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Reviews
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Could and should have been much better
The idea behind the movie and the impression I got from the trailer is very good and fits in our current era. It promises a story of the end of a world order as we know it today. Many great civilizations have come and gone in our history, and it stands to reason that the current one will as well. It might even be around the corner, and that is where this movie is about.
The movie has some good points. It's slow, which is nice for a change compared to the action packed movies of today. For an "Armageddon" movie, it doesn't have a lot of action, which is good because it doesn't need it. There are a lot of nice shots, the music really sets the mood and there are some interesting idea's that come forward (self-driving Tesla's for example). The movie also leaves the tension up and keeps you wondering what it's all about and what might happen next.
Yet, there is a lot that's bad about the movie. Racism being brought in without any reason or purpose, very bad and irresponsible parenting. Things happen that are both weird and don't get explained (like a lot of reindeer staring at people and a very loud noise). Reactions of people to certain situations are completely illogical. The movie drags on with all these kinds of things and at the end of the movie it turns out one of the main protagonists has some answer and explains it in a monologue. It still leaves a lot of plot holes and the end you get is very unsatisfying.
It was a struggle rating this movie. There are very good things about this movie and it had real potential. The tension and the questions keep you on the edge of your seat. Downside is the unsatisfying ending and the sometimes very illogical behavior made me give this movie a 5 star. This could have been better. This should have been better. If they make a new movie about this topic in this style, but do it better, I would watch it for sure.
Obliterated (2023)
It is what it pretends to be
I gave this a solid 7, because it brings what you can expect from an American style, bad humor series. The acting is half decent, the story half interesting, the humor half good and the weirdness is maximum. If that's in your mindset when viewing this series, you'll be set for fun. If you expect anything serious, you're betting on the wrong show.
The series doesn't pretend to be anything else than what you get. And for the genre it's in, it's not even bad. The story also has some surprising plot twists, which makes the story better than a few other shows that pretend to be better or serious. One tip though, this isn't a show to binge-watch. That might cause your brain to meltdown. ;)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Should be better
Love the Wick series, but this last chapter couldn't keep my attention. It seems that the filmmakers decided that a lot over the top action scenes are better than a good story.
Though the story has some memorable lines, it is drowned in over the top action scenes in which John just kills 100th people in his wake, gets shot at multiple times, falls from high above and walks away. Too much over the top for just being a top killer (not a superhero). Even Neo or Constantine couldn't pull this off.
When you skip the unreal action scenes, it's a good movie. But that shouldn't be the way to watch it.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
The old feeling
Finally, a series that gives me the old Star Trek feeling but with 21st century components. The old buildup of episodes brings back memories. Per episode a beginning marked with the traditional log entry, a middle and a finish and pieces from the bigger story arch weaved into it.
Not only visually it's up-to-date, but also on its morality. More women who are not there just for the eye candy, queer people and less machismo. I think it fits better with the morals of the federation than it did in the old days.
There is room for improvement. One of them is back to much more episodes in a season. With the old style and "filler" episodes a season should be 20+ episodes again. :)
Men in Black: International (2019)
Just doesn't cut it.
This movie just doesn't cut it. The story goes pretty much as expected, until the "main" villains where killed without an afterthought, they turn out to be the good guys and a new villain is created to be destroyed in the last half hour. The idea of diversity falls flat on her ass because the role could be easily played by a white young guy and it wouldn't change anything.
But the worst part is, the humor isn't there. They seem to have forgotten that MIB is a comedy. I know it's hard to fill in the shoes of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Rip Tom. But this movie doesn't even attempt this. It's just a action movie that tries to be funny at times with lame happenings. Nothing even close to the shooting off the regrowable head. So it gets a 4 star rating because it's not a complete waste of time but it's better spend watching MIB 1-3.
American Assassin (2017)
It's what you expect
This is a movie that gives what can be expected. The character development is moderate and the story predictable. There are the usual action scenes, a tragic event to begin with and a beautiful girl on the path of the main protagonist.nothing new under the sun, but not bad either. An entertaining movie for someone who likes CIA style action movies. For that, it gets a 6 star rating.
Last Knights (2015)
Very, very good and is downrated unjustly
A very good story about medieval knights losing their master due to corruption of those above him and taking their revenge. There are some tense moments where you can really feel the dilemma someone faces. For those that want bloody continues fight scenes that make no historical sense, this movie isn't for you. But this is one of the movies in a long time where I even forgot I had a phone. Giving it 10 stars because the current rating doesn't do the movie just and because it's worth it.
S.W.A.T. (2017)
Great show, unlike some of the critics
I want to address some of the critique that has been given. In the show you follow the SWAT team of Hondo in their action. The team is composed of members with various backgrounds, including the only SWAT woman officer. So there are plenty of things going around as we viewers get to see the action and get a bit of background to the team members. So there is no way the show can ignore the BLM situation in the latest season. For black people that is a very serious issue so when you have a black SWAT team leader you have to do something with it and I think they did very well in portraying it from the perspective of Hondo and his family spawning three generations. People complain it's very politically loaded, but that's actually the reality. It would not surprise me that black policemen have the struggle between the badge and the allegiance to their people. And of course when you have a black SWAT team leader who was put in that position due to political reasons (see the very first episode) you can expect it to be a returning theme.
As for dealing with the critique that they are doing things that SWAT doesn't do, probably that's true. But if I wanted to know what SWAT does in reality, then I would watch a documentary instead of a TV show. It would be boring as hell if all they did was sit on standby, get a call, smash a door, arrest a person and then back to base. No context, no dialogue, no reason as to why someone got busted and so on. They do indeed combine various aspects of police work into the team, but that works good and perfectly normal for this genre. If you want to keep it exact, go watch a documentary.
So why 9 stars? The reason is that in the later seasons the actual SWAT work has become a secondary aspect to the show. Though the background to the team and the other police stuff they do is nice, the actual SWAT work should get more to the front. Otherwise, they should rename the show when the actual SWAT aspect is only in it for about 5 minutes. Still, definitely a show worth watching, and I hope they can earn that extra star!
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Great movie, except it's not fast and furious.
First the down points and that's actually that they ride on the Fast & furious trademark. Apart from side characters Hobbs & Shaw there where no members of the original team in the film. Also the street race aspect and the tuning that made fast & furious great and set it apart from other action movies has been completely lost. Granted that aspect was already going down fast in the latest installments, but losing the OT made this a action movie like any other.
That said, it's still a very entertaining movie. Hobbs and Shaw have very great interaction moments and dialogue. Adding Shaw's sister in the mix makes it all the more enjoyable. The movie is packed with action moments that are filmed well. And there is the needed dose of humor added in the mix. As a block buster action movie it's very good. On par with other great action movies. But they should have let Fast & Furious end with Paul and Dom riding different ways into the sunset.
Pine Gap (2018)
Keeps you in doubt into season 2
When I started to watch this show, I didn't know what to think of it. it didn't particularly grab me, but kept me interested enough to keep on watching. And it stayed that way until the end of season 1. And there where two cliffhangers that makes me want to see season 2 as well.
The series is what you can expect. Some romance, some drama, some unexpected turn of events and plenty of factors playing an influence. In the series you follow A-crew from the secret listening post Pine Gap, located in the outback of Australia. Pine Gab is a collaboration between the US and Australia, which means that there is a dynamic of two governments and a sort of divide between American en Australian operatives within A-crew. As the serie progresses, the tension on the world stage increases and that means tension in A-crew increases as well. With a few twists here and there, the series keeps itself interesting, though at some points I find the dynamic between certain characters a little unbelievable.
Some of the members of a-crew get a lot of attention and we get to know a lot about their background, while other members stay relatively in the shadows. The last part is a bit of a downer, since it doesn't make you bond with members who'll be playing a major role in season 2. It also doen't explain certain behavior shown by those members. But the series did managed to keep me watching and half way through starts making things interesting. The ending of the season is good enough to make me want to watch season 2. So i'm going to rate this a 8 out of 10 and would advise people who like series that revolve around secret agencies to watch this show. Remember though, this is not an action series, so don't expect gun blazing action and bond style like situations (or even those out of homeland).