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scott_brierley
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Morbius (2022)
Fun but limited...
Great idea for an anti-hero. The origin story is interesting on paper...the weak become the strong etc...
The main problem here seems to be the usual problem in super-hero movies: the villain. (And a story that plods along at a snails pace.)
The scope to do something gritty and real was there but the strange choices in the script made it a bit lack-lustre. All of the intensity drained and some questionable cgi choices (why the chem-trails I wonder?) make for a bland imagining of modern vampirism.
A great cast with very little to do for an hour and a half...
I would have preferred a little more bite.
Lift (2024)
Fun adventure!
Is this the best movie you will see this year? Probably/hopefully not.
Is it a serious crime drama with deep characters and endless plot-twists? (nope)
Is it a good fun action movie? Sort of.
There are a lot of plot-holes, there are some weird pacing issues in the middle.
There is also a lot to like here.
When this movie doesn't try too hard or take itself a bit too seriously it works. There is fun and action to be had.
The characters are great and the plot is good fun (if a bit token action movie fare). The plot holes are massive in the early-game which can put people off...I would say fair enough to those people.
For those looking for fun, action antics...this is for you.
The Kitchen (2023)
Very poor.
It is difficult to describe just how bad a movie can be...this one in particular is pretty bad...
In a strange attempt to port US racial issues to the UK it fails on almost every count. Poor direction, poor script and very bad acting...all of which might be over-looked if the end film was engaging at all...it isn't. It almost feels like watching a trailer for an hour and a half.
It isn't the worst film I've ever seen. Just what you expect from a modern movie...Boring plot. Boring characters etc.
I give it 5 out of 10 because there is some production value...totally wasted but it is there nonetheless.
Deadpool (2016)
Seriously though...
Awful. Just awful. The latest in a string of terrible superhero to screen conversions that is immediately forgettable. On the plus side, if you happen to be a 12 or 13 year old boy then there may well be some hysterical moments in this latest Marvel.
This should have been sold off to Netflix as yet another dreary exclusive. Sure it'll do the rounds and make money at the box office but it really amounts to another nail in an already fairly well-sealed coffin.
I'd spend time going through why its so bad but really you'll all see it and make up your own mind. For me, this is sub par even if it was released 10 years ago but here it is, right now.
American Horror Story (2011)
Sub-par (after the first season)
This is yet another show that has successfully deteriorated with each iteration. This was achieved through some truly awful script-writing and storytelling along with some of the worst acting you're ever likely to see.
Relying heavily on clichéd stock characters in ever increasingly unbelievable scenarios American Horror Story offers so little in the way of scares its frightening.
If you're hopeful about Kathy Bates and Jessica Langes presence in here you have my sympathy. Kathy Bates in particular is almost unwatchable as she churns out lines in her "flavor of the month" accent (yawn) and poor Jessica Lange playing the faded beauty in every season is just lazy storytelling by anyones standards. (and the German accent is almost as bad as Kathy Bates...) In short, while the first season offered at least the occasional fright and feeling of unease, the ongoing seasons only serve to make you feel uncomfortable by virtue of how bad they are. I wonder how bad season 5 will be...?
Helix (2014)
what happened?
Season 1= 7 out of 10. Season 2= 3 out of 10. Ergo overall 5.
In short, the second season is dismal and tiresome. Lack-lustre new characters while destroying the originals. Storyline almost non-existent with non of the threat or tension of the first season.
Why bother making a second season if its going to be this mundane? Utterly disappointing when the first season showed so much promise and gave rise to so many potential plot developments. Could have been a show that ran and ran but this feels like a nail in a coffin.
In summary, watch the first season, struggle through the second if you must but be warned, its awful.
Fantastic Four (2015)
Reboot hell
The "original" Fantastic Four movie was far from "fantastic", this, however is just plain awful. It seems like the Marvel grindhouse has more than ran out of ideas but is content to destroy any of the reasonable efforts that went before.
While these endless rehashes seem to draw numbers at the box office for now, in the long run all Marvel succeed in doing is tiring an audience begging for something good. This is not it. Neither was "Amazing" spiderman (1 or 2), nor Age of Ultron, The Dark World or any of the other recent efforts.
Give up now. Before you alienate an entire generation who are already bored with these tawdry, lame excuses for entertainment. Either that or produce something worth watching.
That will be all.
Daredevil (2015)
Daredevil
There's nothing like taking a comic-book hero and turning it into a gritty, realistic and dark TV show...and, unfortunately this is nothing like that either.
The show is distinctly average to anyone unfamiliar with the hero and benefits from some quite staggering character behaviour and stupidity. Villains who no-one is afraid of and a lack of any real menace on their part fail to garner much support for a set of "good guys" who no-one cares about.
Not being a particular fan of this type of show in the first place I wasn't moved to change my stance that this is brain-dead TV. Just my opinion of course and clearly (judging by the "rave" reviews its receiving) not one shared by many reviewers.
Interstellar (2014)
Entertaining
Grandiose handling of a simple premise through the sci-fi medium... Interstellar zips along at a fair pace considering the amount of dialogue and musings of its characters. Dealing with themes of human survivability, altruism and abandonment with engaging photography and ethereal (if sometimes overbearing) sound-scape's the plot is revealed at a comfortably digestible rate.
The special effects are both beautiful yet functional, perfectly measured to the tonal quality of the scenery and sound. In short they are "believeable" and lend a credibility to the storytelling beyond that of its Hollywood peers.
While many will be intrigued by claims of its intellectual superiority to other science fiction movies, they will be a little disappointed by this rarely challenging retelling of a dystopian earth and the remaining residents search for a new home.
Having a Director that is held in such high regard seems to have elevated Interstellar beyond its counterparts through that virtue alone which is somewhat unfortunate given that an audience, oblivious to his previous work, would still enjoy this movie in good measure.
That being said, while it may well represent "the science fiction movie of the year" I'm left wondering if in 10 years it will be looked upon as the sci-fi movie of the decade...something only "Time" will tell...
Dracula Untold (2014)
Enjoyable
This re-telling of an "untold" story is in a tricky position in terms of genre...it isn't horror (being that it isn't in the least bit scary) or pure fantasy (given its "real-world" setting)...neither is it an action-packed, drama laden epic. It is however, entertaining. Despite its short run time it manages to feel un-hurried and there is at least some motivation behind the characters actions.
It isn't an historically accurate time-line of events that is immediately immersive or compelling. What it "is", is an enjoyably action orientated telling of a much-loved anti-hero.
The special effects are special enough not to over-whelm the story line, which is told through a simplistic but not child-like view-point. While it may never be considered "ground-shaking" or a classic Dracula movie it is also not a dull experience.
I enjoyed it as an undemanding action movie of its era...not too long until its forgotten, but enjoyed at the time nonetheless
Legend of the Seeker (2008)
Enjoyable.
(Never read the book that this is based on...) The TV series is way above average for this kind of sword and sorcery genre, even if it has no resemblance to the "much loved" book on which it may be based. The overtly simplistic storytelling and somewhat questionable script/acting are of no immediate deterrent to enjoying the series. In fact, if you found the LotR trilogy (on screen) a heavy-going grind to wade through this will be a breath of "fantasy-fresh-air".
The series does however veer towards a less mature audience. The "violence" is muted and the theme of Good Vs Evil handled in a manner suitable for a pre-teen audience almost. In short, it lacks any real menace on the part of the "bad-guys" and so fails to generate much empathy for the "good-guys".
That being said, the action is handled briskly and the sometimes difficult magical effects are reasonable and unoffensive.
As an entertainment show that is trying to appeal to a fantasy fan-base (many of whom are ardently defensive of the book) it may well struggle to gain high regard...as a throw-away, action/adventure series that is never too demanding of its audiences emotions or intellect it is successful.
Since this is a personal review I would add that I enjoyed it for the most part. I wish it were a "darker" world with a lot more menace and substance but it would seem you can't have everything.