saje_ Reviews

Gen V (2023– )

Just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me

[6/10 · 3 November 2023]

I just really do not understand why some of these characters behaved the way they did. A lot of the writing was very sloppy, and some decisions people made was giving me absolute whiplash.

Cate was the most confusing by far, I just really did not get why she of all people was the most gung ho about freeing the woods, and right after the show was hinting that she might turn back to Indira's side. I mean, it's fine for her to change her mind, but THAT quickly and aggressively? And it seemed like she did it to make up the harm she had caused her friends, but then the rest of the group didn't want to free the woods (????? Wasn't that like the entire point of the show?) because it would be a massacre? But then she turns her back on her friends and does it anyways, so whats the motive here? And don't tell me she in that moment decided to hate all non supes, because that's just ridiculous and was not earned at all. I don't even think the people from the woods coming up and slaughtering any non supe they come across was good. It's lazy and one dimensional writing, I mean Sam escaped and he just wanted to run away and be free, why are all of them hell bent on killing regular humans, I just don't think it makes sense.

I'm always just really annoyed by plots where the "evil" side makes too much sense so they make siding with them indefensible. Yeah, the people in the woods were being tortured and should have been freed, but we need that to be the antagonists standpoint so we're going to have them go on a rampage and murder any innocent person they see that had nothing to do with anything. I think it's pretty obvious that every main character on the show should have wanted to free the people, but if they start slaughtering people they would stop them. Why did none of them feel that way?? It was either slaughter all regular people, or leave those supes in a dungeon to be tortured, no one thought maybe both are bad?

I'm mostly talking about the last few episodes but a lot of the show was just full of plot contrivances (the most popular people on campus invite a random freshman to hang out with them, that doctor guy coming into Indira's office just spouting exposition to thin air for no reason etc.).

That being said I did really like Emma, Jordan, and Andre most of the time, up until the finale I think they were written very well. I also laughed out loud at a lot of moments in the show, Emma was especially funny. The best scene was when Sam was absolutely butchering a bunch of puppets, that was hilarious.

Rick and Morty: How Poopy Got His Poop Back (2023) Season 7, Episode 1

Pretty bland start to the season

[5/10 · 16 October 2023]

There was nothing particularly creative or interesting about this episode, which is usually not the case for season openers in this series. Also there were almost no jokes that I found to be funny at all, which might not be the case for everyone, it could just be personal preference. Overall I just found it to be a quite boring episode unfortunately, one of the main draws of Rick and Morty for me is it's consistent creative concepts, and there was really just nothing here like that.

I will also say that I did find Rick's new voice to be pretty distracting. It's not just that it's different, I just don't think the performance is there yet. But if given time I'm sure the new actor will be fine, he just needs to find his stride. I will say the new Morty is pretty much indistinguishable for me, at least from the few lines he had in this episode. Mr. Poopybutthole was also a standout in the episode, I forgot he also needed to be changed and I didn't even notice a difference. I'm very glad that Roiland's departure seems to have had a minimal effect on the show's quality, with Rick being the only noticeable change, but maybe I'll feel differently as the season goes on.

Vinland Saga (2019–2023)

The definition of a must see

[10/10 · 25 August 2023]

I honestly have never been affected by a piece of media before in my life as much as I have been by Vinland Saga. Sure there are things that I've enjoyed more or found to be more entertaining, but this show legitimately shifted my perspective on life. Before I watched it I would have scoffed at anyone saying that about some animated tv show that looks like it's just another shonen about a strong main character doing cool stuff. But now I truly believe that everyone needs to watch this show and really chew on it, because it might make you realize things about yourself and the world that you hadn't before.

The thing is, it really is just a show about a strong main character doing cool stuff, but it redefines what it means to be strong. Sure, Thorfinn is probably one of the physically strongest (or at least deadly) people on the planet, but unlike pretty much any other piece of media ever, that isn't what the show is about. The show is about Thorfinn discovering for himself the true meaning of strength and what it really means to be a man. And to be honest, I was learning right with him.

The Last of Us: When You're Lost in the Darkness (2023) Season 1, Episode 1

I mean yeah

[9/10 · 16 January 2023]

Im not at all surprised by how good this first episode was considering it's the same creator as chernobyl. It was so faithful to the source material, and on top of that there were a few additions that I felt even enhanced the story. When people say it really shouldn't be so difficult to translate video games to film, this is what they are talking about. As long as it's clear the creator has respect for the source material, a beloved property won't be ruined. Now obviously the last of us lends itself to a movie adaptation more than most video games, but still. One thing I will say is that I ironically would like a bit more deviations or additions from the video game. So far, it has been almost a one to one, with a few additions that I enjoyed. I just worry people will complain that the show is useless when the game can just be played instead. This episode gained my trust for the series, and wherever it goes from here I am fully in.

Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)

So many questions

[4/10 · 28 October 2022]

HEAVY SPOILERS

So many questions. Like: What were the earthquakes?

Why did a plane crash in a simulation? Are there no programmers or people running it from the outside? Was this just in Alice's mind? Why?

Do none of the wives have family in the real world that wonder where they are? I mean Alice was a doctor. If people know they're missing how can the husbands operate in the real world still? They'd definitely be suspects.

What is Frank's goal? How was Alice challenging this goal ever going to be good for him?

If Shelley also wanted to leave why didn't she just kill Frank earlier and do what Alice did? How does Alice's escape change anything for Shelley?

Who are all the security people? Is Frank paying them? How does he make money to do that? Do the husbands work day jobs and pay him maybe? Jack hinted at that, but it'd be nice to clarify.

What was the electrotherapy? Is there a 1-to-1 mapping between simulation and real Alice, meaning shocking her virtual head has the same effects as shocking her real head?

I think the strangest thing to me is the lack of control the higher ups have over the simulation, it really just makes no sense. To build something this sophisticated would require a lot of very smart people who could certainly shut off the exits, or ignore the real laws of physics and just teleport. They would have to have intentionally limited their own power to create a simulation where policing can only be done in the same manner as in the physical world, it's just ridiculous honestly. Sure, it's similar to the Matrix, but this movie is obviously trying to be much more realistic than the Matrix.

I think the movie would have been much better if it had just taken place in the real world, somewhere in remote Nevada or something. Obviously changes would need to be made to the rest of the movie like: give Frank a genuine goal, maybe he's a neuroscientist working on ways to control people. There's a myriad of ways to take the story, but the one they chose just fell flat, which is very unfortunate because I think this movie had potential. It was very slow at the beginning but nearing the end I really started getting into it, until the simulation reveal then everything just kind of fell apart.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: A Normal Amount of Rage (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Why's everyone so mad?

[8/10 · 19 August 2022]

People pre-rated the show 5 stars for some reason, and the first episode ended up being pretty good. The cgi wasn't great, but it really wasn't as bad as people are saying, and I thought it could be genuinely funny at times. Obviously they're not reinventing the wheel, this is pretty generic marvel stuff but it's enjoyable enough. Just relax.

Gone Girl (2014)

Just watch it

[10/10 · 29 January 2022]

I held off on watching this movie for a long time, and I didn't really have a good reason, it just seemed kinda boring. And now, having just finished it 10 minutes, I'm still on the edge of my seat. It's long, but ABSOLUTELY worth it. I really can't go into specifics, you just have to go watch it and you'll see why it's so acclaimed. 10 stars out if 10, it's up there with my favorites of all time already.

Dexter: New Blood: Cold Snap (2021) Season 1, Episode 1

Off to a pretty good start!

[8/10 · 7 November 2021]

I'll admit, I was very worried when I first heard they were bringing Dexter back. With the original series, they said just about everything they could have, and then when they were out of ideas they just reverted back to old ones. The show got verrry stagnant near the end. I think that a change of scenery, characters, and just about everything else is exactly what the show needed to keep things fresh.

Things I really liked: I love that Harrison show's up. I'm super interested to know what happened to Hannah, if he remembers his dad is a killer, and so many other things that are made possible by his presence. I like how dexter seems genuinely happy with his new life, and it really seems like he's changed and likes who he is now. I thought all the acting was phenomenal, and I loove that Dexter has ties to another police department (I think his girlfriend could be a really great character). Also the show looks gorgeous, it's shot and edited very well.

Things I didn't like so much: The only, albeit kinda big, thing I didn't like was the reason Dexter chose to kill again. We all knew it was bound to happen, but based on the trailer, I was thinking that maybe his hand would be forced and he'd have to protect someone. It felt like a pretty big regression that he killed someone so impulsively, when he knew someone who was covering for the crime and receiving payment in return. He could tell the police, this is a thing that can be investigated. Idk, I just found it bothersome that he didn't really even try to hold back his urges, it makes it unbelievable that he would have lasted 10 years only to cave to something relatively small (key word relatively, I know he killed 5 people and that's still really awful, but Dexter has seen far worse). I just wish it was a bit more grand of a resurrection for killer Dexter Morgan than some entitled little brat.

I know the things I didn't like section was longer than the things I did, but overall I really am happy with how it turned out, and I think the issued I have so far are not ones that are irredeemable.

Léon: The Professional (1994)

Would be a great film, if it wasn't so disgusting

[2/10 · 30 October 2021]

The only reason I'm not giving it 1 star is because the performances were incredible. Gary Oldman was phenomenal, and this was Natalie Portman's first acting credit, and she did so well considering how young she was. But that also segues into the main and irredeemable issue with this movie; Leon and Mathilda's relationship.

Mathilda is insanely sexualized and Leon honestly doesn't do a ton to dismiss her feelings toward him. The movie on its own is disturbing, but knowing that Luc Besson married and impregnated a 15 year old girl when he was 31 really sheds a lot more light on the situation. In the international version of the film there are a lot more sexual situations with Leon and Mathilda, and in the original script, Besson went so far as to write in the two of them having sex. It's clear that this film is a reflection of Besson's own deranged life, and unfortunately the spectacular performances and every other great aspect of the film that garnered significant critical acclaim cannot redeem the film. I simply cannot overlook the depravity of a pedophilic relationship, portrayed as some beautiful thing.

Rick and Morty: Forgetting Sarick Mortshall (2021) Season 5, Episode 9

What happened to Rick??

[5/10 · 6 September 2021]

This episode started off pretty well, even though it wasn't amazing it was definitely one of the better first halves of this season. I really wished they touched more on the idea that Morty was going back to their old adventures and fixing the destruction caused by Rick's carelessness, that's a very intriguing idea and we didn't even get to see Rick's reaction to it. Seemed kind of irrelevant by the end. Morty's plot was pretty enjoyable, but Rick is where my issues lie. He really just doesn't seem like Rick at all. I understand that the point of this whole season has been to make Rick into a more empathetic person, but it has not felt at all like a smooth transition. He goes from basically telling Morty that he's no better than garbage, to being all kumbaya because...some crows connected with him?? That'd be fine if it was a gag, but it's clear that they are genuinely trying to evoke emotion with this, and I felt absolutely nothing. Rick can become better while still being Rick, that's the main point I'm making I guess. It's hard to connect with what feels like a stranger.