onehigginsdavid

I waited until I'd watched a Few Episodes before forming an Opinion. So Far there have been very Few Moments that I thought were very Good and only one or two characters I like. I did like the first part of the Pilot but not much after that.

It seems less like Star Trek to me than the series 'The Orville' does which is kind of odd as Orville is a Parody. It seems hard to fit this Story into the Timeline from the other Series and maybe that is the Idea; but the New Look and New Story would have to be compelling and 'Discovery' seems like a 'downer' to me.

I really enjoy this show. It isn't an 'epic drama'; but it was never meant to be. It is supposed to give fans of the 'Super-Hero' genre a fun 'junk food snack' and it does that in spades. It is set in a 'universe' of Super-Heroes but just not at the center of it; that what makes it fun. It is like peeking into that universe through a keyhole.

Hilariously Funny but Deadly Serious. This wonderful piece of Art somehow slipped onto Broadcast Television at just the Right Time. It comically answers the Question that so Many are Asking: "What the Hell Happened to Republican Politicians?" The answer is an Inhuman Influence that threatens the existence of Humanity. A perfect reflection of what is actually going on in Congress today. Using this device the series is able to examine the ugly practices of American Politics and the Darker Side of the Federal Government the way that is most effective; with Humor. The Best part for me is that those under the Control of the Evil Influence which has destroyed their Brains (as the title of the Series implies) are so Recognizable. They seem very much like the Republican Politicians and their Operatives that we see on TV.

I guess this Movie wasn't really made for an old man like me. I have to assume it was meant to appeal to someone like the Protagonist - a shy young woman. S&M has never attracted me either except out of curiosity. However, as this has become such a cultural phenomenon I thought I would see the movie. This Genre, as well as the fetish of S&M is all about building and maintaining 'Tension' - and anticipation. I did not read the book; but I have to assume that it at least provided a guide and template by which the Movie could be constructed and you could see the authors skills in the plot of the Movie which wasn't bad. I liked the character development, especially of Christian Grey. We are introduced to his inner self by how he attends to the minute details of his external appearance - like his drawer with ties that reflect the Movie's title. The greatest fault I found with the movie - for me anyway - was the actor that played 'Mr. Gray' - Jamie Dornan. I don't know what the Make-Up people did to him, but he looked about ten years younger than he did when I saw him of TV's 'Once Upon a Time' - which means about 15. Maybe that appeals to the young girls this Movie targets - but I thought it made him Ridiculous and spoiled the whole thing for me. Equally disappointing for me was the performance of Dakota Johnson. When I saw the movie I thought perhaps she had just been poorly directed; but after seeing her on Saturday Night Live I realized she is just a very bad actress.

The trailers had me anticipating something like early James Bond as a Super Hero. This movie made the Characters look like Jokes. The obviously 'sped up' fight scenes looked stupid and (OMG) Samuel Jackson looked Ridiculous dressed like a Skater Punk. Besides the fact that it was Totally Outside the 'Atmosphere' that the movie was supposedly creating it is just Sad for Samuel Jackson. I get why the studios might want to hide the fact that he is almost 70 and looks more like 90 these days. Sean Connery had the good sense to age gracefully instead of foolishly and Jackson or his handlers should try that. Other than that what I can tell you about the movie without 'Spoilers is Limited' - It is an action movie that I suppose is about as good as most in the Genre; but it could have been more. It seemed to be an attempt to create a new 'Mythical Hero' in the Kingsman and I believe that was a failure. It was unclear Why these people existed as Chaos and Death seemed even more likely with them than without them. Kingsman is a Poor Myth because it does not seem to have any purpose other than its own glorification. That's Hollywood I guess; but I hoped for more.

Because I am discussing the basic Plot of this Show - Everything I am writing could be considered a Spoiler. This seems to be a show whose acting and production values give it great promise at being interesting. I enjoyed watching the Pilot. But I think the writers made a major mistake which is going to be difficult to correct. The supposed premise is that this long-lived individual is weary and longs for death. He therefore is exploring death and dying by working as a coroner. But his 'infirmity' is not the curse of Immortality but Resurrection. His inability to die appears to have a 'Supernatural' element and (at least so far) we have no idea what happens to his dead body - just that he is 'reborn of WATER and of Spirit' which may be clever symbolism - but it means that what he can learn through studying normal human death is meaningless

I guess the formula spewers have ground out another one. The idea of an alien spacecraft crashing to earth full of 'illegals' was done much better in Alien Nation or District 9 and even ET seemed more 'adult' than this pablum. The forbidden teen romance had potential - Romeo and Juliet was pretty good if not the 'Best of the Bard' - but this is just awful. If you accidentally tuned in at some point you would have been hard pressed to determine if you were watching any of a handful of similar shows that the network has put out there because the characters and plot are so poorly defined. I wish it were better; but its not worth watching.

I don't know why anyone would want to watch this show; but I tried just to make sure I gave it a chance. I suppose if you are sympathetic to Dirty Cops doing awful things to people you will like this show. They took the most Despicable character from Chicago Fire and decided to write a series around him. I could only force myself to watch about 15 minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. I am not crazy about most cop shows anyway because they seem to focus on the worst parts of life and wallow in it; but this one has nothing else to balance the filth. Maybe there is some kind of Redemption that the writers have planned; but I don't like the characters enough to care and would just as soon see them get what they deserve.