I’ve seen two episodes now and I’ve got to ask: what’s the point of watching this?
There’s nothing inherently satisfying about the show itself.
Just putting a twist on existing lore and calling it a day isn’t enough to hold my attention for 30 mimutes, nor any sane person, I imagine.
Are people only watching this because it sets up future stuff?
Why would anyone watch something that’s just set-up?
Projects are always supposed to function as an isolated piece of art, and not just as a piece of a larger machine.
This show is so empty, it’s the kind of format that lends itself for short 4 minute videos on Youtube.
But a feature series? Come on.
Edit: alright so there is an attempt to tie the loose ends together in the final episode, but still, it kinda fails to justify its existence.
When it comes to the prequel trilogy, Disney has gone from barely acknowledging its existence to now padding their story out with fan fiction, all within the span of only a couple of years. The results are, as you might expect, pathetic and mind-numbingly dull. There’s just no way around it: this is another dreadful Disney+ show with production and directing that somehow manages to be even worse than The Book of Boba Fett. There’s this old Hollywood cliché that women can’t direct action, and well, I’ll just say that this show doesn’t do that stereotype any favours. Ewan McGregor kinda delivers, but most of the performances in this show are awkward and cringy. It looks really, really bland for the most part, and the story is uninteresting and dumb. It makes little to no sense in the timeline. Revenge of the Sith took its time to cram everyone into their starting position for A New Hope, and the fact that we have characters meeting up again between those time periods kinda fucks with the whole continuity in A New Hope, which only adds to the fan fiction feel of the show.
3/10
It starts out like this fun, sharp social satire about the different worlds that the working class and upper class exhibit (as well as the lack of understanding they have about each other). As the season goes along, the social satire gets pushed aside and instead it goes completely bonkers with the plot. It’s over the top, it switches genres whenever it feels like it, it’s unpredictable, and most of all it’s very entertaining. In fact, it might actually be one of the most accessible A24 productions, there’s a Tarantino feel to it that might just click with general audiences. I just don’t understand this show’s obsession with alt rock from the late 90s and early 00s. I don’t see what it adds to these characters, it doesn’t comment on the story in an interesting way, and most of these particular songs aren’t even that good. To me it feels like a middle of the road, safe choice for a show that’s otherwise so bold, exciting and carefully assembled.
8/10
A show about using sex and sexual imagery to sell media.
Is this HBO reflecting on itself?
Jokes aside, it’s actually pretty good. Recommended.
This is the show that Zack Snyder wishes he could make.
It deconstructs superheroes in a smart way, while not forgetting about important things like character development, story coherence or pacing.
In fact, this is a show that genuinly has a lot of profound things to say about the military industrial complex, religion, power abuse, and more.
It doesn’t just use fetishized costumes and pretentious dialogue to cover up for its own lack of substance.
Moreover, this show is darkly funny, original and twisted.
They could still improve the show by fleshing out some of the characters in Karl Urban’s crew, because I didn’t think all of them were interesting.
Also, the action scenes are straight up bad, but that’s in no way a dealbreaker, because the show isn’t all that interested in them.
8/10
The first two seasons are very nice and easy to like.
The third season is pretty awful.
It feels directionless, episodes are too long, the renewed focus makes it feel like a melodramatic soap opera, lots of misfires with the comedy (e.g. the Zava character doesn’t work at all), some of the acting got too cartoonish; the show took a swing and it turned into something that doesn’t work.
It’s nice that it tried to break down some barriers with the integration of real issues such as homophobia and racism in sports, but some of that stuff feels so tacked on or handled in a way that doesn’t make sense.
S01:
This probably plays really well if you also like Succession.
These characters are kinda like nails on a chalkboard, but if you can find the satire and commentary beyond that, it’s very enjoyable.
Really good characters, interesting and unpredictable story, very well produced (excellent cinematography and music), it’s fantastic.
8.5/10
S02:
Good new set of characters, love the location of cinematography.
The story doesn’t quite work for me, a lot more melodramatic than season 1 (feels a lot like a soap opera in places), it’s a lot of people fucking each other, cheating on each other, being disloyal, etc.
It squeezes some interesting ideas in there about masculinity, scamming, naivety and power, but whereas season 1 was this beautifully orchestrated car crash showing why contemporary can be such a nightmare, this isn’t anywhere as deep or interesting.
It’s mostly saved by the filmmaking and acting, but a massive step down compared to season 1.
6/10
This is, without a doubt, one of the hokiest shows of all time.
And yet, it can be stupidly fun at times.
It's one of the best guilty pleasures out there, that's for sure.
And here it is: the end of the biggest television show of all time.
Seasons 1-4 are (close to) perfect.
Seasons 5-6 are where some of the cracks start to appear, with some filler episodes that don't build a lot of character. However, they're still great seasons nonetheless.
Seasons 7-8 are good, not great. They have certain pacing (rushed developments, teleportation of characters) and writing issues (plot armour, unsatisfying & unearned conclusions etc.). It is especially the level of production that elevates these seasons above average television.
Am I also unsatisfied with how they handled certain characters at the very end? Absolutely.
Do I think, however, that they mostly stuck the landing? Yes.
S1: 9.5/10; S2: 9/10; S3: 9.5/10; S4: 10/10; S5: 8/10; S6: 8/10; S7: 7/10; S8: 7/10
Overall rating: 8.4/10
I watched half a season, it kinda blows to be honest.
It’s too dumb for its own good (given how overly serious it presents itself), poorly shot and edited (the action scenes really suck in particular), lots of questionable acting, and the story is predictable and uninspired.
God fucking help us all if this is supposed to be a show for 'manly men'.
Anthony Starr is very good in it, and yeah it’s got lots of tits and blood, which is great, but if you’re looking for that I’d recommend Spartacus over this in a heartbeat.
I feel like the only real hook with this show are the sex scenes, which you can also find plenty of on the internet.
This show is a hidden gem. It’s Straight Outta Compton for east coast hiphop, you’ll probably love it if you’re a fan of Wu-tang, Ghostface, RZA, ODB, etc. If you’re the kind of person that likes to live in a safe, simpleminded bubble where you get offended by black people using the N-word, this show (as well as hiphop at large) isn’t for you. You'd probably know that already going in, so complaining about it is a bit stupid. Great acting (Ashton Sanders’ voice in season 2 excluded, which feels very forced), great filmmaking, occasionally a little confusing because of its many characters, but very satisfying and intriguing to watch. More of this please, it’s inherently more interesting than the recent films about Queen and Elton John. It doesn’t feel like a vanity project at all.
Wow, I’d never thought Alex Pina could make something this shitty after La Casa de Papel.
Like, I can’t even begin to describe this show, or the plot for that matter.
The actual story is pushed aside for most of the season, which means that the average episode consists of people drinking, partying, fucking, snorting cocaine, boring conversations about fucking, more fucking, annoying melodrama about relationships and people being shitheads for 50 minutes.
Honestly, I dare you to find I character that you don’t despise by the time that the finale comes around.
Now, I could pass most of that off if the show was at least fun, or if it didn’t take itself so seriously, like Entourage for example.
But given the dark things that happen in the show, and also the fact that it has no sense of humour, I’m inclined to believe that they want us to take it seriously.
Normally, I’d give it a 1, but it doesn’t even deserve that honor, as it’s fairly well produced.
2.5/10
Feels like your average january release. It’s heavy on b-movie cartoon vibes, but there’s not one hint of irony or cleverness to make those kitschy aspects more palatable. A lot of anime tropes simply don’t translate very well to live action, with the constant heightened emotional state of every character feeling completely ridiculous here. Add to that the so-so craft/directing, dogshit performances and lack of original story ideas, and you have what I can only assume is the latest obsession of fans from last years RRR. Sometimes I genuinely wonder how we’ve regressed back to some of the worst tropes of 80s blockbuster filmmaking, this is nothing more than poorly done camp for a mass audience.
It’s well made, I like that they switch up the format just a little bit each episode so that it doesn’t feel like a formulaic cable tv show. The only thing that’s consistent for each episode is the appearance of Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie. She’s fine, I like the gimmick of her character, but not all of the acting choices work for me, and I can’t shake the feeling that the writing tries way too hard to make her this iconic character (which it doesn’t succeed at). Now, because the show is so episodic, the quality between episodes varies quite a bit. Some episodes capture that Columbo fun perfectly, whereas other episodes are hindered by nonsensical structures, dumb/underwritten/annoying characters, corny dialogue (so many one-liners that are straight up groaners) or just a boring set-up. It’s a good thing that the show is heightened and doesn’t take itself seriously, because it absolutely wouldn’t work as a serious drama. Still, would I recommend it? Probably not, just rewatch Sherlock, it’s a lot more entertaining and not as phony.
It's whatever. Even in animation, Marvel Studios will find ways to make things look bland and impersonal. I don't care if the look is faithful to the original show, it should look way more detailed and bold, especially when there's money from Marvel Studios behind this project. Some of the parenting themes and horror influences feel very much targeted towards the audience who grew up with this show, but it's still combined with a simplistic plot, bright colours and a lot of campy, melodramatic lines. It's not fun enough for kids and simultaneously too empty/childish for adults. The balancing of all the different characters is pretty well done (it's not just the Wolverine show like a lot of the movies), but I'm very indifferent about the plot. The entire concept of the sentinels was handled with way more depth and care in a film like Days of Future Past, instead this is way more focussed on character drama, which is not as rewarding. It's watchable with nothing terrible in it, but the people praising it to high heavens need to go to nostalgia rehab. It's just another kids show, pump the breaks.
5/10
Pretty fun, it's essentially Edgar Wright for television. The entire set-up is very reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead, except it plays with spy tropes instead of zombie tropes. Mix in some workplace comedy and good characters, and you have one of the most fun shows of its era. A true product of the 2000s that finds a great balance between accessible and alternative impulses. Nothing particularly boundary pushing or challenging, and the way it portrays Yvonne Strahovski can be a bit juvenile in the earlier parts of the show (it very much knows its target audience), but the smart genre fusion going on here keeps the show from becoming too stale or predictable.
It’s ok, I don’t understand why they focussed so much on trying to make this a mature drama when the show stars Frank Grillo and Nick Jonas.
They pull it off just fine, but I don’t think it plays to its potential strengths, because I think it’d be much more memorable if it focussed on the physicality instead.
The drama we have here is fine: acting is ok, writing is ok, filmmaking is fine. It never drops the ball, nor is it ever outstanding. They often play it safe, and in many ways the music perfectly encapsulates what the show is: very plain, straightforward garage- and blues rock. Sometimes you're in the mood for that, but I won't rush out to recommend it to anyone either.
It does have a tendency to stretch its own story a little thin; for example there’s no reason for season two to be 20 episodes long.
Does this show deserve a little more love and attention? Probably.
Am I surprised it got lost in the shuffle with the huge amount of high quality television that we got in the 2010s? No.
A male power fantasy that somehow manages to be even more immature than James Bond.
It’s also quite dated and creepy at points, and this is coming from someone who has no problem with defending Entourage.
Maybe it’s because that show has a little more to offer in general, but I found this to be all surface level and shallow.
I feel like this is what would happen if you'd let Spike Jonze and David Fincher direct a show that was created by Damon Lindelof and Charlie Kaufman.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that most of this was directed by Derek Zoolander.
Absolutely terrific show. Great attention to detail, it looks cinematic from the first to the last frame, perfectly acted (it's a very good showcase for Adam Scott in particular), interesting storyline with great dialogue and layers upon layers of subtext, memorable score and good editing.
My only complaint is that there are a few too many conveniences in it, such as how the book ends up with Mark's innie, or how Mark obtains the card for the security room .
Those small issues aside, I loved it.
Here's hoping it sticks the landing and doesn't turn into another Lost.
9/10
