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Reviews
Star Trek: Picard: Imposters (2023)
Next gen masterpiece
What the writers have managed to pull off in this season is astonishing. This episode builds on the last and doesn't just perfectly balance nostalgia with plot, it uses nostalgic elements from across the star trek universe and weaves them effortlessly into the story. It's this balancing act that keeps all the fans on the edge of thier seats all the way through. It never gets over sentimental and its never just a series of bland fx either. You rarely see such a perfect balance in a TV show. This is expert writing combined with expert directing. It showcases the classic characters and all the things that are most beloved about the original shows. Really really well done.
Happy Valley: Episode #3.4 (2023)
Expertly crafted drama
It's rare that you get such good casting, writing and directing on a TV show. Everything about this episode stands out and the threads that have been carefully woven since the start of this series really come together in this episode. It's tense and engrossing from start to finish. You know what it's all building towards but it's still a shock when it happens. It's a testament to the incredible storytelling that's the hallmark of Happy Valley.
I hope they keep making more but it appears that this is going to be one of those gems that favour quality over quantity. It certainly deserves to spawn at least one spin off, hopefully a prequel with Becky's story.
The Walking Dead: Splinter (2021)
The princess diaries
I can't understand all the low scores for this episode.
It's awesome. It's a formal introduction for princess and centers on her, the episode manages to maintain a tension throughout and the twist reveal is startling. I love it when TWD does irreverent episodes like this. Princess definitely adds something missing to the show and shows you can be flawed, mentally ill and still be one of the good guys. The commonwealth soldiers are kept ambiguous throughout the episode and flip from bad guys to good guys as princess struggles to hang on to what's real. All in all a well contained suspenseful episode.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
The emperor's new clothes
This is what happens when fans demand a directors cut. After years of being whinged at Snyder finally snaps and rams 4 hours of footage down the fans throats. None of those that campaigned for this can now say anything negative about it. I can though. It's awful. 4 hours to tell the exact same story that whedon told in half the time. There's nothing new here, just an extra 2 hours of hero posing. As an added 'treat' for the fans it's filmed in a little square box. (No really)
Well done to Snyder though, he's managed to take a massive 4 hour dump on all the fans while they eagerly swallow every ounce of it.
Star Trek: Picard: Remembrance (2020)
A strange new world
This could so easily have gone terribly wrong. Having picard front a new star trek show could have just been a character cash in.
But right from the opening sequence the relief is immense. Such care has been taken with the series that you're instantly engaged with picard, as he tries to engage with a world he's left behind. Every aspect of this world is portrayed with intricate attention to detail, in every scene you can see the amount of thought that's gone into crafting the future of the federation and the look of earth in this future.
Throughout the first episode nostalgia is perfectly balanced with intrigue. They've used the last 20 years to build a great story that has only just begun to unravel in this episode. The series is on course to greatness
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
A new hope
There are plenty of haters out there, eager to chuck Rise of Skywalker out with the rest of the Disney trash. However, I can't help but feel that they're looking at it wrong. Shift perspective and RoS becomes a third attempt, rather than a third instalment. When you look at it as more of a sequel to Return of the Jedi then a sequel to The Last Jedi then it sits much better. In fact much of the film seems to stick a finger up at its predecessor, Kylo Rens' opening quest tells The Last Jedi how it's done; get map, go to destination, find Palpatine - Tick! So instead of moody dialogue, a painfully slow two hour space chase and irrelevant errands to free horses we have quick quests, intense pace, action, drama and heart. Lots of heart.
The film successfully builds on Jedi lore and expands the range of Jedi abilities while still keeping it feeling real enough. You do get a sense that Rey and Ren are focal points in the force and this is conveyed surprisingly well by Ridley and Driver. Both characters lean toward both sides during the course of the story, keeping the tension ramped up nicely throughout. Palpatine is back as the series' seminal baddie and for the first time since Return of the Jedi there's a real sense of threat in the movie. The chemistry between Ren and Rey is on point and from Palpatine's point of view these two seem at odds, when in fact, they compliment each other. This lack of insight into the light side quite rightly proves to be Emporer P's undoing, (again). Whilst it delivers on most fronts it's not perfect. Like any good Jedi it has it's flaws. Palpatine was severely underused, the final confrontation felt rushed and Kylo Ren's sacrifice left a sour taste. (Why is turning to the light side always a death sentence?)
However, the film itself is immensely satisfying, (if you ignore the previous 2), at the end you feel like a chapter has been closed. There's a finality to the last scenes that resonates well and you go away thinking, now that was a Star Wars film.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: End. Begin. All the Same. (2019)
Expertly captured the essence of the film
A beautiful work, captures and expands on material from the film. The first episode gives us a breathtaking view of the world we saw in the movie at its height. It skillfully weaves a sense of foreboding throughout as we see the beginnings of the downfall of thra.