ezran74 Reviews

Willow (2022–2023)

Still not happy Disney pulled the series

[8/10 · 1 May 2024]

I very much enjoyed the series and wish that it had been renewed. It still makes me mad that Disney pulled it all together and it can't find an audience now at all. Part of the reason I chose to stop renewing my Disney plus subscription.

I do agree that there were some flaws, I think it had a few to many characters it tried to follow in an eight episode season, it made it hard for everyone to shine. It would have probably been better to have focused on 4 main characters (a criticism I have of Rings of Power as well). By focusing most of the attention on Willow, Kit, Jade, and Thraxus you could have developed the characters and drawn people into the story more, at least in my opinion. I also probably would have made the big reveal that Jade or Kit was Elora. Unfortunately it felt like they went for big bang and spectacle over a good story with compelling characters. I did enjoy the other characters, particularly Graydon, but probably would have introduced him as a reoccurring character and expanded his role in the second season.

Halo: Reach (2024) Season 2, Episode 4

Best episode so far

[9/10 · 27 February 2024]

I think this was the strongest episode of the season. The action was amazing and I think there has been a lot of good growth from John and Riz this episode, them getting to have real human connection and figuring out how to deal with loss. The last few episodes have also helped redeem humanity a bit for me in this series. Previously the only human characters that we have seen that seem to be good people were our Spartans. The Military Command, the ONI and even most civilians we meet seemed to be the worst that humanity had to offer. The last few episodes have helped shift my perceptions through Perez and her family, even Halsy is less the monsterous child stealer and butcher and more nuanced. She still is a monster, but at least you can see something human in her. My only criticism was the burry your gays trope. Setting up Louis and Danilo only to kill them off was somewhat disappointing.

Hyperdrive (2006–2007)

Just Fun

[7/10 · 21 February 2024]

Nick Frost, Miranda Hart and Dan Antopolski are absolute gems in this series. The rest of the cast are a great deal of fun as well. I understand why people seem to make comparisons to Red Dwarf there is a similar feeling to it but I find it stands well on it's own. I know another series would be a pipe dream at this point, but I would be on board for a third season. Yes it has some cringe worthy moments, but that is part of its charm. It's also an interesting take on global affairs, most often sci-fi has a globalist perspective on the future and Hyperdrive offers up a nationalist point of view that is an interesting change from the norm.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Good cast chemistry

[8/10 · 18 February 2024]

I very much enjoyed the movie particularly the chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Jason Mamoa. Also Randall Park was a gem in the movie always great to see. I would have liked a bit more with Timuera Morrison and Nichole Kidman. I think Topo stole the show for me. Visually it was gorgeous, amazing creatures and environments. The story of the two brothers was good. So far my favorite DCEU movies have focused on Aquaman and Wonder Woman, I think largely because I am tired of seeing Superman and Batman done over and over and over and over again. Could have done some more work on the legend of the lost Kingdom just to ground things a bit but otherwise solid B.

Star Trek: Enterprise: These Are the Voyages... (2005) Season 4, Episode 22

These weren't the Voyages.

[2/10 · 24 September 2023]

It's been 18 years since this episode aired and it still makes me angry and frustrated. I have tried watching it a few times in the last two decades to see if it is better now that time has passed and it still makes me feel horrible for the cast of Enterprise who had done such an amazing job for four years, only to be turned into guest stars on their series finale. To this day I refuse to acknowledge this sack of crap as existing. Thankfully they framed it as a holoprogram based on actual events so we as viewers get to ignore the bs in some the worst 43 minutes of Star Trek ever. Maybe Strang New Worlds will be able to give us a real sense of closure on these characters and their story, one where Trip isn't killed off for nothing.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Disappointed

[2/10 · 3 September 2022]

The first time I watched this movie I left the theater feeling completely disoriented. I recently watched it again for the first time since seeing it in theaters and time did help me any. I have come to realize that if you watch the first and third movies of the trilogy, this movie doesn't have any relevance to the other two and was completely unnecessary to the story.

None of the characters seemed to have any connection to previous versions of themselves in earlier movies. The story seemed to not flow particularly well, I still don't feel like the canto bright sequence made sense in the movie. I liked that story but it seemed like it shouldn't have been jammed into the story it was in. I also felt like Gwendolyn Christie, Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern weren't used particularly well in the movie. The character I liked the most was Rose, but it didn't sit well with me that they took away her heroic action of saving Finn by making it because of a school girl crush rather than because she was a self-sacrificing and loyal friend.

The way they used Luke and Leia in particular didn't sit well with me, I don't feel like the director and writers really respected the legacy they were inheriting and were determined to make his remake things in their own image.

Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight (2002 TV Movie)

Unfairly Harsh

[7/10 · 5 August 2022]

I think people were unfairly harsh with legend of the rangers. It was effectively a pilot and had many kinks to work out but several of the characters were worth exploring further. Some of the actors were quite talented and have had strong performances in the years since, particularly Dean Marshall who many may recognize from the Stargate franchise. Yes it would have needed more refinement to be a full fledged series but it was a decent starting point, for something that will never get to be.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

IDIC

[9/10 · 8 January 2021]

I think Discovery has captured the key elements of Star Trek and made it something new and vibrant. The themes of hope, connection, unity and Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination is something that drives us toward the future and each other. I thank the cast and crew for that. It is visually appealing, it has lots of action and it has heart.

The Last Airbender (2010)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 31 October 2019]

One of the most disappointing live action adaptations I have seen. I couldn't make it through the entire film.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

C+

[7/10 · 29 July 2019]

Really cool visuals and sci-fi setting but the lead actors fell flat for me. The aliens were more emotive than the humans and I felt more interested in the supporting characters than the leads. That said I have heard a lot of negative reviews for the movie but don't feel all the hate is justified.

Men in Black: International (2019)

Fun reunion

[8/10 · 19 June 2019]

I enjoyed the movie, it was a nice vehicle for Hemsworth, Thompson and Nanjiani. It was cute but I think they gave away to much in the trailer and didn't play up the big bad as much they probably should have, it sort of left me wanting a bit more.