pk1233

I'm not sure why this show is catching so much hate. This is probably the best MCU series to date. Far better than the likes or Moon Knight or Falcon/Winter Soldier.

The tone and pacing are similar to that of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This is a hard-hitting, intense, suspenseful thriller. It differs from the usual Marvel outings in that it keeps the humorous comments to a minimum (I'm all for comedy but Marvel has overdone it lately) and is actually willing to kill important characters. This focuses on intense action, betrayal, espionage, and suspense. Highly recommend this more serious change of pace from Marvel.

Update: one major complaint is Fury's refusal to call in the Avengers. I understand they don't want to make this an Avengers outing, but his reasoning is absurd. Basically he just says "this is my fight, not theirs" then moves along. Uhm, okay? Maybe calling them in is worth it to save the planet from an alien invasion? No? Alright.

Almost to the end of the season and loving it so far. I know there's plenty of plot holes which I'll get to in a minute, but it's highly enjoyable as a whole.

So yeah, if you are someone who is married to the source material, probably not for you and it's completely fair if you don't like it. But if you're ok with something generally based on Tolkien's work, it's pretty enjoyable. There are plenty of added characters and changed events. However, the overall direction of what's going on is the same. There is some serious timeline compression but that's pretty understandable so that they can pack all the major Second Age events down into a watchable show. The MCU is not a shot-for-shot remake of the comics and yet everyone seems pretty happy with most of it. Not sure why it's a problem here for so many people.

The story is full of mystery, fun adventures, and a few pretty epic battle sequences.

Pros -

• The first age recap is amazing and seems to be pretty spot on to the books, albeit it a very short part of the show.

• Seeing this era brought to life for the first time is absolutely amazing. Numenor and Khazad-dum in their golden days are particularly beautiful.

• Visuals are mind-blowing for the most part. The crazy budget really pays off (looking at you, Mount Doom). Far better than the excessive cartoon level CGI of the Hobbit

• While I didn't enjoy the "where's Sauron?" plot, it has grown on me. If they take that where I think they will, it's honestly going to be tied together extremely well. They don't have the rights to the character of Annatar so not expecting to see him.

• Galadriel's arc makes a lot of sense. As soon as the show kicked off, everyone lost their minds while shouting "Mary Sue" and "she's so obnoxious." They've made it clear she feels a lot of guilt for the terrible things that occurred near the end of the season so it seems that will be the catalyst for her to become less brash and annoying. Also people seem to forget she's an elf who is capable of many things a human is not (this wasn't another corny feminist ploy here, it was simply the fact that she's a powerful elf).

• Another plot thread that seems to be tying in nicely is the Mithril aspect. While I don't love the whole "Mithril is actually magical and will save the elves" thing, I must say they're tying it in nicely. Seems like Sauron will talk then into using the small amount of Mithril that they do have to craft it into the rings and save their race. At this point, I even believe he deceiving them into thinking they are going to die when really they aren't.

Cons -

• HARFOOTS. I get why they included them so they could draw in viewers for the nostalgia. Also they help lighten the mood from all the dark events going on in this world. That said, their entire plot is pointless and doesn't advance the story at all. Perhaps the events surrounding their wizard friend will lead them to actually do something after an entire season of nothingness.

• Mount Doom eruption - ok this part was really cool to watch but also made no sense. The good characters were far too close to this and should have all been wiped out realistically. Yes, I know it's a fantasy universe but this still irked me.

• The Numenorian troops knew exactly where to find Adar's forces and got there just in time to save the day? Unlikely.

• Galadriel stuffing those four dudes into the cell on Numenor? While I have no doubt she is capable of doing this, the sequence was terrible. It looked like they all just voluntarily walked in.

• That warg. Oh that warg looked absolutely horrible. Small gripe though.

Conclusion

While I had questions along the way, the show is tying things up very nicely here as we end the season. I have a few minor gripes about plot and a couple corny sequences, but overall I find it very enjoyable and am excited for more.

The first two seasons were phenomenal (especially season 2), but pretty much everything following the season 3 midseason finale was extremely cheesy and poorly thought out. Disappointing.

I will preface this by saying that I did not watch all of it. I gave up after about 45 minutes of this foolishness. Silly fairytale plot (yes I know it's a superhero movie but this is an entirely different level), corny villain, painfully slow pacing. Don't bother. They also spent entirely too much time making sure we were VERY aware this takes place in the 80's with big hair, bright colors, and leotards taking up every aspect of the film. This should be the backdrop and not the focus of the movie. Gal Gadot is, of course, insanely beautiful and that's literally the only redeeming quality here.

This cut was drastically better than Whedon's, but still has plenty of issues. The inclusion of Darkseid, the makeover on Steppenwolf, and the added development of Cyborg and Flash were all very welcome changes. However, this film still suffers from the absolute trainwreck of a universe that is the DCEU. We don't really have any backstory for a lot of these characters so this all feels rushed. I hope one day the DCEU churns out quality content like the MCU has been all along, and while this is a step in there right direction, they're just not quite there yet.

A gritty, brutal, grim look at the Allied war effort against Japan during WW2. This series is intended to remain as close to real events as possible. Rather than stylized war scenes which we often see on the screen, it depicts the raw, horrible, head spinning nightmare that is war. It's a hard watch for sure but definitely a must-watch as well.

Edit - season 2 is actually pretty solid. It still varies a good bit from the original lore but it's highly entertaining and has great action sequences.

Season 1 - So far it's about what you expect from a series based on a game. It just doesn't translate well at all. Moments that would be extremely cool in a game are cheesy and disappointing in live action. The acting is also pretty weak. The show doesn't adhere to the source material at all. Chief has sex with random covenant spy women and takes his helmet off as much as he possibly can. Honestly what the hell is this garbage? I can be ok with deviation from source material if a good story is still told, but wow is this story terrible. They take everything good about Chief and make it bad and then focus on some random civilian girl the whole time instead. Don't bother with this one.

Probably the best action sequences of the trilogy and Keanu Reeves knocks it out of the park once again. However, the plot seems to be beginning to suffer as the action sequences improve. I get it, we're not really here to watch this for the plot or the writing, but they seem to be getting lazy. Baddies have multiple opportunities to kill John and pass it up because they want to keep fighting? The final sequence feels more like a video game as John ascends a new flight of stairs3 times and faces a more difficult "boss" on each level. Overall, still a fantastic film but there's a little room for improvement.

The first two seasons were honestly fantastic but they took a lot of weird turns with the plot and added a lot of boring characters. Just watch seasons 1-2 then drop it. You'll be left wondering on a few plot points but I'd rather that and have those hours of my life back.

The show is pretty decent and includes a lot of awesome character appearances from other corners of the galaxy. However, this has led to a lack in screentime for everyone's favorite bounty hunter. Where's the Boba we saw in the Mandalorian?

The first several episodes are a slow burn. Wouldn't be a big deal but when you only have 7 episodes, you don't have much time to waste and they wasted a LOT of time.

The finale made the entire show. I won't spoiled anything but that last episode alone made it all worth the slow buildup.

Overall it's an entertaining Star Wars show but didn't really feel like a Boba Fett show.

This one fixed everything that Halo 5 did wrong...and did everything wrong that Halo 5 got right.

Halo 5 had a weak campaign but the multiplayer was nearly perfect. Infinite flips that on its head and gives us a fantastic campaign but pretty weak multiplayer with wonky aiming. Overall a great game but the multiplayer could use work for sure.

Also seriously lacking in content. They are just now beginning to drop content that should have shipped with the game (writing this a year later).

The concept was great, but the storylines they select are not interesting. Please tell me who on earth was wondering "What If T'Challa were Star Lord?" Or "What If Hank Pym Assassinated the Avengers?"

Give us something like "What If Star-Lord never punched Thanos?" Or "What If Odin hadn't died?"

The only good episodes were Killmonger and Ultron.

Overall it was a pretty solid show...until it went woke in season 3. Pushing political points at every turn. Still not a bad show but definitely a poor choice by the writers. After some major events in season 3, they seem to be floundering without much direction for the plot. They need to either get it together or wrap it up.

Update: it has gone further downhill and totally lacks direction at this point. Watch seasons 1-2 then call it good. Everything else after is terrible.

Look, this show is incredible. Don't listen to the haters. Sure it has ups and downs but it's just amazing. Honestly every season is beautifully done (8 and 9 were a little weak but not terrible). It's not as good without Rick and Carl and I think they should've ended it when Rick left but that doesn't mean it's terrible. It's still entertaining and the development for Negan is very interesting. Well done AMC.

This is just a 90 minute build up to a scene that is meant to disgust, shock, and terrify. It achieves what it sets out to do, but that's not really something most people enjoy.

I love the main characters but this fell flat. Undeveloped villain, unnecessary US Agent, not enough development for Bucky. It accomplished nothing besides pushing social justice messages while sacrificing story. "Let's not call them terrorists" - Sam says while speaking of a group that is literally the definition of terrorists.

Overall it wasn't horrible but considering the all-star cast, I expected much better. Did not live up to the hype and wasn't all that funny or entertaining at the end of the day.

This film was incredibly idiotic...but they knew that and rolled with it. Not a bad one to turn on and turn off your brain while munching on some popcorn.

The Punisher is the perfect action series. Amazing acting, great choreography, and the most badass anti-hero of all time. Bernthal plays the role perfectly. Definitely recommend this to any action or Marvel fan.

The premise is completely ridiculous and so many aspects of the plot are outlandish, but it is a blast to watch. Addicting show with a very fun storyline continuing the karate kid universe.

Army of the Dead is a fantastic blend of known formulas and original ideas. While it does have a lot of predictable points, it also manages to successfully blend a zombie film with a heist movie. It does so very successful and is a highly enjoyable ride. Yes, some elements are a bit ridiculous but did you really expect any different?

The only things I wish they would have done differently would be to explain the traitor plot a little better. The guy betrays one major character and steals a zombie head but then dies without any real explanation what he is up to. Either follow that plot or don't, don't simply scratch the surface just to kill him. Secondly, I wish they would not have ended in such failure with nearly every major character killed and they only walk out with a tiny portion of the money.

Look, don't go in expecting a shot for shot remake of the cartoon. Honestly, why would you even want that? This film takes the basic storyline of Mulan (the original tale, not the old movie) and turns it into an action film. As a big action movie buff, this movie fell flat for me. The action was nothing special when compared to many action movies. However, it's a still a decent story with good acting and a solid plot. Worth watching at least once.

You thought the prequels were bad? Well here we are longing for the days of Jar Jar Binks and endless senate squabbles. Disney straight up did not care about the Star Wars Universe at all. They only wanted to make money, so they threw together this sad excuse of a story and shoved down our throats then told us to like it because it's "original". Yes, it's original in how truly awful it is.

After Snoke was killed in TLJ, Abrams could've gone the safe route and just kept Kylo as the big bad. Apparently that made too much sense so he decided he would bring back Palpatine. This was absolutely forced. There was no lead up to it at all. We are told in the opening crawl that "Palpatine has somehow returned" and the only explanation is that he "used the dark side." But the man was electrocuted, thrown down a reactor, and then blown up along with the Death Star. Even if his body somehow survived, it would've been left floating in space. Yes, I get that he seems to have mastered Plagueis' power of manipulating midichlorians, but again there was just not enough setup or explanation for this to work. This was a sad cop out and was extremely forced.

Apparently he also has this massive fleet of planet-killing Star Destroyers that can be blown up with a couple shots to their external cannon. They are stored...underground for some reason? Also, we get no explanation as to how he built these aside from "oh hey, these weird sith people built them". Give us a little explanation somewhere in this entire film please. I could also go on and on about the wayfinders and the ridiculous dagger that is actually a map leading to the Death Star wreckage that is out in the middle of the ocean but I will spare you the time on that.

Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter? Cheap rip-off of the big reveal from Empire Strikes Back. Then at the end she claims to be a Skywalker? She straight up is not and her claim to this tarnishes the legacy of Luke and Anakin (this entire trilogy is an insult to Anakin). Ben should've survived instead of her and gone on to say "I am Ben Skywalker." This would at least be somewhat true.

We have never been given a reason to care about Finn or Poe. And after watching this, I care about them less than ever. Any plot points involving them go for a out 2 minutes then fizzle into nothing, usually because more tie fighters are attacking out of nowhere.

The Knights of Ren are...who exactly? Three films later and they still haven't told us. And don't tell me to go read a book. I am a huge fan of Star Wars books and other added material, but the films CANNOT depend on a book to make sense. They must make sense on their own and then the extended material adds depth to that. If you can't explain your characters in the actual movie then that's your problem.

Lando randomly amassed a gigantic fleet in a matter of hours from out of nowhere and they all suddenly know how to get to the unknown planet of Exegol?

When Rey blew up the transport, they should've made it so Chewy actually died. Yes, it would be hard to see Chewy die, but at least there would actually be some conflict within Rey and some consequences to her actions. We later see her encounter her dark side self on the Death Star wreckage (which has magically been floating in the same spot all this time). We are supposed to be concerned about her turning to the dark side but they never give enough reason to be concerned. This entire trilogy she is unconflicted, underdeveloped, and overpowered.

Speaking of which, Disney threw in these stupid force connections that now cause people to drop dead from grief? What a horrible way to kill Leia.

"I am all the sith/I am all the Jedi"? This part was just a joke. It felt like it was written by a 12-year-old.

A random woman in the middle of the desert on Tatooine asking for Rey's last name? Extremely forced.

Adam driver is the one and only redeeming quality of this film. Star Wars has had some rough moments in the past but this takes the cake. Completely destroys the entire purpose of Anakin/Vader, has hundreds of plot holes, doesn't abide by the rules of its own universe, and it is a shame this film exists at all. Shame on you, Disney.

Disney absolutely blew it with the Skywalker saga. Thankfully, their side stories have been mostly solid. Without spoiling anything, I will say this show does a fantastic job of telling its own story while providing plenty of fan service (and I mean good fan service) and remaining true to the real Star Wars Universe. Absolutely love the show and cannot wait for more. Kathleen Kennedy, Ryan Johnson, and JJ Abrams better start taking notes.

Pretty much exactly what I expected. Cheesy but fun movie. Only down side was the scene at the beach. Shark could've gone on an absolute murder spree but instead it ate maybe 5 people tops? Show people what they want to see.