[8.2/10] One of the most interesting questions to ask, both about real people and characters on television, is why they choose to do things they don’t have to. Life and circumstance often force a person’s hand, causing people to do what they feel they must. But there are situations in which there’s no external force, no rules or sticks or carrots, just a raw choice to be made. It’s these sorts of choices that can reveal who a person is, and what they’re going through, in a way that’s clearer than for choices muddied by need and force and inertia.
Those are the types of questions that “Breathe” is interested in. Why is Gus Fring not only trying to keep Hector Salamanca, a man who inflicted unspeakable pain on him, alive, but also moving against those who tried to kill him. Why is Kim Wexler attending a meeting to determine Jimmy’s share of Chuck’s estate when Jimmy himself is blowing it off? Why is Mike Ehrmantraut determined to run his “security consultant” routine on all of Madrigal’s outposts over Lydia’s objections? And why is Jimmy McGill ready to sabotage himself out of a job offer, one he’d just hustled like crazy to earn?
It's the first question that interests me most – why Gus would go to the effort and expense of trying to ensure Hector survives when, as his lieutenant notes, it would be far easier, and perhaps more just, for Gus to let him die.
I write most of these reviews assuming that the average Better Call Saul-watcher is at least roughly familiar with Breaking Bad, and I suspect Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and the rest of Better Call Saul’s creative team work in the same way. There’s too many hints and callbacks and Easter eggs (see also: the Salamanca twins) for that not to be the case. But oddly enough, Gus’s story here makes the most sense if you haven’t seen Breaking Bad.
Without the prior series’s flashback to Gus’s first encounter with Hector, you might assume that Gus and Hector are just standard issue rivals in a dangerous business. You could read Gus’s preservation of Hector’s life as him protecting the cartel from what he suspects to be an outside attack. You can read Gus as disliking Hector as a rival who treats him with disrespect, but not wanting his erstwhile ally dead. You can read him as a man of principal, who believes that the captain of an organization should be protected, even if he’s not especially fond of one of his peers.
But if you have seen Breaking Bad, Gus’s behavior is all the more puzzling, precisely because you know exactly what Hector has done to Gus, and how easy it would be for him to let Hector perish. Keeping Hector alive, let alone with the help of someone from a renowned medical facility, is absolutely something that Gus does not have to do, especially when mere inaction would allow this dastard to meet his maker without Gus having to take the risk of enacting his revenge himself.
Lydia has a similar, if not quite the same, sort of confusion about what’s motivating Mike to inspect the Madrigal facilities as part of his made up job as a security consultant, and maybe that helps shine a light on Gus’s perspective as well. Despite my sharing a similar puzzlement over Mike’s behavior in the last episode, Mike explains himself here – telling Lydia that this is a way of covering his tracks, of making sure that if anyone asks about this “rounding error,” he’s been seen. Lydia (gently but firmly) encourages him to reconsider, but he won’t be deterred.
When she raises the issue with Gus, he’s not exactly sympathetic. Instead, he inquires as to whether Mike’s causing a real problem, and when she admits that Mike isn’t, he leaves it at that. Gus and Mike are birds of a feather, who recognize something in one another – a combination of a particular sort of honor, a meticulousness, and a sense of pride in their work. “The man has his reasons” seems to be Gus’s thought process, and if he deems that good enough for Mike, he may deem it good enough for himself.
Or maybe it has to do with wanting the chance to do right by someone. That seems to be Kim’s motivation for representing Jimmy as Howard is administering Chuck’s last will and testament, something Jimmy himself seems to have no interest in. As a final insult, Chuck leaves his little brother $5,000 dollars, enough to let any reviewing judicial body that Jimmy wasn’t overlooked, that he wasn’t disinherited in a way that would leave the will open for Jimmy to contest, a way to make sure that his good-for-nothing little brother doesn’t get anything but the most meager slice of Chuck’s estate despite how much time and effort and love Jimmy put into looking after his brother.
But that’s not the insult Kim is worried about. In a powerhouse performance that, if there is any justice in Tinseltown, will help Rhea Seehorn get the Emmy recognition she’s deserved for some time now, she turns her recriminations on Howard. Kim is a little inscrutable in her motivations too. There is the sense that she means what she says when she chastises Howard for telling Jimmy about his theory that Chuck killed himself, for “putting that on” Jimmy. She’s seen the effect Chuck’s death had on Jimmy, the sort of hardship that he’s dealing with under his surface-level calm, and it’s possible she genuinely blames Howard, at least in part, for complicating Jimmy’s grief.
Still, while Kim isn’t necessarily mercenary enough to try to strongarm Howard into doing something more for Jimmy than Chuck did, there’s the sense that she’s also frustrated with Chuck, frustrated with this situation, and maybe even a little frustrated with Jimmy. But you can’t yell at a dead man; you can’t yell at a situation; and if you have a shred of decency, you can’t yell at a grieving man.
You can, however, yell at Howard Hamlin, who is, at best, an accessory to the ills Chuck suffered and caused, but who’s there and willing to take it. It feels like there’s more in store for Kim and Howard than this bitter rebuke. But for now, Better Call Saul leaves us to wonder why Kim chose to stand in for Jimmy in a meeting he himself blew off – whether it’s to stand-up for someone who’s been disrespected or wounded, or to let something out that has no other place.
Jimmy’s comparatively brief, but just as potent part of the episode sees him looking for an outlet as well, but in a very different way. With his suspension still in effect, Jimmy is hunting for jobs, and his first stop of the day is to interview for a position as a copier salesman. As usual, Jimmy gives the sort of brilliant pitch you’d expect from him, where he shows that he knows the inside and out of the product, ingratiates himself to the folks interviewing him with his affable charm, and wins them over with his powers of persuasion. And when even that’s only enough to net him a very positive “we’ll be in touch,” he doubles down, makes the hard sell, and gets the job offer.
A job offer he just as soon rejects.
Jimmy doesn't have to do that. He doesn't have to throw away an opportunity that he sold like hell to get. He doesn't have to build up his prowess as a salesman and a potentially valuable member of this company just to instantly self-sabotage all of it, and go so far as to shame his would-be employers for having the recklessness to fall for his schtick.
But Jimmy wants to punish himself. He wants to test himself. No matter what face he puts on, Chuck’s death, and his hand in it, has gotten to Jimmy. So when he walks into these places, he tries to be the silver tongued devil who could talk his way into anything, but he hears his brother’s voice in his head, the one that tells him that everything Jimmy’s ever done is built on a lie, that he doesn't deserve to have any sort of success, that what he does is dangerous and dishonest. This is Jimmy’s form of self-flagellation, of self-sabotage, and it’s a tribute to Bob Odenkirk and the show’s writers how well-constructed and well-acted and well-suited the scene is to tell that story.
And maybe that’s the lesson and the connection between Jimmy’s story and Gus’s strange decision. Maybe it’s a question of punishment and of control. The final scene of “Breathe” is the most frightening that Gus Fring has seemed since he threatened to kill Walt’s infant daughter. There’s a gentility to Fring (and in Giancarlo Esposito’s performance) that makes him plausible as someone who could pass without notice in the respectable world, but that makes him ten times as scary when he let’s the hounds of the chain and speaks in clear but unnerving threats and demands. His threat is implicit in the death he orders, in his statement to Nacho that he knows what was done to Hector and by who, and his demand comes earlier in the episode.
Gus tells his lieutenant that he when Hector dies: not a stroke, not some low level soldier, just Gus Fring and Gus Fring alone. Maybe he still believes that Hector is deserving of punishment, that he deserves to suffer, but he wants to be the one to dole it out, to decide when Hector has had enough, which might not come until Hector is forced to watch Gus conquer the Salamanca empire. Gus doesn't want Hector to die, but perhaps it’s not because of any sort of mercy or professional courtesy. Perhaps it’s because he has a plan for Hector, he’s playing the long game, and death’s too good for his enemy, at least right now.
So he does something that neither circumstance nor pressure forces him to do -- he spends his money to keep a rival from perishing, just as Jimmy undercuts himself, and Mike takes on duties no one asked him to, and Kim stands up for someone she cares about. In a show centered on a man who moves the world with his equivocations and manipulations, there’s a purity to these sorts of actions, the ones that aren’t required or forced. Instead, they come from what these people really want, and show what’s important to them, what’s bothering them, and what might be worth more to them in the fullness of time than what’s in front of them right now.
LIKE TRAIN TO BUSAN BEFORE THERE WERE TRAINS.
Would have been perfect, if it wasn't for breakneck pacing. Bertholdt's dream and Annie's meeting suffered the most.
I don't understand why they skipped Annie's part in taking the Wall... Different viewpoint should have brought additional info on the table. I mean it's not important, they still show Colossal Titan exhausted and on it knees nice juxtaposition to the iconic moment and also explanation for weird footprints from season 1 and Dina walking by thanks Annie It just odd and felt more impactful in the manga.
If anyone interested in the panels with Annie's part in the plan:
https://official-complete-2.eorzea.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0096-016.png
https://official-complete-2.eorzea.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0096-017.png
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https://official-complete-2.eorzea.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0096-019.png
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https://official-complete-2.eorzea.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0096-021.png
Also kinda surprised that they didn't emphasized on trio first and changed focus to warriors here:
https://official-complete-2.eorzea.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0096-033.png
But oh well. At least Mappa didn't f**ed up anything important, yet. Unlike the whole Uprising Arc... so I'm happy as hell. Great episode.
Very powerful movie! I don't need to repeat, what the other comments already pointed out.
The only 2 things I found a little bit weird, were 1st: that it seemd like nobody told Ruben, that his hearing will be different after the surgery. I don't think (or hope) that the doctors he probably talked to, wouldn't tell him that.
And 2nd, I feel like "Metal" as a genre, probably hasn't been handled fair here. I do not listen to Metal myself, but obviously for a lot of people it sounds just like "loud noise" which Ruben turns off at the end.
So metaphorically... Maybe that thought goes too far, but I feel, that metal as a genre was handled a little negative. Like these two only played Metal because they were hurt from the past and that they had to get out of it, to start living a normal life again. But still for the characters, as they were presented, I think storywise it worked and the journey they had, was resolved very very well.
But these really are the only issues I had. People should definetly watch it! Great movie! :)
Holy fuck. I have goosebumps. Might be the best episode of TV this year. Fucking amazing. Honestly, I can't blame Tom for what he did, he's taken so much shit from everyone, including his own wife.
Tom: "Do you want a deal with the devil?"
Greg: "Well...what am I gonna do with a soul anyways?"
Succession season 3 finale proved once again the importance of a satisfying ending because a reader/viewer's most long-lasting memory of your story will be its ending, thus making them to forget how the rest was bland. Succession's Red Wedding episode was amazing. It's obvious in hindsight that everything that happened this episode was going to happen, they have been setting Tom up for this since the beginning of the series, so I don't think it was shocking at all. It's brilliant but not shocking.
The devil works hard, but Logan Roy works harder. The man doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself. What's so ironic is Logan claimed he wants to see killer instinct in his children but the second they try to make boss moves he cuts them off at the legs. This should have been the moment he was waiting for - his kids finally realizing they're stronger together. But at the end of the day Logan doesn't want anyone to succeed him. He is also such a big hypocrite – while, yes his kids should've tried to succeed and made their own money, they can't because all of their lives Logan keeps them emotionally dependent on him. For all three seasons, he had them thinking they could finally win his approval, as long as they did everything he said, only to learn that it will never be enough. He was using his own children, only to throw them away once he saw the best deal for himself.
Can you really change the terms of the divorce that happened twenty years ago?
The scene with Kendall coming clean to his siblings was the catharsis he desperately needed. And the way it took all of Roman's strength to stand up to his dad, but then boom, Logan fucks them all as usual.
Connor repeating that he's the eldest son was funny. I sometimes forget there's a fourth Roy kid.
Tom stabbing Shiv in the back makes perfect sense after all the shit he put up with her. She was all shocked pikachu face because she is so unbelievably unaware and lacks any self-awareness. She kept underestimating how awful her relationship with Tom has become. The look in Shiv's eyes at the end was brutal - the anger and hatred of it all. I hope we are getting Gone Girl next year! Tom is probably the worst character on the show - the Roys were brought up by their terrible father and mother to be cruel and horrible, they don't know any better. But Tom worked to get here. Yes, he loves Shiv, but I do not think he would've kept swallowing her treatment of him if it wasn't for her rich family that gave him job, money, and status.
Roman looked so broken, practically in tears, when he asked Gerri for help but she betrayed him as well. I'm glad the writers didn't play into the shippers with them (they still went a little over the board this season) and actually gave us an interesting story there.
Season 3 was rather drowsy in comparison to previous ones, especially season 2, which is basically flawless. Not a lot really happened outside of the demise of Kendall (again). Season 3 never quite lived up to the plot it promised and the hype from the previous seasons. Season 2 ended so strong, set the expectation Kendall would become a 'killer', only to make him seem extremely incompetent and far from being ready to take down his dad. The whole thing has been as anticlimactic as they come. Jeremy Strong plays it well but at some point it's becoming tedious.
Season 3 has become so redundant. Every episode started to mirror the previous, and it was very obvious that the writers kept dragging the story, wanting to make the little progress in the final episode. All this build up and no execution. The senate hearing and Tom going to jail becomes ... nothing. The fed investigation - nothing. The search for new CEO - nothing. Search for the next president becomes...? Nothing there as well. During the whole season, they tee up these huge points constantly and then get cold feet approaching anything momentous.
I hope we see a more fast paced Season 4. This one was too much of a slow burn. I hope the creators do something with the plotlines they create next season, not just writing them off at the start of episodes in 10 minutes scenes. And most importantly, I hope they force the characters into highly unfamiliar territory.
This film is a masterpiece. Every few years I look to see if there is any new Anime out there of equal scope and quality, and am completely disappointed.
To the haters who watch Akira and didn't "get" it, you shouldn't mistake your own lack of comprehension for a lack of meaning. One needs to watch Akira a few times to really piece together what is happening.
This is not a Hollywood film. It will not spoon feed you a convenient plot with happy endings. But if you put a little effort into it, this movie will deliver.
Pro-tip: Don't watch the English overdub, do subtitles. The Japanese voice actors deliver powerful performances. Also the subtitles make a lot more sense than the English overdub, as by necessity, the writers must hack on a script quite a bit to make the voice over fit into the pace and rhythm of the film. This is why overdubs almost always lose meaning, in addition to making the lips look silly.
Totally based on nostalgia effect, it follows the exact same plot device of the original series, without any sign of novelty whatsoever. Completely useless for whoever knows already the story, for the others is the summary of what to expect watching the 450+ episodes of the animated series.
A great movie that reduces the Zemeckis version to a minor footnote. Setting it in fascist Italy adds a whole new layer of depth to this story, but I also noticed Del Toro’s pulling some ideas from his own work here, The Devil’s Backbone in particular. Voice acting’s great, I love that he cast the greatest working actress as a non-speaking monkey. Visually it’s perfect, that’s almost to be expected from this director. However, this film in particular has a stop motion animation style I’ve never seen on film before, the textures are unique and beautiful. My only real complaint comes with the songs, not only because they’re generally poorly written and performed (I’m very clearly hearing the pitch correction, which isn’t intentional), but they also felt more sentimental and Disney-ish than what the rest of the film seemed to be going for. Thankfully, most of them were quite short.
8/10
A bizarre, suspenseful, twisted, darkly comic, elegantly crafted horror thriller. This film is aimed to satire upper-class snobs and pretentious critics without coming across as obnoxious. And let's be honest, making fun of snobs will never not be funny. Not only this film nails what it aims for, it offers some nice surprises as well. The suspense continues to just build and build and build. Ralph Fiennes performance in the role of the Chef is simply outstanding. There's something so intimidating about his presence and I really was the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I'm glad that I went in knowing very little about it. Definitely going into my top 2022 horror list.
Adored this movie. Solid performances, amazing screenplay, and McDonagh’s most gorgeous looking film to date. All of the actors were fantastic in this. This has to be my favorite film of the year.
One of my favorite moments of the film was Siobhan correcting Colm about Mozart. It shows that Colm was not as smart as he appeared to be, and cracked open his wise old man facade. He was being truthful to about his reasons for tanking the friendship, but his methods for doing so are still bullshit. He is wise, but also bitter and stubborn, and that so he thinks that the key to breaking his monotony is by suffering.
Colm resents Pádraic for being content with his simple life and not being concerned with having a legacy or being remembered beyond those he cares about in life. Colm, due to his frustration with his own existence, concludes that the only reason Pádraic is so content and untroubled is because he is dull and stupid.
Ironically I think Pádraic is actually Colm's muse, after each encounter with an impassioned Pádraic Colm seems to progress with his work on his magnum opus 'The Banshees of Inisherin'.
Moral of the story, in my opinion, is that men create meaningless conflict for contrived reasons and that leads to innocents being hurt (kind of like a civil war).
"What's the worst thing you've ever experienced?"
Wow! What a great surprise I wasn't prepared for something so good and refreshing. This is a dark and gloomy crime mystery thriller with a touch of horror and sci-fi. It brings an array of interesting characters, well-built suspence and some highly emotional moments. I cried twice watching this which is a lot for me. The acting is great and so is the soundtrack that eerie music is simple but yet so effective. Brillant intro music and visuals also. The mystery is very engaging and makes the 6 episodes go by so fast. The last episode is pure acting masterclass!
The characters are so interesting and by far what I loved the most about the show. Jessica Raine and Peter Capaldi are at their best and every conversation their characters have together is almost poetic, stellar dialogue. Capaldi wasn't in the show as much as I wanted but his limited appearance makes you enjoy him all the more when he's there. Anytime he talks it's pure poetry, you just can't look away. Every good mystery show needs a cool detective character and we certainly get that Nikesh Patel as Det. Dhillon was truly great, the impersonnation of a good man I believe. My personal favorite is Isaac (Benjamin Chivers) the creepy kid. While child acting is always tricky to judge, every time he's on-screen I just can't look away. He doesn't show much facial expression but his look remains haunting and mysterious.
I would absolutely call this the best limited series of the year if Black Bird didn't also come out in the same year.
This episode was amazing. But why is this listed as a special?
Just as brutal as the game, well done. Only downside is it felt short and rushed. Would have been nice for a little more time in the hospital with strategy from Joel instead of him going all terminator.
There is no question that Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a great director. But that doesn't change the fact that I was unable to connect with "Bardo" for the majority of the time. To my shame, I have to confess that at many points I didn't understand exactly what I was watching. Iñárritu stages many moments in a truly amazing way and shows the full extent of his creativity. At the same time, he was probably a bit self-indulgent and pretentious while making this film.
Almost every scene drifts into surrealism, making it extremely difficult to even begin to follow the plot (at least that's how I experienced it). The plot is also unfocused. The extremely long runtime along with the jumbled plot are really not a good combination. I haven't seen a movie as exhausting as "Bardo" in a long time. At least the finale managed to grab my attention, though.
Except for a few impressive moments, the latest work of the master director is truly a disappointment. At this point in his career, Iñárritu has, of course, earned the right to make the films he is most passionate about. But I personally prefer his earlier works far more.
Funny how now the Empire Remnant has a secret underground resistance against the New Republic. How the tables have turned.
This episode was way better in terms of storytelling but it left me very frustrated. I know that the Mandalorians are not likely to win if they want to keep the mythology. But just for once I'd like to see them come out on top. Gideon has become a bit ridicolous. He's the archetype of a bad guy. He was more interesting when he wasn't flying around as a Vader look-alike. I hate to see Vizla die but I should've seen that one coming because I really grew to like him. Grogu inside IG ? Come-on, he's a Force user. Despite the fact he choose not to train with Luke he still has the ability, no ? And we still must have a monster, doesn't we ?
Now, those are personal and, yes, biased points on my behalf. Like I said it was a great episode as such. In the end I see it as a win for the author if he invokes those reactions from me. There were also moments that gave me serious goosebumps. Like when Bo told them what happened between her and Gideon and subsequent how Din told her why he's following her. The talk about Thrawn didn't surprise me. I expected that pretty much from episode one forward.
Only one episode left and I hope there'll be some silver lining.
"Greg, do not put any more lemon water or wasabi in his eyes!"
"The amazing trio of fucked up brothers". For a moment, a very brief moment, I believed that they were really going to unite to "save" the company, but I realized that they would not last and never did. perpetuating these power games.
To Shiv and Roman with their affectionate moment realized that they are broken and Ken, unfortunately, was unable to realize that.
I felt like I was seeing my family come together and I had a huge blow to see that fight - especially with Kendall like that, falling off the building without having thrown himself.
And in the end, the succession went to the most unpredictable, but clear that it could and, perhaps, should be him. Tom finally got the Empire of the Roys without being a Roy.
End of season 10/10 Thank you, HBO.
Farewell Succession, there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll be remembered as one of the greatest TV shows of the modern era.
That was such an incredibly sad but perfect and correct ending.
I don't understand people who didn't like the ending because their favorite character didn't win. After 4 seasons with these despicable characters did anyone expect the Roy kids to unite and defeat the bad guy with the power of love and friendship? It was never going to end that way.
The three siblings just could never get over their egos. They all proved, through the 4 seasons, that they’re basically useless and the only reason they were ever in the discussion to be CEO is because Logan was their father. They'd rather destroy everything than have only one of the trio take the upper hand. Shiv just could not let her brother have a win, even if it meant her losing as well. Perfectly summed up their whole family dynamic and the show as a whole.
The siblings are so entitled and self-absorbed they never saw Tom coming. They’ve never had to work for a damn thing. I don't like Tom, but it makes sense for someone like Tom, who worked his way from the ground up and earned himself the position he was in.
The scene with the siblings making that awful smoothie and them watching their dad reveal yet another side of himself was so nice among the insanity that came in between.
That penultimate shot with Shiv and Tom in the car was phenomenal. Complete shift in the power dynamic. After marrying him specifically because she thought he was weak enough to keep holding power over.
Kendall not winning every season. That’s rough.
Willa revamping Logan's apartment with a cow print couch.
In the end Conor was the only one to have any kind of a relationship with Logan, the other kids are never shown having moments with him like he did at the recorded dinner.
Greg translating the Swedish in real time is the smartest thing he’s ever done. Four seasons and I cannot for the life of me understand why he would put up with that. His uncle offered him $250mil to get away from the firm.
But the biggest thing for me coming out of this episode is Kendall’s son isn’t really his. It really came out of nowhere and seemed more like a fact than a rumor the way everyone reacted to it.
All in all, Succession stuck to the show’s core till the end. In a way it’s a predictable ending but because it’s television and we expect some twist where a cool character comes out on top we don’t expect the expected. The outcome is pretty much what you’d expect from all the characters knowing their faults
Despite the glowing advance reviews, "The Flash" is not the best superhero film of all time, the year, or even the month. But it is definitely a good movie overall. The humor is mostly spot on, the effects are impressive, and Ezra Miller is consistently convincing in the lead role. Michael Keaton still fits the Batman mantle pretty well, and Sasha Calle also delivers an excellent first impression as Supergirl. On top of that, of course, there are some neat cameos.
The pacing of the film isn't bad, either. It starts with a really entertaining sequence before the time travel plot picks up speed. The plot is comprehensible throughout and, above all, not as overly convoluted as in many other genre representatives. However, "The Flash" also has the usual problem of similar stories, that the fate of the characters never really gets to your heart, since it is not crucial for the "canon" anyway. But there is no such thing in the dying DCU anyway. In addition, there is not really a good villain, but then again, none was really needed here.
Overall, I would say that "The Flash" is neither a good conclusion to the old DCEU nor a good transition into the new DCU. You can still have a good time at the cinema, though, as the film works on its own and should appeal to fans of old DC works as well.
I would have given a higher score but Chris didn't punch any boulder during the movie, which is quite unrealistic.
Strong start, and I say that acknowledging that Asimovian truism is obvs not their goal. I legit love where they’re taking the whole “prophecy” narrative, since that aspect of the OG story would be hard to convey as a TV show..
Making it a battle of rebellious, savant-tier genius vs a technologically elite Empire of forgotten dreams—whose ruler is a clone controlled by an actual robot—really makes it feel relevant to our experience: moneyed royalty building an algorithmically-powered, AI driven—chatGPT, Google Bard, etc)—but potentially distopian future… Pretty excellent.
- We are going to fight those dirty mexican as if they were dirty iraky.
- How are we going to do that, Chef?
- We are going to find the most bad ass contractor that isn't afraid of being dirty (read torturing people for gaining information) and unleash him on unsuspecting mexican cartel family while paying him handsomely. But we are still going to tell him off if there are any cops killed while the undercover super secret operation is in progress. We are not complete barbarian, after all.
..... Much action and much suspense music later: End Credit
A disappointment. Not the follow up of the first installment that I was hoping for.
Round 3 of Gareth Edwards proving he’s a great visual director that doesn’t know how to breathe life in his scripts. Its best asset is easily the worldbuilding, combining influences from other science fiction material to create a new world that feels fresh. The technical execution is also really well done, with its cinematography and CGI being among some of the most visionary stuff I’ve seen since Avatar 2. Unfortunately, the sci-fi concepts this is working with are stale, it’s all stuff you’ve seen before and the movie doesn’t know how to put its own creative spin on it. Add to that a bunch of characters that aren’t written in the most compelling way (as well as bland, understated performances that will keep everyone questioning whether JDW is actually a good actor), and you have a movie that’s already pretty dull from the start. Now, a big saving grace of Rogue One and Godzilla were their strong climaxes, however that’s not the case here. Instead, The Creator starts to rush to the finish line, which leads to the big emotional beats not hitting the mark. It’s like the pacing of this movie is constantly either rushing or dragging, annoying my inner Terence Fletcher in the process. Overall, while I’d love to champion this as the savior of original science fiction, there’s not much more originality here than a typical franchise film. I don’t want to call Edwards another Zack Snyder, because I think he’s certainly more talented, but he’s suffering from the same problems and doesn’t seem to learn from his previous mistakes.
5/10
Listen up, folks! I gotta confess something here. This show has got me hooked like a fish on a line. And let me tell you, the lead character is the bee's knees of 2023 television.
Signed,
Manly Bachelor heterosexual man in his early 50s
Hey Zach, not every action scene needs slow motion. For fucks sake
The best growth of any character in the entire story, period. Amazing. As sad as it is he was destined to be alone, he always did have glorious purpose.
That might’ve been one of the best pieces of storytelling the MCU has ever told. The allegory on determinism weaved in with the ought/is argument within the frame of individual wants and purpose-driven choice… As a season the first as a whole is still better, but this isn’t just the best episode of the series - but up there with the best moments of TV in recent memory.
Not to mention the implications for what this poses on the future Kang arcs and Renslayer’s future as a seemingly(? vaguely left to interpretation) foil of larger importance. Watching the relatively well done caricature that was Loki upon initial introduction into deeply multilayered literal time god/jailer (again beautifully vague) of the multiverse over a decade later was so well written. I think I’m even still absorbing some of what I just saw.
Balancing comedy, brevity and existentialism - all while maintaining impeccable pace. 10/10, hats off to everyone involved.
