nirvana_state_of_mind

IMDb member since May 2006
    Lifetime Total
    25+
    IMDb Member
    18 years

Reviews

From
(2022)

Great 1st Season and Premise, Squandered in Season 2 and 3
The first season of From was a very engaging show with a great premise. The show was great when it was kept simple. For unknown reasons a group of people are stuck in a town that they can't leave and at night monsters come out that will violently kill them. The group can stay safe if they stay indoors with talismans that have power to keep the monsters at bay, but the risk the individuals of the group pose to each other is also a risk. This was a great hook executed perfectly in season 1.

However, Season 2 and onwards the show has turned into something completely nonsensical and boring. Most of the show now involves two characters being in a room together and talking about their feelings. And in a show that's basically psychological torture this would make sense, except that you need compelling characters and dialogue. This show has neither and there are many times where I tell characters to shut up because of how cringe their lines are. The background characters we know nothing about often say things that make way more sense than anything the leads have to say and that's a problem when you can no longer identify with the leads. Boyd in particular is the worst protagonist I may have watched in any tv series, he's incompetent and has no idea how to inspire people to keep hope alive. He is bumbling and does things that had no build up whatsoever and only occur because something had to happen in the show. The first season the building up to discovering what happened to his wife was the peak of the show and for his character, since then it's been all downhill.

There is no development in understanding the town they are in and the rules that govern it. Lots of different things are thrown at us and none of it expanded on in a way that provides greater clarity. This is annoying but I could handle this if we had characters we could relate to and compelling dialogue. Or it would be nice if something just happened in this show instead of basically nothing but endless conversations between just two characters in a room or isolated setting. What a waste.

Alien: Romulus
(2024)

First 80% Was Great, Did Not Stick the Landing
I want to try to stay positive with this film as the first 80% of it I was totally engaged and overwhelmed by the sense of dread. The film made great use of a claustrophobic space like the first Alien film and the majority of the film felt very much like the original.

Then the movie makes a noticeable shift to Aliens and this still worked with a very cool action set piece with zero gravity. But then there is a line lifted directly from Aliens "Get away from her you bi***!" and that was when the movie completely fell apart for me.

The last 20% felt like a very poor imitation of Aliens and Prometheus combined where direct nods like that line come across as lazy and took me right out of the experience. And when you think the movie is over, you know it really isn't because every Alien film for some reason has to end exactly the same. An unrealized new threat on your escape craft which needs to be blown out an airlock. Honestly why do they keep repeating this it was so unnecessary, I would have enjoyed the film a lot more if it just ended when they escaped the space station that was thrilling enough.

But I am one of the people who absolutely hated Prometheus and by bringing in the genetic engineering storyline at the end I was completely checked out and really hated the last 15 minutes.

The movie tried to do too much in my opinion and I can understand why some people would say the script was written by AI as it tried to be Alien, Aliens and Prometheus all in one. I want to focus on the good and will choose to remember how the first 80% totally captivated me. And as far as Alien sequels go that is an improvement than the majority of them.

Batman: Caped Crusader
(2024)

What's the Point in This?
Having Bruce Timm at the helm of a Batman animated series I knew I had to watch this. And it's a totally fine watch. But I can't help but ask myself what the whole point of making this was.

It is essentially is done exactly the same as Batman The Animated Series. But it's not a continuation, essentially starting from scratch and gender/race swapping certain characters for no discernible reason. I'm not one of those people to get up in arms about it as none of that is done in a way that is promoting any kind of obvious social message that you see in most modern Disney production. But at the same time why even bother with this? Instead of being a great continuation like X Men 97 this is just alright. And a shame since the lead voice actor of Batman totally captured everything Kevin Conroy brought to the role, this could have been amazing.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
(2014)

Same Problems as The Matrix Sequels
The Hunger Games was interesting on the premise that youths were forced to kill each other in gladiator type matches for the entertainment of a ruling class. The ruling class oppressed the lower classes and used the games to keep them in a state of fear and control. Simple concept that only hinted at what the society was actually like as the entertainment from the actual games is what the hook is. And like the Matrix the idea of a society in Zaion is only hinted at as true main hook is being in the Matrix and the action that comes with it.

But when you try to provide answers to how those societies actually function it not only is less interesting but it also kind of falls apart if you really think about it.

This movie tries to go for a lot of emotional depth but by the time they say the word "Mockingjay" the 10th time I was pretty much done with what they were going for as no normal person would talk that way. We get it she's an important symbol to the movement just call her by her name. And Katniss doing this back and forth "I can't be the Mockingjay" and then "I will be your Mockingjay" this movie ended up being a real struggle to get through.

I might as well finish the next one but wish I had just stopped at Catching Fire. The Maze Runner ended better than this and that's not saying a lot.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: What You Leave Behind
(1999)
Episode 25, Season 7

A Good Ending to Season 7, Terrible Series Finale
Out of all the Star Trek shows I can understand why some people would say that Deep Space Nine was the best series of them all. The characters and storylines were more complex maintaining the idealistic society established by Gene Roddenberry but showing just how far that ideology could be bent when confronted by the prospects of war. Gul Dukat in particular was one of the best parts of the show in that he truly believed himself to be a good man and that his cruel methods were actually for the betterment of society as a whole, a true sociopath. And Sisko's long arc about being the emissary to the Prophets who were worshipped as Gods by Bajor but were really just aliens on another level of existence within the wormhole was an intriguing idea that you could only hope had a payoff after lots of buildup. But these two characters Sisko and Dukat are what got totally butchered in the final 20 minutes of the series finale and I can't believe more people aren't calling out just how bad this was.

First what worked in the finale? The Dominion War came to a very satisfying conclusion that was appropriate for the ideology of Star Trek. Odo linking with the Changelings, curing them of the disease they had been intentionally infected with and getting them to peacefully surrender was a true Trek solution. Sacrificing his love for Kira for the betterment of all species, very nice stuff. Even Damar who was really just a side character, getting the rest of Cardassia to rise up and rebel against the Dominion, his death was actually heartfelt with what he was willing to do for his people. And getting the goodbye scenes from every DS9 regular was something that effectively hit you in the feels, except for Worf remembering how he hooked up with Ezri as that was completely inappropriate for his character as he should have remembered Jadzia. But I understand the showrunners were limited because the actress playing Jadzia would not agree for her image to be used in the finale without proper compensation. So all things considered these were all the things that worked.

But after all this it's like the showrunners suddenly remembered that they needed to wrap up the Sisko and Dukat Prophets/Pa Wraith storyline that they had been building up since the very first episode of season 1 and they tried to do this in no less than the last 20 minutes. All the build up of Sisko being meant for something grand and Dukat researching and scheming to release the Pa Wraiths, all just amounted to the two getting in a fist fight and Sisko throwing Dukat off a cliff into a pit of fire. No exaggeration that's all that happened. After this the show intentionally ends vague that Sisko still has more work to do for the Prophets and is living in their form of existence now. He may be able to return to his family one day but does not know when that will be and no further explanation on this the show is just over. More insulting is that he does not make any attempt to talk to his son Jake who was with him since the beginning of Season 1, unbelievable.

This finale honestly felt like such a waste of time committing to this show. It was a good end to the Dominion War but this was not what the show was about this was really something that just happened in the last couple of seasons. As a final end to DS9 I could not have been more disappointed and it seems pretty clear to me that the showrunners didn't actually know they weren't getting another season and had to scramble to try to make an ending. I don't care what any of the crew says about this as there are some significant inconsistencies about what they say the plan for the show was. Most telling is the behind the scene drama of how they fired the actress playing Jadzia, who only said she wanted a part time role after Season 6 because she was never told Season 7 would be the last one and didn't want to commit full time for a few more years.

There might be individual episodes I go back to on DS9 because of how strong they were but I'll never watch the show start to finish again because of how bad the writers dropped the ball right at the finish line.

X-Men '97
(2024)

If you are still a fan of the Animated Series You Will Like This
I had my doubts that Disney could re-capture the magic of the 90's X-Men Animated Series. The original series expertly captured the experience that any type of minority group faces when encountering discrimination and oppression by the majority group that is in power. It was smart and didn't pander to audiences like a lot of other content does, particularly modern Disney products.

I am pleased to say that X-Men 97 not only does the 90's show justice but at least so far exceeds it in some areas. The episodes being longer is a huge plus allowing for more complex storytelling. The show isn't any more violent than the original but the discrimination and oppression of mutants is somehow ramped up where it is a bit more directed towards adults rather than children watching on Saturday morning, which for me is a plus. With the exception of Rogue, Gambit and Jubilee I find the voice cast is just as good as the original cast which adds to the nostalgia. And the redone opening sequence and song is just a shot of happy memories.

My only criticism is with some of the storylines. As far as I know it hasn't been established why Bishop is with the X-Men as the last time he saw them to defeat Apocalypse he went back to his timeline. Is he living with them now? What about his sister Shard did he leave her behind?

Also I realize that these stories seem to follow the comics, but Rogue having a relationship with Magneto is totally news to me and it is kind of gross given the wide age gap, Gambit deserved a lot better. But finding out that Jean Grey may not be Jean at all and actually a clone that Cyclops was tricked into having a child with is the most disturbing storyline. Again it's following the comics but to me this is a step too far for a show that was originally directed towards kids. I could be wrong about this part and we'll have to see how this story develops.

For me the biggest surprise in the story so far was indicated in the trailer with Xavier leaving Magneto all his property rights with the expectation that he'd lead the X-Men. And as ridiculous as this might have been prior to seeing it, not only do the writers have this make sense but it is incredibly satisfying in how it plays out.

Overall this was an excellent return and I will be eagerly anticipating the release of all subsequent episodes.

True Detective
(2014)

S1 Perfect, S3 Good, S2 Mixed, S4 Awful
Writing a review because it needs to be said that Night Country is truly awful and should not have been included under the True Detective brand. It's pretty clear that this was never written to be part of the anthology and HBO made the decision to call it True Detective because it had the similarities of detectives solving a brutal murder and that the leads are tortured souls. The problems with this show have absolutely nothing to do with the female led cast and the actors are making the most out of this material they are given. And it's possible that the show might be regarded differently if it was just called Night Country and it stood completely on its own.

But adding in the supernatural to the True Detective brand which was always previously grounded in reality is completely off putting. The occult that was hinted at previously was always made to have the believers appear insane rather than give their beliefs any credence. Now people see the dead everywhere and these apparitions can be used to help them. But even more insulting are these superficial connections to Season 1 which was clearly done to generate buzz. We see the occult symbol and it is strongly implied that one of the characters is Cohle's survivalist father that he talked about. Instead of being cool that it's connected to Season 1 it comes across as cheap, lazy and totally meaningless. I kept hoping the show would stick the landing and make sense but it's clear now that this was just a con job to make us all watch a supernatural detective show that HBO did not have confidence would succeed on its own merits.

Talk to Me
(2022)

Great Concept Undone by a Terrible Protagonist
The first half of this movie is incredibly effective with the concept of a bunch of teenagers having a real medium to communicate with the dead and filming themselves use it just for a laugh. Then one of their uses of the medium goes too far and problems arrive, that is great stuff.

But everything that happens after the possession gone awry is a bunch of predictable nonsense. It also doesn't help that the main character is so unlikeable and selfish that you don't care whether she lives or dies. It is not properly established if she is being controlled by demons but that's the only thing that could excuse her terrible decisions which could have just as easily been driven by a selfish desire to speak with her mom above all other peoples safety.

I didn't hate watching this but the potential was there for something great and it was just not executed well at the half way point.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)

Not Just the Best Guardians Film, Best Marvel Film Ever
I'm one of the few that finds the MCU movie franchise to be a tired product and for me it happened really early on. Iron Man 1 was fresh and exciting and I loved it at the time. But since then it seemed like every subsequent film just tried to copy that formula with diminishing results. By the time the first Avengers movie came out, I was pretty much done and never saw any other Marvel film in theatres again.

But there have been 3 exceptions, that being all three Guardians films. The first film I went with a friend with zero expectations and I loved everything about it. To me it was not a Marvel film it was just a great sci fi action film that worked on its own. It was exciting, had a great soundtrack and most of all it had heart which I can't say any other Marvel movies have. Each of the 4 main characters is well defined and a common trait among them is that they are all dealing with trauma which I think is the main reason people are so attached to these characters. We root for them to succeed when we ourselves know what it means to be at your lowest point in life.

Guardians 3 takes the trauma to a whole new level and I would not recommend any children watch this as even for adults it has content that is incredibly difficult to watch. Thanos may have been the big bad guy but in my opinion The High Revolutionary is so evil and twisted that his actions leave a sick feeling in your stomach, easily the best written Marvel villain to date. What happens to Rocket is so incredibly sad and definitely tugs on the heart strings of people who love animals. While there is serious content in this, there is well balanced humor which is more subtle than Vol 2 which had a lot of overplayed jokes that didn't land. The action is also more subtle compared to other Marvel films but the way it's shot feels a lot more exhilarating and like there are real stakes in it. While Rocket is the main focus, all the characters get their due having built them up over prior films and without spoilers I'll just say that the ending is incredibly satisfying.

I'm actually a bit sad that this is it for most of these characters but if it is the end it was a fantastic send off for them. I'm happy to have taken the journey with them cause that's what it has felt like.

Law & Order
(1990)

What Happened to this Show?
I am giving an 8 as the prior seasons this was generally an excellent show. What I like about Law and Order is that it is a show that made you think about the issues being presented and you could formulate your own thoughts about how you thought the issues should play out. The show never outright told you how to think or feel about things. And sometimes the characters would do things you disagreed with but you understood them enough to know where they were coming from.

But with this revival since the cancellation, it is unbelievable how poor the writing is. I do not fault the actors like some people are here. The dialogue and scenarios they are put in are so ridiculous and cringe worthy that great actors like Pacino or Deniro couldn't save this. As one example, the recent issues of abortion and Roe Vs Wade being overturned, it would make sense to incorporate this into a storyline and abortion stories have been done before in the show which I felt were well done. But definitely not now, the show tells you exactly how we are on the wrong side of history and how this is creating so much anger and extremism in society. And the thing is I agree with the sentiment but there is nothing to think about or consider. The show and writers are pushing their ideological message in such an overt and obvious way that it becomes laughable. I no longer see this show as something that is worthy of sparking debate and I will simply watch the original series as they are worth going back to.

Halloween Ends
(2022)

Watched this Because of Red Letter Media
After Halloween Kills ended up being one of the worst films in the entire Halloween franchise, I had no interest in going to the theatre for this third outing especially after seeing the horrid critic reviews. When Red Letter Media reviewed Halloween Ends I was certain they'd shred it like they did Halloween Kills. To my surprise though Mike and Jay said it was great and it piqued my interest enough to give this a chance. I still thought it would likely be pretty bad just like Matrix Resurrections which they also liked.

But after seeing Halloween Ends for myself I completely agreed with their assessment and thought it was fantastic. I'm not surprised professional critics didn't like it as the Halloween franchise has never been meant for them. But for fans of the franchise the vitriol against this film is shocking to me. Yes the film was completely mis-advertised and it shouldn't have even been presented as a conclusion to the so called trilogy. It really is its own film and does something completely different which you can only say about Halloween 3 Season of the Witch which I also loved. If all you want is some simple entertainment of Michael killing many people in fun/inventive ways (and really that's what this franchise is about), you will be disappointed. But if you can handle the changes it makes to the formula you may be pleasantly surprised like I was.

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

"One cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater."
3 stars for the visuals. But be ready for some of the most god-awful dialogue that you've ever seen committed to screen for such a big project. Never have I seen such a heavy handed attempt at writing poetic and meaningful dialogue, only for it to fall so completely on its face that it becomes pretentious and unintentionally hilarious. If you make it to the line "one cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater," you will have made it to the part where I laughed in disbelief about how ridiculous this line was in the context of the action that preceded it. Yes I understand Galadriel was trying to say something meaningful to Halbrand about how revenge will not dissipate the anger within a person. But do the writers not understand that this line is a complete joke coming from her? The whole show she is driven to annihilate Sauron, at any cost and at anyone else's expense. Moreover, we only just learned in that moment that Halbrand even knew Adar and there was no prior indication he was driven by vengeance. And not more than 5 minutes later Halbrand pulls Galadriel back from killing Adar herself. Again, the writing is so inconsistent that it becomes ridiculous and unintentionally funny.

There are many other instances of terrible dialogue such as "there is a tempest in me..." But the seawater line was what broke my will to finish this show and I turned it off with no intention of finishing it. This show is not fun to watch and instead is a challenge of enduring boredom.

Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)

Not Better Than the Original but Still Great
I feel like the praise for this film is a bit overblown in how people are saying it surpasses the original Top Gun, which I find it surprising because to me they are meant to be different kinds of films. The first film is unashamedly pure testosterone and is very much a product of it's time which I mean as a compliment. It was simply just fun. This new one by contrast is quite sentimental with how Maverick still mourns the loss of Goose, questions his value in today's society and rekindles a relationship that he knows he took for granted in his younger days. It goes for more serious moments and these are mostly well done, just some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and some of the new characters aren't that developed.

Of course where the movie truly shines is in the action and in this area it surpasses the original immensely. They really ramped up the speed and aerial maneuvers performed and it was exhilarating to see on the big screen. There is an action scene at the end which is incredibly over the top and cheesy, but the action is so fun that you can't help getting on board and having a good time with it.

I would only rate this lower than the original as I have no detractions from that one. But as most modern movie sequels simply try to cash in on originals and rehash the same ideas, Top Gun Maverick is refreshing in that it honors the original source material and does enough new things to make it a great film on its own merit.

Dexter: New Blood
(2021)

This is how it should have originally ended.
Watched right to the end. I am actually shocked some people didn't like the finale as for me this redeemed the original series. It doesn't cop out with some convenient event that resets Dexter's circumstances like all other seasons did. There are real consequences for Dexter this time which feel earned.

Dune
(1984)

Better Than the 2021 Film
This movie is by no means perfect. The use of inner thought monologues are a lazy way to adapt a book and are often so on the nose with explaining the story/world.

However, these monologues give key context to the story and world of Dune and the 2021 film has none of this and as a result does not provide a lot of context for what is going on. I have not read the book and will get around to it one day, but you shouldn't have to in order to appreciate a film, it should be able to stand on its own. And though flawed, the Lynch film does tell the story better and provides a lot more details albeit clumsily. The characters are also given more depth and the Harkonnen's are way more threatening and frightening in this one.

If anything, if you haven't read the book, watch this one to give yourself context for the 2021 film. You at least will be less confused and will appreciate the visual feast that the 2021 film provides which is the only positive I have for it.

Dune: Part One
(2021)

Lynch's Film is Better
Visually Villeneuve's film is spectacular and they really made the planet of Arrakis feel a lot more threatening than Lynch's film. But that's where the positives end for me.

Lynch's film is also flawed as using inner thought monologues was kind of a lazy way to adapt a book. But those monologues gave key context to the story whereas Villeneuve's film provides little context and would be incredibly infuriating to anyone going into this film blind. If you are really familiar with the lore of Dune this may have been the film you were looking for, but for me this was at best "ok". Nearly all of the characters were fully developed in the Lynch film, whereas this one only Paul and Jessica get any sort of character development. The Baron in particular is way less threatening in this new adaptation which was the most disappointing part for me. The extra length doesn't add anything you can't get out of the Lynch film and even comparing the portion of the story that both films cover, Lynch told more in significantly less time.

This was not horrible and I didn't sit in the theatre being completely miserable but that's the best compliment I can give to it.

Halloween Kills
(2021)

Honestly One of the Worst Halloween Films
I'm not sure why there was a lot of dislike for Halloween (2018) because for me, that was the best sequel to come after the original John Carpenter masterpiece. Halloween Kills should have been a slam dunk by being a direct follow up to the 2018 film and I thought they would go the Halloween 2 route by just upping the body count.

And up the body count they certainly did. But none of it is satisfying as they tried to tell a story with meaning about mob mentality. Except it was so poorly acted and the pacing all over the place that none of what they were going for thematically works and all the fun is sucked out of the film as a result. There were many times where I thought the movie was intentionally trying to be a meta joke as it really upped the horror movie cliche of characters making stupid decisions to the point where the audience I was with was laughing. This isn't Friday the 13th, the Halloween franchise always tried to be a legit horror series and this one unfortunately is not scary in the least bit.

This isn't the worst Halloween film ever made. Halloween Resurrection and both Rob Zombie films are below this. But that's honestly the best thing I can say about it and I don't know how they can make the third one enjoyable after delivering this junk.

No Time to Die
(2021)

Craig Deserved Better
Casino Royale was and will always be one of the best films in the entire Bond franchise. For that reason alone Craig will always have a place at the top of best Bond of All Time lists. Unfortunately since then, the writers haven't been able to come up with an interesting story for him to perform. Skyfall didn't have a great screenplay but was elevated by strong action set pieces and unique direction by Sam Mendes and for that reason it was a "pretty good" Bond film.

But the rest unfortunately follow a pattern of having totally boring, dark, dour stories that are meant to be taken very seriously. These movies are not fun to watch and I'd honestly rank them below the cheesiest Roger Moore films as you can at least get some laughs out of those. This is just miserable for the most part with unfunny jokes sprinkled in to try to lighten the tone. This film was not worth the wait and Daniel Craig deserved a more worthy entry to exit on a high note.

Zack Snyder's Justice League
(2021)

From Someone Who Hated MoS and BVS
When this Snyder Cut of Justice League was first announced I was incredibly cynical about it. I mean we already had seen the "Snyder Cut" of two previous DC entries "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman" and they were both quite bad. Man of Steel had some good moments but both films were incredibly dour and sucked all the fun out of watching a comic book film which to me is meant for escapism.

Nolan's Batman series was more grounded in reality and worked out great with a darker tone for that reason as did "Joker." But when it comes to Superman I would expect there to be some hope and optimism given that he can essentially do anything. And to date we had just been presented with miserable dreck.

I was a fan of Snyder prior to the DC films but he had sullied the image I once had of him and I was not looking forward to another Justice League. But I was way off on this one. Not only is this one of Snyder's best films but it might actually be one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen. All the characters are given their moments to develop where there is something in each of them to get invested in. And when it does get to the action scenes each of their strengths is played to perfection and none of them feel useless as was in the theatrical cut. And most importantly the heroes actually act heroically and the optimism and hope I wanted is built up spectacularly to the final action scene.

It really is mind blowing how Warner Brothers tossed this aside in favor of the final product that they got which in hindsight was a complete gong show of a production. And while them panicking is understandable after the failure of the prior two Snyder films, this one actually leaves you wanting for more of the Snyderverse.

If you're of the opinion like I was that this is a vanity project willed into existence by toxic fans, set all those preconceptions aside and just give it a chance. Because it really is completely different than what we had been given before.

Ad Astra
(2019)

Golden Age of Hard Sci Fi
I feel compelled to write something for this film. I believe right now we are living in the Golden Age of Hard Sci Fi with Blade Runner 2049, Annihilation, The Expanse and now Ad Astra. All of these are slow burns but all the focus is on detail and making the worlds feel lived in. Very atmospheric in all these films and that's what I love to see. Unfortunately none of them are financially successful and that's why I know this Golden Age will not last long.

I'm not going to argue actual science with Ad Astra, I don't go to films for scientific accuracy and am just looking to connect on an emotional level and this did that for me to a high degree hence the 10 rating.

And if people think this is boring I do not see how the same people could enjoy Space Odyysey 2001 or Apocalypse Now which is a shame as they are obviously great films. My type of cinema is dying off for more Marvel and Star Wars type films where action is paramount. But if you are like me with appreciating world building and atmosphere over action, just go see Ad Astra and I'm sure you will love it. It's the best hard Sci Fi film I've seen in a long time.

X-Men: Apocalypse
(2016)

As a Singer Fan This Was a Tough One to Swallow
I've always thought Bryan Singer's X Men films were not just the best of the X Men franchise but also the best of the entire superhero genre as there was always something more intelligent going on with them. The mutant struggle for equal rights perfectly parallels the prior Civil Rights movement and the differing approaches on how to achieve equality shined in the lead characters of Xavier and Magneto. Xavier representing the path of diplomacy and peace like Martin Luther King and Magneto going the more forceful path like Malcolm X. When Singer left the franchise I had never been more let down by any film as I had been by Last Stand as all that was smart about the series was traded off for a generic action film with the team needing to defeat an all powerful mutant who was poorly developed and hardly used in the film. Of course Singer's return seemed to undo all this with the excellent Days of Future Past and it seemed like the series could move forward in a very positive way. Unfortunately I would go as far as to say that Apocalypse somehow managed to be much worse than Last Stand. The main reason being that Apocalypse himself is a very flat character devoid of any motivation for destroying the world and nowhere near as menacing as the version of Apocalypse from the 90's cartoon. The story also jumps all over the place between different characters without developing any sense of rhythm for story progression and I constantly found myself just wanting the film to get to the big dumb ending it was building towards just to get it over. The dialogue is very corny in many parts and it's nearly impossible to root for any of these characters played by these new adolescent actors. Worst of all, the complex friendship between Magneto and Xavier which was the driving force of all the films is completely absent and all we have is a special effects extravaganza of super mutants duking it out over a world ending event which we never feel invested in. At this point I don't know what the series can do to correct itself again and if Bryan Singer does not come back I don't think that would be so bad because he has clearly checked out with this latest attempt.

The Thing
(2011)

Completely Missed the Point of Carpenter's film
First of all, like many others I have to say that I am a huge fan of John Carpenter's The Thing. I was looking forward to the Norwegian prequel as I love Ronald D Moore's version of Battlestar Galactica and thought he would really nail this as well if he wrote the screenplay. I first saw The Thing on VHS at the age of 16 over 20 years after it originally was released in theatres. What I loved about the film was the tension created based on the characters' paranoia of not knowing who to really trust to be a human. It was this quality that I believe made the film as compelling as it was. The monster effects were very impressive for their time, but for me they came secondary to the paranoia aspect of the film.

So if this is to be an actual faithful prequel, any fan of The Thing should accept Kurt Russell's monologue that the alien has tendencies to strike only when it is alone with another person and will try to take the whole group over slowly by hiding amongst them. The problem with this so-called prequel is that the alien does anything but that. We are treated with plenty of gross out monster revealing effects where the alien straight up attacks the humans, sometimes taking out three humans at a time. This action completely undermines the original where the idea was that the Thing was vulnerable when it was out in the open. All this prequel provides is gross images of a monster that attacks humans who then fight back with whatever weapons they have on hand. This aspect got boring really fast, whereas the paranoia aspect of the original played a very minimal role in this film. When a character was revealed to be a Thing, it really had no impact at all as there was not enough character development to really care about it. I realize Carpenter didn't have much more character development, but he still had enough for the audience to be blown away when the creature chose to reveal itself.

Yet the most flawed trait of this film could be pointed out by a young Stephen Spielberg or Ridley Scott 30 years before this film was even made. Much like Spielberg's shark in Jaws or Scott's original Alien, the alien in Carpenter's The Thing was hardly ever shown. The tension that was created from all these films was built off of what was not seen. The audience knows that the monster is a real threat to the characters and we also feel the tension of how the characters treat each other because of this threat. It was this aspect of these films that worked so well, not the violent gross out special effects of monsters attacking humans.

To summarize, I was highly disappointed with this film and would rank it with The X-Files: I Want to Believe as the worst movie I have ever gone to see in theatres. Fans of Carpenter's The Thing will not benefit in the slightest from seeing this film and the so-called tie-ins are so shallow that it is better to preserve the mystery of the Norwegians that the original film created.

Battlestar Galactica: Sine Qua Non
(2008)
Episode 8, Season 4

I loved it (Spoilers)
I would have to strongly disagree with these negative comments. I started to lose interest after Escape Velocity, that was by and far the most filler episode. The one's with the Demetrius somewhat picked up more but still annoyed me, not as much now that I've seen them again. Then Guess Whats Coming to Dinner completely flipped my lid and I was back on board the fan train.

But this one I honestly think was the best so far. You learned so much about the characters that I felt was intense. Adama finally admits that he can't live without Roslin, well holy cow, he's just committed himself all the way in a relationship that didn't even involve sex. And the pregnancy of Six by Tigh, it might not make sense right now but come on!! The most bad ass guy on the crew is now going to be responsible for a child, it totally threw me off guard. And with Lee, you start to see how conniving he really is. You can tell from this that he always secretly planned on making it to the top. Now it's clear that he has some sort of ulterior motives for his actions, who knows where that is going to end up.

Obviously this review sounds adolescent, I honestly can't say why I liked this so much.

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