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alexguin
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Reviews
The Witcher (2019)
Great start to the series showing potential for the future
Having come off the recent end of GoT I think most of us are looking to find something to scratch that itch. If you want something exactly the same, you will likely be disappointed because the underlying formula is different. GoT was a first and foremost a character driven show with an overarching plot to set the background with minor fantasy elements that only develop later in the seasons. The witcher on the other hand is primarily a story driven show with fantasy elements being the bigger drivers of the story.
With that being said lets talk about what makes the show great and its shortcomings. The show has a wealth of material to draw on and this is translated well on screen with a variety of unique locations, characters and lore that for the most part is done very well. The overall story while initially hard to follow, however it does tie together in a satisfying manner and is compelling enough that it will leave you hungry for more after you breeze through the 8 episodes, good thing the show is renewed of a second season. The casting ranges to excellent to serviceable and overall I feel like the biggest struggle of the show to match the quality we have come to expect after GoT which is why I cannot justify a higher score despite how much I enjoyed the show. The main cast did an excellent job in particular the roles of Ciri and Gerald while Yennefers performance while excellent at some parts, failed to really convey the characters development throughout the season; with that said I do think Anya showed great potential and I hope she will improve with experience gained from the role in future seasons. The supporting cast is more of a mixed bag. We had some outstanding performance from Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe, Emma Appleton as Renfri and Joey Batey as Jaskier while others simply fell flat like Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla. The swordplay is top notch with the majority of swings carrying weight while flowing into each other in a satisfying manner. The CGI is serviceable, although leaves something to be desired and lets pretend the whole talking dragon scene did not occur.
Overall its very good show that has exceeded my expectations and has showed that it is capable of delivering very high quality. If they can improve on the dialog and brush off some of the rough edges the show can be truly excellent, for now it deserves an 8.5/10.
The Americans: Pilot (2013)
My favorite episode and what a start to an amazing series
I love this episode, the amount of story tension they managed to fit into an episode a little over an hour is amazing. This is combined with awesome music choices such as Tusk by Fleetwood Mac during the chase scene just added that extra umph that made me fall in love with the series.
Santa Clarita Diet (2017)
An absurd show but somehow it works
I will try to keep this review brief and spoiler free. The premise of the show just seems silly and the show is certainly a little, well a lot out there. The only reason the show succeeds is that it understands what it is and does not take itself seriously and neither should you.
It's kind of its so bad it's good situation. What really sells the show is the cast and the supporting actors they have amazing chemistry and are just fun to watch in the situations presented. The show is ton of fun if you don't expect too much from it.
There is a lot of blood and gore, the amount is pretty comical and it's not super realistic so maybe don't watch it while eating your lunch.
I find it strange how people are trying to compare this show to breaking bad, dexter etc. This is not that kind of show and if you go in expecting something like that you will be disappointed. All in all I stumbled into this show and managed to watch the first season in one sitting with a dumb grin on my face, season 2 just came out and I did the exact same thing. I kind wish the season were longer but oh well I guess I will wait for season 3.
Great comedy, give it a chance it might just win you over.
Altered Carbon (2018)
Well I just finished the show in one sitting, loved it.
Looking at the other reviews the show is love it or hate it and I for one loved it. I had not seen any trailers or information prior watching the show and just clicked it because it was on the front page.
The first thing you will notice is the high production quality. The world looks amazing and really sells the atmosphere. There are three main stories woven into the plotline the flashback war/rebellion the murder mystery and well I won't go into the third at risk of spoilers but there is plenty of story there to move along and it does the job for the most part.
The show is gritty, bloody and does not shy away from nudity which really sells the dystopian future where bodies are no longer the person but more of a commodity. Speaking of blood, the fights and the shoot outs were fantastic and generally felt juicy and satisfying to watch.
The story tries to explore the potential philosophical and religious issues associated with the technology but never goes too deep into it. The acting was solid throughout, with no-one standing out as being particularly bad which is impressive with such a large cast.
I can see this show may not be for everyone, if you are looking for a deep thought provoking story that does not offend your sensibilities, maybe give this a miss.
If you want a high quality, visually striking, gritty sci-fi with plenty of bood then grab your popcorn.
The things that the show does well, it does really well exceeding expectations, which is why I think a 10 is justified even though some may consider some aspects mediocre.