Review by Alexander von Limberg
Is that a sequel to The X-Files? To me that whole FBI agent plot (who has encountered a Vulcan reconnaissance team long before Cochrane allegedly made first contact?) seems totally pointless. Is that of any consequence to the main story? Or is Picard just free to go and won't see Fox Mulder ever again? If that's the case this episode is another inconsequential mediocre filler episode for the most part. A 6/10. The other part with the hunt for Jurati and what she tries to use Soong for is probably more important - but that's only a small part of this episode.
The only interesting part is perhaps the Q/Guinan interaction. Since TNG I wonder, where (or when) these two races have crossed each other's paths. I have to admit that I still don't understand Q's game. But Picard and Guinan obviously don't get it either. Jurati (aka the Queen) revealing parts of her plan to Soong is equally mysterious and hard to understand. Let me get this right:
So the Borg, who mysteriously appear from yet another timeline or an extra dimensional pocket of space, summoned Picard in episode 1/2. They almost killed him, so that Q rescued Picard from death (why would the Borg know that's gonna happen?) and hurled him into the alternate "Terran" timeline, that Q branched off from the regular timeline by manipulating Renée in 2024. The Borg knew (Why? And how could they know at this point since Q supposedly created this timeline only after making the decision to rescue Picard?) that in this alternate timeline (which must be yet another timeline than the one the Borg ship emerged from) there was a Borg queen imprisoned by humans. This Borg Queen was the last of her kind in this alternate timeline. She was awaiting her execution. This would mean the total eradication of the Borg in this timeline. They were defeated by mankind. In this alternate reality, this last Borg Queen lured Picard into time traveling to 2024 Earth pretending that's where the timeline could be fixed. She needed Picard to escape from her 24th century execution. For two reasons: she trusted Picard would free her for morale reasons and - of course - alternative Picard was supposed to be her executioner and was the only one who had the chance to liberate her. But in reality this Queen wanted to go back to 2024 to execute her own cunning plan. In 21st century California she wanted to stop Renée (who - for whatever reasons - is a Picard ancestor? It's that important?) so that this dreadful alternative Terran timeline prevails (It's not clear what Q was up to... He wanted to stop Renée, too. Why? Only to branch off the alternate timeline where he'd Picard fling into? His intervention as her shrink must have had the desired effect: before Picard intervened, Q created an alternate path where she was determined not to fly into space and which ultimately led to the universe of in which Picard became this cruel warrior in the first place. Why wanted Q Picard hurl into this terrible version of the universe? I don't get it. And why do the Romulans represented by the watcher try to protect Renée? Or don't they protect - just observe? How do they know that Renée will be important to the future of the galaxy? And if they knew, why doesn't this particular watcher - is she Laris or not? - doesn't have any clue wether it's best to help or stop Renée from being launched into space?) Back to the Queen: She never wanted to revert the timeline back to the timeline Picard came from. That was just a pretense. She wanted to change this timeline in a different way: Her cunning plan is to assimilate Earth before humans will become a threat. Stopping Renée will somehow preserve the Terran timeline (for reasons not known to us 'cause we don't know what the Europa mission will discover) and she knows this (cause she knew what Q has manipulated? How does she know?). Only preserving this Terran timeline will give the Borg Queen the chance to have a 400 years headstart (the other timeline where Renée flies into space won't allow her plan to materialize. Why? Wouldn't that equally allow her to quickly assimilate the whole Earth before Renée is even back from Europa? And if that's so, why didn't she travel to a time in the year 2024 in which the Europa rocket has been launched w/o Renée, who was discouraged by Q anyway?) During this 400 years time period she would have all the time in the world to assimilate humankind. In a couple of decades the rest of the Borg will eventually expand their space into the alpha quadrant (if the timeline we know from TNG and VOY is an indicator when the Borg will be able to reach Earth) and this Borg Queen (or her successors) will reunite with the collective. By keeping the alternate "Terran" timeline intact she would prevent regular's TNG (in which the Borg are also controlling vast stretches of the galaxy) timeline from ever happening. The Borg would dominate humankind in that alternate timeline long before those violent Terrans even started to develop warp technology and ultimately will have had the chance to defeat the Borg. And then there's Soong who seems to be important to both Q and the Borg Queen, right? Why? This part of the story is still shrouded in mysterious fog
Is that the general idea? Hmmm.... probably not even close. But you see my point right? Who is supposed to understand that w/o consulting the Memory Alpha wiki article? When does a plan become too convoluted to be a believable plan? When does a show's plot become too convoluted to be enjoyable?
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@alexlimberg >When does a plan become too convoluted to be a believable plan? When does a show's plot become too convoluted to be enjoyable?
I think we past that point a couple episodes ago.
Shout by Jim222001
VIP6Nice to see Josh Holloway (Lost) in something. At least he gets to say “son of a bitch!” I think that’s what he always said as Sawyer, anyway lol. Otherwise he doesn’t get enough screen time. This was a decent episode nevertheless. About aliens taking over people in comas.
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@jim222001 I thought that it was nice to see him as well. Funny that I had only just started watching "Lost" recently (for the first time). However I enjoyed watching his acting in the show "Colony" which unfortunately got canceled. As for this episode, I enjoyed it.
Why do we need another suicide squad movie?
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We didn’t, but it’s 100x better than the first
Haven't watched it yet. I'm just surprised Netflix produced to show with a heterosexual couple.
I thought they didn't believe in male female relationships anymore
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@lordmillion Stop trolling. We're sorry you're offended other people exist...
The whole ordeal was like a make-a-wish kid was given full control.
The music never fucking stops! and it wasn't good music, it was just looped in the middle. (I wasn't at home viewing It on my system, but I could barely hear any dialogue)
It has sweeping camera shots trying to be 'Buffy Once more with feeling" but they do nothing, they lead to nothing.
Again the whole look of the episode is equal to some cute little furry alien tiddlyweens programme on cbeebies.
It all felt like a charity special short that wasn't short.
then another character talks to the pissing camera. (the character who is moaning about the box at the beginning, suddenly knows all)I wonder if this is a massive fuck up by the BBC akin to The Only fools and horses one from the late 90s.
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Sounds like your device is shit. Tried watching it both on my computer, my phone, and my home system. No issues with hearing dialog.
Chris Hemsworth would give John Wick a run for his money.
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I wouldn’t go that far.
I like this show. I think it's pretty awesome that Steven Spielberg and Stephen King managed to pull off a second season. For everyone bitching about season 2, this was originaly a mini series. Not planned, written or prepared passed season 1. They were shocked it was renewed. I love this show and it had to eventually go somewhere. Although I do not like the killing Angie off... shoulda been big jim.
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There is a spoiler alert button. Please use it!
I like this show. I think it's pretty awesome that Steven Spielberg and Stephen King managed to pull off a second season. For everyone bitching about season 2, this was originaly a mini series. Not planned, written or prepared passed season 1. They were shocked it was renewed. I love this show and it had to eventually go somewhere. Although I do not like the killing Angie off... shoulda been big jim.
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There is a spoiler alert button. Please use it!
The filming makes this movie worth to watch. There are some exquisite scenes, especially noteworthy is the (seemingly) single-shot scene where the main character has to rescue the pregnant lady from a building where the resistance fighters and immigrants hide and keep her captive. This while the building is surrounded by soldiers and tanks from the UK army.
Note: I edited this comment bc i did not agree with my opinion from that time anymore, and I could not delete it fully.
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@lainfan In what way is this movie not well written? Just because a story isn't unique or original, doesn't mean it isn't well written.
This movie, right off the bat, makes some smart creative decisions: it doesn’t try to imitate the original too much, and it’s not a musical.
They even steer away from the usual Disney formula by taking away the funny sidekick.
And while the film is technically quite impressive (cinematography and score are top notch), I found it to be ultimately unengaging.
Also, there seems to be a correlation between big, feminist action movies and poor lead performances.
I mean, just do the math: Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and now Mulan.Yes, I also find it important that more of these movies get made (not corporate, tame Disney films, but female driven action movies in general), but they deserve to be a lot better than this.
Problem is, if nobody sees it, chances are execs will take the wrong lesson from it, and think people don’t want to see female/Asian representation, or feminist themes.
So, we’re kinda fucked regardless, but I still don’t find that an excuse to give a heavy push to this mediocre movie, as I see some journalists doing.5/10
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@lainfan No I completely agree! I want more movies with a female lead, not corporate Disney films like this one.
I don’t understand all the hate. This was a very entertaining movie with some awesome action scenes. Turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.
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Telling someone they need to turn their brain off in order to enjoy this movie is a sign of a bad movie.
Pretty disappointing and crappy movie.
I suspected a casual and fun movie with this one, maybe with some puzzles and an interesting premise. However the movie disappointed from the start.
For a adaptation from a book I sure hope this was a bad one. You get thrown into the middle of a stoy where suddenly all kinds of stuff happens. I hope this wasn't the case in the original work, because it is one of the major flaws of this movie, and could be explained as the cause of many of its other faults.The acting was luckily pretty ok, but many of the characters don't add to the story at all and are just filling up empty screen. The sound was to cry off as well. Soundtrack was ok, but many scenes had no music and felt like a soap because of it.
I am all for being creative with sound, but this was just done badly.Since I won't bore you with pages of irrelevant texts, like the movie does, i will just make a list of the cons and pros.
Cons:
- Paced way too fast
- No build up for a climax (the film was more of a constant climax actually)
- Not getting time to get acquainted with the characters, therefore not caring about there faith.
- Very little character development, except maybe for Gally (Will Poulter)
- Stating many things as impossible without many explanation
- Revealing the endgame in the first act of the movie with a flashback/memory which makes the whole movie unnecessary,
- Also making the whole story as predictable as a Japanese train schedule.
- Inappropriate absent of sound
- Too much unimportant characters
- Did we really need another Hunger Games movie?
- etc.Pros:
- Nice environment
- Funny but cool looking cyborg creatures
- Doesn't need many attention to follow, so you can check your twitter or facebook feed in the meantime.loading replies
@lainfan FYI the book does open in medias res like the movie. It does work better in the book in part because no you don't have the flashbacks as clear as they are in the movie. But there are other aspects that wouldn't translate as well to the screen which is why I'm sure they added that. I actually liked the Maze Runner book though I think THG (with better characters) and Divergent (with a better world) were the better books (and series). I wasn't as big a fan of the followups. Scorch Trials was ok and Death Cure was so confusing I keep forgetting I actually DID read it.
Shout by Klovarr
VIP6Mulan 2020 has awful reviews.
They are all wrong.
Granted, the first half of the movie is just 'okay', but the SECOND HALF, I loved every minute of it.
The rest of this review is spoilers, so go away.
so the whole Forbidden City part of the movie, after the avalanche was fucking awesome. I think I said aloud "Beatrix Mulan Kiddo" because the action on the second half is freaking awesome. ALSO, the Emporer is actually a fucking badass. The film resolves very well with the intro, and musical queues were on point.
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@lainfan oh my goodness, thank you friend
Why is it nowhere on this page can I find out what this movie is rated? So much info, but not something that simple in plain sight.
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@lainfan Just found two suggestions for that and +1'd them. Thanks!
I still hate Red/Blue Harley. I much prefer Red/Black. That said I like her costuming MUCH better in this movie than Suicide Sqaud. Somehow between the costuming and the framing there's a LOT less "Look how sexy and skimpy Margot Robbie is dressed like a slutty Harley Quinn". I'd only seen one teaser video and I thought Harley looked stupid in her outfit. However on screen it worked a lot better than I thought it would. A lot of my biggest issues with the movie are weird shots and framing and the uninspired soundtrack. I mean I like Barracuda but I wish the score had more signature to it. Just generic pump up music and generic heartfelt music etc etc etc. The soundtrack need not be filled with covers of songs done better when they aren't slowed down RnB remixes or acoustic pop remixes. The James Brown joint (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H77fRz1rybs) was okay but honestly why not go full girl power out there. Why not give me a Spice Girls cover like maybe "Viva Forever". That would be interesting and in a movie with (level of violence) a little girl getting her face sliced and then ripped off maybe some of that creative energy could be spared to the music choices. I mean I hate Ariana Grande but women love her maybe a version of "Dangerous Woman" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnyBfSXdcTQ) would have been more fun and interesting or maybe Amy Winehouse who has choice jams beyond "Rehab" such as "You Sent Me Flying" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZj2h1t0Jc) or "I Heard Love is Blind" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMM3HqKw9JA) and she has tons of club remixes for the fight scene rehash.
But there are inspired sequences in Birds of Prey like when Harley breaks into Gotham PD. It's a fun romp even if some of the physics completely break verisimilitude. The Breakup with Joker was great. Not seeing Joker was fine, and then roller derby. I liked how no one at roller derby really cared about Harley's level of violence. They just considered her weak for going back with Joker so many times. The eponymous Birds of Prey don't really have the character work that Harley has but they don't really need it.
When Huntress came on screen i didn't like her. I wasn't feeling this dark comedy take on Huntress but very soon I was flipped on that as well. Rosie Perez is still cute. Ali Wong was fine. I still don't see Ewan McGregor, man that guy's face has changed a lot. But everyone is good. The character are fun. The ones I complain about are the guys actually Zsasz was kinda odd, Black Mask is still confusing as a character. I don't know him, I don't understand why he has his mask or when he wears it. I thought it might be related to his gloves but we never really learn. Harley was mostly good. I think her best fight scene was when she had a bat though. That was some creative, interesting fighting that felt like Harley's character. It fit. I wish it was edited better with longer and/or wider shots. But uninspired fight scenes are a staples of action movies now and Harley Quinn is of no particular exception to this.
The funniest part of the movie was everyone staying to the end credits scene to get trolled. It was beautiful. The guy in front of me was literally upset "I wasted 3 minutes of my life for that". I say stay for it though just for the giggles. Birds of Prey is something the DC universe needs more of. Fun. It's dumb, there's scenes that don't make any sense. Bad guys standing around waiting to be hit but in the end.. it's just got fun. Genuine fun like Wonder Woman had genuine sincerity (as opposed to constant sarcasm). Well worth the price of admission even if it doesn't have Oracle.
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@guenguer That's fine the only thing I would say is that yes in a movie because sound design and soundtrack are important parts to some movies. Music is why people recognize the Superman theme and the Star Trek theme and can't hum the Iron Man theme song walking out of Iron Man. I think for instance Tarantino is a wibbly wobbly director with good and bad films but one thing he does very well is his soundtrack.
You are free to disagree with my opinions about the music but music is important. That's all cheers. May the rest of the year's movies be enjoyable for you.
You could call this a real cyberpunk anime.
A pretty abstract and philosophical story about identity and who we really are. It leaves the viewer questioning about more than just the series itself.Juicy detail: It is rumoured to be one of the series that had an influence on The Wachowski brothers for The Matrix story. However I don't know if this is ever confirmed or true, and it probably was a minor one compared to Ghost In The Shell. After all it was aired only 1 year before the release of The first Matrix movie.
It is not for everyone, but if you have an open mind and like more gloomy and philosophical stories, it is definitaly worth it.
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@lainfan shoot, totally missed that. After 1st sentence of juicy details I went straight to the google for more juice and details.
Where was this group of "diverse" heroes when Thanos attacked in Infinity War and Endgame? One of the many plot holes that this film has, added to the boring general plot. Without a doubt a waste of time, and this confirms that Marvel is no longer in its best days.
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@Auron1983 they literally explain it in the movie. sounds like you werent paying attention
omg what a cool scishow finally something complex and bold. they say it's the show that's standing up to BsG, but I say it's time we had a space opera that's worthy.
also, I'm amazed how many details they can cram up inside a pilot without getting it too overloaded.
a big plus for me are the space cam sequences and the sfx are eye candy.
a minus is the fact that even today's tv shows can't avoid this trap: there's no soundwaves in space, the vacuum has no air to propell the sound. so why the frak do we always hear big booms and afterburners ?
all in all, this is one to keep your eyes on.loading replies
Don't forget firefly that should did a nice trick with the no sound in space. Way before gravity
