler. It never seems odd when he bonds with Omega, or has a playful big brother vibe with Tech. There’s a kid-like quality to him that belies his build and his power. Those attributes make him seem friendly and even sweet.
That makes it extra scary and extra impactful when his inhibitor chip goes off and suddenly he’s a slasher villain. You see the same power, the same strength, deployed against the people Wrecker cares about, his comrades and his surrogate little sis, without any hesitation or remorse. It’s the most frightening thing The Bad Batch has shown so far, and also one of the most heartbreaking for the same reason -- because the Wrecker we know has no control over this situation.
It’s an appropriately big event to coincide with the appearance of none other than Rex, one of the most important and well-loved characters to emerge from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There’s lots of connections to other Star Wars properties in “Battle Scars”. Wrecker and Omega dine on popcorn you can find at Galaxy’s Edge. The Venator-class destroyer our heroes sneak aboard on Bracca is very much at issue in Fallen Order. It’s hard to find an episode of The Bad Batch that hasn’t had these sorts of tie-ins to elsewhere in the galaxy far far away.
But Rex is the biggest and most momentous because he comes laden with as deep an understanding as anyone of what damage those inhibitor chips can do. His desire to free his brothers from their hold, and his fear about what they’re capable of if the chips aren’t neutralized, is more than justified, as anyone who’s seen The Clone Wars knows.
So he makes for a natural guide when it comes time to pay off Wrecker’s recurring headaches. The show does some of its best work in terms of design and direction, as our heroes spelunk through the Venator ship, fight off squid monsters, and eventually have to defend against one of their own. Rex’s presence adds urgency and gravitas to what’s been an exciting but lighter adventure so far.
The height of this one, though, comes when Wrecker turns on Omega. The show’s right to spend much of the early going on the two of them having fun together, chowing down on popcorn and having their own post-mission tradition. It reinforces the sweetness between them we’ve seen as early as Wrecker making Omega her very own bunk.
So it twists the knife even harder when Wrecker accuses her of treason and comes close to destroying her. Their size disparity becomes real and menacing for the first time. The stand-off intensifies the double-edged tragedy of Order 66, with good people killed by those they trust and people who are just as good forced to become butchers of those close to them against their will.
As scary as Wrecker advancing on young Omega is, there’s an equal and opposite sweetness to her refusing to leave his side when recovering from the inhibitor chip extraction. It comes with a certain sorrow when Wrecker tries to apologize for his actions, feeling as though he’s done something unforgivable, only to be wiped away by a heartwarming gesture from Omega, reinstating their popcorn tradition, a sign that she understands that heartless beast was not the same person who made her a bunk.
In the end, Rex doesn't exactly pass the torch to Hunter, but he does give our new leader figure a benediction. Rex is still fighting the good fight, but Hunter isn’t sure what that means just yet, or if it’s right for his squad. The closing conversation does right by both clones, acknowledging their different ages and experiences, and pointing toward things both certain and unsure for both of them. The combination of their understanding, and the journey of Wrecker from lovable lug to terrifying brute and back, makes “Battle Scars” The Bad Batch’s best outing yet.
I liked it. This felt like a round ending to the series and could perfectly well be the complete prequel to Rogue One when it comes to Andor himself. I am even perfectly fine with the many open endings. They would simply fit the shows mood if they simply stayed as they are.
Speaking of mood the episode took up the same kind of slow atmosphere that was so great in the first arc. Although the procession took a bit too long. But still there was again so much tension. It was great to tie most of the many storylines together so convincingly in the first place. Having them and the characters each with their own motivation meet was so full of suspense because it wasn't clear who was going to come out on top. Especially because there was no plotarmor or any mercy. The escalation was completely ruthless and simply consequent in its delivery. I was really surprised that was actually dragged into the middle of the riot without any obvious escape. I really had thought that the writers would be so bold to ... write her off. Only to be surprised again.
In terms of content this also had some very nice elements, like the Speech.
But however much I love this show for its portrayal of everything when it comes to the empire ( like finally Stormtroopers being treated like the elite they are supposed to be while most of the soldiers present are imperial soldiers!) I am still taken out of it whenever I see humans humans humans.
Yes they do have some... Statutory aliens in closer shots but just way too few and not a single character or supporting character.
[7.4/10] This episode is still good, but very plainly consists largely of setup for the finale, which means everything feels a little inchoate and a little unfinished. Andor has been no stranger to table-setting episodes. But even more so than past outings, given that we pretty much know all the players and the basic situation at this point, there’s not much new to reveal, and it’s more a matter of moving everyone to the right places on the board.
The showpiece scene is Luthen talking down Saw about Anto Kreegyr’s doomed raid. The fact that Guerrera seems a little mad and suspicious here helps make the conversation seem precarious. Luthen is spitting facts -- that Kreegyr going down is better for the Rebellion than warning him off. But Saw is understandably concerned. Is it right to burn an ally, even a loose one? Is Luthen playing everybody for a malign force? Would he do the same to Saw?
Those questions aren’t firmly answered, and Saw’s a little paranoid to begin with. But I like his response a lot. Part of how the Rebellion is able to operate is by letting the Empire think they’re in firm control. It’s the same thing Andor said to him in their first ship journey together. You can steal from them because they’re so arrogant that they think no one would dare. Luthen puts the decision in Saw’s hands, but he makes his point. People who think they’re in control are exploitable. People who are nervous that deceit and betrayal are around every corner are dangerous. Thirty men is a lot, but this is the grim math Luthen conducts, and so is an ISB contact and the continued ability to work in the dark.
It speaks to what I take to be one of the big themes of Andor so far, and one that ties it into Rogue One -- sacrifice. Kreegyr and his men are being sacrificed. Luthen’s soul is burned on the altar of the greater good. Rebel operatives perish in the Aldhani raid. Inmates die in the Narkina 5 prison break. Better to die fighting them than giving than what they want, after all, right?
But Mon Mothma may have to sacrifice her daughter, in a sense, which may be the part that's most heartbreaking. We don’t seem to get much progress on this storyline from the last episode, but just Mon Mohtma and her sister, Vel, commiserating about it helps reveal how hard this is for all involved. Mon seems to loathe the old ways of Chandrilla. To see her daughter adopt them so reflexively, on her own, at the risk of being married off to some Chandrillan gangster’s son at an age where her brain hasn’t fully developed yet, is devastating. And yet, it comes with the ability to keep funding the Rebellion, to keep promoting independence and liberty within a fascist regime and bring down the halls of power from the inside. That too is a sacrifice, one that comes in a different form, but which can have an impact no less piercing.
The other big event here is, of course, Maarva dying. It’s suitably sad, particularly as seen through the lens of poor little B2EMO. The show gives us a nice look at Ferrix customs, and the idea of being made into a brick, with your name engraved and preserved in some local wall, has a generational, preservationist appeal. I like the notion that this is a sad event, but also one that others from the outside see as an opportunity.
So ISB knows that this is about to go down and might be the place to catch Andor. Karn gets the word from his old sergeant (via an amusingly poor connection) and heads there too. Cinta is poised to strike if need be. And a host of others have their grip tightened in the area in case this man who’s caused such a ruckus decides to return to pay his respects at his mom’s funeral.
That leaves Cassian himself. In truth, him getting back home is a mostly perfunctory thing. It’s a little convenient, frankly, that he’s able to make it from some rock cropping on Nakima 5 to a free shuttle ride to Space Miami. But at least we get some cool-looking aliens out of the deal. Diego Luna’s acting when Cassian finds out about Maarva is quite good, and the images we see of him reflecting on a tropical sky are beautiful. Most of this seems like wheel-spinning before the big climax, but it’s solid.
So too is Luthen’s escape from an Imperial patrol in similar pointless but well-done terms. If anything, it seems like Andor’s creative team decided this was all too staid and they needed something action-y to up the fireworks quotient. All of that said, Luthen stalling for time, disintegrating a satellite dish, and laser spinning his way out of dodge is pretty cool, which earns it some leeway.
All of that said, I like the idea that he’s headed to Ferrix, another ingredient in the combustible soup that’s bubbling there in the wake of Maarva’s death. There’s a lot of people out to get Cassian right now, and something tells me Luthen’s going to be the one to save him, albeit maybe in a way that requires another great sacrifice. Onto the finale!
That really was an in-between-episode. Luthen and Saw again very strong and I was completely amazed by Luthens Getaway even though it was a bit overly convenient for him to have these measures that conflict with everything we have seen in star wars anywhere.
But that actually doesn't matter because I still think it's absolutely believable for the simple reason that we have so far only seen either military, mass produced vehicles or even more often crappy, old, almost dismantled spacecraft because that's just what rebels and wannabe rebels can afford. There have not been any extremely expensive customised ones. So I am completely fine with Luthen being able to escape it just could have been introduced or foreshadowed better.
On Andors side I must say the prison episodes now feel a bit disconnected. It was solved too easily and without specific implications. They almost leave a feeling as though Gilroy simply wanted to change genre for a bit. For missing Marva's death being on the luxury planet would have sufficed. And the argument that he at least would have been able to contact her in freedom is naught in my opinion because Andor just would have been too cautious.
It's a little amazing, really, how quickly the original Superman franchise eroded into bad comedy. This being the ground floor of that descent, it bears little similarity to the original film beyond several key casting choices and a spit curl. Christopher Reeve returns as the title character, of course, with Margot Kidder suffering an expanded role and Gene Hackman back from a one-film exile to ham it up once again as a clueless, underwhelming Lex Luthor. Filling the Richard Pryor "why?!" role from the previous film is Jon Cryer, then known as Duckie from Pretty in Pink, who plays some sort of pointless, meandering male twist on the Valley Girl stereotype that was rolling through culture at the time. I'm still not entirely sure why he was elbowed into the plot.
This isn't aggressively bad like Superman III, it's just hopelessly inept. In fact, the core of the story has a lot of potential: Superman, inspired by a letter from a young boy, destroys the world's nuclear armaments and discovers that some problems can't be solved quite so easily. It sputters and fails right on the launchpad, though, and soon falls back on a muscle-flexing brawl with some generic evil menace to solve the problem. Its grasp on physics, and reality as a whole, is so loose it's almost adorable. I'd pat my four-year-old son on the head and smile if he suggested we move the moon around to keep the sun out of his eyes, but for this film that's a legitimate solution. To say its answers make any sense would be an insult to sense itself.
The whole thing plays like an easy answer to a complex problem, from the story to the editing to the acting and effects work. These older superhero movies don't hold up to the rigors of time as a whole, but Superman IV looks particularly bad in a modern setting. Even the hero's indistinguishable costume seems cut-rate and fake, like they'd forgotten to commission a wardrobe department until the night before production.
Head-shakingly pointless and dull, this film only seems to exist to kill time. Which, thankfully, it doesn't demand in great quantities. While the original cut came in at over two hours, some greedy last-minute cuts trimmed it down to a slim ninety minutes. Why the late edits? To ensure a few more showings each day at theaters nationwide. Of course.
The superhero film by which all those that followed are measured and rightly so. It is also no surprise that introducing a new Superman in the modern era has proved so difficult with such a perfect origin story already committed to film, as the split opinion over Man of Steel proves. From the opening moments, it is quite clear that this film is supremely confident in its story and characters and that the audience will invest their time in it too - hell, Superman doesn't even appear properly until well over an hour has passed. Pitch perfect casting throughout helps and whilst Reeve earns all the plaudits for his portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman, let's not forget some great work by Jeff East who plays Clark as a teenager. Both imbue Clark and Superman with such humanity and belief in what he represents that the audience is swept along with them. Verisimilitude was Donner's watchword when making the film, but he didn't just convince us that a man could fly, he convinced us that Superman's ideals and belief in humanity were possible and worth fighting for. There is a surprising lack of action sequences, which is worth noting given the clamour for action in the modern franchise and whilst the effects may have dated it really makes little difference as the audience is so invested in the characters. The helicopter rescue still thrills, the missile chase is still exciting and whilst the final resolution from a story point of view is a little cheap, it brings two key moments in Superman's story full circle as he refuses to accept a loss and Reeve's performance here is enough to render such quibbles moot. And then there is William's score...in the film it's enough to bring goosebumps at the mere anticipation of the anthem. Is it any wonder the filmmakers decided they needed a 5 minute opening credit sequence to show it off ? Still the best!!
We all have unique reasons for loving a film. That's what makes cinema so magical. It's personal. You can love the meat of the movie, or you can love the trimmings.
There's a bunch of good stuff here. Most people my age will refer to "Superman" as THE definitive superhero film. None will ever take it's place. A position no doubt dictated by the age we were when first viewing it. As with films like "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark", WHEN you experience them is just as important as HOW you experience them.
As we age, youth's eyes fade. Cynicism creeps in. Experience leads us to see the many injustices this life offers and we become more critical... less likely to accept that which we would rather believe. After all, an adult who clings to the youthful ideals of wonder is simply naive... right?
To this day, the opening title sequence for "Superman" fills me with the same magical joy it did over twenty years ago. Never was a score so perfectly crafted around a film. John Williams and Richard Donner created such an indelible experience that over 25 yrs later, Bryan Synger will use the same music and theme to bring the magic to a new generation of wondrous eyes.
As for me though, this will always remain the best.
Well, the dinosaur special effects are quite decent. Unfortunately that is more or less the only reason to watch this movie.
I really do not understand how the Hollywood idiots can decide to spend loads of money on special effects but not bother to get a decent story/script writer? I mean come on, the story of this movie is just another thirteen on a dozen “big companies are bad” story with dinosaurs thrown in.
The story is convoluted to say the least and there is as much logic in it as you would expect from a Hollywood writer hack. Things more or less just happen and the “heroes” fight off one dinosaur attack after another on their way to the bad gay without ever tiring. And why the hell can Hollywood never produce a movie where the “heroes” doesn’t just stare like idiots at something until they are screwed?
Idiotic nonsens like being able to train a dinosaur to home in on someone like a heat seeking missile and chase them forever after having pointed a laser marker on them for a couple of seconds is also the usual unintelligent Hollywood nonsense that just ruins a movie for anyone with anything like average intelligence.
They brough back some of the old characters but they do not really help. The mostly act like they cannot wait to get paid and get out of there. Jeff Goldblum is his usual climate cult procelyte. I did not really like him in the first movie and he is even worse in this one. The bad guy totally lacks charisma. The only character I really liked was DeWanda Wise as Kyle Watts.
It is really a shame to see another franchise destroyed by today’s Hollywood morons. I’ve been a dinosaur fan since I was a kid and when the first Jurassic Parc came out with real, life like dinosaurs it was just wow. But now, not even the special effects can save this movie. It is not a good movie, plain and simple.
@csbarker - Hindsight is always 20/20, especially in the eyes of young men, looking for adventure, and wanting to prove themselves heroic, gorged on the propaganda of duty, honor, and the notion of fighting for the "Father or Mother-land". However, do not misunderstand my position. Pacifism cannot fly in the face of those who would bring havoc and ruin upon ourselves, our loved ones, and our cherished way of life, as "greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend". (John 15:13) But, being volunteered for the Cuisinart of war at the behest of those "in the rear with the gear", or worse, politicians sitting fat and sassy in their ivory towers, while the blood and treasure of others is spilled in their behalf makes little sense either. After all, "suppose they gave a war...,and NOBODY came?"
All Quiet on the Western Front exposes the devastating insanity of "Modern" warfare, where new instruments of death such as the machine gun, tanks, flame throwers, poison gas and heavy artillery made old tactics like digging a trench and then going "over the top" straight into a hail of bullets to gain a few meters of ground a futile exercise. Nor was digging in and holding ground any better of an option, as eventually, tanks, poison gas, or even enemy tunnellers could eventually breach the held position and kill you anyway. Not to mention the mud, rats, diseases or, as shown, plain old starvation and deprivation, driving men to desperation and madness.
Yet, what was the individual soldier to do, when, refusing an order to run headlong into almost certain death, would result in summary execution. That is the conundrum these men faced. Yes, there are always those who are "professional solders" who would rather go out in a "blaze of glory" than negotiate the peace, but what of those who finally realized they've been hoodwinked, and just want to get back to the wife and kids, or just WANT the CHANCE to have a wife and kids?"
For me, the most poignant moments were those where for Paul, if only fleetingly, the fog of war briefly lifted, and, he regained his humanity, in the one instance, after hand to hand fighting and stabbing the French soldier, then apologizing and trying to save him, and then of course, when he was sent on the final charge, ending up fighting in the trench, and then, face to face with his fellow, yet enemy soldier, knowing the armistice is to take effect in a few minutes, he pauses, and his "warface" slowly relaxes, and they BOTH realize they no longer want to do this, sadly, all for naught.
And yet, 104 years later, it seems we STILL haven't learned.......
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022): 7.5/10 (Impressive, yet it doesn't quite hit the mark in every respect)
A fascinating film with potential that was never fully achieved. “All Quiet on the Western Front” does not rely solely on shock value to disturb its audience; instead, it uses the horrors of war to sober them with facts and dismal realities. The film's story was worth telling; it left an impression long after the credits rolled. It dealt with many weighty themes, including a young man's journey through war, the difficulties of combat, the cruelty of desperation, and the value of friendship and camaraderie, all of which were handled with grace and artistry. Furthermore, it boasted first-rate production values, breathtaking visuals, a terrific score (although maybe a tad bit over the top), and stellar acting. Although there is much to praise about the film, “All Quiet on the Western Front” is ultimately hampered by its drawn-out length, the plot dragging in spots, and several confusing moments. All the pieces were in place for “All Quiet on the Western Front” to be the best picture of the year, and in some respects, it is. Fans of the genre, or anyone who appreciates a well-made film, should not miss this film despite its limitations.
You have to be in the right frame of mind for this. It isn't a heroic epic where everything turns out all right.
It is a graphic and real depiction of the horrors of war from the eyes of those fighting on the front lines in ww1. It is meant to make you question the motives of leaders. It is meant to make you think about how much the normal people putting their lives on the lines to kill each other, actually differ from the ones they are killing. And it's meant to show you/make you viscerally feel the shift that happens when you move from only hearing the media/govt rhetoric - to seeing first hand the conflicts of interest / cruelty in your own / illogical decisions - to finally becoming a numb, automaton following orders blindly to stay alive.
It is a very well made film. You care about the characters. You feel the emotions. You really understand the implications of the fruitless efforts at the western front. You end feeling how tragic it was. I ended feeling anger for how people were treated like throwaway chess pieces. You've got to be in the right frame of mind!
[7.5/10] This felt like a straight up The Clone Wars episode. You’ve got Anakin teaching Ahsoka a lesson, with some encouragement from Obi-Wan and help from the likes of Rex, Jesse, and other familiar clone troopers. The other episodes of Tales of the Jedi so far have felt like glimpses of corners of the Star Wars saga we’ve never gotten to see before. But this one feels a little more like gap-filling a nostalgia bait for TCW fans.
But you know what? I am a TCW fan, so it worked on me! While there’s a certain sports movie story shape to this one, I like the central concept of Anakin thinking that traditional Jedi tests are too staid and predictable, and so wanting to shape something more realistic and challenging for his pupil. It’s true to form for Anakin, and his color-outside-the-lines mentality.
Forcing Ahsoka to square off against Clone Troopers with their blasters set on stun serves both purposes. To Anakin’s point, troopers are less predictable than droids. And it also speaks to a certain resilience necessary in battle. Ahsoka is out for long periods of time when stunned, but has to keep getting up and keep fighting, another skill that’s important for actual battles.
What I like most about this one is that it puts the audience in the same position as Ahsoka emotionally. We feel her frustration at this seemingly impossible exercise with the endless rhythm of Anakin’s repeated “Again”s. We feel her pain when she’s stunned and passes out again and again, tumbling like a wounded gazelle each time she gets back to us. This is a deliberately frustrating task, one that requires determination and balance the whole way through.
And yet, there’s a strong emotional turning point. When Ashoka questions the utility of the test, Anakin explains that he wants it to be challenging, because it will make her better, prepare her for what’s really out there, and that he knows she can do it. It’s tough love, the kind that’s hard to watch in places, but one that evinces a sense of faith for Anakin in his padawan. So when we see it work, when we see Ahsoka succeeding now and in the future, while an older Anakin looks on in approval, it’s an affirmation of both student and teacher, and a heartening one at that.
Then comes the gut punch. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming that this training would be important when, as in the end of The Clone Wars seventh season, Ahsoka has to fight off the clones who’s chips have been activated. It’s a dark note to end on. There’s grim poetry to the fact that the friends helping her become better would turn on her, and force her to use those skills she learned in that training session for real. But like so much, it adds to the tragedy and irony of the Prequel Era story, where it’s the very skills Ahsoka’s master taught her that allow her to survive the hell his master hath wrought.
Visually, there’s some neat elements here too. However much Anakin may turn his nose up at the official training session, the balletic grace and impact with which Ashoka moves versus the ball droids is impressive and visually arresting. Watching her slice through big laser light donuts makes for some damn cool visuals too. The repetitious nature of the stuns and blackouts sells the tough consequences of this intense training session. And not for nothing, this could just be the power of suggestion, but I feel like they tweaked Ahsoka’s design slightly to make her look more like Rosario Dawson.
Overall, more so than any of the other shorts, this one seems tailor-made for anyone who misses The Clone Wars. (Hell, we even have a cameo from Caleb Dume for Rebels fans.) That makes it arguably the least adventurous of these outings, but also one that will resonate with anyone who’s been watching the story of Anakin and Ahsoka’s mentorship for years.
[7.2/10] This was easily my least favorite of these so far, but it was still pretty good? So that counts for something.
What I like about it is the melancholic tone we get for much of it. Dooku is turning to the dark side but he’s not glad or gleeful about it. He’s full of sorrow, maybe even remorse, that it’s come to this. Nothing drives that home more than the death of Qui Gon, his padawan learner. The death of his former apprentice comes too soon, and comes in the face of a Jedi Council who refused to heed his warnings.
Some of this business plays like too much of a gesture toward what the audience already knows. We already know from Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars that Dooku was responsible for the business with Sifo Dyas and Kamino, so watching him actively erase the planet from the Jedi archives doesn’t add much. Likewise, him having a conversation with Qui Gon where he tells his former protege that he’s heard Qui Gon signing Obi-Wan’s praises and hopes to meet him someday plays like heavy-handed foreshadowing of their confrontation in Ep. II.
But there’s something about Dooku reacting to the events of The Phantom Menace with sadness and anger that has real power. He loses something real when Qui Gon dies, both a surrogate child and the last lingering thread of his faith in the council. We understand now, in a way that wasn’t as clear before, why he sided with Sidious. The idea of the Jedi as blind puppets of a corrupt Senate, and the need to break some eggs to make a new omlette, is intuitively comprehensible, making Dooku’s perspective more complex. But at the same time, he laments the costs that have led them to this point, Qui Gon especially.
The big problem is Yaddle. On a storytelling level, it’s not great that fighting her is what cements Dooku’s turn to the darkside for one simple reason -- she’s never received any character shading on-screen until now. This isn’t Anakin fighting Obi-Wan or Maul fighting Sidious. We’ve never seen any interactions between Dooku and Yaddle until now. So while Yaddle is meant to represent the good of the council and the side of the Jedi that’s sympathetic to Dooku’s criticisms and could buy into reform, it has no weight because she’s barely a character, and she and Dooku have no shared history, at least none that we’ve seen.
On a more textural level, there’s more that makes the confrontation carry less weight than it might. Bryce Dallas Howard is talented, but her Yaddle voice isn’t great, and seems obviously like a young person trying to sound old in a way that takes you out of the moment. The design’s also odd, looking like Yoda in a cheap wig, which doesn’t help the tone either. And as with Dooku and Yoda’s confrontation in AotC, there’s something silly about watching a grown man fight a muppet, and all the cool lighting and staging and scoring in the world can’t do much to change that.
So overall, I love this as a continuation of a character story, showing the conflict in Dooku, the legitimate principles that brought him into Palpatine’s grasp, and the personal connections and losses that embittered his heart. And I low-key loathe it as a major transition that hinges on a battle with a silly-looking figure who’s been more of an intriguing prop than a full-fledged character to this point. The good stuff is worth the bad though.
[7.8/10] Another one I really liked. The contrast between Dooku and Mace Windu isn’t subtle. Windu follows orders and obeys the rules. Dooku is more interested in getting to the heart of the matter, even if it means using force or going beyond the bounds of the mission. That leads to philsohpical clashes between them, even when Dooku’s methods prove...effective as they investigate the murder of a fellow Jedi.
I’ll admit to being duped here. I fully expected that the shifty senator was the one who ordered Master Ketri killed. The twist, that it was the guards who abused her, and not the senator's idea, plays on our natural suspicions of the clearly anxious senator. But the next turn is even better. As with those who kidnapped Senator Dagonet’s son in the last episode, the guards who were strong-arming Senator Semage had a more righteous cause despite their questionable methods too.
Semage was selling off their planet and their people piece by piece. They wanted to force him to present a plan that represented the people, not just provided a means for him to feather their own nest. And when the Jedi ask why they didn't just bring their concerns to Master Ketri, the guards explain that from their perspective, the Jeui are just lap dogs for the senate, who wouldn't address the real concerns of the people.
This is implied to be the roots of the Separatist movement. The Separatists are pretty much the mustache twirling bad guys of the Prequel Era. (Despite the fact that the planet of the week for this one, Raxus, originally appeared in a Clone Wars episode called “Heroes on Both Sides”.) So it’s interesting to see their origins portrayed so sympathetically. Yes, they resort to murder and blackmail. But they’re also responding to corruption with the only tools at their disposal against an entrenched system.
I was a little taken aback to hear them throw recriminations against the Jedi that they claim to be peacekeepers, but only act to preserve law and order to protect the rich. The criticism is a timely one, and of a piece with the inherent flaws of the Republic and the Jedi Order that were the bread and butter of The Clone Wars series. For the first time, you can understand why Dooku would take up the cause of the Separatists, resent the Jedi for enforcing the status quo rather than protecting the people, and try to effect change in his own way.
Of course, there’s also a touch of the personal. The fact that rule bound, doctrinaire Windu is promoted to the Jedi High Council, while Dooku himself, whose actions actually solved the mystery, requires a good word from his condescending partner to avoid punishment for those actions, doesn’t help his opinion of the council. I don’t know that I ever would have asked for a Dooku origin story, or to trace the causes of hsi turn away from the Jedi, but I find myself compelled and comprehending of it now.
The texture of this one is good too. While the fight between the Jedi and the Raxus guards is pretty standard stuff, the autumnal setting, rich with hues of falling leaves and scenic beauty, gives it something extra. And I could be misremembering, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Jedi Council funeral before. It’s a lovely, somber occasion, with the assembled paying their respects, and beam of light emanating from the coffin to illuminate their way.
Overall, another quality installment from Tales of the Jedi that makes Dooku’s fall and turn away more clear and understandable.
[9.0/10] I loved this. The premise of it is so simple. Two Jedi are sent to rectify one injustice and, instead, discover another. But the consequences are so profound. Master and padawan are sent to rescue the kidnapped son of a senator from the dastardly villains who stole him away. Only, they’re not villainous, and it’s not a handful of bad apples. It’s the whole town, having taken direct action because the supposedly noble senator’s policies have robbed their community of the resources it needs to survive. This is their only, desperate option to make change.
The shift is powerful. The way Dooku comes in, flashing his lightsaber and seemingly ready to impose his will on this backwater berg, only to discover they’re the real victims, is striking. Hell, even the senator’s son ends up sympathetic, despite the fact that he’s the bargaining chip here. And the fact that Senator Dagonet himself shows up, threatening to exact terrible vengeance upon a hurting people, shows that despite his exalted position and the Jedi’s obligations to the senate, the cause of these supposed malcontents opposing him is a righteous one, and he’s not worthy of a Jedi’s honor or protection.
You don’t want to make too much out of one incident, but it’s a microcosm of the psychology that will lead Dooku and Qui Gon down very different, yet still related, paths. Dooku sees the rot within the Republic’s government, and is ready to root it out by any means necessary. He’s ready to use terrible force (and Force) against the corrupt and the shameless like Dagonet. Here, his anger is righteous too. His force choke, while terrifying, is pointed in the right direction. You can see how this noble starting point -- a belief that his loyalty lies with the people, not with a corruptible government -- could make him sympathetic, yet also lead him down a dark road.
You can see the observe of that for Qui Gon. He doesn’t want his master to suffer the consequences of murdering a senator. So he goes off to free the son who’s the source of this trouble whose presence convinces Dooku to relent. He too is ready to act to preserve life, less angry, more young and innocent than Dooku is now. But he too will, at some point, decide that observing rules and protocols for their own sake is a fool's game when kidnapping a senator's son can be both legally wrong and morally right under the circumstances. The spark this experience ignites in both of them as consequences that run through the most important parts of the Star Wars saga.
I appreciate the simplicity of the fable, the moody tone of it, and the ethical weight that hangs over everyone. The art styles continues to be improved from The Clone Wars days, with my only complaint that a semi-realistic rendition of a young Liam Neeson seems a little mismatched spending so much time standing next to a more stylized version of young Christopher Lee.
Overall though, this was fantastic, having the standalone beauty and purpose behind its story of one of the Visions shorts, while also presenting important shifts in character that ripple through the broader story told across the franchise.
