GalacticScholar Reviews

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

No headline.

[7/10 · 30 April 2024]

I saw the first film 12 years ago. It had some good elements but was rather generic. But I was told that the plot here was less predictable and was curious to see how it would turn out.

For one thing, the villain is just the same as in the last movie but cloned. And they weren't exactly an amazing character to begin with. The humans in general are just generic villains with no depth.

But the good aspects of the film are the explorations it makes into the titular way of water- the sea people, the aquatic animals, the environment and how the protagonists interact with them. One of the best aspects is the cutting edge visual effects and how they portray the ocean of Pandora. You can tell that the ocean itself is what James Cameron wanted to focus on in this film.

I also liked some of the new characters such as Kiri. She is probably the most interesting character in this series so far. There are other new characters but none of them are fleshed out that much.

Aside from the new creatures and environments there was some cool new technology not present in the first film.

So overall the main thing I disliked about the film was the conflict aspect. It was nothing more than a rehash of the whole "invaders vs natives" plotline from the first film that has been done to death already. Also the climax was rather overlong. I still liked it, but if it had focused more on the sci fi aspects such as new creatures, cultures and environments it would have been a lot better.

Sense8 (2015–2018)

No headline

[8/10 · 3 December 2021]

The story of 8 people from around the world who become psychically linked. The strongest aspect of this series would have to be the characterization. All eight sensates have different backgrounds, personality traits and motivation. And while they start out totally disconnected from each other, as they interact psychically and use their differing skills to help each other, they slowly become dependent on each other. The main antagonist, Whispers, is very intimidating but he's never given much of a backstory or motivations. We never really get a very detailed explanation for why Whispers is helping the BPO, or why they want to hunt sensates in the first place either. The supporting cast is great as well. Despite the large number of characters, they are all very well developed with personalities and motivations for even the most minor characters.

The story has a somewhat slow paced beginning, but I don't mind this, as it is somewhat necessary to deliver exposition on all the characters. Once it gets going, the main plot is about the sensates learning more about their new powers, their subspecies and their enemies. Unraveling the mysteries is exciting. All of the subplots about the sensates as individuals are interesting as well, as they all involve each sensate growing as a person. My only problem with the plot is that due to the series being wrapped up in just a 2.5 hour special means it's obvious there are some plotlines that were cut short.

There are also some romances between characters that happen abruptly and with little development, in a "love at first sight" way. The dialogue can be pretty cliched also. Take this for example. "The moment I saw you I knew I wanted you. And somehow I feel that you want me too." The series can also focus for too long on scenes where the plot does not advance and it just shows the sensates doing things while psychically connected, like the karaoke scene and these really cringy orgy scenes.

Those are my main criticisms but I still enjoyed this series and recommend it to anyone who likes the style of storytelling where multiple storylines run at once, while having an overarching narrative.

The Sting (1973)

No headline.

[8/10 · 26 December 2020]

The strongest aspect of this film is the plot. The con devised by the protagonists is incredibly elaborate and rather than being explained at the beginning, the viewer learns it by watching it play out. This allows it to cleverly surprise the audience several times and only at the end do we fully understand it. Another strong aspect is the production design. The sets and costumes manage to create a beautiful and fully authentic picture of the 1930s and the film could probably stand on its imagery alone. The protagonists Hooker and Gondorff are both likable but the character who really stands out is the antagonist, Doyle Lonnegan. He has a quiet, aloof demeanor and lives a straight edge lifestyle but is shown to be utterly ruthless and his actor, Robert Shaw, gives an intimidating performance. A lot of entertaining side characters can also be found, particularly among the con artsits. Another noteworthy aspect is the dialogue, which is rich with slang and colloquialisms from the time period. Some might find it a bit confusing, while others will like it. The ragtime music, though anachronistic for the time period, is another strong point and does a great job of setting the mood. Overall, though I'm not sure if I would consider it one of the greatest films ever made, I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone.

Charcoal Feather Federation (2002)

Very mixed feelings.

[5/10 · 11 August 2020]

A group of angel like beings are born from cocoons with no memory of their previous lives in a strange walled city. This series has a lot of great aspects. It has an interesting premise, really nice animation and some great music. But it has problems. None of the driving questions are given answers and are left entirely to speculation. The most obvious theory is that the city is some sort of purgatory and the Haibane move on to heaven/reincarnation/death. But it still would have been interesting to see what the Haibane's pasts were or what's outside the wall. What worldbuilding we do get is interesting, but it's pretty minimal. It just feels like they wasted some great opportunities. But this wouldn't be an issue if it were not for my main problem with it. This series has very little plot. Many episodes can be entirely skipped without confusing the viewer. I enjoyed the first two, which did a great job of setting up the story, but after this, it slows to a halt. The series mostly consists of the characters working at their jobs and engaging in dull conversation. In the last few episodes, things start to get going again, with the subplot focusing on Rakka and Reki's struggle to break free from sin and there is some interesting philosophical commentary, but even then it's pretty slow paced. The two MCs, Rakka and Reki are both well written, but the rest of the characters are pretty flat. None of them get any characterization save for maybe one personality trait. In sum, good animation, some decent worldbuilding, not much plot or characterization and too many missed opportunities. Everyone else seems to love it, though.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

No headline

[9/10 · 7 August 2020]

The best thing about this film is the production design. The sets and costumes give an amazing picture of the setting-New York in 1918, the early 1930s and 1968. Each shot can be considered a work of art and would be able to pass as a genuine photograph of the time period. The art direction even makes the film itself appear to be made long before 1984. The score by Ennio Morricone is also amazing and perfectly matches the visuals. The two protagonists, Noodles and Max are both very well written and they develop into completely different people over the course of the story. It's fascinating to watch Noodles reflect on his past life in the 1968 segment, which is interspersed throughout the film. There is also a plot twist revealed at the end which, while not exactly mindblowing, was well foreshadowed and executed. Similarly, the opening segments don't really make sense until a second viewing. It is a very long film and the camera often lingers on mundane things for a long time, but I personally wasn't bothered by this. The only thing I would criticize is that the other gang members, Patsy, Cockeye and Dominic are not given much characterization, so the viewer doesn't really develop any connection to them.

Calvin and the Colonel (1961–1962)

Am I the only one who thinks that this is amazing?

[10/10 · 6 August 2020]

This series was an animated remake of the radio series Amos n' Andy, which used anthropomorphic animals to avoid the racism of the original. It adapted several scripts and the two protagonists were similar to Andy and Kingfish. But it was a failure and only lasted one season. The animation is very cheap, the backgrounds are very limited and the character designs simple. But I found that the quality of the scripts more than made up for it. The series basically consists of the Colonel coming up with some zany scheme to get out of something or to get rich quick. His schemes can get very creative and complex and they always result in some pretty hilarious hijinks. It's hard not to like the characters. The Colonel is lazy and dishonest, Calvin is dumb and careless, but their consistent failures make them easy to sympathize with and they both have easygoing, eccentric personalities. Judge Clutch is also a great character, he creates some of the funniest moments in the series. The humor may strike some as dated, but I really enjoyed it. Perhaps my sense of humor has been set back several decades due to my interest in old comics and cartoons. The voice work by Gosden and Correll was also very well done. It's hard not to like the character's accents. In sum, though the animation is very low budget, everything else is fantastic.

Cat People (1942)

No comment.

[7/10 · 5 August 2020]

The best thing about this film is the suspense. During the scenes where Irena is transformed, we never actually see her until the climax of the film. But the music and atmosphere creates a strong sense of tension that would almost certainly be broken if we got to see her in her true form. Because it relies on story, atmosphere and suspense instead of special effects, this is one of the few horror films that manages to remain effectively frightening 78 years later. The plot and characters are strong as well. It does a great job of portraying Irena's struggle to prevent herself from giving into emotion and transforming, which I interpreted as essentially the conflict between unbridled emotion and reason, a struggle central to the human condition. While the film started off with a great beginning that perfectly set up the legend of Irena's condition and her fear of it upon marriage, I felt like the middle dragged on for a bit and the first transformation does not actually happen until more than halfway through. And though the details are cleverly foreshadowed, in broad strokes the end is rather predictable. Definitely one of the best classic horror films, at least compared to most of the others I have seen.

Castlevania (2017–2021)

Probably the best western anime series yet.

[8/10 · 28 March 2020]

This series is written by acclaimed comics writer Warren Ellis and it definitely shows. Every character with more than five lines has a complete and distinct personality with different motivations and backstories. Even minor characters that only appear for one scene, except for the magician Isaac fights at the climax of season 3, whom we learn nothing about and does not even have any dialogue. The hand drawn animation is very well done and though this is often compared to an anime, I think it resembles western comic books more. Many of the supernatural elements are superbly done such as the demons in Isaac's horde, which are given diverse and creative designs and the depiction of hell and other dimensions in the infinite corridor. The action scenes are also very creative and well done, especially the one at the climax of season 2, where we get to see the trio use their combined powers. I was not overly fond of the outcome of that fight though, as Dracula basically has a mental breakdown and gives up. The best character by the end of season 3 is Isaac. He has a compelling backstory, is highly intelligent and philosophical despite his genocidal motivations and has a cold, stoic personality. His storyline is definitely the best in season 3. One minor criticism in season 2 is how the story starts focusing so much on the villains. While they are not bad characters, they consume so much focus that the heroes spend most of their time literally hanging out in a basement. As for the other storylines in season 3, I didn't think any of them were bad but I thought Hector's should have been shorter and faster paced and that Taki and Suma's betrayal of Alucard lacked any foreshadowing and their motivations for doing so did not make much sense. I think the overall idea was good but it could have been executed better. But I thought the other plot twist about the true nature of the Judge was well foreshadowed and executed. So, overall, if you haven't seen this, then you shouldn't have read this spoiler filled review.

Gattaca (1997)

I don't feel like writing a headline.

[8/10 · 28 March 2020]

The best thing about this is the art direction. It makes the film appear older than it actually is and gives the near future setting a strong zeerust feel, especially with the old fashioned costuming and old cars. The music is also excellent. The story takes the premise of a future based on genetic engineering and uses it to its full potential, examining several different forms of genetic modification. It's also interesting to see some of the ways in which Vincent genetically impersonates Jerome. The plot takes some interesting twists that most viewers will not see coming and delivers a satisfying and cathartic ending. The best character is definitely Jerome Morrow. A genetically perfect individual who is haunted by the failure of his achievements to match the perfection of his genes, his brooding personality and hidden depths make his screen time one of the film's highlights. The only real criticism I have is the characters besides Jerome are somewhat shallow. Vincent is defined by his ambition to become an astronaut despite his genetic inferiority but there isn't much else to him. Irene is just the love interest and could be cut from the movie without changing much. But overall, this film is an excellent work of art. It may seem strange that I, someone who likes this film, would support genetic engineering, but the film's arguments against it are pretty weak once you actually think about them. At the end the film gives a list of famous historical figures with genetic diseases, claiming they would not have been born with genetic engineering. It's easy to see the hole here. It's not that they wouldn't have been born, just that they would not have had diseases. And the plot of the film is about Vincent trying to become an astronaut despite having a heart problem. But there are good reasons for screening out people with heart problems. You could suffer an attack at any time, causing the mission to fail. If you have a heart problem, maybe you just shouldn't be an astronaut.

The Prisoner (1967–1968)

A lot of wasted potential.

[6/10 · 25 February 2020]

The premise for this series is amazing. A secret agent is imprisoned in a mysterious village by captors who pressure him for information. Which makes it sad how wasted it was.

The series has a lot of good ideas like the episode where his captors invade #6's dreams and the one where a replica of him is created for the purpose of screwing with his mind. These episodes are great by themselves, and some of the others are pretty good too, but when you look at it as one story, it becomes dissatisfying. The first major issue is that there is no progression between episodes. There is a beginning and an end but in the rest of them the plot does not advance at all.

This would not be a problem in a series without an overarching plot, but in this one, I think it kills any tension. There are several episodes where it appears that #6 has escaped but, of course, he always ends up in the exact same place in the next episode. In some other episodes it appears that something has changed or is about to change, like in the one where #6 becomes the new #2, but of course this never lasts. This results in the viewer not being able to feel anything, because they know that no matter what happens, nothing is going to change.

The other major issue is the ending. The pilot episode introduces several driving questions such as "Who is #1?", "Who runs the village?", "Why did #6 resign?" and "Why do his captors want to know?" And the ending answers none of these, just giving us a mind screw that will make you wonder what drugs the writers were doing.

And if these questions are never answered then why introduce them in the first place? And what's more, then why am I even watching this? While I did kind of enjoy this series, the thought of how much more it could have been if the plot was a genuine mystery where each episode gave us clues and foreshadowing before finally revealing the answers instead of the plot going nowhere and answering nothing leaves me with a very mixed opinion of it.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Good, but not great.

[6/10 · 6 August 2016]

This movie is set in the same universe as the "Alien" series but is really more of a different series than a prequel. The story starts out more like a mystery with a team of scientists trying to contact humanity's creators, then transcends into horror and action with the characters trying to do this and that and this freaky stuff happening. Because of this, I'd say the writing is good, but not great. It would have been better if it focused more on them solving the mystery of humanity's creation than the scenes with them trying to do this and that, which isn't as interesting. The best scenes are the ones intended to be frightening and if there were enough of them it could be a great horror movie. Some of the main characters are kind of dull and underdeveloped like Shaw and Holloway but others are pretty interesting, especially David. The minor characters aren't very interesting and if they are they aren't used much. I would recommend this movie but it's not quite as good as the alien series.

Microbe & Gasoline (2015)

Funny with memorable characters, but sometimes dull.

[7/10 · 28 July 2016]

Microbe and gasoline is a comedy about two teens from Versailles who decide to run away in a car they built disguised as a house. The dialogue and events can be pretty funny at times but in some other scenes it just drags on and can be a little boring. It feels like it just doesn't go anywhere until it's about 40% done. But what gives it it's feel is how it embodies the adventures kids would dream of going on, running away and doing whatever you want. But the biggest driving force of the movie is the 2 main characters and their interactions. Daniel is a lonely do-nothing wimp, until he meets Theo, a new student who is like the driving force of the duo, a confident, idea filled, wise cracker. Both characters are somewhat untouched by reality, and don't seem to realize how the world works, which only adds to their charm. Though the story is sometimes slow and boring, the characters are what most make this film worth watching.

Alien (1979)

One of the best of both genres.

[9/10 · 25 June 2016]

Alien follows a spacecraft in the future that receives a distress call from an ancient spacecraft and accidentally let's an unstoppable aggressive alien creature onto the ship. The movie is just as much horror as science fiction, which is done very well, as the focus is on suspense, atmosphere, jump scares, and excitement. The story is creative and interesting, with a lot of shocking plot points. The design of the alien, spacecrafts, and planet, as well as the music also helps the eerie mood. One of the only problems is that, though the performances are decent, the character's besides Ripley and Ash are kind of bland and uninteresting. Overall, I think this could be one of the best movies of both the horror and science fiction genre. I would highly recommend it to fans of both.

Carrie (1976)

One of the best teen horror films.

[7/10 · 9 February 2016]

This movie is famous for being really scary but while it is that,the story is not as scary as it is sad. It's about a bullied misfit in 1970s high school with special paranormal abilities. The conditions for the story start from bad at the beginning, then it slowly climbs towards good by the climax, when it suddenly drops down to bad again and gets worse to a very sad ending. The climax scene is pretty effective with being frightening by being really chaotic and really brutal. The last few scenes are definitely the scariest,saddest, and most powerful. The story is very moving, so you can see why it's a classic. The direction and screenplay are kind of average until we get to the prom scene, but then they get really good. The effects and music are also very scary, but the music sounds exactly like that of Psycho. I thought this was a great film, but more of a tragedy then a horror film.

The Terminator (1984)

Great action/science fiction story

[9/10 · 16 January 2016]

The Terminator follows a woman named Sarah Connor and two mysterious men who both appear naked in nighttime Los Angeles 1984 who both seem to be looking for her. One of them even seems to want to kill her and ruthlessly kills two other Los Angeles women named Sarah Connor. The movie is pretty well directed with the tone being ominous at the beginning and more exciting as the story moves on. The mystery element is what makes it work in the first half, with us having no idea who these men are and why they are looking for her. There turns out to be an interesting revelation for it and a cool sci-fi paradox at the end. The action scenes are exciting, but it would have been better to have it more science fiction and less action as we only see a small part of the film focusing on the future. The climax is also very exciting and well done. The acting is good but the main character is not very interesting or likable, just your average woman. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays his character perfectly as an unstoppable emotionless freak, which is the strongest part of the movie. This film would be good for sci-fi fans but even more for action fans.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

Not bad for a movie made entirely with silhouettes

[8/10 · 22 December 2015]

This movie is actually the oldest surviving animation feature film. it was made with silhouette animation which is like shadow puppetry but photographed frame by frame. It has a pretty simple story about a prince fighting an evil magician, trying to rescue a princess, and teaming up with Aladdin. But that is what makes this story good. It is just complex enough to be enjoyable but uses a lot of good classic devices without unnecessary ones. It is very much at the level of a folktale. It makes you feel more emotional than logical. The animation is also fun to watch and matches the stories simple level. It's like Fantasia and other movies where the beauty of it is more in the visuals than the subject. It goes beyond just basic shadows and has some cool effects like color tinting. The music also really helps with setting the mood and idea. I would recommend this to animation fans as it's historically interesting and also to younger children because it feels like a great movie to grow up with.

Gandahar (1987)

A beautiful adult animated science fiction

[8/10 · 15 October 2015]

This movie is set on a different planet. It starts with an unknown force destroying the people of a naturalistic utopia civilization. A soldier is set out on a mission to investigate this force. The story is interesting with the force slowly being revealed and then battled. There is also an interesting time travel concept which makes it more mysterious. I thought it got a little too fast-paced near the end though. The best part about this movie is the animation. It's not very refined or high quality but the style and the creativity in the design of this world and it's creatures is amazing. Most of the characters aren't interesting though. At all. The main protagonist has absolutely no personality throughout the movie and his voice acting isn't very good either,and his love interest has a bit more but still is more like a cipher. The only other main character, the villain is much better with his manipulative and all-knowing personality, and creepy voice acting. Despite it's flaws, I think this movie would be great for animation and science fiction fans.

Star Trek (2009)

Best Star Trek film yet

[8/10 · 10 October 2015]

This is considered the best star trek film yet, and I can see why. It is almost completely perfect. The story focuses on how the enterprise crew first met each other, where they try to stop a mysterious alien called Nero from destroying federation planets. The story is very fast-paced and exciting, with an interesting time travel revelation in the middle. Because of the time travel it is in a slightly different reality from the original series. Kirk starts off as a trouble making delinquent instead of a role model, which makes his character a lot better. Him and Spock originally hated each other but respect each other by the end. It's a good action/adventure story while also keeping good focus on the characters and their relationships. The acting, especially by Chris Pine(Kirk) was mostly pretty good. But what really sets this apart is the visuals. It's so much more creative and fascinating than the previous shows and movies. Not only does it look more polished and convincing but it's totally beautiful and goes into a lot more detail on creatures, the spaceships and planets.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Great movie blends fantasy and reality

[9/10 · 13 September 2015]

What is really great about this movie is its alternating stories. Part of the time it focuses on the army fighting the guerrillas and the other part it focuses on Ophelia trying to prove herself to be worthy of returning to the underground realm. The stories do not intertwine until the ending when even then they do not fully mix. The direction was awesome, knowing when to be mysterious, when to be exciting, and when to be tragic. The music had a creepy and mysterious tone to it, which matched the movies tone. The sets were pretty cool also. My favorite scene from the movie was Ophelia's second trial. It was really suspenseful at first and then intense and scary. I thought the pale creature's design was brilliant. The only things I thought could be improved on were that Ophelia isn't a very interesting character as she is not meant to be much more than an innocent, imaginative kid, and that I wished the story would focus a bit more on the fantasy part which I found to be more interesting than the realistic part. This is a must see if you like dark fantasy movies.

Mr. Holmes (2015)

Not bad, but gets a little boring.

[6/10 · 5 September 2015]

This film is no Sherlock Holmes mystery story. Rather it's a depiction of what Holmes would be like as an old man. A big part of it is Holmes trying to remember and regretting his last case in which he failed to comfort a woman considering suicide. Holmes is also world famous because in this universe, the Holmes stories were written by Watson as accounts of his cases. The film is interesting as a depiction of an old Sherlock Holmes and his problems but can be kind of boring as not much happens throughout the story, the direction is in a slow style, and it drags on for a while. You would like it more if you like deep, emotional dramas rather than exciting adventure movies. The musical score, like the rest of the movie is slow and sentimental. The characters besides Holmes like Mrs. Munro ,Roger, Tamiki Umazaki and Ann Kelmot are pretty well acted, but what I really liked about it were the costumes and production design, which were totally amazing to look at.