Reviews

I went into this thinking Conor Macgregor was going to be the worst thing about this - he is, but has has lots of competition for that title!

Everything about this movie is so dumb - the horrendous acting by all the villains, the lame try-hard attempts at comedy, and they actually thought that throwing a pointless romance and drama worked!

There's some fun to be had here, mainly the well-choreographed fight scenes and beautiful locations, but it still feels so empty, and is at least 30 mins too long! It seems like they were just adding more random scenes to pad out the runtime for the sake of it.

Many reviews have said you should just enjoy the action, but it's not good enough to have to sit through all the ridiculousness in between. I love mindless action movies, but this was so cringey I could barely make it to the end!

The Snyder trademarks are all here in abundance - endless slo-mo, rousing vocal score, long close ups etc. The cliched and uninteresting characters also dominate the proceedings - it's very hard to care about anyone here.

The second half is basically one big battle, which is actually well done - the action is frenetic and realistic for the most part and looks more real than most of Snyder's back catalogue. It's a shame that the first half is so dull and silly, with a forced back story scene where the main characters basically retell their lives in cheesy flashbacks taking up a ridiculous amount of time.

It's worth watching for the visuals and action, but don't expect much more.

This is undoubtedly impeccably produced, acted and directed, it's not hard to see why it is acclaimed in that regard.

The problem is that every character is a truly despicable human being, and I cannot fathom how watching these people abuse everyone around them is at all entertaining. I managed to get through 4 episodes before bailing on this perverse spectacle, and have zero interest in finding out how it turns out.

There's certainly some intrigue involved in the machinations in what seems to be a clever satire on media organisations and big business, it just didn't work for me, and surprised it reached such a wide audience.

I can understand why there are positive reviews here - it's clear there's some appeal to this type of humour.

Personally, if you're going to be this over the top, it should be smart and have a point, and this doesn't...at all! Also, it should be actually funny, not just having actors hamming it up in every scene and expecting people to laugh. This reminds me of the run of horrifically bad parody movies of famous movie franchises in the early 2000's.

There's almost no plot, nearly all characters are unlikeable (except maybe Hazel who is treated like an afterthought), and the dialogue is just cringey. I'll give some credit to the actors for their work, and the fun music, but that's about it.

This is essentially a pointless piece of soft gay porn - even as a gay man, I did not find this compelling or entertaining at all! It just seemed like an excuse to show some young actors naked unnecessarily.

There was so much potential when exploring the 2 main characters relationship or the body horror aspect, but neither were explored in any depth, leaving the movie with nothing.

As soon as the villain turns up, the plot disappears and the whole thing turns to tedious drawn out scenes which are supposed to be chilling but are really quite laughable.

There's no way this movie deserves a high rating - there are so much better movies that explore either body horror or gay relationships out there!

While there are a lot of familiar elements here, this movie feels different and fresher than a lot of the action movies getting released these days. You feel the main characters pain (both physical and mental) over the course of his journey to see his daughter.

The action is well choreographed and realistic, and the plot moves at a good pace, with some good emotional moments in between. It feels like a perfect run time that doesn't out stay it's welcome at less than 90 minutes. The ending is a little neat, but action movies aren't exactly known for their realism so it's somewhat forgivable. The final image put a smile on my face, just being a little different than the norm.

The lead actor does a great job, while the supporting cast manages well with the little time the movie devotes to them.

Worth a watch!

I really enjoyed this - set up was different, kills were tense and graphic, and it was clearly having fun with the premise.

Biggest problem is that it didn't know what kind of movie it wanted to be - serious horror or comedy. The comedy bits just seemed to come out of nowhere and made me smile, but I wasn't sure why it was trying to be funny. For me, it just didn't work - either properly lean into the comedy or focus on the serious tone.

Surprised to see Eli Roth's name in the credits at the end - while the gore is his trademark, doing a stereotypical light-hearted horror movie seems new for him.

There's nothing original or new here, but it's fun and an easy watch.

It's so frustrating the potential this movie has with the themes and characters, but does absolutely nothing with them for almost 2 hours.

The dynamic between Mike and Abby is so endearing and well developed, it almost feels like an earnest family drama for a while. After the time spent setting that up you would hope it pays off in the end - in this case it really doesn't and the conclusion is very unsatisfying.

The animatronic and supernatural elements are mostly inconsequential to the plot - it's basically a standard serial killer thriller at its core.

This movie certainly wasn't what I was expecting, and doesn't seem to know what is wants to be - family drama, horror, crime thriller, mystery, supernatural. It dabbles in all but never properly develops any aspect so that it works.

Such a shame that with better writing this could've been a winner.

I was ready to hate this, not being a fan of that style of music and initially it seemed that the doco was essentially glamorising criminals.

While they are indeed criminals, they are trying to better their situation and turn their lives around, and trying to give hope to their communities.

The style of music lyrically is somewhat controversial, and it's clear that Australian police don't get it. This doco has at least got cooperation and involvement from the police, but presents it in such a way that is in itself unfair - while the police's actions are undoubtedly heavy handed, it is not unfounded since they are dealing with criminals. Bringing the race argument into the discussion also seems unnecessary, and just distracts from the narrative.

In the end, it's a compelling story, told well but mostly from one perspective. You can feel a real empathy with the group members, and really hope for them to succeed, whether you like their music or message.

There's no doubt in the fantastic work done here to create atmosphere, with some excellent performances by the actors involved. While a little longer than it should be, it sustains tension and a sense of mystery throughout.

While Collette's performance has garnered much praise, and is certainly worthy early on, it becomes over the top, almost cartoonish, and distracts from the character dynamics by the end of the movie. Wolff comes off better, going in the opposite direction, and becoming more nuanced as the end approaches.

The ending itself is unfortunately disappointing - it comes off hokey and quite silly, which is a shame because the movie up until that point had earned something truly original.

In all a well made movie that almost reaches new horror heights but falls short towards the end.

I'm surprised at all the glowing reviews for this game - while brimming with atmosphere and great artwork, the game itself is a 'little nightmare" to play.

A poor control system, coupled with a lack of 3D depth and perspective means you are often fumbling about trying to work out where you are and what environmental elements can be interacted with. Add to that, the game revels in having you die without warning or ways to avoid it, mainly due to not being able to see enough of the environment at any one time.

The puzzles are somewhat obscure and are mostly solved through blind luck than any sense of skill on the players part.

That being said, the general feel of the game world is amazing, and perseverance somewhat pays off in the last quarter of the game where the game play switches to more of a chase, and is more forgiving and enjoyable. The ending is also both surprising and impactful.

It's a shame the game play is so poorly implemented, but with the game spawning sequels I guess it's appealing to someone!

I feel there needs to be a counter balance to all the over the top hyperbole about this movie - while it stands out from current action movies, that's more about the poor quality of the others more than anything.

The plot is super generic, the villains cartoonish and the stakes seem lower than they should be.

The action, while shot practically, doesn't look all that realistic - it almost like there's a gloss placed over the final result to make it look less real somehow! The big action set piece involving the motorbike jumping off the mountain looks less real than similar stunts from movies from 40 years ago, and you wouldn't know Cruise performed the stunt if it wasn't hyped to the nth degree. The fight scenes look bland compared to the likes of the John Wick movies as well.

Is it a bad movie? Not at all, but far from being the greatest action movie the reviews here suggest. Top Gun Maverick is far more worthy of that title.

There is an earnestness to this production that makes you want to love it, but it unfortunately falls short in a few ways.

First, Eichners character is so unlikeable and annoying it's hard to empathise or want him to get his man by the end. McFarlanes on the other hand, while leaning into a stereotype shows a sincere depth, which McFarlane does a great job of realising.

Second, it spends way too much time trying to have a progressive message - it just comes off as trying too hard and it's completely unnecessary in this story. Every time the movie strays from the central love story it drags and feels tokenistic.

It's laughable that the filmmakers thought this would appeal to a mainstream audience, when it's quite cringe to watch as a gay man. Why do we need to throw all these stereotypes and progressive messages on screen, when it could just be a movie where there are two guys who like each other (a lot)?

All that being said, the love story is kinda sweet and shows that two very different personalities can make a relationship work.

While there is undoubtedly a heavy dose of nostalgia here, the story and characters are so well written they stand on their own, along with some high class visuals backing it up.

I have enjoyed every season of Picard, but this season has been on another level, showing respect to the source material while still giving it a modern twist.

Hopefully a spin off series will happen that will explore all of the younger characters in this series, since they were relatively minor in the frantic pace of this season.

Well done to all involved in making me smile on multiple occasions, and proving a reboot can be just as captivating and enjoyable as what came before it. I rarely give 10s but very happy to in this instance.

As a fan of the original I was ready to hate this, but it grew on me as it went on - it had the same spirit as the original and you could see the talent that went into making it.

Unfortunately it falls well short as a good movie for a few reasons.

Firstly, the two lead actors have neither the acting skills or charisma to pull off their roles, and their lack of chemistry makes their romance completely unbelievable. The supporting cast is what really shines, elevating the whole movie as a result.

Second, it was too long and added pointless extra scenes that didn't service the plot and just felt like padding. There was also cringy references to the original that didn't work in the new context - the whole Arturo story for instance.

Not a bad movie for fans of the original or newcomers, but doesn't come close to matching the original's heart and central chemistry.

Everything about this is well executed - great acting, visuals, creatures etc, and moves along at a cracking pace. There are some great scenes of tension that give a real sense of danger and suspense.

Other movies should take note of the focus on the plot, getting right into it after briefly introducing the characters and their motivations. Character development takes place during the story rather than spending unnecessary time setting up side characters and a complex world. Thankful that there are still movies that can easily manage a 90 minute run time and feel complete.

It's a shame that the story is so boring and generic, - it doesn't really hold up to similar movies that have come before it, despite its superior execution.

While there is tons of style and brilliantly staged fight scenes, the first two hours drags on - it's either fight scenes we've seen in past JW movies, or hideously long exposition scenes that feel like they're going in slow motion.

It's the final act that really shines, showing some new fight locations and choreography, setting a new high bar for action scenes and cinematography. While there is quite a bit of CGI enhancement, it doesn't detract from the live action which feels very fresh and visceral.

It's a shame that the JW movies are getting longer, since the extra runtime in subsequent movies has not added any depth or more excitement than the first - more is not necessarily better.

This has a really different feel to other competitive physical reality series, mostly due to the utmost respect the contestants have for each other, regardless or their strength or ability.

Even when contestants had to make decisions on others perceived "weakness", you could tell that decision didn't come lightly nor did it always rely on stereotypes.

The challenges were an excellent mix of physicality and teamwork, and designed so well that the diverse range of contestants had a fighting chance.

I found myself being quite emotional at times, feeling for these people as they gave everything they had to succeed in the competition. The editing didn't overdo the emotional impact either, it was up the viewer to decide how they felt about it.

The only downside is the constant repetitive and highly distracting replays throughout the episodes, which served no purpose and slowed down the pace of the show.

A truly amazing series that redefines what reality competitions should be.

This blew me away in terms of presentation - awesome music score, great Lego versions of all the characters, and faithful representations of all the locations in the universe. Any Star Wars fan will be in heaven watching the movies come to life in a new and unique way.

Unfortunately the gameplay gets very stale after a period of time, with mostly shooting and button mashing melee combat being the main gameplay. Adding the ability to buy extras and complete mostly banal side missions does not make the main story any different to play or add much to the experience.

There's no doubt that kids will love this, and adults will appreciate it being essentially an interactive movie of the Skywalker Saga, but in the end it's just a lot of the same stuff.

While this can feel a little "manufactured" at times, this is a compelling and sometimes uncomfortable watch. Just watching Colton's mannerisms and emotions as he comes out to family and friends is deeply moving and relatable.

Colton presents as a flawed and somewhat privileged individual, but his desire to change his life and face up to his past comes across as genuine and heartfelt.

While Colton is not necessarily a great role model for others struggling with their sexuality, it's good to see how difficult it is even for those who seem like they have it all (looks, fame, etc). The more different perspectives we see on coming out, the better for those who are dealing with the same thing can hopefully understand and deal with that process themselves.

This starts off well but quickly becomes boring, mindless and repetitive.

We're meant to feel sympathy for the character of Reese as he cold-bloodily kills service personnel in a quest for his personal vengeance, presenting as more psychopath than wounded victim.

There is absolutely no benefit to the constant flashbacks to Reese's family, it adds nothing to the story or Reese's mental state.

The "big conspiracy" in the plot is anything but, quite tame in the history of thrillers in the same vein.

The positives here are the acting and good production, shame the story couldn't live it to its potential.

This has all the elements going for it - great stories, characters, acting, and direction. Everyone here deserves credit for how this show remained consistently compelling over 4 seasons, while keeping it mostly contained to the small town setting.

Just watching how characters like Ruth and Jonah have developed over the series is so fulfilling - you really see how their lives have changed with all the crazy events that have happened around them.

The ending is what it needed to be, not resorting to a neat conclusion which would've been a cop out after what these characters have gone through. I'm not sure why people expect a completely closed off story to finish a series, especially one set in the real world?

From the opening scene you can tell this is not going to be like any Halloween movie before it, and as the movie goes on you wonder if this is part of the same trilogy, considering how different it feels.

That's not a bad thing though - this finally treads new ground in the series that has been around for over 40 years, and you truly don't know how it's going to play out over the course of its runtime. It's nice to see a Halloween movie that isn't just a set up for most of the characters to be murdered - while there is still some of that here it's not the focus.

While the story is compelling and the acting excellent, the direction feels...off. It's like an inexperienced film student has put it together, such is the random execution of the scenes and story, and some of the characters actions just don't ring true as a result.

When the ending comes around it's done well and is very visceral, but it feels somewhat of an anticlimax after the journey we've gone through in this movie alone, to say nothing about all the movies that came before it.

While this is easily the best of this new trilogy, it's a shame it couldn't have been executed better, but it is a somewhat satisfying end to this chapter in the Halloween saga.

While it took a few episodes to find its footing, this really blossomed into an excellent bridge between movie episodes 3 and 4. It shows familiar characters in very different stages of their lives than we've ever seen before.

It's great to see Ewan and Hayden finally getting to actually act in a Star Wars property, free of the cringey dialogue and poor direction in their previous outings. Their characters here show a real depth and nuance, and their fights together much more realistic and slow, highlighting their characters change over time.

While there are some convenient plot points and shaky acting from the supporting cast at times, that doesn't detract from a well-made series that doesn't overly dip into the nostalgia factor and is truly compelling. It's quite difficult to adhere to the established timeline for these characters without creating inconsistencies, and this does fairly well with that.

Judging by some of the highly negative reviews here, it appears Disney isn't the problem with Star Wars, it's the fandom.