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Reviews
Avatar (2009)
A Visual Marvel but Lacking in Substance
Avatar (2009) is a visually stunning film that showcases some of the most impressive CGI work to date. The lush and vibrant world of Pandora is a joy to behold, and the design of the Na'vi and the other creatures that inhabit the planet is truly breathtaking.
However, despite its impressive visual style, Avatar suffers from a lack of substance in its story and characters. The plot is fairly predictable and unoriginal, and none of the characters are particularly interesting or complex.
Additionally, the film falls into the trap of the savior complex, with the Na'vi needing the help of the human protagonist to fight back against their oppressors. While the film's themes of environmentalism and cultural respect are admirable, they are not explored in a particularly nuanced or deep way.
Overall, while Avatar is a feast for the eyes, it falls short in terms of narrative and character development. If you're looking for a film that prioritizes style over substance, then Avatar may be worth checking out. However, if you're looking for a more engaging and well-developed story, you may want to look elsewhere.
1899 (2022)
Falls short in comparison to Dark
The first season of 1899 (2022) is a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of the human experience and the consequences of technological advancements. Set in a fictional world on the brink of a technological revolution, the show follows a diverse group of characters as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of this new world.
One of the standout aspects of 1899 is its rich and complex world-building. The show expertly crafts a believable and fully-realized world, filled with intricate details and rich history. The show also explores complex themes such as power dynamics, social inequality, and the impact of technology on society.
However, there are some weaknesses in 1899. The special effects and CGI are not always convincing and can be distracting at times. The score and soundtrack are also forgettable and do not add much to the overall atmosphere of the show. Additionally, the show suffers from slow-paced scenes and episodes that lack meaningful information or purpose for character development and plot progression, making it fall short in comparison to its predecessor, Dark (2017).
Overall, 1899 is a thought-provoking and captivating exploration of the human experience and the consequences of technological advancements. Its rich world-building and complex characters make it a must-watch for fans of science fiction and drama, but its weaknesses in terms of pacing and storytelling prevent it from reaching the same level of excellence as Dark's first season.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
A Disappointing and Underwhelming Show that Insults the Woman Empowerment Movement
The first season of She-Hulk (2022) is a disappointing and underwhelming addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show fails to capture the action, humor, and character development of its source material and falls short in comparison to other Marvel shows.
One of the main issues with She-Hulk is its lack of strong action sequences. The show relies heavily on CGI and stunt doubles, resulting in poorly executed and unimpressive fight scenes. The humor in the show is also forced and falls flat, failing to capture the wit and charm of the character.
In terms of character development, She-Hulk is shallow and underwhelming. The main character, Jennifer Walters, is not well-developed and lacks depth and complexity. The supporting characters are also one-dimensional and lack any meaningful arcs. This fails to bring a meaningful message about woman empowerment and instead insults the movement with its shallow and underdeveloped portrayal of the main character. Instead of showcasing a strong and complex female character, the show reduces her to one-dimensional and unimpressive stereotypes.
The pacing of the show is also problematic, with several episodes feeling like filler and adding little to the overall story. The finale is also underwhelming and fails to provide any satisfying resolution or setup for future seasons.
The casting choices are also questionable, with several actors failing to bring their characters to life and delivering weak performances. The score and soundtrack are also forgettable and fail to add any impact to the scenes.
Overall, She-Hulk (2022) is a disappointing and underwhelming addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its lack of strong action, humor, and character development makes it a forgettable and unimpressive show. Its failure to bring a meaningful message about woman empowerment and instead insults the movement with its shallow and underdeveloped portrayal of the main character further reinforces its shortcomings.
Andor (2022)
A Well-Crafted and Engaging Spy-Thriller Drama in the Star Wars Universe
Andor, the first season of the 12-episode spy-thriller drama set in the Star Wars universe, is a well-crafted and thoughtfully executed show that showcases the character development and journey of Cassian Andor as he navigates the oppressive rule of The Empire and ultimately joins the rebellion.
The cinematography in Andor is exceptional, highlighting the emotions and details of each scene and allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the story. The cast is also impressive, delivering strong performances and bringing their characters to life with their expressions, emotions, and body language.
One of the standout aspects of Andor is its character-driven story and realistic character development. Cassian's transformation from a survivor to a rebel is believable and logical, and the show does not rush this development. The dialogue and monologues in the show are also well-crafted and delivered effectively, avoiding shallow or unnecessary dialogue.
In terms of world-building, Andor does a great job of expanding the Star Wars universe without breaking any of the established story canons. The supporting characters also serve a purpose in the story and are not forced or unnecessary, unlike some other Star Wars shows.
The pacing of the show is also perfect, with each episode serving a purpose and no filler episodes. The finale also perfectly closes the story of season 1 and sets up potential storylines for future seasons.
However, there are some weaknesses in Andor. The screen time for alien characters is relatively small, and score are also not as impactful as expected in a Star Wars show.
Overall, Andor is a strong first season that showcases excellent character development and world-building in the Star Wars universe. While it has some weaknesses, it is a well-crafted and engaging show that will leave audiences eager for future seasons.
Sri Asih (2022)
Improvements from Gundala! But...
Sri Asih is Bumilangit Cinematic Universe's (BCU) second movie after Gundala (2019). It gives a good impression after watching it.
There are many aspects of Gundala that Sri Asih fix. The pacing is consistent, unlike Gundala, which has a good start in the first half but is rushed at the end. The fight and action scenes are also much better when compared to Gundala, with more "hard" fights.
The most noticeable thing, of course, is the use of CGI. The use of CGI in Sri Asih is more majestic and neat. By this, CGI quality in Sri Asih is the best in Indonesia for now. But, of course, it is still inferior to some Hollywood movies.
Pevita Pearce's effort in preparing to play Alana/Sri Asih is extraordinary. Her performance reflects the physical strength training she has been undergoing. Reza Rahadian and Surya Saputra manage to bring out their respective characters well.
But the character that caught my attention was Jagau (played by Revaldo). As Prayogo's right hand, he has the potential to be a more important character in the future. I will look forward to future stories from this character.
The world-building is also done quite well and gives viewers an understanding of what it's like to be in the BCU. Viewers can feel Sri Asih is part of a much larger and interconnected world. The exposition is done with the right portion, so it doesn't make you bored or sleepy.
The unfortunate thing is the lack of time for the viewers to know Alana more closely before she goes through the "hero" phase in her life. Gundala gives the audience time to get to know who's Sancaka and how his life was before becoming Gundala. One of the effects is that the emotional closeness between Alana and her mother has not developed well enough.
Pevita's acting is quite good, but my concern is when Pevita is acting sad. It's like something is missing from her expression. The sadness feels too bland.
From the cinematography aspect, some shots make the atmosphere feel more cramped. But Sri Asih also has good cinematography, one of which is Alana's fight scene with Mateo.
As usual, Joko Anwar's produced movies always have social commentary. But Sri Asih didn't deliver it very well. It feels not smooth.
There are also two sarcastic dialogues from Sri Asih that don't seem to fit the circumstances. Tangguh also has not contributed enough to the development of the plot.
One more thing that I love about Sri Asih is the audio. Often, Indonesian movie audio dubbing is not aligning with the visual. In Sri Asih, it not happen.
Sri Asih is a superhero movie that is fun and well-presented. Sri Asih has succeeded in making the new standard of superhero films in Indonesia. But it doesn't mean it's perfect. There are still a lot of problems that Joko Anwar and the BCU team need to fix in future movies. One of which is a more focused and grounded origin story.
Good job, Sri Asih, the best Indonesian superhero movie to date!
Score: 7.5/10
P. S.:
- My score for Gundala was 7/10
- Lots of easter eggs and one mid-credit scene, so don't miss it!
- The final battle scene is my favorite!
Andor: One Way Out (2022)
Power? Power doesn't panic.
This show continues to amaze me with how good it turned out after how bad The Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi was. Andor checks all boxes to be a good show, and this episode is one of the best.
The script is so good. Andor's journey from not caring about rebellion to wanting to take down the empire feels believable. He didn't just suddenly become the good guy and fight the empire. What about supporting characters? Yes, they are also very good. I can understand their motives, and their goals are believable. I don't feel any supporting character is useless. In contrast to Kenobi, where they waste many characters, the one they focus on (Reeva) has neither logical nor believable motives.
Diego Luna's acting is amazing. He brings Andor's character to life very well. But Andy Serkis's performance steals the show! Glad Lucasfilm brings the best actor to play as Kino Loy. Other prisoners' acting is also good. I can feel the suspense and tension when they try to break from prison (the scoring really helps to build the atmosphere).
Even though this show had multiple storylines at the same time, I wasn't feeling bored or distracted, unlike when watching The Book of Boba Fett.
My unpopular opinion: Andor is better than any live-action star wars content (in terms of script, acting, and directing) (yes it better than OT too)
Satria Dewa: Gatotkaca (2022)
Need to fix a lot of things, but good job
The concept of this superhero universe is promising, combining ancient Javanese mythology into modern society. This potential concept was blown away by rushing the stories, mediocre directing, unnecessary characters, and awfully product placement.
The writers put too many things in the storyline resulting in a fast-paced and no emotional attachment story. I can't feel/empathize with the character's emotions and feelings. Sometimes relationships among characters appear out of nowhere, like the romantic feelings between the main character. This movie should focus more on how Yuda struggles to live his life while taking care of his mother and finding his true self-identity. Leave the in-universe world-building later on in other films.
As a new genre for Hanung Bramantyo as the director (and Indonesia's film industry), it is understandable that he is still not used to directing this genre. But he should be able to give a better performance than this.
The second most annoying part of this movie is two characters are really unnecessary, Quinn and Gege. They don't serve any important role, they don't contribute anything to the plot, and their dialogues are only saying something outloud and most of the time not related to the context of the scene. An important note is maybe Gege's character like that could be justified because he is a child. If these two characters were removed from the movie I'm sure nothing would be affected.
The last problem for me with this movie is how they place advertisements. The majority of the food and drink product placement is ok, not good, but in some ways is acceptable. On the other hand, the online marketplace advertisement is so weird. Why would someone create a dedicated scene with a completely unknown character who throws dirty/NSFW jokes just to advertise some online marketplace? This scene and the jokes made me cringe at best.
There is also a questionable plot hole in this movie regarding how Yuda's friends came to the final battlefield. But maybe it can be explained later.
In conclusion, this movie, Satria Dewa: Gatot Kaca needs to fix a lot of things to be able called a good/decent movie. Regardless of all the flaws in this movie I still appreciate the cast and the crews who work on this movie, they were all brave to take the challenge of creating a movie with a genre that is not popular enough in Indonesia's film industry. I also encourage anyone who reads this review to give this movie a chance and watch it in the cinema to support our local movie industry. I hope Satria Dewa Studio take lessons from their first movie, good job!
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part IV (2022)
Improvement?
There is some improvement experience in the Third Sister character, but Moses Ingram's acting still bothers me. Lucasfilm should've cast Lupita Nyong'o or, I don't know, another talented actress to portray the character. On the other hand, Ewan did a great job as Obi-Wan Kenobi. No one should ever experience any form of racism, it's sad what happens to Moses Ingram, but it's not changing the fact her performance is below people's expectations.
WandaVision: Breaking the Fourth Wall (2021)
Where is the twin?
Amazing episode, give us a clearer view of what is happening in Westview. And psstt don't forget to stay until the end of the credit, because there are a MID-CREDIT SCENE!