tronba Reviews

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

Action and nostalgia but in essence soulless.

[2/10 · 17 June 2022]

The movie has many nice shots and good cgi. Lots of action, sadly the action is rather dull and unoriginal, no scare potentiale. A good cast, but very weak and mangleded story.

In essence I felt that it was mostly soulless.

Star Trek: Discovery: Anomaly (2021) Season 4, Episode 2

At the speed of convenience

[3/10 · 3 December 2021]

Star trek was never hard science (not really), and that is fine, but it should have internal consistancy, in that regard this episodes is sadly lacking.

Also the whole let's talk about our feelings when the ships are about to explode is annying, gives more the vibes of a bad soap opera with a shakycam than a sci fiction.

Star Trek: Discovery: That Hope Is You, Part 2 (2021) Season 3, Episode 13

Michael Burnham space jesus

[3/10 · 26 January 2021]

I took a long break after season two (I don't think I had planned on returning for season 3 because space jesus Burnham was a bit to much for me). But I did, and I'm not really impressed.

They said that season 3 would be different. But very little changed. Burnham is still a one woman band. The one person that needs to be in every situasion to make things work out. Never learning or trusting anyone (but expects others to trust her). It's more sad than anything else really.

There were interesting consepts and characters this season. The acting is mostly good, the visual effects and camerawork is good (less shaking) But this is still far from feeling like Star Trek most of the time, and that is mostly the writers fault. They should really try to watch The Orville if they need some tips.

Well that's my thought at least. I hope I remember to not come back for season 4.

Star Trek: Discovery: The Sanctuary (2020) Season 3, Episode 8

Bad writing

[2/10 · 26 January 2021]

Good Sci-fi challenge people's convictions by presenting a known problem or dilemma in a new context. By projecting it onto something new, people get the possibility to rethink their old beliefs.

The Paul and Hugh characters are an excellent example of this done well, presented as a couple, being individuals that need to work to get their relationship to work. Just like anyone else. They just happen to be gay. And nobody gives a rat's ass about it because it's a normal part of the future (as it should, in most civilized places, it already is).

Gay people have fought for years to be accepted. And there is still a lot left before things are anywhere close to equal. Gender fluidity is a newer concept (at least in the public eye). But historically, we are talking about a change in perception that happened over decades, not centuries.

If two gay men, born hundreds of years in the future, don't get pronouns. And have to be taught them as if they were 2010ish straight men. how slow would development have had to have been? In their mission to push gender fluidity, the writer did a sloppy job. Sadly this is a recurring theme in this series.

Star Trek: Discovery: Unification III (2020) Season 3, Episode 7

Sigh

[1/10 · 26 January 2021]

In Star Trek Enterprise we get to know a lot about the Vulcans. They are not purely logical and there was groups that were very conservative and hid behind faulty logic. But this takes it a bit far. They think they did the burn, but they had the data showing the opposite. But they never bothered checking. Yeah, not very likely.

Lot's of bad writing and useless drama.

Star Trek: Discovery: Scavengers (2020) Season 3, Episode 6

Some cool scenes, but....

[3/10 · 26 January 2021]

Sure good things in this episode. But, wow I'm getting sick and tired of Michael Burnham being a loose cannon. The writers did a lot of work trying pushing the notion that Burnham has changes. But she does excatly the same things she always do.

Star Trek: Discovery: Forget Me Not (2020) Season 3, Episode 4

Michael Burnham Trill wisperer

[2/10 · 26 January 2021]

I liked the start of the season and liked the consept and story around Adira. Sadly the writers has a tick they can't get rid of and that is to push the Michael Burnham character into more and more ridiculus Jesus moments. Star Trek has always had main characters that hog up a lot of the limelight. But never only one, and it don't fit. It don't fit at all.

Away (2020)

It's me not you.

[5/10 · 5 September 2020]

This series used elements from different sci-fi categories that don't mix well. It's set in the near future and tries to have a realistic feel, but the astronauts aren't anything like astronauts we know from reality. So they aren't believable.

They are left to fend for themselves by mission control in the prep work, which is also not realistic (today).

Had this series been set in another setting or time (independent asteroid mining craft set in the future), these elements could have worked. But as it is, it's not very good. An alternative series that mixes drama, mars, and sci-fi, I would recommend the series Mars by National Geographic.

Star Trek: Picard: Remembrance (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

A promising start

[9/10 · 23 January 2020]

I was never a fan of J. J. Abrams and Kurtzman's interpretation of Star Trek, especially Star Trek Discovery. I did not feel that they were able to catch the spirit or soul of Star Trek. So I feared what this series might become. So far, I'm impressed. Sir Patrick Stewart reprises his famous role as Picard, and the start of this series is looking very promising. Good actors and a plot that's not rushed (to much) and has some depth and heart give me hope that this might be a good one.

Hazbin Hotel (2019– )

Stunningly beautiful and fast-paced adult fun

[10/10 · 12 November 2019]

The pilot is free on youtube so that anyone can see it, and you really should give it a try. This is the best new animation series for adults I have seen in years.

It's beautiful, detailed, fast-paced, and the characters that are well-fleshed out and interesting. The drawing style is fresh and provocative. You can both see and feel the love and soul that the creators have put into this passion-project. The pilot is about 30 minutes, and the time goes by in a flash.

Hazbin Hotel is only for a segment of adults because it is extreme in many ways. So if you react badly to swearing, edgy jokes, and grotesque violence, then this might not be for you. But that is fine. It doesn't have to be for everyone to be good.

The only bad thing about this project I think of is that it's going to take some time before we get a full series. A small team made the pilot. A highly creative and professional team but an entire season (or many) will require a expanding the team and getting crowdsourcing, or that a streaming service or TV station greenlight this series.I think it's very likely that this will happen, but it will take some time before a full series is available. Waiting for it will be hell.

Star Trek: Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 (2019) Season 2, Episode 14

Still some ways left

[7/10 · 28 April 2019]

Overall an okay episode and a good end to season 2. I especially like that more of the main characters are involved. This has been my most significant caveat with this series in general, so any improvement is welcome.

I did not like the space battle very much. Yeah, it's visually pleasing but unrealistically long. If shields are so durable as seen here than any space battle would be almost pointless. It killed a lot of the suspense for me.

I am surprised that there will be a season 3. I thought this episode wrapped the show up okay. I wonder if it would not be better to make a new series that don't have the baggage of discovery. This is not an attack on the cast that I thought have done an excellent job. But the writing team / design team initially did not get Star Trek (at least in my view) and have since been able to change the course some, but still this show that does not feel like star trek (most of the time). It will be interesting to see what happens both with STD and the new Picard series.

The Orville: Lasting Impressions (2019) Season 2, Episode 11

Making you laugh and cry

[10/10 · 22 March 2019]

This episode was undoubtedly my favorite so far. It pulled my heartstrings, and I don't normally like love stories and am not very emotional when I watch series in general. But this one came like a wrecking ball and made me feel deep empathy for the characters plight.

The Orville has from the beginning been about flawed people that do their best. It shows us a future that seems real. Human nature won't change, but maybe we can be better both to ourselves and others in the future. This episode takes this filosify and cranks it up to 11. addiction, curiosity, humor, concern, joy, love, and bone-deep heartbreak are all crammed into less than one hour, and nothing feels rushed or forced.

A real gem.

Star Trek: Discovery: Project Daedalus (2019) Season 2, Episode 9

Bad arc writing

[4/10 · 17 March 2019]

The premise of this episode is interesting though not very original (not even in star trek). There are some good parts. For instance, getting to know the secondary characters a bit more and some focus on tech and mystery. My biggest problem with this story is perhaps not this episode in itself. But how poorly the buildup to this arc was made. The episode wants us to mourn and have feelings for a character that we did not get to know before this episode. Yes, the character has been in the series for two seasons, but we had not gotten to know her, that makes it hard to have any severe emotion about her. The actors did a good job, but the writers failed in this one.

As a comparison in star trek DS9, the character Morn was a set piece in the bar. In season 6 there was a whole episode dedicated to his murder mystery. We had emotion because we were used to him being there and we empytised with the other characters when they mourned Morn. And that character did never say a word on camera and was no angel.

I am also tired of Burnham or Tilly being the solution to almost every problem. Why have a ship and crew if two people can fox about everything.

Hopefully the next episode will be better.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

One of the best manga adaptations to date.

[9/10 · 16 February 2019]

I had low expectations going into this movie. The main character is CGI and manga background had me worried. I love manga and anime, but the movies with that background have mostly just been okay until now.

It is a great movie. Rosa Salazar's Alita feels real, and the world is stunning both in its beauty and visceral horror. The movie looked great in 3D.

The only caveat i have is how the end kind of hits a barrier. This far but no futher. It's clear that they wanted the possibility to make more movies about Alita. Something that i wholeheartedly hope they will do.

Star Trek: Discovery: An Obol for Charon (2019) Season 2, Episode 4

Better

[6/10 · 8 February 2019]

This episode has sci-fi in spades, and that is very good. We get to know some more of the crew, and this episode both answer some questions and starts some new ones. My only big caveat with this episode is how Burnham always is the solver or catalyst to solving the problems. I am all for strong and knowledgable characters. But why have a starship with crew and scientists if one person can fix 95% of the issues that arise? That's not good star trek or storytelling in general. Use the crew (more) and let the captain lead and this would be good star trek.

Star Trek: Discovery: Point of Light (2019) Season 2, Episode 3

You get your hopes up and then this.

[3/10 · 1 February 2019]

Last episode had big parts where you actually felt like you were watching Star Trek again. It was about a crew on a starship exploring and overcoming challenges.

Sadly this episode was just plain bad. The ship just sits there idle while a soap opera unfold where we follow three-story arc's and see the introduction of an upcoming spinoff series.

Arc 1. Tilly shows us that she is unfit for command. Not because of her situation, but because her goal of moving up the command ladder is more important than then the safety of the ship and its crew. When she is found out she is rewarded and not corrected on her arrogance.

Arc 2. The Klingons... yeah no. Some soap opera thing happens and then big mama takes control. Very realistic.

Arc 3. Burnham is the center of the universe again. now properly literally.

I ones read an interview of an author known making very lifelike characters of both sexes. He was asked how he wrote female characters. He said something along the lines of "I just write them as if they were people, just as I do when I write for characters that are men." I feel that this series could learn from that.

As a progressive feminist, this series grinds my gears. I want a future where the sexes are equal. And I love then sci-fi is able to show us such futures. Voyager is a good example of that. It had multiple strong women in it. Characters that seemed real and reminded me of the strong women that I have met in my life. I would love a Star Trek with even more diversity and strong females but this has disapointed me.

I'm glad I saw this before watching the lastest Orville, need to get me some good sci-fi.

Star Trek: Discovery: Brother (2019) Season 2, Episode 1

Still crepy

[4/10 · 18 January 2019]

Ever read a poem made by a neural network? It's creepy because it's almost right. I get that feeling from this episode. It is clear that the writers have taken feedback since season 1 and that's a good thing. But most of the changes feel forced. An example is that they have some slapstick humor in there (probably because The Orville has that). But it is out of place. Also, there is multiple speeches about not leaving a single person behind something that is truly star trek. But when a character dies everyone is shocked for two seconds and then it's not reflected on again. It will be interesting to see if discovery is salvageable or not. I have my doubts because it has not in a single episode to date shown me a world that I would want to live in. And this is so central to what I understand to be star trek. A TV series about hope for the future.

Bumblebee (I) (2018)

Lot's of potentiale. But sadly very formulaic

[4/10 · 18 January 2019]

A movie with a funny concept with a lot of potentials. The characters are relatable and have some depth. The soundtrack and action sequences are nice. Sadly the story is beyond formulaic. I know that this movie is for young adults. But why not give them something new? A story that is not 100% predictable.

Disenchantment (2018–2023)

Cute and sometimes funny

[6/10 · 19 August 2018]

It's a funny premise, and the characters are well made. The animations are nice, and the story outlines are interesting. But when you get into the details, this series (at least the first half of season 1) is somewhat dull.

After decades of Simsons and especially Futurama we know how to recognize the setups and can see the slapstick humor a mile away. This makes a lot of the humor to fall on it's own face.

In the series, life is either worthless or priceless. This dissonance makes for some funny moments, but it also makes the story less coherent and the characters feel less real then they should.

I might very well not be in the demographics for this show. But I wonder what age group would like it?

From my viewpoint the this could have been so much better if the creators had been less locked to what was edgy a decade ago and dared to follow thru on the concept.

Star Trek: Discovery: Battle at the Binary Stars (2017) Season 1, Episode 2

Life in prison.... Really

[8/10 · 2 October 2017]

I mostly liked this episode. It has its flaws but kinda explains the background of the main character.

What I really could not stomach was the life sentence at the end. I get that this is to give us a cliffhanger but how unlikely is it in this world? She did something really wrong and lost her rank and job. But would the federation keep her in prison for life if she was not actually dangerous? A life sentence would be more akin to today's US type justice system where it's more about revenge than rehabilitation.

Star Trek: Discovery: Context Is for Kings (2017) Season 1, Episode 3

So different then the pilot

[4/10 · 2 October 2017]

Where the pilot had a lot of the star trek positivism, this episode was outright dark. I love series that have dark sides like Battlestar and the Expanse but they are built with a balance. At least at this point, this series lacks the counterpoint to the horror and dark parts.

I hope the following episodes will find a better balance. I would not like to see star trek became about survival when it should be a show about life and exploration.

The Defenders (2017)

This could have been so good.

[5/10 · 21 August 2017]

There are good parts in this series for sure. But this show did not fulfill its potential. The story is generic and much simpler than Daredevil or Jessica Jones.

The actors are mostly good, but their characters don't really evolve. They just go through the action like they are doing the dishes.

It also feels unrealistic because people they interact with (like the police) don't behave in a natural way.

Halfway thru the series, I started thinking how short this season would have been if the Punisher had been in it. He would have killed the bad guys. Maybe some good guys and finished in about two episodes. The way this series ended it might look like the hand still is not dead and that would be a mistake. The hand worked in the previous series because they were a shadow organization. But they have been used to much and are no longer mysterious or grand.

I hope that they make another season because this has a lot of potentials. But I would change director, writers, and villains.

Life (I) (2017)

It could have been so much more

[3/10 · 29 March 2017]

Grand music, beautiful shots and macabre scenes are all there. The concept is good and the actors do a fine job. If you are easily drawn into the story this might be for you.

A thriller is often a series of events building up to a grand final. The problem is when most of the events are triggered by or possible because of unlikely or outright impossible causes. Suspension of disbelief is important for a horror or thriller to work. And at least for me this never happened. It's macabre for sure. But not scary or thought provoking.

Agent X (2015)

Action and little else

[4/10 · 29 December 2015]

I have only seen the first five episodes. I don't think I will see any more. I like the action and acknowledge that they try to have strong female characters. But with the exception of Sharon Stone's character they seem to fail miserably at it.

All other females is sexy and portrayed as strong, independent and having fought to survive earlier on in life. But they always have to be rescued by agent X at the end. Even the "evil" females is just misunderstood or have a bad past and agent X will save them also. At the same time most "evil" men in the series is just evil and do their thing because of greed or power.

I want a series to pull me in. But the portrayal of females in this series is nigher believable or realistic. That way the series fail to make me believe and stay interested.

Sense8 (2015–2018)

Interesting series

[9/10 · 5 June 2015]

This series is riveting. watched the first six episodes back to back.

The concept of linked minds is interesting in it's simplicity. Modern technology has brought us closer together, this series looks at how things might be if we were even closer connected.

The characters are well defined and are believable. There is a strong focus on the individual stories of the main cast reminding me of Orange is the new black.

like Orange is the new black some people might object or take offense to some of the content, thinking it is to progressive or liberal. I hope these are few because these topic are important and help build the story and perhaps also teach us a bit more about the stereotypes we build about people we might be afraid of. We are all human and that is an important part of what I think the series try to tell us.