Grey2black Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Not a full Moon but still a crescent Moon

[7/10 · 23 December 2023]

Rebel Moon is definitely a good movie. Far from perfect, but nowadays we should get our wins whenever we can.

The story is simple, perhaps a little too simple. And it doesn't dodges the typical cliches seen in this genre of movies. But we can see the potential of this world that Zack Synder has created.

Overall character performances were good and some even very good, unfortunately the performance of the main character Kora (Sophia Boutella) is not amongst them. I had hoped she had grown more as an actress, but it seems clear she will not be growing beyond what she has already shown in the past.

And it's a shame really seeing her character played perhaps by another actress like let's say Emily Blunt, would've really shined and could've perhaps been the creation of quite an important character within the sci-fi genre.

I understand why Sophia Boutella was chosen for this role, her dancing skills really come through in the action scenes. But it's her ability to show deeper levels of emotion that are lacking and for her character that's also a vital part.

Rebel Moon hasn't done anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, but it's still a solid movie. Same as the story might seem too simplistic to some, to others it seems to go over their heads. Some negative critics about it are not only unwarranted but a little petty. As if they were expecting this movie to be what Star Wars or Alien were in their beginning.

When even Star Wars and Alien can't reproduce their winning formula.

Don't go into this movie with too much expectations and will surprise you in a good way. Go into thinking it will be groundbreaking within the genre and you'll obviously be disappointed.

Rebel Moon has potential and it's a good addition to the genre, but it doesn't do anything that can't be expected from a good sci-fi movie. And that's already quite an achievement considering how little in terms of good sci-fi movies we really get.

At least Rebel Moon doesn't promise to shoot for the Moon only to fall in a few meters.

Ahsoka (2023– )

What a shame and a waste

[4/10 · 28 August 2023]

I was honestly hoping that this show would bring back the Star Wars that was so loved, before Disney started to ruin it. Especially seeing Dave Filoni would be leading this project.

Well, lesson learned.

This show has started out very weak and I seriously doubt it will get any better. The story is so weak it's disturbing, with characters doing the dumbest mistakes or requiring the help of other characters when the answers are staring them in the face.

I was hoping that given the time she had Rosario Dawson would settle into the Ahsoka that is so loved as a character. But she hasn't at all. For the most time Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka she's mostly expressionless or she uses the same facial expressions in almost every situation.

And what's up with she always crossing her arms Obi-Wan style?! Ahsoka in The Clone Wars and Rebels had a lot more fire, and she was definitely more aware of what she needed to do and how to go about doing it.

But this Ahsoka is seeking advice from Hera when she doesn't even needs to.

Natasha Bordizzo as Sabine Wren at first seemed like a great choice. That is until we start to she's little like the Sabine Wren of Rebels. Honestly, what did she learn from Ahsoka?! To unlearn how to fight. Because she in Rebels with the little training she received from Kanan, she was a much better fighter. Now her moves are sluggish and predictable.

There's none of the beauty of lightsaber combat seen in the Prequels, TCW and sometimes even in Rebels.

Speaking of lightsabers. Apparently the deadliest portable weapon in the galaxy is now less lethal than a blaster. Seeing that at least those that take a blaster fire they usually go down and stay that way for good. Lightsabers ever since Obi-Wan, you can get impaled in one episode and you'll be fine in the next.

Also speaking of galaxy the story is desperately trying to make itself more interesting by shifting the action to very far away, as if that galaxy doesn't have a part of it named The Unknown Regions.

And the villains. Don't even get me started on those. It's easy being a villain when the other characters are all more or less IQ deficient. There might be some actual good story there about their background, but it seems clear that as soon as the show gets the chance they're going to get rid of them like they never even mattered at all.

Like I already pointed out the story is very weak. Almost feels like a lame videogame story, where characters have to go from checkpoint to checkpoint completing some challenges along the way, and of course so the story can move forward other characters need to leave breadcrumbs along the way or else this show would've ended in the first episode.

Very disappointed with the Ahsoka show. If it keeps going like this I might drop completely. This is definitely not Lucas Star Wars, and I should've known better than to expect it to be.

Face it, this show is just Disney milking this franchise of anything it still has, until there's nothing left.

A real shame. Truly.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

A mission almost perfectly executed

[8/10 · 18 July 2023]

Tom Cruise did it again. First he showed how a sequel is actually done in Top Gun: Maverick and now with Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning he did it again.

The movie is definitely a must see, and you'll regret not seeing it.

Ethan Hunt is back and he's showing that he still has it, but also that with age came wisdom. This is a more mature Ethan, but one still more than fit to deal with realistic waves of adversaries. Cruise shows that he's still at his A game and that he has no problem adapting to what should be the age of his character.

That's where Hayley Atwell and her character Grace enters. She knows what Ethan doesn't know and as the set of skills fit for her character, reluctantly but eventually perfectly sharing the spotlight with Ethan. The two characters act and react to each other as two real people put in that situation would.

Grace never once tries to steal the spotlight from Ethan, and Ethan gives her due credit seeing neither character knows everything or how to do anything.

The rest of team also have their place to shine, although unfortunately we don't get enough from them as perhaps we should have. With Benji and Luther being characters that have more to offer.

That's actually where the movie fails. The main villain actually does what that kind of villain should be able to do, and see coming. Those trying to reach that villain have very good reasons to do so. However certain scenes last longer than they should where characters are explaining things that are self-explanatory. The movie could've cut more or less 10 minutes and it would've still have done everything necessary.

Also some of jokes either don't land well or they miss their mark completely.

Nothing that really disrupts the movie in any significant way, or that cuts the build-up.

The movie has the right twists and surprises that you won't see coming, but it's not a perfect story. Seeing two specific items that could've become permanently lost at the beginning of the movie, they just so happen to not become lost so the chase can begin.

Although not a perfect story it's still a very good story, with mostly the right pacing and the necessary characters as well as scenes to make it very enjoyable.

Easily kept me entertained from beginning to end. With a mostly solid story and all the right characters.

The mission of making a great sequel and a great movie is executed with very much success. Something we can't say about a lot of movies nowadays.

Miss it and you'll lose something special.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Disaster Destiny

[3/10 · 18 July 2023]

What a disappointment. And some people say Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was bad. Well this one is far worse.

The movie in a way tricks you in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the beginning of the movie, where it seems it's actually going to be good. But after that it's not even downhill, it's instead jumping off a cliff with no parachute.

This movie despite all the de-aging done to Harrison Ford, it can't perform in any way that saves it.

Indy is pretty finished. And not just in age, his life if like a bottomless pit of misery and nothing to live for.

And the search for the artifact as well as the artifact itself, is a painstaking nightmare. The movie is too slow paced, enemies just know where characters will be just because, no explanations needed.

As for Helena Shaw, Disney again delivers us another almost Mary Sue, that knows everything, knows how to almost everything, she doesn't care one bit what Indy has to say and even leaves him hanging more than once. In essence what to Disney is the "strong female character".

The movie is too long, boring, repetitive, the characters are too unreal even for fiction, the action scenes were clearly recorded in studio using green screen, and it basically ends where it started.

There's almost nothing worth saving in this movie, and definitely nothing worth watching again. Might as well have left things as they were in Crystal Skull, seeing that at least there Indy married the love of his life and discovered he had a son. Both things he no longer has in Dial of Destiny.

Wolf Pack (2023)

Wolf Twilight Zone

[4/10 · 20 February 2023]

To think that MTV would fail so big at making a TV shown about Werewolves, when back in 2011 they made the very successful and well done Teen Wolf.

This show does have some good points.

• Each new werewolf only seems to have one ability except when the pack comes together.

• They're betting more in creating a mystery around the whole thing, instead of having a character that already has most of the answers. Even those more well informed, know very little in terms of facts, and more about the myths.

As for negative points...

• The cast is mostly too green and it shows. So far I've found the characters Everett, Blake and Harlan to be painful to watch. These characters are too emotional about everything, and instead of dealing with their feelings and emotions they just keep it buried, which leads them to make mistake or dumb decision on a regular basis.

The only exceptions are Kristen, Garrett, Luna and Prisha. These are the only actors and actresses that show some constraint, that show more than one emotion, and are truly interesting.

• The story has mistakes after mistakes, holes inside holes.

• The story is too predictable when it comes to what the characters are going to do.

• Some things you see happening and you just can't stop but see the absurdity in it all. Like, a fully turned werewolf enters into public places and no one sees or hears anything. No one questions what made that kind of damage. And the answers offered are made with zero reasoning behind it.

• The hallucination scenes are becoming too recurring, to the point you already know you're watching an hallucination.

All in all the show could be doing very well, but it isn't because unlike with Teen Wolf they obviously didn't bet in the right actos this time around. Also the writing team is either too inexperienced or they think the people watching the show have such a low IQ, they can't see when something makes absolutely no sense or logic.

Only three episodes in and this show is already losing me as viewer.

Where Teen Wolf was intriguing, well written, well acted, well paced, and well balanced. Wolf Pack is none of those things.

The Last of Us (2023– )

Demolishing The Last of Us again

[4/10 · 6 February 2023]

So unlike a lot of people I wanted to get a few episodes in, before making any reckless and inaccurate evaluation of this show. And it's a good thing that I always follow that rule when it comes to shows.

The Last of Us tricks you in the first episode as something that will have story quality, consistency, and smarts. But as you move from one episode to the other, you start to realize what kind of a show you really have on your hands.

The Last of Us is failing on several fronts and it's only four episodes in.

Joel although played by Pedro Pascal who I don't like at all as an actor, he's been doing the best of what he's allowed to do. You won't get the Joel of the first TLOU game, but the one from the second game. This Joel although a former soldier, he handles guns with the skill of someone that just watched people using guns on TV.

This Joel lets Ellie boss him around and even control how every conversation goes. First game Joel was a hardened man that had closed his heart to feelings, and wasn't about doing reckless dumb things. Although flawed Ellie needed him, and eventually she learns from him and he learns from her. Joel even opens up and gradually lets Ellie fill that hole left by the death of his daughter.

That's what made The Last of Us special, despite the game not having anything really groundbreaking. It was the story that made the first game special.

And this TV show is already failing on almost every front. Ellie is just insufferable. Who thought that Bella Ramsey had the acting skills to be Ellie, really missed the mark by miles. Ellie is arrogant, emotionless (maybe because Bella Ramsey can't express any more than two emotions), reckless to the point she completely ignores Joel solid and wise advices, and she acts as if she doesn't really needs Joel.

If there was a time for a race swap it should've been in this show. Bella Ramsey should've been Sarah and Nico Parker should've been Ellie. Seeing Parker at least showed great father daughter chemistry with Pascal, and they seemed to click better in the kind of relationship that Joel and Ellie need to develop.

Visually its clear that The Last of Us spared no expenses to show that world as it should he showed. But that's about the only good thing the show really has.

Joel is almost devoid of an actual personality. While Ellie is so irritating in contrast to game Ellie, that just hearing what she says and seeing what she does, is enough to wear down the patience of any reasonable person.

In an actual post apocalyptic world this Ellie would've been killed by now, while Joel would've just moved on to do something with someone else bossing him around.

The second game was a disaster of a story and character development, and this show is obviously following that path.

This show will never be what The Walking Dead was. So if you're wanting for that to happen, save yourself a lot of time and move on to another show.

The Last of Us is a sinking ship, and with each episode it just sinks deeper and deeper.

Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)

All bark no bite

[4/10 · 29 January 2023]

As someone that watched Teen Wolf from the beginning, this movie was a real let down. And I really tried to like this movie, to the point I ignored the wokeness in it, that had never been in the show.

But that's when you know the movie is failing. Because especially as a fan, I should've been able to love this movie effortlessly. Instead I could barely watch it from beginning to end, seeing the more it progressed it was like watching what once had been great being broken down piece by piece.

The movie is filled with plot holes and even plot idiocy. Like... When you see where the main villain was being kept, you just can't stop and sigh at the sheer lack of intelligence.

Scott and Malia that had created a solid relationship, were simply not together for no real reason but to open a more than obvious spot for the more than obvious character, for the more than obvious ending.

A few characters had actually done good with their lives, but most were just in random places doing the same things they've always done. Basically they were stuck and didn't evolve at all.

The story was too lazy, too predictable, with an ending you see it coming a mile away. After so many years as a Teen Wolf fan, I was expecting a lot more than just this lazy story writing. If you watched the show, you know that most seasons had a far better overall story than what this movie was able to deliver.

I honestly wish this movie had never been made. And that they'd left things be, as they were left in the last season.

It's no wonder Dylan O'Brien didn't return as Stiles, seeing one read of the script would've turned any real Teen Wolf fan away from this movie.

But unfortunately because many of these actors and actresses careers were stagnated, they decided to make a quick dollar by ruining the very great story they were once a part of.

This was clearly a test to see if Teen Wolf still has any gas in it to perhaps make a spin-off, or a sequel. A test that clearly failed.

I'll cherish the TV show, but this movie. I'll delegate it to an alternate timeline story where Teen Wolf derailed almost everything good about it.

The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)

The Prequel No One Asked For

[2/10 · 27 December 2022]

The Witcher: Blood Origins was Netflix way of ending the year on the most negative of notes. Never seen a network more determine to destroy itself. And if Blood Origins is any indication of what is being planned for Season 4, then it's a good thing Season 3 is perhaps the last one I'll see more out of respect for Henry Cavill than the quality of the show itself.

Blood Origins was the biggest insult to Andrzej Sapkowski that could possibly be made. To call it an "expansion on The Witcher lore" is to prove no one at Netflix has even bothered reading the source material at all.

The story is ordinary. The characters were all one dimensional, bland and forgettable, to the point I didn't even bother to remember the name of any of characters.

And watching Michelle Yeoh was just torture. It was as if she never left her role as Philippa Georgiou of Star Trek Discovery. Same mannerisms, only this time her character was even worse.

As for the other characters, the story wasn't good enough for me to even bother remembering any of their names. Completely predictable and prosaic.

It's no wonder that the members of the cast had nothing substantial to say about the story seeing there isn't one.

The Witcher prequel... More like expensive impromptu roleplaying.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

James Cameron can do much better

[7/10 · 15 December 2022]

Avatar: The Way of Water is a movie with a predictable story from beginning to end, with only one real mystery that will most likely not live to the theories that are going to be created around it.

The movie is set ten years after the first Avatar, where we see Jake and Neytiri with their family. Not just their family, but those humans that had decided to stay on Pandora.

Ten years past and the humans are back, and it's in the first minutes of the movie that you immediately see the illusion that is the story that James Cameron tries to sell. Because had they done the smart thing, humanity could've taken Pandora with almost no effort. Everything else about the Na'vi putting up any fight, lies with the incredible convenience they can use any lifeform of Pandora to fight on their side. The story of this movie can be reduced to Cameron taking the occupation of North America by those of the Old World, and adding several convenient fighting options against the invaders.

Jake is the family man trying to close the holes in the dam with his fingers. Neytiri is either complaining, angry, complaining and angry, or showing she's no better than those she hates.

The journey and fate of their sons and daughters is just too predictable. To the point you get to not even half the movie, that is over three hours long, and you can already accurately guess who's going to make it or not.

There's really just one character that holds an interesting mystery. That knowing Cameron and what he did in this movie, we can already guess what the answer to the mystery is. At least I'm almost sure the answer is staring everyone in the face.

And of course because new enemies are apparently hard to make, Cameron had to come up with an excuse to bring back the old ones. An excuse that comes into conflict with another new miraculous resource unique to Pandora, as if Unobtanium wasn't enough.

The movie is mostly supported by visual effects, that are unsurprisingly some of the best I've seen on any movie. With an adequate but not at all groundbreaking soundtrack.

Thirteen years later and to see that story wise this was the best James Cameron could come up with, does show why Cameron said what he said about Terminator: Dark Fate. The story in this movie is nothing new, nothing never seen before, it isn't even that well executed. Considering Jake knew humans would of course come back one day, to see how surprised they were that the humans came back says everything anyone needs to know about this movie.

And with the exception of just one character, none of the old and new characters really saves the story of the movie. That I excepted a lot from.

Avatar: The Way of Water is a good movie, heavily supported by VFX. But story wise it's no Infinity War or Endgame. And if this is the best Cameron can do story wise, then any future sequel will have very little to stand on.

Yellowstone (2018– )

Making of TV history

[9/10 · 15 December 2022]

Yellowstone is an incredible journey, like those you don't see anymore. This show that started out in 2018, is still one of the best if not the best TV series even as 2022 is coming to an end.

But the heart and soul of this show are its characters, that feel as real as it can get. They make mistakes, they have their priorities, they teach us things good and bad, but above all it's the interaction between those characters and the lessons they learn and give to one another, that really defeat anything else currently on TV.

John Dutton, a man that only wishes to live his final days doing what he does best, has to be the main force stopping corporate or just vengeful interests from destroying his family and legacy. Kevin Costner shows why he's one of the best actors of his and even the current generation.

Beth Dutton is an amazing character. She's the true example of what a strong female character looks like. She's both the Sigourney Weaver and the Sarah Connor of Yellowstone. She's strong but vulnerable, she's smart but makes several mistakes in her personal life, she can take on anyone but she needs those she loves.

Rip Wheeler is in some ways the son John Dutton wanted, but no less loyal and caring than a real son. He'll do what it takes to defend what is his world, and those he loves. He'll not only fight fire with fire, but he'll bring napalm just to make sure once the enemies are down they don't get back up. He's not heartless, far from it. In many ways he's the wisest, seeing what others cannot see or refuse to see.

Kayce is perhaps the weakest link. From beginning until now he has still not figured out who he is, and where he stands. He's a good man in a world becoming darker and crueler. His intentions are always the best but he keeps getting pushed into situations that should've already eliminated all his doubts. And together in a similar line is Monica Dutton, Kayce wife. She at least has learned from her lessons, and set aside her doubts. She's the rock that keeps Kayce from falling apart. And where Beth is fire Monica is water.

Jamie at this point shouldn't be part of the show at all. If not for what he has done, at least because he knows nothing of loyalty or family. And he's always being used even by those he thinks he's using.

Join to memorable characters amazing filming, utilizing to their max the landscapes of Montana, and there's almost nothing in this show that fails in terms of quality.

Yellowstone is one of those shows that will be remembered for generations to come.

Reacher (2022– )

It reached its goals

[8/10 · 15 December 2022]

Jack Reacher not only follows the core of the source material it's based on, but it presents us with a compelling, interesting and well written story.

As for Jack Reacher himself, played by Alan Ritchson, I have to say I was very much positively surprised. Not only does he captures the essence of Jack Reacher, but from beginning to end he's the arm holding the show up. With actors like Malcolm Goodwin and Willa Fitzgerald helping to peel away at the complex character that is Jack Reacher.

This show takes itself and its story very seriously, with no time for political agendas. It's an unapologetic story that gives you all that you can want. It has action, mystery, drama, humor, romance, friendship, betrayal, crime, and challenging decisions.

If you lose Jack Reacher, you'll lose what will definitely be one of best shows of 2022.

Tulsa King (2022– )

The Old King is still the best King

[8/10 · 4 December 2022]

I'll admit, when I first heard about the Tulsa King my immediate thought was that it would be a weak cousin of the Sopranos, or some woke take on the world of the mafia.

But was I wrong. This show slowly but gradually grows on you right from the first episode, and as it continues it only gets better.

This role fits Sylvester Stallone like a glove, and Sly is really showing that he should've been doing TV series earlier in his career, because he for sure is carrying this show all by himself. There are other characters for sure that also interesting, but none carries himself like Stallone does. And Stallone is bringing his A+ game on every episode, even going to the point of proving he can be very emotional and believable while doing it.

The shows knows when to be serious, funny, dark, and hopeful. Even when Sly addresses the current problem of wokeness, he does so logically explaining exactly how the current Gen Z has no idea what the previous generations had to go through. His character doesn't insult in any way those that are woke, he just asks the very reasonable question of when will enough be enough.

I for one am loving Tulsa King, and I strongly recommend it to anyone that just wants to watch a great show, without any politics, wokeness, allowing the viewer to just relax and have a good time.

The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM (2022)

Face the truth if you dare

[8/10 · 30 October 2022]

The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM, is a truth long kept hidden to many. And I bet many will not accept it because it might hurt their personal fantasy tales, but these facts can't be denied.

We're taken not just on a revelation journey to the actual events that led to the death of George Floyd, but also how BLM and those with ties to it profited from that death. The narrative is finally exposed, and the lie fed to an entire nation is finally revealed as the greatest lie ever sold in at least a decade.

Candace Owens did a fantastic job exposing not just BLM for who they actually are but also Floyd so called family, that not only never cared for him in the years prior to his death, but also not even about his things after his death. Those are the same people threatening to sue people like Candace Owens and anyone that exposes their deceit.

You'll see how criminals are now idolized as heroes. And you might be excused to say that in over 2000 years, people still prefer the criminals to the actual heroes making the world a better place.

You'll also get to see the truth ignored by the jury and judge of that farse trial, that was never about the truth. There is ample doubt about what actually caused Floyd's death, despite the narrative sold by the mainstream media.

BLM gets exposed for the national terrorist movement that it actually is, and how in no way, shape or form, have they helped the American black community. Quite the contrary... They have created massive division that only serves their purposes.

In short... The facts that many people were denied access to are finally made available. Watch it and decide for yourself. Do not let others tell you what to think.

Black Adam (2022)

Michael Bay superhero movie

[6/10 · 26 October 2022]

Black Adam as a character he has lots of potential. Unfortunately this movie cared little about his story, but more about creating an action pack sequence of events.

This movie is in a way a reboot of the DCEU, because several questions can be asked. Like where was the JSA in Man of Steel and Justice League.

Everyone was so in awe with Superman, when the Earth already had a kind of super man of the past called Black Adam, other superhuman characters. Several movies lose some sense seeing the JSA and the existence of Black Adam, proves that there is a far deeper history of the Earth that is only now being revealed.

And that is a huge flaw, because it raises questions that only harm the movies already done. Unless of course WB is now attempting to reboot the DCEU, but in such a soft way that it doesn't feel like a reboot.

As for the movie Black Adam... Can't really say I was surprised in the least with anything that happened. I had already guessed it right, how they were going to change Teth-Adam origin story to appeal to the viewers. So there was no surprise there, only the confirmation of my own theories.

Characters like Dr Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) deserved a movie before Black Adam. To give us more insight and a better understanding of their connection.

Pierce Brosnan was definitely brilliant as Dr Fate, landing his lines with the perfection expected of a grade A actor. And as a character, he deserved more than what he got in his movie.

The dynamic between the JSA members was refreshing, because there was no wokeness between Cyclone and the other characters. She was part of the team, and never once does she act as if she's superior to her male teammates, nor do they act superior to her.

As for Black Adam... It was Dwayne Johnson being himself. It was always clear that Johnson would never go along with the sometimes evil methods of the Black Adam of the comics, and so they adopted the more recent approach from the comics where Black Adam is more of an anti hero.

As for the character Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) it's clear there was more she could've done or become, but unfortunately this movie is not about telling a great story balanced with some action scenes. This is an action movie with some story in there, just enough so people can understand what is happening.

It's clear that Adrianna Tomaz was set up to become Ísis, but that will demand sequels that at this point may or may not happen.

Overall, Black Adam is a movie that once it shifts to 5th gear it just doesn't stop. And like a Michael Bay Transformers movie, story is sacrificed in favor of action.

It's not a bad movie. Far from it. It's actually a good movie, and perhaps great for those looking for an action movie, but it could've been an overall great movie if they had left room for more.

Still. It was good start.

Andor (2022– )

Squeezing the juice

[6/10 · 26 October 2022]

Andor... We're again exploring the time span between movies. Fortunately unlike with Obi-Wan, Andor seems to be heading somewhere.

In this show we're seeing how the Rebellion began, and I got to say that I'm amazed the Rebellion ever got anything done. Seeing its own members are more in it for their own personal reasons, than for the liberation of the galaxy from the rule of the Empire.

Cassian Andor is an interesting character, but he isn't that interesting. If the show was carried only by him, then we would have another flop on our hands. Fortunately we've Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), giving the show more than Cassian can offer. Although not exactly playing by the same rules Rael and Mothma are clearly crucial pieces of hopefully will become a far more efficient Rebellion than the one shown thus far.

The inner dynamics of the agents of the Empire are also very interesting to observe. Seeing that they show that the Empire only sustained their grip on the galaxy, because of certain key individuals. Without them, Vader and Sidious wouldn't matter for the Empire would've fallen even to a very inefficient Rebellion. The best Imperial characters thus far are Dedra Meero and Major Partagaz. All the other Imperial characters are mainly to give contrast to those two characters.

Andor has enough room to become better, and if it does I'll increase the score I gave it. But if it does not, then I'll have no problem stop seeing it.

Andor so far is only interesting and worth watching because it has lots of potential. If the show will live to that potential, that's another matter altogether.

Quantum Leap (2022–2024)

A micro leap instead of a quantum leap

[3/10 · 23 September 2022]

When I watched the trailer I knew this could happen, but I was hoping I would be wrong. And unfortunately I was not. This "sequel" doesn't feel like a sequel at all.

If you watched the original 1989 show then you know all the problems in that time, more than less exist in what the show says is 2022. So basically technology apparently didn't progressed at all in 33 years.

The character is still sent through time into the body of another person, and has to complete a series of tasks before he can come back. Which he doesn't because he'll keep leaping from several periods in time to others. Essentially the same story of 1989.

The series is trying to make itself more interesting than what it is, by already showing a possible cabal that might also have ties to the project the main character was involved in, and quite possibly another group also time traveling. They were so sloppy in the way they brought things up, that they basically already revealed what the show will be all about.

Maybe it will get better with time. All I know is that for a first episode it left several things wanting.

The show should've at least improved on the original concept, and started from a point where the main character was attempting to correct the timeline. That had been messed around by someone else, before the effects hit the present.

Secret Headquarters (2022)

Where have I seen all of this before

[5/10 · 23 September 2022]

Secret Headquarters is recipe done and redone several times over.

It's the typical movie where some random guy is in the right place at the right time, finds something amazing that changes his entire life. Years pass and we see that because of the great power came neglecting his son.

His son and his I guess we can call them friends, if we're really stretching it, find out about the big secret. Not that it was that hard to find at all. Play around with it not fully understanding that the typical bad guy was searching for what the kids find by sheer luck, and will make their discovery something they have to protect.

Owen Wilson is barely in the movie at all, and the way the kids find his secret base it makes anyone wonder how the secret was even kept in the first place.

In short, this movie is about if an average guy was given Iron Man technology and decided to help the world with it, while keeping it a secret from his son for no really good reason.

The movie is too predictable to the point nothing in it surprises you in the least. And the ending of course you see it coming miles away.

This movie is definitely not for the experienced viewer, but more for kids. Seeing only those will have the naivety of youth, that will let them appreciate it to the fullest.

Not a bad movie, but also not one that is going to make people talk about it.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

A lesson in how sequels are made

[9/10 · 23 September 2022]

Top Gun: Maverick manages to do something that very few movies accomplish in these recent years, and that is to be better than the original movie.

The movie picks up over a decade later than the previous one, Maverick is still the military, still putting his pilot skills to use. But as he's reminded of, he's part of a dying breed because one day there won't be any more need for pilots to actually pilot jet fighters. It's a reflection of our real world and how drones are now being used more and more often to carry out missions. However the movie also reminds people that the human factor is not entirely out of rhe picture. And that's where Maverick comes in.

Given a last opportunity, given all his missed opportunities, he's tasked with training a new generation of pilots to execute a mission that requires pilots piloting real jet fighters, and even then there's no guarantee of success seeing these new generation of cocky pilots just can't cut it. Not at their level of knowledge, that is what Maverick does. He teaches them what is actually possible to do with a jet fighter.

The movie chose the perfect cast for the job. They didn't tried to hide Tom Cruise age, if anything his character age and knowledge are what will make the mission even possible to be executable. Maverick knows he's made a lot of mistakes, he knows he has missed on a lot, and Tom Cruise in a particular scene with Val Kilmer (Iceman of the first movie) they perfectly give to the viewer what is easily one of the most emotional scenes not just in this movie, but other movies as well. Both Maverick and Iceman, didn't had the perfect life, but still a life worth living that gave them the perspective their younger selves didn't had. Although short, Val Kilmer participation was crucial so Tom Cruise character could reveal to the viewer the immense weight that he carries. Not just for his decisions but the decisions of others as well.

Miles Teller perfectly landed his role as Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw. Son of Maverick best friend in the first movie Goose. The tension between him and Maverick is palpable, and both carry a lot of past they need to fix.

Monica Barbaro was perfect as Phoenix. Showing she was as good of a pilot as any of her teammates, but above all she could remain cool and focused where her male teammates would many times let egos fly.

Overall the cast was well balanced and each one add something to offer and teach the viewer.

Although I don't believe in the perfect movie, this one is dam close to being one. It didn't forget who the recurring characters were, while also showing who they had become and why. The movie is well paced, not being too long or too short, it doesn't impose any political messages or agenda on the viewer and stands above all of that. It's fun, it's emotional, it's serious, all in the right amount at the right time. It closes the circle perfectly that began with the first movie, and shows that sequels still can surpass the original movie. Something that in these last 5 years, perhaps more, it seemed impossible. Given the number of sequels that failed completely to be sequels to the original movies.

This movie is definitely a must see. Preferably see the first Top Gun and immediately jump to Top Gun: Maverick.

The Woman King (2022)

Historical editing

[4/10 · 17 September 2022]

When I went into this movie, I already knew very well the history surrounding the Agojie and the actions done by the African kingdom of Dahomey. But because I've almost always appreciated and liked the roles that Viola Davis chooses, I gave it a try.

After Viola Davis declarations about what it would mean if people didn't went to see the movie, a big part of me wanted nothing more than to not even see the movie. But I took her statements, as her making a huge mistake, that might hurt an actual good movie.

And as it turned out, I wouldn't have lost anything if I hadn't watched this movie.

From Viola Davis, to Lashana Lynch Izogie and others. The performances were for the most part solid, and the natural beauty of the African continent all helped to make the movie tolerable.

However try as they might, and they did try, history didn't happened that way. Not exactly. The Woman King gives you the Hollywood edited version of history, but it doesn't give you the actual history. The ugly side of the tribe that Nanisca (Davis) is portraying.

It's understandable why they did what they did, seeing the times they were living, and the movie should've owned that, instead of trying to embellish the truth. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would've understood, or at least tried to understand what was happening historically in that period of African history.

But apparently they are too ashamed to own to their own history. Maybe because the actresses and actors, didn't even bother to study the history of what they were going to be portraying.

The movie is not good, not really. It's watchable, not just because of the performances but also because of the beauty of the African continent, and also in part the culture as well. However they could've cut twenty minutes to the movie and you'd have lost nothing.

It has too many moments that are slow paced, and then it just puts in the fifth gear and doesn't slow down. To the viewer that doesn't know anything about what they're watching, they might be deceived into thinking they saw a a movie about female empowerment, and how to fight against oppression to preserve one's freedom. Because that's what the movie tries to sell.

And it's really because of the embellishment of a hard reality, that was the reality of those times, that I couldn't really appreciate this movie. It would be like applauding inaccuracy for the sake of creating a nice story, instead of owning the truth and show how many times sacrifices and hard choices need to be made.

I completely understand how some people might be more than willing to close their eyes to those things, but the dual standard isn't lost considering other historical movies were also a target of great scrutiny. And if memory fails you, then remember the criticism done about Kingdom of Heaven for not accurately portraying the Islamic side of history.

So if all other historical movies have been subjected to critic of their historical accuracy, then The Woman King doesn't get a free pass. At least not from me.

And then there's the story of the movie itself. Completely predicable from beginning to end, some of the dialogues were cringe as cringe can be, and some actresses like Viola Davis tried to sell their roles so hard that it came out as far over the top.

Twelve Years a Slave was a great movie, however The Woman King is not. It's watchable in a way that you can see it and pass the time, but without ever getting pulled into the story.

This movie will add nothing to the career of the actresses and actors in it. And it will add little to viewer, that spends the 135 minutes watching it.

And so there's no doubts, this movie lost me because a) the story wasn't good enough b) the story is too predictable c) some performances are just too over the top and d) the historical inaccuracy is unforgivable.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

The fire is strong in this one

[8/10 · 6 September 2022]

Forget about Rings of Power, this is the show you want to see.

I'll be honest. I had some reservations about how well would House of the Dragon be capable to deliver the world of George R. R. Martin. And deliver it does.

Not only does it feel like Game of Thrones, but the cast is for the most part very well chosen. With most actors and actresses, delivering solid performances and being capable of pulling us into their world, their lives, their intrigues, their agendas. But above all making the viewer care about those characters.

Not that many shows can claim to be able to do that. But this one can. And it's good because after season 8 of Game of Thrones, the story needed to be focused on something else that makes us forget about that season.

And although the fall of House Targaryen is something we know it's going to happen no matter what, at least the show is being done well enough that even knowing that, doesn't really matter. It's a show that has proven to have what it takes to be seen and appreciated.

My only hope right now is that the success doesn't go to their heads, and they start making rookie mistakes. Game of Thrones lost the race in the last meters of the race, so I really hope that House of the Dragon doesn't make the same mistake.

Other than that three episodes in, and this show has come out strong and with enough fire to burn long and wide, instead of burning bright and fading just as fast.

This show is definitely a must see. And those that don't watch it will only lose.

The Sandman (2022– )

Hasn't aged well

[4/10 · 6 September 2022]

Read all Sandman comics, and because of that I already knew more than less everything that was going to happen.

However try as they might they couldn't revitalize something that is not exactly made for everyone. Sandman stories are already not for everyone, and The Sandman will seem like a bad acid trip to some.

Some choices were spot on like Tom Sturridge as Dream, or Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death. However David Thewlis as Doctor Destiny, was a big let down, not being able to capture at all the essence of the character. But no bigger disappointment like the one of the choice to play Lucifer. Gwendoline Christie didn't nailed the part at all, because Lucifer of Neil Gaiman is not at all as she tried to make it seem. She showed neither the charisma, personality, or presence of Lucifer.

Also the show quickly loses whatever drive it has after episode 5. By episode 6 any viewer can be forgiven to ask why are they even watching the show anymore. Although the interaction of Dream with Death is like it should be, after that point each episode seems like a filler.

The show isn't bad but it also isn't good. And for those that already knew what was going to happen, it felt even less. Because it was like watching someone else retell a story, that one already knows, but in an inferior way.

It's watchable and it even has some good moments, but not enough to make it anything even worth recommending.

Like the sands of Dream, this show will also go down like that. A dream long forgotten.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

Amazon Earth

[4/10 · 2 September 2022]

Let's agree that this is not Tolkien Middle Earth because it's not.

Names of the characters and races are the same, but everything else is just not Tolkien. This is Amazon Earth. Thinking they can outperform one of the greatest known works of literature.

This show although visually beautiful, the story that is the glue to these fantasy worlds is just too weak.

Galadriel is just not Galadriel. She's too arrogant, insensitive, obsessive to the point of paranoia, and of course because this is 2022 she has to be right about everything. None can dare to even question her motives, even though her motives are the most basic it gets. Revenge. Sauron took someone important from her and so she wants him dead, simple as that. But also very naive considering she should know she'll never accomplish that.

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, was the worst possible actress for the role of Galadriel, seeing her facial expressions are basically non-existent. Whatever she might be feeling, if feeling anything at all, you won't notice that in her face. It's like staring at a statue.

On the plus side. Robert Aramayo as Elrond is the one outperforming the entire cast. Although he doesn't feel like Elrond, he at least shows emotion and he's far wiser than he lets on. Even his friendship with Durin was pleasing to see and a good lesson for everyone, about the value of friendship and what it takes to keep one alive.

Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn seems to have potential, but how far will her character go is anyone's guess. And her chemistry with Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) is almost none, so not sure how that's going to go work as the show progresses, and I'm not sure I even care. Because while Bronwyn shows potential Arondir is just not selling his performance.

Everyone else more or less falls through the cracks.

The Stranger that is already generating some buzz. Regardless of who he might really be, one thing we know he is. A Maiar. And so his actions so far have been very out of character, for what a Maiar taking physical form should be doing. It's like the show is trying to make things more challenging any way they can, instead of making them challenging correctly.

Even the Dwarf women not having any beard is another fault from the show, because at least the movies got that detail right. While the show, despite all the wigs and fake beards already used, they couldn't do something as simple as being accurate to the source material.

This show may be appealing for those that have never watch anything Tolkien related. Or those that watched the movies once but barely kept anything in their heads. But to true Tolkien fans, and even just true fans of the movies they'll notice that this show may call itself Lord of the Rings but is nothing of the sort.

Even a fan made movie, would've undoubtedly been more accurate to the source material of Tolkien than whatever this show is trying to do.

When the foundations of something are weak the rest built on top of it will easily crumble, and this show seems doomed to crumble on itself like Sauron's tower.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)

For Gohan fans only

[3/10 · 28 August 2022]

The only think it has going for it is the animation and seeing well known characters. Although the most popular characters only make a short appearance, because they're too busy training in Beerus world.

The movie is full of inconsistencies, like Pan learning to fly with Piccolo when she could already do it as a baby. Or Vegeta training through meditation like Goku is very well known for, but you see Goku say that is not even a training method.

The movie has the typical lines that make Gohan fans giggle, like Piccolo saying that Gohan is the Saiyan with the most potential of them all. When following Toriyama explanation for Gohan potential, then Trunks, Goten, Pan and Bulla all have more potential than him.

Does Gohan even trains to gain the new transformation?! No. Like always he's been too busy not training and he just transforms because of Piccolo, because he only needs to get angrier. So the transformation, like the ultimate form it's an unearned form. Much like Piccolo gets two power boots because Dende upgrades the dragon so he can give those boosts in power.

Even Cell Max is a complete disappointment, because at no time do you feel that he's a threat. Not when he completely out of control purposely fires Ki beams at the Earth, all hit the Earth and nothing happens. Zero damage to the planet. One of the beams falls right next to Bulma and she's fine without even a scratch. You can even say that feats wise Cell Max is weaker than Cell.

The story is juvenile to say the least, and the fights aren't even impressive at all.

This movie only has one reason of being. To give a cookie to Gohan fans and tell them Gohan is as powerful as Goku and Vegeta, even though the movie gives zero proof of that. The only thing it gives you is Piccolo and Gohan personal opinions, about how they think Gohan is now as powerful as Goku and Vegeta.

And that in the end is no proof at all.

At least Freeza when he defeats Gas and then defeats Goku and Vegeta in their Ultra forms, he actually does it. No one says he could possibly do it or that they think he could do it, you see Freeza do it in his Black Freeza form. And at least Frieza had to train for ten years to get the new form.

The Manga did more for Freeza in one chapter than this entire movie does for Gohan.

And that only shoes why this movie should've never been done. Compared to for example the Battle of Gods but especially the Broly movie, Super Hero isn't even worth the time watching it.

Prey (I) (2022)

Rigged Hunt

[5/10 · 5 August 2022]

Prey right from the start offers a diminished Predator. He doesn't possess the same level of technology, even the plasma caster that he seems to have when he arrives on the Earth was just for show.

And this movie blatantly thinks that people are just dumb. Everyone knows that the Predators hunt by having a thermal sight, so unless you find some way to block one's body heat the Predator will see you. This has been true in Predator 1, Predator 2, Predators, and Predator. However in this movie we're supposed to believe, that just because the main character Naru takes some Native American medicine that lowers the body temperature. That the Predator just can't see her. Even though we see that indeed he should've been able to see her quite well.

Unless Naru was dead, or covered in mud, there's simply no way that the Predator couldn't see her.

But the movie doesn't stop there. The Predator himself is made weaker in comparison to Predators in other movies. Anyone that saw Predator 1 and 2 saw how Predators can withstand grenade explosions near them, and even shotgun fire at blank range. But this Predator is human vulnerable to small axes, blades, and even lead sphere bullets.

If Neru had a better aim she could've killed this Predator with just one shot. And won the fight without having to fight it.

So from the start you got an inferior Predator, with inferior technology, because how else would Neru be able to win otherwise. And still they had to use plot convenience in the form of a Native American medicine that apparently lowers the body temperature to none at all.

For a big part of the movie everything was going smoothly, and it seemed that Neru would only stand a chance with help from her tribe. But nah... She alone thanks to some magical medicine just becomes invisible to the Predator, even after the movie loses a great opportunity for Neru to also learn the mud trick to hide her body heat.

In the final fight the Predator easily had at least two opportunities to kill Neru immediately. This Predator that physically fought a grizzly bear, has Neru by the throat and he just decides not to break her neck. Same as surprise surprise when he could've cut her head off, rocks just conveniently happen to block the blades.

It was a nice touch to show that the Comanche were actually talking Comanche, and not English. Showing us that the viewer heard it as English, but they were actually talking to one another in Comanche.

Even Neru failures helped to make her character more believable.

However it's in the end that this movie falls apart. Neru should've never won. And had the movie producers been smart they could've used the mud part to make the Predator believe Neru had died, having to instead take the old colonialist pistol as the trophy. Which would've connected to the Elder Predator seen in Predator 2.

As it was the movie actually performed much better than I had anticipated, but it could've been a great movie hadn't the fight with the Predator been so rigged from the start.

Women of the White Buffalo (2022)

How stories become history

[3/10 · 25 June 2022]

First let me begin by pointing out the obvious. This is not a documentary, this is a story told to the gullible that might not know enough about Native American history, to know this is just a very narrow part of Native American history told by a very small lens so as to not touch the not so pleasant parts of Native American history and thus focus only on one culprit.

In my book documentaries are expected to be thorough, and represent all sides. This documentary barely represents one side. While painting the white people as the ever eternal oppressor. But forgetting to mention that there's a very unequal distribution of wealth throughout the tribes and its people. How while Native Americans have to live in slums others live as millionaires due to the profits of the casinos.

You won't see that reality because if they showed it, that would ruin the narrative of story they're trying to force feed you.

It's the same old story told again and again. How they'll say "We are a sovereign nation, we don't have to follow American laws" but at the same time they're also saying, but we want American tax money to pay everything for us.

It's a constant complaining about things that happened to their great grandfathers, and how they simply never managed to bounce back, even though many did.

It seems the 21st century is going to go down as the century of the victimization. Because everything is always someone else's fault, and no one wants to look on the mirror and see their share of the blame looking back.

This story doesn't even mention the Kiowa, the Omaha, the Ponca, the Oto, the Pawnee and others. And it doesn't do it because of the truth behind those names. How way before the white man step foot on Native American lands, already Native Americans killed one another for hunting ground and lands. How the lands of one were once the lands of others.

And it's this very narrow view that makes this not a documentary. Because although it tries to press blame on one culprit, it also doesn't actually takes a good look into the real Native American tribes and what they even have to say about one another.

This story is for those that know very little to almost nothing about Native American history, so they can think they know something, and of course blame it on the same people. Because stars forbid that they stop blaming and start sharing evenly between themselves.

In a way it's complaining that it happened to them what they had done to others. It's aiming their sights at the common target of these times, to try and join the victim train.

But the worst part is that it tries to tell you that this is a common united opinion that all Native Americans share, when in fact it is not. The simple fact that not all the tribes were included in this story and they shared their views about one another already says everything.

Because if you have Native American friends, and if you have from different tribes, you'll hear quite the accusations aimed at one another. How one tribe stole this from the other, or took this from the other, while the other side will say that they were simply taking back what had been theirs all along.

And it's funny that some speak of things with such details, because for a people that had no written language some do remember events dating back before their great great grandparents. Things passed down from oral tradition. And everyone that has ever told any story knows, how stories are many times embellished in one way and distorted in another.

And because this isn't really a documentary, and doesn't cover all sides of history, that's why I gave it the rating I did.

One would expect that Native Americans at least had learned not to make the same mistakes others are making, but apparently it's more easy living in the shadow of victimization than owning up to the all the facts.

This ends up being a huge waste of time because the reality is this... If every culture, race and ethnicity had to get reparations from the wrongdoings done to them, then we would be in a world war. Because almost every culture has done some wrong to another.

Those that thrive are the ones too busy with the present and the future, they don't waste time holding on to the past in the hopes of getting something from pity. They're investing in the future, investing in their people and culture, investing in their nation to prepare for the future. Because at the end of day only the future matters. The past is unchangeable, and there's only so much apologies until one can give until the apology becomes a question of why don't they make the life they want to live. Who's actually stopping them, if not themselves.