Change Your Image
GentlemanGeorge
Reviews
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
The Best Adaptation Fans Could Hope For - Bravo Netflix!
I cancelled my Netflix subscription over a year ago because, at that time, there was no programming on the service that I was interested in. I re-subscribed specifically to watch this series and I am glad I did. After watching all of Season One, I went back to watch the entire original animated series and was amazed at how faithful the Netflix production was to the original. Many critics seem not to understand the challenges in adapting animation to live-action. Testimony to this is the fact that most attempts have been abysmal failures. The challenge is exponentially more daunting when the original is universally beloved and widely considered one of the best animated series ever. In my opinion, this is the best live-action adaptation that could be hoped for. Critics have nit-picked it ad infinitum but it stands on its merits which I will detail below.
Casting is excellent. Cordon Cormier is happy-go-lucky Aang. Not as overtly goofy as animated Aang, but every bit as sweetly innocent. He has more moments of serious introspection, but that only serves to literally flesh out his character. Ian Ousley is inspired casting as Sokka. He nails the character's appearance, personality, and distinctive voice. Dallas Liu is similarly impressive as tortured and driven Zuko. I hope for more seasons to watch Zuko complete his arc that we all know is his destiny. I could praise the rest of the cast equally. Suffice to say, all the characters we loved and loved to hate are here, and all are faithful to their original incarnations.
Costuming and makeup is outstanding. Great care was obviously taken to ensure every character looks as if they stepped out of the Nickelodeon series.
Effects are fantastic. The bending effects look great, and the creature effects are equally impressive. Live-action Appa and Momo are so well rendered, I was wishing they had more screen time.
Fans will criticize every change and omission, but these changes, while absolutely necessary to any live-action adaptation, seem to have been made with great consideration and reverence for the original series. The producers were obviously fans of the original and it shows. Proof of this is their inclusion of The Cabbage Guy, a character who has zero practical impact on the story, but who is as beloved as any of the others.
One bit of canon that will have to be loosely interpreted is the timeframe of the entire story arc and the aging of the characters. In the original, the entire story takes place in one year, the culmination of which is the reappearance of Sozin's Comet. In this adaptation, the date of this event is purposely kept vague. The reasoning for this is obvious - animated characters don't age, live actors do. Twelve-year-old boys have a habit of sprouting quickly and any Season Two production is likely to feature an Aang as tall as Sokka - perhaps even taller (!) In the featurette of the cast being interviewed, Gordon Cormier's voice has already noticably changed. It is likely that the one-year adventure of the Nickelodeon series will have to be revised into a three-year quest.
In summary, this series is well made and thoroughly enjoyable. Production values are top-notch, and casting is fantastic. If there had never been an original series to compare it to, I am convinced that reviews would be effusive in praise for the production and everyone would be clamoring for Season Two. Considering it is currently #2 on Netflix, I'd be willing to bet we will get to see it eventually.
Reacher: Burial (2023)
Losing interest FAST
I never heard of Jack Reacher until I saw the Tom Cruise movies. Intrigued, I read a borrowed copy of the first book. It was then I realized how the screenwriters of that first movie had actually fashioned a silk purse from a sow's ear.
Lee Child is no Tom Clancy. He's a transplanted Brit with no background in the genre he writes who also doesn't care if his tales lack authenticity. That first book was UNREADABLE. To paraphrase Mark Twain, once I put the book down, I just couldn't pick it back up again.
The Reacher series suffers from a much too faithful adaptation of the books, with all the dreadful dialog and highly improbable scenarios intact.
By this episode, Reacher's team has killed dozens of people, and blown up a house, and somehow are allowed to continue their vigilante crusade unencumbered by law enforcement. This stretches the concept of "willful suspension of disbelief" to the breaking point. Yet this episode has even more to offer:
Barely five minutes in and we are asked to believe that the shipment of super-advanced unjammable missles is being transported in an non-armored, unguarded and unescorted semi driven by a balding hayseed who courteously stops at the staged "accident" to allow the hijackers to shoot him and steal his cargo. Uh huh.
Next scene, Reacher and O'Donnell are at Homeland Security having a chat with two Homeland tools who courteously cough up intel like they've been dosed with sodium pentothal. They are actively searching for the elusive arms broker/assassin, bit seem unconcerned about Reacher's interference. When Reacher off-handedly remarks that he might kill everyone involved, all the Homeland dorks can say is, "just like his brother..." (insert facepalm here)
Next scene, Neagley and Dixon catch up to the truck mid-hijack, driving up close enough that the hijackers can see Neagley unholster her weapon (accompanied by the sound of her racking the slide - eyeroll) They are fired on by ALL FOUR HIJACKERS, two of whom have fully automatic rifles, and somehow don't get a scratch. They get the drop on two bad guys and then chase down the last one - who still has his full auto rifle - by leaving the cover of the car and walking side by side FULLY EXPOSED while firing at the bad guys who prays and sprays while trying to run away in a panic. GIRL POWER!
Reacher is intercepted on the street by goons in the service of The Senator and allows them to take him to a secret location where they DON'T KILL HIM. Then Reacher and his team go to New York to attend Swan's funeral where two inept assassins plan to gun them down, but Reacher spots them with his bionic eye and they miss. Then the Reacher Team decide to rush the two gunmen, who have rifles with optics and are behind cover and concealment. They kill one and the other runs. An obligatory car chase ensues and the incompetent assasin is caught. He drops the bomb that he was hired by Swan, Reacher's former colleague. They make a deal with the shooter to take them to the abandoned building where he was to receive the balance of his payment. They let him wander in and the building explodes. Of course.
Alan Ritchson's portrayal seems to me, well, odd. Reacher is written as a Doc Savage alpha male who can handle anything, but Ritchson plays him as if he's on the autism spectrum - socially awkward and breaking eye contact frequently when in uncomfortable situations. Maybe this is the actor's attempt to humanize Reacher a bit, but if so, it fails. The result is to make Reacher seem like Adrian Monk with muscles. I recall the end of the first movie, when Tom Cruise's Reacher is preparing to take out bad cop Detective Emerson and save Helen who Emerson is hiding behind as a human shield. He has to move into the doorway, presenting himself as a target, acquire HIS target, and fire. He removes the rifle's optic which he knows is useless at close range and then we see his hand is shaking. He clenches is and steadies himself, and makes his move. This scene was silent and powerful and portrayed a Reacher who was human but unspeakably lethal. This was a BETTER Reacher.
The Jack Reacher books are unsophisticated pulp fiction for unsophisticated consumers of pulp fiction. Reacher as written is a cardboard cutout action hero, two-dimensional with exaggerated attributes and zero shortcomings and thus is unreachable (pun intended). In the hands of talented screenwriters and a great actor, Reacher is an intriguing and entertaining character. When Cruise's Reacher yells at Helen's kidnapper over the cellphone, "I mean to kill you and drink your blood from a boot!", you believe him. His cold, lethal rage is visceral. You feel it with him and can't wait to watch him do it. Ritchson's Reacher is bloodless. I hate to blame the actor. Maybe this is the director's idea, but if so, it's very poor direction indeed.
Another problem is the nature of the series production. Screenwriters are tasked with adapting a novel into what is really an 8-hour movie. This is beyond the skill of most people. Basically, they have too little material and WAY too much screen time. Inevitably, this leads to issues with pacing and filling time with uncompelling (boring) dialog and scenes. Additionally, the producers have 29 Reacher novels to choose from. This particular story was a poor choice with too many characters making Reacher a supporting character instead of the one driving the story. I'm not holding out much hope for this season to redeem itself. If the planned Season 3 is to be a success, they need to adapt a more suitable story, and perhaps shorten the season to produce a tighter, better paced, and more coherent drama.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 20: The Foundling (2023)
Grogu backstory and a 20 minute mission
"The Founding" is a solid if short installment that is at minimum an improvement over the previous episodes. The screenplay and action is somewhat pedestrian but represents a return to a more cohesive method of storytelling.
The opening scene of the covert training on the beach was OK, but seems a clunky setup for the impending adventure. Paz Visla admits that "the raptor" has taken members of the covert before, yet they still train on the beach where they are easy pickings and seem laughably unaware of its approach before it carries off one of the foundlings. Then, they pursue with jetpacks which run out of fuel for the first time EVER.
Lucky for everyone, Bo Katan takes up the chase in her ship and locates the lair, returning to the covert to help plan a rescue. The lack of haste is hard to swallow considering that raptors - no matter the universe - EAT their prey immediately or bring it to their young to devour IMMEDIATELY. By the time the rescue team makes it to the nest, the kid should be raptor poop. The mandos have to scale the cliffs with their grapplers, yet they all lug crazy amounts of heavy weapons and equipment WHICH THEY NEVER USE. Paz Visla looks ridiculous trying to make a death-defying climb with a huge heavy infantry "machine gun" complete with feeder belt and magazine box.
One lingering criticism is the exposition that repeatedly takes place to explain the action. It is explained THREE TIMES that jetpacks cannot be used near the nest because the raptor would hear them. Duh. This doesn't need to be explained even ONCE. Exposition makes Bo Katan look like she thinks the members of the covert are stupid and makes the audience feel like the screenwriters think the audience is stupid. This was also a problem in episode 1. Stop all the exposition.
I predict the continuing inclusion of Grogu will end up being a net negative for the series. IMHO, the Grogu arc should have ended in season 2. Now Grogu is training to be a mandalorian instead of a jedi. This seems silly on its face. Grogu's species is small and physically weak. It is reasonable to assume they evolved a unique affinity for the Force as a means of survival. The idea of this tiny being running around in tiny mandalorian armor and a helmet with ears is patently ridiculous. My guess (hope) is this isn't actually going to happen, but the fact that the mandalorians all think this is no big deal is a bit of an eye-roller. Remember, the acrobatic Yoda vs Dooku battle in "Revenge Of The Sith" did not result in cheers but uproarious LAUGHTER from audiences.
The flashback of Grogu's escape from the Jedi temple after the fall of Coruscant in the wake of Order 66 was fun. It is tempting to insert Jedi into Mandalorian stories as fan-service and a cheat in place of writing solid adventures for the title character. This scene however, was brief and efficient with a minimum of dialog as flashbacks should be. It revealed just enough to fill in a gap that audiences have been wondering about for three years.
I subscribed to Disney+ three years ago ONLY to watch The Mandalorian. Seasons 1 and 2 were expertly written, masterfully paced, and dramatically compelling. Season 3 seems somewhat less so for myriad reasons. I believe the showrunners are trying to expand The Mandalorian into every corner of the Star Wars universe with callbacks and references to as many other productions as possible. This is a mistake. Fan-service is not a suitable replacement for compelling drama. So far, there is no character in season 3 with the pathos of characters like Kuiil or IG-11. Their stories were entertaining and their deaths had emotional impact. I can honesty say I wouldn't care if any character in season 3 died. Season 3 seems like it's aimed towards the 8-12 year old demo. It seems less sophisticated with much simpler storylines. The producers of The Mandalorian should be remided that twelve-year-olds don't buy streaming subscriptions.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 19: The Convert (2023)
The "Andor-ization" of a once great show
I will be blunt. This is a rare hour-long episode, 37 MINUTES of which are utterly wasted on a peripheral character nobody cares about whose misadventure doesn't advance the plot in any way.
After the embarrassing emasculation that was Episode 2, Mando and Bo Katan are heading back to her base when they are attacked by a flight of Tie Interceptors. Setting aside how they just appeared from nowhere as a plot device, what follows is a great action sequence where Mando is finally back in form, jumping from Bo Katan's ship at altitude, narrowly missing being splat by the pursuing Tie Interceptors, jetting to his hotrod fighter to take off and make short work of the bad guys. It's not all good news cuz Tie Bombers have laid waste to Bo Katan's castle. She pursues, intent on revenge, but our heroes have to beat a retreat when scanners indicate a squadron or two of Tie fighters heading to intercept them (apparently scanners work when the story needs them to...) They need a place to hideout and Mando sends Bo Katan the jump coordinates for the planet where the covert of the Children of The Watch are hiding.
A moment later, we are on Coruscant where Doctor Pershing, a walk-on walk-off character who NOBODY CARES ABOUT, is somehow now part of a New Republic rehabilitation program for former Imperials. The program apparently entails replacing participants names with alphanumeric designations, housing them in bleak apartment units, restricting their freedom to a specified perimeter, and putting them to work at menial tasks in dehumanizing cubicles. The scene of Pershing in his cubicle is deja vu of the worst kind, harkening to identical scenes with the neurotic twit from "Andor" who lives with his condescending mother Arabella Figg and compulsively eats Cap'n Solo Crunch with blue milk while he dreams of being anything other than the complete loser he is. But I digress...
Pershing discovers that Kane, MOFF GIDEON'S COMM OFFICER, is also in the rehabilitation program - hmmm red flag anyone? - and we spend the next 35 minutes watching as Kane, an obvious plant, manipulates Pershing into breaking his travel restrictions to obtain lab equipment from a derelict star destroyer so he can continue his cloning research which he has been told is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN in the New Republic. Pershing is pathetically timid and thoroughly unlikeable and it is impossible for the audience to believe anyone can be so naive, gullible, and just plain dumb.
It transpires that Kane has set him up, revenge from Gideon for his defection, and Pershing is arrested and subjected to a "mind flayer" which he is assured will only be used at low power to help relieve him of his "compulsions." The dimwitted operator of the device - a device that admittedly is potentially dangerous/fatal in the wrong hands - seems to think it's not necessary to remain at the controls during the procedure and walks off (I guess it was his lunch break) leaving Kane unsupervised who predictably jacks the power up all the way to effectively flay poor stupid Pershing's little pea brain.
After this colossal waste of time and potential for storytelling, we see Mando and Bo Katan with the covert where Mando proves his feat of bathing in the living waters and is redeemed. Surprise, surprise - apostate Bo Katan is ALSO redeemed since she also bathed in the waters and has not removed her helmet since that time. This was an interesting twist as Bo Katan is now instantly accepted and welcomed into a fellowship she has not previously known, foreshadowing a change in her character's development. Too little, too late to redeem this episode, sadly.
It seems obvious that the showrunners of The Mandalorian are intent on continuing the same "world-building" that made Andor and Book of Boba Fett disjointed catastrophes.
Suspending the story of title characters to waste valuable time on apocrypha is a very bad idea. It interrupts the narrative, makes the principal character's story difficult to follow, and irritates the audience because it WASTES THEIR TIME. Launch a spin-off series if you want but don't try to shoehorn one into an existing production. Poor Temura Morrison had to take a back seat on his own show to other characters Mando, Luke, Asokha, and The Puppet. Many fans skipped BOBF because it was clear Boba lost his mojo, and they were understandably confused by the events of The Mandalorian season 3 opener.
I'm a fan, not a fanboy. I want to be told a great story, with great characters I can care about who surmount great challenges, discover unknown greatness within themselves, and achieve their destinies. Tell me a story. Don't try to distract me with eye candy CGI . I don't presume to know how to create or write for a successful television show. I DO know when a story is well-written and captures my attention and imagination. If the trajectory of this show remains as it is, The Mandalorian will lose my attention.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore (2023)
The Emasculorian
Good storytelling is character-driven. If you want to write a good screenplay, you write for the characters. The Mines Of Mandalore presents worrying evidence that Jon Favreau has lost touch with this concept.
Admittedly, the show is his baby. Kudos to him for giving it birth and giving us two great seasons. I have enjoyed the adventure and the character as envisioned: the Star Wars version of the spaghetti western about a man-with-no-name bounty hunter; a self-serving antihero - quiet, brooding, and deadly. These traits that make The Mandalorian so iconic and compelling are now being downplayed resulting in Mando taking a backseat to peripheral characters and turning the production into a vehicle for A PUPPET.
We begin with yet ANOTHER visit to Tattoine to see if Peli Motto happens to have the super-rare droid part Mando needs. She doesn't of course and the scene only serves to reveal that Motto is a common crook who employs jawas to strip people's lands landspeeders so she can sell them back their stolen parts. Mando needs a droid to scan the environment of Mandalore to make sure it isn't toxic (I guess his hot rod fighter can't do this) so Motto gives him R5D4 (more famboy service). With the droid socket in his fighter now occupied, I suppose he has to fly everywhere with Grogu on his lap now.
Long story short, Mando gets to Mandalore, gets captured by a droid (embarassing) and has to be rescued by Bo-Katan (really embarrassing). She leads him to The Living Waters and he wades in only to be dragged to the bottom by a Mithrasaur. Bo-Katan has to save him AGAIN (time to turn in his man-card)
One of the tenets of movie-making is "show, don't tell." Mando was originally not a talker. Several great scenes contained little dialog giving dramatic weight to the times Mando did speak. Now the Season 3 Mando can't stop talking. He narrates this episode, constantly explaining his actions to Grogu which quickly becomes tiresome.
Rumor has it that Jon Favreau intended the Grogu arc to end with Season 2 but was overruled due to the character's fan-appeal. This combined with the not-so-subtle emasculation of Mando this soon in the season suggests to me the dark side meddling of Kathleen Kennedy whose "leadership" all but destroyed the Star Wars franchise.
If the first two episodes of Season 3 are an indication of what is to come, the series is veering hard away from what made it universally celebrated. I plan to keep watching, but I fear if the show doesn't rediscover its mojo, it's going to feel like spending time in the company of a friend with a terminal illness.
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Groundbreaking science fiction ahead of its time
It's easy to look upon 40 year old sci-fi with jaundiced eyes, pointing out every flaw and failing perceived in comparison with modern productions. Judged within the context of its time, Battlestar Galactica was a groundbreaking production that set a new paradigm for science fiction on TV.
Production values were top notch. BSG was the first series EVER with a million-dollar-per-episode pricetag. The largest part of the budget went toward the visual effects which are outstanding and are still impressive today.
Most importantly, the stories were well-written and character-driven. Screenplays were smart, the dialog was realistic with a minimum of techno-babble.
Battlestar Galactica isn't Emmy-worthy drama with deeply flawed, psychologically damaged characters dealing with personal conflict. It's sci-fi fantasy about good and evil with strong undercurrents of faith and morality that entertains and communicates its faith and morality without being preachy. Best of all, it was COOL. So cool in fact that F-16 pilots took to calling their planes VIPERS because they reminded them of BSG fighters.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 17: The Apostate (2023)
Mandalorian jumps the shark into total fanboy service
After waiting over two years for the newest installment of the Mandalorian saga, my expectations were very high. Considering the season two finale saw the return of Luke Skywalker, in a masterfully written episode with an emotional payoff that literally brought people to tears, this premier had a tough act to follow. Sadly, it didn't rise to the challenge.
Seasons 1 and 2 exhibited great storytelling with great characters you made emotional investments in, and they all had great story-arcs. Instead of continuing this formula, season 3 seems to be descending into a worrying pattern of fan-service.
A series jumps the shark when it becomes clear there is nothing new for its characters to accomplish. What remains is only episodic repetition. Mando accomplished his task of reuniting Grogu with the Jedi. His arc included great character development when he chose to value his commitment and affection for Grogu over the demands of his creed. The emotional impact of rasing his helmet to allow "the kid" to see his face before they parted was strong enough to bring a tear to the eye of this reviewer. Sadly, if the writing of this episode is an indication of what is to come, this series may have hit its zenith.
In my humble opinion, this series thrives ONLY if it continues to chart new dramatic territory, not re-visit old haunts. I like Carl Weathers, but I've learned all I want to about his character. IG-11 was an inspired character and his arc was emotionally powerful. WHY ruin it by bringing him back? Why shoehorn in a scene with a roomful of Babu Fricks trying unsuccessfully to repair him? He needs a new part. Virtually impossible to find. Here we go, a new "quest." After searching the galaxy to reunite Baby Yoda with the Jedi, the "Quest To Find A Droid Part" seems underwhelming. Ultimately, Mando's desire to go to Mandalore to be forgiven for his transgression of removing his helmet seems to be a regression in his story arc. He's learned there's a bigger universe outside the cult of The Watch. Why is he wasting time trying to regain their favor? I will even go so far as to suggest that keeping Grogu around is a bad idea. Yes, he is a fan-favorite, but the character of The Mandalorian is already being over-shadowed by what is essentially A PUPPET. Move on. There is more to accomplish than becoming a space-age version of "The Rifleman."
Many viewers will clamor for whatever is offered under the Star Wars banner. I prefer to be told a great story, with great characters with well written dialog and intelligent screenplay. Fan-service is a cop-out and becomes cringe-worthy very quickly. It will kill this series if it doesn't stop.
The Mandalorian had a lot to prove when it premiered. Star Wars as a franchise was on its last legs because everyone had forgotten how to tell a good story. Favreau and Company got it right, and they earned the rave reviews and plaudits that were heaped upon them. Sadly, it seems the production is now showing signs of hubris. Now that they are Star Wars rock stars, they no longer have to prove anything so the screenplays and the vision suffers. You will get what you get and you will like it. This is a sure-fire recipe for failure. Time will tell. Assuming the entirely of season 3 is already filmed, there may be no time for a course correction if the series goes off the rails.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Valiant (1998)
The "Spock's Brain" episode of DS9
This episode makes no sense. One of Starfleet's most advanced warships is on training maneuvers with a crew of cadets IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR. Apparently the captain is the only actual commissioned officer aboard and conveniently DIES. Instead of making best speed to a starbase, the entire crew decides they have what it takes to take on a Dominion dreadnaught. Riiiiiiiiiight.....
The ridiculous premise, ABYSMAL acting, and complete lack of story makes this episode feel like a YouTube fan production. It doesn't advance the season's story arc nor does it advance Nog's or Jake's character arc. It wastes an entire episode on the misadventures of an "elite" crew of OBNOXIOUS cadets who apparently have all lost their common sense, including at least one VULCAN.
This was a totally wasted opportunity for Nog's character to evolve beyond the whiney, obsequious quisling he was before joining Starfleet. This could have been a story pitting his leadership and experience against the obsessive cadet "captain" for control of the Valiant - alas no. He is the same old Nog, submissive as ever. So much so that he places himself - a COMMISSIONED STARFLEET OFFICER - under the command of a CADET.
In a complete cop-out, the entire crew of cadets - save one - conveniently dies in their attempt to attack the behemoth battleship. There is nobody left to hold accountable. If there was any sense of reality in this episode, Nog should have been court martialed and drummed out of Starfleet for dereliction of duty that cost the lives of the crew and the loss of the ship.
When watching TOS, I make it a point to skip "Spock's Brain" because it SO BAD. You don't really miss it. The same can be said for "The Valiant."
The Batman (2022)
This movie was BAD, MAN
This movie had a lot going against it from the beginning but I was willing to give it a chance. Case in point, I was not a fan when Ben Afleck was cast as Batman, but the writing for the character and his portrayal changed my mind. I'm here to tell you, my forbearance was wasted on this three-hour misadventure.
I won't bore readers with obligatory fan-boy complaints like Pattinson wouldn't bulk up and looks like a skinny emo, hate the costume, hate the bat cave, hate the batmobile, etc. My biggest gripe has to do with the screenplay and the soundtrack, both of which are painfully bush league.
The screenplay is a mess. Too much time is spent on Bruce Wayne brooding and not enough on advancing the story. I understand the aim for this movie was to one-up the Nolan films by making this as real-world as possible and turning Batman into a film-noir detective instead of a superhero with superhuman abilities and/or impossibly advanced gadgetry. That would work IF you fill the screenplay with interesting characters and compelling drama. There is NONE of that in this movie so it leaves the audience yearning for the gadgetry and abilities. Watch the animated Gotham By Gaslight for a successful adaptation along these lines.
The characters as written are pale and washed-out, two-dimensional versions of the characters we are used to. The fact that NONE of these characters were developed in any way IN A THREE HOUR MOVIE is an indictment of how bad the screenplay is. Gordon is just a cop, and not very good at what he does, Selena Kyle is just a thief, and not very good at what SHE does, and Bruce Wayne spends too much time sulking about in a hoodie with his eye sockets still blacked out from the batmask, looking like a goth burnout. Watching this movie, I felt like I was watching an episode of a television series halfway into the first season. This feeling was amplified by the intrusive background music. Which brings me to my final complaint - the soundtrack.
A powerful and effective soundtrack can elevate an otherwise mundane movie, or propel a great movie to blockbuster status. The soundtrack for this movie is boring, banal, and frankly just gets in the way. Michael Giacchino was obviously very proud the the four-note motif he composed as "Batman's theme" because he bashes the audience over the head with it throughout the movie. Over and over and over again. It's insanely annoying. I know he's an award winning composer with many awards but he phoned this one in folks. This soundtrack actually makes this movie even WORSE. And then there's the mind-numbing Nirvana song "Something in the Way" which is also repeated ad nauseum as if to confirm to everyone that this Batman really IS just a nihilistic goth kid having a depressing three hour daydream.
I'm so glad I didn't pay to watch this movie.
The Green Hornet (1966)
Stands the test of time
Take an action/adventure show like Mission Impossible and merge it with a police procedural like Adam-12 and you have the formula for The Green Hornet which combined the best of both genres
The program was ahead of its time with solid writing, intelligent scripts, and great acting from Van Williams who somehow took on a striking resemblance to Burt Lancaster when in the guise of the Hornet.
The focus was on the story, guest stars played their parts without chewing the scenery, and the tech was believable and non-intrusive to the stories. The Green Hornet was an action-adventure show written for adults and though limited to a 30-minute time frame, delivered tight, well-rounded adventures. More elaborate adventures were sprinkled through the series with several two-part episodes.
Fifty-five years later, the series still takes viewers on a fun ride. The 60's are alive in the cars, fashion, and ever-present jazz soundtrack with none of the eye-rolling overt sexism of Star Trek.
The Green Hornet deserved more seasons and a revival movie that was faithful to the character, instead of the campy 2016 movie.
Enterprise (2001)
Still unwatchable 18 years later
I review this series in a time where many beloved franchises have been destroyed by producers and show-runners who arrogantly choose to retcon decades of canon to retool those franchises to fit their own agenda. Long-term loyal fans who express dissatisfaction are disregarded and labeled as "toxic."
My intense dislike for Enterprise is fueled by the producer's shameless plagiarization of TOS and TNG and the maddening retconning of established canon.
From the beginning, it is established that the first starship Enterprise was the one we saw in TOS but producers Piller and Braga rewrite canon to claim that name for their show. Then, in a naked ploy to court the fanboys, they rip off a popular ship design from TNG, the Akira, flip it upside down, and viola, they have their ship.
The uniforms copy the shoulder yoke details first seen in TNG, which makes no sense. The phase pistols are rip offs of the Star Trek Movie assault phaser. I liked the inclusion of the Andorians, which were undeveloped characters in TOS and utterly forgotten in subsequent Trek spinoff, but then there are the eye-rolling episodes with the Ferengi and Borg, neither of which were know to Starfleet until TNG. By the way, who knew you could incapacitate a Borg by just pulling out its head tubes? IKR?
Despite all this, the show might have been watchable if it had even a glimmer of the true ethos of Star Trek. Every crew from TOS to Yoyager had characters you could make an emotional investment in. Not so Enterprise. Everyone is thoroughly unlikable.
A common thread in all Trek incarnations was a single character through whose arc the audience explored what it means to be human. TOS had Spock, who struggled with his human side and after a lifetime, learned to embrace it. TNG had Data, who yearned to understand his origins and wanted to be human like his creator. DS9 had Odo, who wasnt human, nor even a solid life form, but an orphan from a species of shape shifters who came to admire and imitate his human crewmates. Finally, VOY had The Doctor, who wasn't even physical, but a hologram that became sentient after running for years. Enterprise had no such character - and hence no spiritual focus.
Ultimately, Enterprise was created by people who didn't understand what made Star Trek the phenomenon it became. This misunderstanding continues today. Now we await the premier of ANOTHER Trek spinoff of a spinoff, "Brave New World" which promises to return to the classic Trek philosophy. I will remain cautiously optimistic, but it may be time for Star Trek to just bravely go away.
Enterprise: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II (2005)
Juvenile fan-service
By the fourth season, Enterprise was fading fast. This episode was a naked ploy to diddle fan boys by cashing in on the reverence for everything TOS.
The re-created sets, costumes, and beloved Constitution Class starship all looked great, but there is only one problem - there is NO PLOT. There is no exposition, no development, and no resolution. Basically, everyone in this corner of the mirror-universe is a back-stabbing sociopath.
So now we know what happened to the Defiant after it disappeared in TOS. Big deal. No attempt is made to explain how the Defiant is brought into the mirror universe, and also managed to time travel a century into the past.
Mirror Archer and crew transport over and become Mary Sues, having zero difficulty comprehending starship systems 100 years beyond them. Half of them, Archer included, develop a clothes fetish and decide to start wearing the uniforms of the deceased Defiant crew. Eww. Archer goes full psycho and intends on using his new ship to take over the empire and become Emperor. He begins seeing a hallucination of himself, an embodiment of his own paranoia, who antagonizes him to mutiny against his superiors - but for some reason, THIS Archer is wearing a uniform from OUR universe. This also is never explained.
There is a sub-plot of Empire crew members who are trying to resist, but this goes nowhere as they are all wiped out. Um...ok... Finally, mirror Archer is poisoned by Hoshi during a bootie call in his quarters. Apparently, mirror Archer is even dumber than his counterpart.
Fanboys certainly must have loved the CGI Tholian and Gorn (neither of which was faithful to canon, but hey, this IS "Enterprise" afterall. Who cares about canon, right?
IMHO, the best mirror universe sequel is "Fairest Of Them All" , from the fan-produced series Star Trek Continues. They made ten great "fourth season" TOS episodes for less than what this one dumpster fire cost.
Star Trek Continues: Fairest of Them All (2014)
My vote for best STC episode!
After Space Seed, the Mirror, Mirror episode of TOS was that which most begged for a follow-up adventure. Fairest Of Them All satisfies almost as much as Wrath Of Khan.
By this time, as the third installment of the imagined "fourth season" of TOS, the production has truly hit its stride. A few changes also bring this revisit to the original crew into focus: Chuck Huber joins the cast as Dr. McCoy - no disrespect to Larry Nemecek, but Huber is much more reminiscent of Deforest Kelly, both physically and in personality. Scott Doohan sacrifices his regular hairstyle to adopt a coif that more closely matches that of his father, and now more than ever, we see our beloved Scotty in his person.
Extraordinary attention to detail to set design, costuming, and cinematography make this episode a truly enjoyable indulgence in shameless nostalgia. The term "fan-service" has been used to describe this story. My fellow reviewer meant it as a compliment although it is usually a pejorative applied to sloppy, juvenile efforts, long on "starship porn", phaser battles, and cameos, and short on story and plot. Fairest Of Them All is what fan service should be - absolute commitment to continuity and production quality borne out of a love of the show and respect for the audience.
The revised open with the militarized theme and fascist-themed Kirk exposition was a nice touch. As the entire episode is spent in the mirror universe, this makes sense and illustrates the commitment to making a great adventure.
I have only two critical observations, but they are extremely minor and in no way detract from the enjoyment of this story. First, I would have loved to have seen Mirror Kirk portrayed with more cunning and menace. He didnt always have the assassination machine in his quarters and he must have been pretty ruthless to rise to command of a starship in the Terran Empire. Alas, the limits of a 50-minute time showtime. Second, as this was Chuck Huber's intro as Dr. McCoy, I would have enjoyed more time seeing his take on the good doctor twisted into a cold-blooded sadist.
I profoundly wish another fan production (which I shall not name) had not screwed the pooch for fan films by trying to operate as a profit-making venture under the table and resulted in the powers that be slapping massive restrictions on fan films. Otherwise, we may still be waiting with unrestrained enthusiasm for further installments of this extraordinary production. To all involved in this endeavor, a heartfelt thanks.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
$185 million for this?
Everyone involved in this should never work again. There are no words for how insanely stupid this movie is.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
Swing and a miss
Watched precisely 20 minutes of episode 1 and lost interest seconds after Omegirlpower showed up. Took 3 seconds to figure out that she was a gender-bent clone. I was hoping for a show about the continuing exploits of the Bad Batch, not Savannah Smiles in a galaxy far far away. I wish I could give this dumpster fire of wokeness zero stars. I feel I have to thank the producers for jumping the shark in the first episode and not deceiving me into wasting any more that 20 minutes.
Gettysburg (1993)
Epic production worthy of its following
The number of IMDB reviews this movie has inspired is a testament to its longevity in the hearts of its fans. If you are an avocational historian with a fascination and reverence for the Civil War as THE event of our nation's becoming, this movie belongs in your library. If instead, you insist on judging historical events and cinematic portrayals of the same through the tainted lens of modern leftist orthodoxy, you will HATE this movie and will be, compelled beyond all ability to resist, to contribute a scathing review.
Gettysburg is often compared unfavorably to Glory, a movie made several years earlier. It is important to consider some differences that are often forgotten. Gettysburg was conceived as a made for television miniseries, never as a theatrical release. Ted Turner only released it theatrically to increase generated revenue. As a made for TV production, it was truly an epic undertaking and is on a scale that frankly trumps Glory on many levels.
Detractors decry the bad fake beards, pulled punches of the reenactors, and generally bloodless portrayal of one of the bloodiest battles ever fought but do so forgetting again that this was a made for TV production so the shocking opening cannonball decapitation scene in Glory, while absolutely faithful to real events, could never be shown on tv, and is in fact still censored when the movie is broadcast.
Gettysburg was made before CGI and large scale green screens. Practically every scene is OUTSIDE, on location, often on the actual historical battlegrounds. The cinematography is old-school and is breathtaking.
All these years later, I still love Gettysburg, warts and all. For me personally, the only jarring disconnect is Martin Sheen's Lee. Sheen was apparently an extreme last-minute casting decision and it shows. He is too short, too portly, is a miserable horseman, and affects an exaggerated Mississippi accent instead of that of a Virginian. Worse still, is his portrayal of Lee as some kind of messianic cult-leader. The saving grace here is that the character of Lee is easily subsumed by the other much more believable portrayals of the ensemble cast.
Glory was a great movie, but it was the Ken Burns PBS miniseries documentary that returned the Civil War to our national conscience. Gettysburg is as much a tribute to the 750,000 Americans who gave their lives in the conflict as the Ken Burns documentary.
Babylon 5: Passing Through Gethsemane (1995)
Thoughtful and respectful exploration of faith
Derided by some reviewers as a "filler" that does nothing to advance the story arc, this episode nonetheless provides an engaging exploration of the topics of faith and justice.
While most viewers will figure out by the end of Act 2 that Brother Edward was serial killer Charles Dexter before being sentenced to "death of personality" and being mind-wiped, that secret was not intended to be hidden from the viewer. We know the truth before everyone (except Brother Theo) so that we can share in his confusion and ultimate anguish when he discovers the truth.
Brad Dourif is memorable in this role for the measured, nuanced portrayal of a man with a terrible past who cannot reconcile that past with his newfound moral conscience. The script wisely avoids tropes like Edward talking to his evil former self in a mirror, or wild histrionics as he loses his grip on reality. Edward remains Edward, calmly using the skills he was taught by the Order to discover the hidden truth and then, repentant for his crimes and unable to forgive himself, submits himself for judgement to those who seek his death.
The "death of personality" sentence was mentioned in previous episodes and the mechanics and aftermath of that obvious alternative to capital punishment gets good exposition here. Edwards killer confesses and apparently is judged, mind-wiped, and accepted into the Order (as Brother Malcolm) by the final act which is a bit jarring and an unrealistically speedy course of events. There was an opportunity missed here to delay that shock by introducing Malcolm a few episodes later and working him into a plot twist somewhere but JMS was writing EVERY episode by this time so you can't fault him for wanting to tie up loose ends that weren't part of "The Arc."
This episode was also noteworthy for the respectful inclusion of faith as a major focus of the plot. You will not see this anywhere on television these days. It is possible the mere mention of religion was enough to raise the hackles of some reviewers. I think the idea that the future should be devoid of faith or spirituality is a bit silly. This is J Michael Straczynski's universe after all. Viewers who don't like it should go and try to create their own.
Babylon 5: Believers (1994)
B5's one attempt at a current events story
I am bingeing Babylon 5 again from the new release on HBO Max. Have to say, kudos to the restoration team. Keeping the original 4:3 ratio was the right decision to do proper justice to the last best hope for intelligent 90s sci-fi.
Being way old enough to remember seeing this episode in 1994, I also remember thinking at the time it was the writers' attempt at an episode to address a current controversy that was often in the news. In the early 90s, there were many stories regarding children dying from curable diseases because their Christian Scientist parents would not allow medical treatment. There was even a large measles outbreak in 1994 among children and adults of that faith.
This commentary contains no plot synopsis. Read everyone else's comments first for that.
For the first few acts, I considered the plotline to be a hackneyed attempt to shoehorn a current news item into a show I loved, yet by the time the episode concluded, I realized the story presented a thoughtful, if flawed, parable on religious liberty and the arrogance of authority.
The parents represent one extreme - the unyielding allegiance to their faith and rigid interpretation of its edicts. Dr. Franklin represents the opposite extreme - the imperiousness of the "expert", disdainful of those with an understanding or "education" lesser to his own. The other characters to whom the parents appeal for help fill in the gaps depending on their politics. G'kar has too much going on to be concerned about their plight. Londo waves them off because neither he, nor The Great Centauri Republic, have a dog in the fight. De'lenn the philosopher tries to see everyone's point of view and is thus of no assistance whatsoever. The only person to take a position is Sinclair, and he makes the only choice he can to confirm support for the panoply of beliefs and the rights of everyone on his station. He refuses to allow the child to be operated on.
The story was compelling and holds up even 27 years later. In fact, it may be considered topical all over again, considering the current conflict. Are a person's liberties sacrosanct, or are they to be curtailed by those in power for the perceived greater good? Not politicking here and neither were the writers of this episode. They didn't take a side, instead letting the viewer stew in the uncertainty of their own emotions.
Most viewers in 1994 probably were dissatisfied with this episode because it provides no resolution. Everyone did what they thought was right, and the outcome still wasn't a happy one, for anyone.
This is an uncomfortable episode to watch, and knowing what was coming, I almost skipped it. I'm glad I didn't. It was written to make you uncomfortable. Except for the overarching ethos of B5's galactic multiculturalism, there is no Star-Trekky moralizing in the series. As the one episode out of 110 to feature a moral dialectic, it can be forgiven... and appreciated.