hydralien Reviews

The Fall Guy (2024)

Awkward

[3/10 · 27 May 2024]

Well, the trailer was promising. Very promising. Which probably had set my expectations high - but I wouldn't say they were too high. And in some areas, they were fulfilled - the stuntman work (and problems and lack of recognition) are actually all done very well, it's the most enjoyable part of the movie.

Sadly, for me that was the only enjoyable part of the movie, too. The characters are written haphazardly, and portrayed even more so - as if they were asked to make it look natural, but it just made it awkward. All the jokes and supposedly comedic situations fall flat because they look and sound awkward, so do the dialogs, so does the plot - so while it looks pretty, it feels just odd. And not quirky or excitingly odd - the forced-conversation-of-people-stuck-in-elevator odd.

Oh well.

Atlas (2024)

An honest SciFi

[7/10 · 27 May 2024]

There's quite a few good things to say about the Atlas, but the most prominent is it's an honest SciFi movie: it delivers exactly what it promises from the trailer - mech action, grand scope of events, futuristic tech and landscape, unlikely heroine fighting for the fate of humanity against all odds. As honest as it gets.

There, as I've mentioned, are other good things about the movie - it's very well made, even with all the CGI it looks very believable. Then, it's surprisingly thorough in the details and reasons for the character's actions - not entirely, not everywhere, but in many places where they could have said farewell to the logic, they didn't. There's not that much screen time for actors other than Jennifer Lopez, but she doe her job exceptionally well, so when others do not shine as brightly, that's fine.

The main criticism (apart from several logic hiccups and passable secondary performances) is the lack of any unique component in the plot - it's a mix-and-match of stories from other SciFi movies and videogames, and it's very straight and predictable.

But it's a very watchable movie, nonetheless.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

The secondary second part

[5/10 · 20 April 2024]

I have to admit the second part did actually address certain issues of the first, such as lack of a backstory for the characters. Well, as much as one quick and generic flashback per character could be called "addressing the issue", anyway. And it had more action and less indescribable pretended English accents. And overall, it's a pretty picture with a bunch of heroic characters and a fight for the freedom, with a promise to become a longer story, for better or worse (there's "Untitled Rebel Moon Prequel" TV series entry on IMDB).

So it's not that bad.

Bit it's not very good, either. For some reason the actors' work in the second part looks weaker, save for the main heroine - her fight scenes still look amazing. Also there's no real story being told, neither about the world, nor character's past, nor future - it's all generic "we fight for freedom". And so is almost everything, secondary and generic and lacking the originality: genius tactical general running towards enemy hordes without cover, unexplained and misplaced steampunk aesthetics, incoherent technology that is both unoriginal and unrealistic at the same time. There were a bright flashes of originality like costumes of Tarzan-looking-prince's court, or the imperial healers, or... no I think that's about it.

I guess it wouldn't be fair to call it an epic version of a fireplace videos - there's a lot of work being put into this movie - but next big thing in sci-fi universes it's definitely not.

Fallout (2024– )

Great adaptation with some goofs

[8/10 · 14 April 2024]

There are many things done right in this show - the casting, the story, the attention to the details, the following of the already developed concepts and ideas. Take, for instance, one of the main characters of the show: the power armor; it's designed to look and behave just as in the games, so it has a real feel of a heavy force and slow-but-lethal feel to it (also, seeing Kyle MacLachlan in it is a sheer treat) - and there's many similar concepts taken "as they were": robotics, vaults, suits, guns, medication etc.

Speaking of the story, it is perhaps not the most engaging one overall, but at the same time it's only the first season, and it's also engaging enough.

Speaking of actors and characters, I think everyone's great and right where they belong in this show - I wouldn't focus the attention on anyone in particular as I think the whole ensemble is what really gets it going. And a special thanks to the people who built (or animated) the power armour - if I were to dedicate the praise to one character, that'd be it.

With all the greatness, there's a surprising number of goofs: endless rounds in a six-shooter guns, lack of lights on power armours (when even pip-boys have them), unclear difference between some vaults etc. It doesn't spoil the show, but it's odd given it's based on video games where all these aspects are at the core of the gameplay/storytelling.

Overall, I've enjoyed the show - it's gory, cooky, bizzare, infantile, peculiar and vivid. It's great.

Road House (2024)

Pointless rage

[3/10 · 28 March 2024]

What I find this movie lacking is not a complex plot or twisting story - I think the trailer was fairly honest about what the movie will be about: the unwilling hero comes to town and is left with no choice but to kick bad guys' backsides, probably till they die a gory death. And so the movie delivers as promised, not more but not exactly less either. Hero looks brutal and calm, main antagonist looks brutal and psychotic, fighting is endless and seemingly inconsequential punching each other in the face - as promised. Perhaps even too much of said punching - during the final part it felt like their faces should've looked like crimson basketballs for 20 minutes already but there's still barely a minor laceration or two.

What I find this movie severely lacking though is acting - Jake Gyllenhaal is unpredictably witty or lost, and his "really pissed off" state differs from all the others not at all; Conor McGregor is too caricature and grotesque to be believable; Billy Magnussen is all cliche. The only decent acting comes from actors on secondary roles, but that doesn't really save much.

What I find this movie having severely too much of is pointless rage - the generic night at the bar seems to be "try to kill someone because the music is wrong, then try to maim someone because why not, crash some furniture, smash some bottles, drive home wasted". I've never been to Florida, but I seriously doubt it does any justice to the local population.

3 Body Problem (2024– )

Great visuals, but many questionable plot ideas

[6/10 · 25 March 2024]

Unfortunately, I can't way how far the key plot decisions in the series are from the original, though judging from other Netflix adaptations they might be quite far off. Either way, many character decisions and happenings raise questions, are inconsistent and ungrounded - which makes it hard to enjoy at times.

That said, it's a good show from many perspectives: it's very well shot and put together, the CGI looks adequate and suitable, great international cast are all doing a great job (though I wish some would have more screen time), and the general premise of the series is appealing: it is, in a nutshell, a believable (yet horrifying) circumstances.

I'm not sure I'd suggest it for watching, at least not yet - there's never a guarantee the show will be concluded till it is, and right now in addition to the plot issues it's far from finished.

The Gentlemen (2024)

Much better than the movie

[8/10 · 23 March 2024]

To me, the series were much more engaging and relatable than the movie - even though they don't entirely translate one into another, they can be compared, and the series come on top.

That's partially due to the story and machinations within it being more mundane and thus more believable - most of the time, anyways. And partially due to a significantly more relevant casting, where actors fit well even when playing grotesque characters.

And partially due to the story being told in a due course of 8 episodes, having enough time to unravel and wind towards it finale.

Good watch overall - maybe not an instant classics, but a solid unwilling outlaw story, with many scenes referencing previous Guy Ritchie's works.

Damsel (2024)

The screaming...

[3/10 · 23 March 2024]

It's not that bad, really - it's a fairly decent fantasy story, dragons and all. Some evil queen, some brave heroine, some bad decisions and sacrifices, some victorious riding into the proverbial sunset in the end. It's not that bad.

At the same time, it kinda is - most of the emotions are conveyed via screaming (or last-breath-panting), most of the action is secondary and uninventive, most of the character choices are questionable at best. And actors don't seem engaged much into what's happening (or perhaps what's happening is not much to engage with) - it looks more like a inexpensive theatric play rather than a movie, despite the actors' potential.

I'd not recommend this one - it's not even entertaining, unfortunately. I'd rather suggest re-watching both of the Enola Holmes movies, if one is craving for some Millie Bobby Brown's performance - that one was good. This one is not.

Argylle (2024)

Half mystery, half Kingsmen

[6/10 · 23 March 2024]

It started really well - an interesting premise, great visuals of the "book universe", subtle humor, good characters development, interesting plot twists. But at the second part of the movie, it went all Kingsmen on the viewers - and not in the nice, first-movie way, no, rather in an entirely fairytale-heroic-nonsense kind of way. Felt odd and uncalled for - even though the plot twist was OK, the visuals and Marvel-style stunts were not. Actors were all great though, and so were visuals.

In summary, a decent entertainment that could've had much more entertaining story. Especially given the cast it has.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Less answers, more questions

[5/10 · 23 March 2024]

To me personally, the 2nd part felt like a lot more things went just briefly mentioned or not described at all than in the 1st part - and the first part was no Wikipedia, either. A lot of things were presented as just "so it should happen... and then it happened", with either briefly touching on how, exactly - or not touching it at all. So character motivation, backstory, insights and changes or direction all went pretty much unexplained - I've read the book many years ago so I only vaguely recall the why's, so good luck to those not familiar with source material...

Actors are all doing a great job (apart from, surprisingly, Christopher Walken - it felt like there could have been pretty much anyone in his place), and the visuals and sound are amazing - bit the story coherence is, alas, severely lacking.

Death and Other Details (2024)

Nicely done but cringy at times

[6/10 · 8 March 2024]

There are many good things about the first seasons - actors are mostly doing a great job, mystery slowly unravelling, suspense building up, visuals being sharp and neat and colourful, story being wrapped with a promise for continuation but without cliffhangers.

There are quite a few downsides though, too - characters being developed unevenly, with some having enough backstory and some not so much. Main character falling for everyone like there's no tomorrow, which doesn't really add anything to the narrative. And the whole big reveal at the end feeling a bit too second-hand, overblown and inconsistent.

Overall was a decent watch, but I'll probably not wait for season 2.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024– )

Great first season

[9/10 · 28 February 2024]

I liked the animated series quite a lot - and while I don't recall all the details of it, the live action feels very honest and close to the source, which is great for a change: the source was very well and creatively developed, and retelling it with great visuals is amazing.

The original was more of an exciting adventure, and these series takes darker tone, with emphasis on war and suffering and burdens, more like The Legend Of Korra did - and I find it very relatable.

It's also great to see an amazing international cast working on this, the casting is impeccable IMO, and most of actors are doing a great job, both lead and secondary (Sokka came as more witty and less goofy than in the animation, but it only makes him more real).

There are small caveats here and there - glitches in CGI, overly cliche "family" reasonings and some others, but none of that spoils the show.

Really hoping for it to continue.

Obliterated (2023)

Honestly gross

[8/10 · 4 February 2024]

Now, hear me out: it's gross, just like the trailer suggests - perhaps even more so at times. The meth-vomiting, unconscious-defecating, genitalia-swinging kind of gross. But first, it's honest about all that from the very beginning, and second - it all works well into the whole "wasted heroes" narrative. I guess the largest criticism for this show is they don't look wasted enough - apart from the explosives expert, perhaps.

So yes, it's silly and gross and over the top and Russians are mostly not Russians at all and not all acting is great and the plot is predictable and characters are cliche - but it's all deliberately that way, over-the-top on purpose, and that makes it a great entertainment.

Speaking of acting, it's much better that one would expect from the show like this - it does take skill to play stereotypical characters like you believe in it, and the cast is doing that exceptionally well - not everyone, but most do.

So if you're feeling like watching something dirty and gory and cringy and explicit, this one got you covered.

The Brothers Sun (2024)

Entertaining enough

[6/10 · 2 February 2024]

It's a decent TV show, good actors, decent story, some funny moments and some nice fighting scenes. It's always pleasant to see Michelle Yeoh, though not in much action this time, and other actors are doing good job too - apart from perhaps the one that plays the youngest son, or perhaps the role is written that way, but it's mostly annoying to watch. Not too much though.

It's entertaining enough, and was not entirely unappealing, and had its moments. My problem with it is it lacked much meaning to it, or much conclusion - there's season 2 likely coming, but that promise wasn't that promising.

Decent watch, still.

The Beekeeper (2024)

Jason Statham vs bad filmmaking

[3/10 · 2 February 2024]

At this point, Statham could have just been bashing baddies non-stop till scores roll, and that'd be the best movie ever. No script, no dialogues, just bad guys facing their bloody demise. Well, maybe a few catchy tough guy phrases to top that.

Sadly, this movie ain't it. There's some good fighting, and some catchy phrases too, and Statham is just as tough and amazing as ever. But also he's the only one who's doing any real acting, in between kicking bad guys. Even Jeremy Irons looks like he's just surviving through his role - not that the role is great, and the dialogs are meaningful (not by a long shot), but they could at least try. The sleazy douchebag of a bad guy was alright though, but that's that.

Oh, and there will likely be part 2...

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Part One

[8/10 · 23 December 2023]

What I think is important to take into account with this movie, is that it's Part One out out at least two, so many things that could feel hollow or rushed or insubstantial, might (and judging from the trailer, probably will) be covered in the future film(s): the lack of backstory for any character save the main, the missing motivation in most of their actions, the hollowness of the world's lore. It's really hard to tell whether all of that should've come first or not without contemplating the complete story, and it's not complete yet. Just from the runtime of 2 hours and the artistic style that involves a lot of slowed down scenes, it's not possible to put a lot of story into one movie.

That said, the Part One looks gorgeous - every location, every character, the weaponry and the costumes, it's all neat and detailed. Not without downsides though - it does look uninventive and derivative in many aspects, down to a light-ish blades and a robot voiced by a famous British actor. Perhaps that's the largest issue with the movie (again, so far), that it feels like a combination of existing space universes, and not much unique ideas like weapons or animals (yet). There are few, but not many.

Actors are mostly doing a great job, especially the lead ones - in my opinion they all depict the situations they're in quite well. Save for maybe the merchant/smuggler character, but that might be my personal dislike in Charlie Hunnam's acting in general.

So to summarise, it's a beautifully made chapter in the story, and whether the whole story is great or dull - remains to be seen.

Mrs. Davis (2023)

Quirky little something

[8/10 · 26 November 2023]

It's... something else. I mean, it is a story about an AI expansion and an interesting exercise in how ubiquitous it could be, and that part of the story starts, goes and ends in a fairly straightforward way. But everything surrounding that story is something else - it's rarely too grotesque or too bizarre, but it's almost always both grotesque and bizarre in a "passerby" fashion: things just happen, as if it's normal.

Performances are great - lead actress exceptionally so, but others are doing their job really well too. Cinematography is also great, and story-wise it's a refreshing mix of drama, comedy, surrealism, religion and, well, AI. And the story how that AI came to be is the best.

What's less great is somewhat indecisive nature of the show - it jumps between full drama at times (family relationships), cliched cardboard characters at others (the resistance), religious sarcasm (Grail part), moral dilemma (AI), surrealism (many times), and other things in between. Which could work (think "Good Place"), but it's somehow not decisive and grotesque enough to make it completely natural.

Still great show though, and with a definite ending, which is rare.

The Vast of Night (2019)

Suspenseful

[6/10 · 26 November 2023]

It builds a lot suspense and atmosphere quite brilliantly with very little - just a few actors, with mostly solo performances. And it works really well, except for the ending - it's perhaps expected, but I wish they left the ending open or thought of something else.

The acting is mostly good, and so is camera work and sound: it's not extraordinary, but it serves the story happening in a quiet town quite well. The story is engaging and even though it ends predictably, it was still interesting to watch - though I do wish the ending was different, it left a sour aftertaste given how well the narrative went up to that point.

Worth watching, especially given it's not a long movie so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–2024)

Better Star Trek than many

[8/10 · 22 November 2023]

Honestly, with all the goofiness and bad jokes and deliberately over-the-top situations (it's a comedy, after all), it has much more Star Trek in it than many recent Star Trek shows.

There's everything here those others lack: the discovery, the strange new words, the meaning, the coherence, the goal, the meaningful disobedience.

True, the jokes are not always funny, and some situations are just too goofy, but overall it's great - it has an audacious soul of space adventure, and a fork-all spirit of a modern sitcom.

Plus great animation and voice acting, and lovable characters. It's great. It took me a second take to enjoy it, but it grew on me quite a bit.

Blue Eye Samurai (2023)

Exceptional in every way

[10/10 · 21 November 2023]

This is an exceptional series, in every way - every aspect of it is genuinely superb, I'm not even sure which one to put first.

The animation is incredible - so much attention to the details, the palette of every scene, the mimic, the physiology! I haven't seen such honesty about human nudity probably ever - and it somehow maintains it as "by the by" status: it's a part of narrative, it's natural. I loved it.

Then there's a story, which winds through the whole season exquisitely weaving the thread of the main character's backstory into the current events - perhaps there's no revelation as far as the revenge stories go, but it's engaging and coherent and well told.

And then there's characters and acting - all the characters are unique and distinctive and lovingly depicted (even the horrible ones), and the voices all match the characters greatly.

Additionally, amazing soundtrack that matches the mood of every scene just right.

It's great. I hope there will be more - but even if not, it's already a great show with a finite season: there's room for more, but if it ends here, I'm already grateful for what's done.

The Killer (2023)

Duh...

[4/10 · 20 November 2023]

There's one undisputedly good part in this movie: Tilda Swindon's performance. She's amazing, and her character is perhaps the only believable one in the whole movie (even if stereotypical).

The rest is just bland, incoherent and essentially pointless: an average Jason Statham killer movie has more reason and determination to characters than this. From top-of-the-rank killer that is so meticulous he goes off the rails after one miss, to a nonsensical unconnected pompous monologues, to a cringy and uninventive decisions (even when they try to be inventive), to a forgetful characters (except for one mentioned above), to a linear and pointless plot.

Duh...

Scavengers Reign (2023)

Unique and exceptional

[9/10 · 20 November 2023]

Turned out to be so much better than the trailer has promised - in almost all aspects, it's a unique and exceptional animation. The overarching premise is not new: crew is stranded on an uncolonised planet and trying to survive; but the details are important: the planetary ecosystem, even though explored in just a fraction, is incredibly well thought - not just from the diversity perspective, but from the perspective of symbiosis, evolutionary traits and generally alienness of the flora and fauna (and the concept that it's pristine, so everything is fighting for survival; and how!). Art style is also very unique and distinctive, and voice acting is great. The story is fairly straightforward, but it's actually a good thing: it leave much focus to be dedicated to where the story is unfolding, and how. It's not dull or anything, it's quite engaging and thoughtful - just not many plot twists.

There are few hiccups here and there, like telekinetic being that can easily tear things apart relying on others to hunt, or crew learning minute flora and fauna traits in just a short time, or the very ending which left a strange aftertaste - but overall it's an amazing series, I'm so glad it was made and I watched it.

Expend4bles (2023)

Who's the weakest of them all

[4/10 · 20 October 2023]

There are three good parts to this movie: Stallone, Statham and when they act together - I really do wish this was mostly their joint performance, like, you know, the first movie. Why that very obvious success has not been replicated ever since is beyond me - their chemistry really works, no matter how cliche or cringy their dialogues are: it seems the cringier the better. Alas, that's not the focus of this film.

In a way the 4th episode gives more screen time to Statham, as 3rd gave more time to Stallone, and his performance in gun-, fist- and knife-fights is as iconic as always. So that's great. When he's in the same scene with Stallone, their grumpy little squabbles are as cute as they always were. So that's great too.

What's awful is, unfortunately, everything else: other actors are given very secondary characters to play, and excruciatingly dull lines to speak. Could have been ragdolls with the same effect, so it's painful to see good actors in such circumstances. Villain is the weakest of all the 4 episodes, even though I didn't much like any of the previous ones, here it's the worst. I like Andy Garcia in general, but his character here is yet another ragdoll. CGI is oddly cheap at times, and it's best not to pay attention to the lack of logic or little attention to details. And the plot, well, just consider there's none - as much as there wasn't much in previous episodes, there's a lot less in this one.

It's still somewhat enjoyable though - just not nearly as much as I hoped it'd be.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

Trailer was better

[5/10 · 22 August 2023]

Trailer worked quite well, actual movie - not so much. Apart from a fairly straightforward plot and almost linear (save some small episodes) narrative, there's some awkwardness in how actors play their roles - it's almost believable, but it's not; as if they aren't entirely connected with the plot or the story or their characters. Everyone is somewhat mild in their expressions and sarcasm and action, not willing (or not allowed?) to get to the full potential. Looks awkward - save for, perhaps, Hugh Grant, who seems to have fun no matter what.

There are some thrilling action scenes, car chases, sarcastic humour, plot turns and good acting - but, IMO, just too little to be exciting or remarkable, so the overall impression is "bland and forgettable", unfortunately.

Twisted Metal (2023– )

Romcom with machineguns

[9/10 · 31 July 2023]

It has much less car-bases gunfight s as a video game origins might suggest, but it has some. To compensate, there's a fair bunch of unique and quirky characters, funny yet kinda believable (given the apocalypse premise) situations, and the actor doing amazing job.

It's not without flaws - it's a little too long on the dialogue side: helps building the story and characters background, but feels a little slow at times. Or at least my expectations were a little more dynamic.

But at the same time, it's a creative story based on more or less no background apart from races and gunfights, and it works great. I've thoroughly enjoyed the whole firs season and I'm hoping there will be more!