Reviews

I wanted to learn about this world and - more importantly - what the heck was going on?? None of that got explored in the first half of the season, and instead we were incessantly fed political commentary that was as trite as it was overbearing.

The most interesting characters were Rockwell and Nervus; I was disappointed with the rest - especially with how much they stereotyped John and Meiyin Li. And Helena, oh boy, is easily one of the worst Mary Sue's I've ever seen. When you have a character like this, it would at least be appreciated if you quit putting them in peril all of the time - there's no suspense - and it takes up screen time that could be better utilized.

Interesting premise, underwhelmingly delivered. Beautiful animation (in later episodes) but that's not enough to hold someone's interest.

FYI, I played them game. I 'know' what's going on, but I do not see how anyone else can possibly hope to keep up.

5/10.

I'm not afraid to be the contrarian - though I am honestly a bit surprised by the overwhelming praise I'm seeing for this show. It appears that the majority of it is garnered from its animation style... alright, I guess? I watched it and although the writing is decent, the whole world felt like a knock-off conglomerate of Star Wars, Harry Potter and any inserted generic steampunk universe.

Which is to say that it's not bad, but it's highly unoriginal and ridiculously overrated. In general I DO NOT put a lot of stock in visuals when it comes to this medium - but that's just me. Weirdly enough, while I was watching this I started to develop a hankering to rewatch Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles... I guess subconsciously I wanted to compare the two? I have recently watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and loved it a great deal more than this, so I know my issue here isn't it's modernity or anything of that nature.

I am convinced that the larger portion of its high rating is simply due to its graphics alone... and that does bother me.

6/10 to each their own.

I don't like reading long reviews and so, I typically try to keep my own as short and concise as I can manage. But in this case it is hard for me to restrain my praise.

This film has no fear. Very few movies will attempt to honestly portray humans in their most primal state - much less successfully pull it off. In 'The Northman' there is no shying away from the brutality, ritualism and heathenism that we all once possessed before our "modern society" polished us a bit.

Speaking of ritualism, this is my favorite portrayal of a belief system in a film to date. It's both real and not real at the same time. In a way, your perspective is what makes that determination. It's... so lovely. It leaves me speechless really. The religion is portrayed in the best sense. Their gods are their reality, not simply theology.

The few fight sequences that are in here are weighed down with a gravity that is rarely seen in action films. These people have stamina thresholds and adrenaline limits. It's just... I really am at a loss for words with this film. Truly.

This movie reminds me of my own good fortunes - for what a hell existence must have been in that period of human history. This movie reminds one that yes, you who are reading this and I, who am writing this are the descendants of those that were able to live long enough to leave a trace. Descendants of the few winners within the unknown millions of losers that departed from this world without any vestiges left behind. That is something we don't pay enough respect to as we waste our lives away with selfish indulgences. Today, life is rarely a matter of survival and more or less an indefinite war for a never ending list of conveniences.

I wish I had a fortune to give, for I can only imagine the justice the crew behind this film: from the director, producer, cinematographer, etc - could do with our other shared histories like the romans, greeks, persians and so so so many more.

10/10. It gets this score not because it is perfect, but because it is great.

Can't anyone give a succinct summary? Or praise? Geez. I love me a good essay review but why isn't it possible for me to get different perspectives without it taking the whole day to read them??

Regardless, here is my two cents on the film. I never heard or saw any trailers going in to this and was essentially dragged into the theater. I cried. I felt deeply moved. I walked out of the theater with a weird desire to watch more Godzilla films. This is my best movie of the year and it stands out to me in the same way Top Gun: Maverick did the year prior.

9/10 The only thing that devalues its score is some of the tropes and CGI limitations, which you will notice from time to time. Otherwise it would be a genuine 10/10.

The biggest flaw with this movie is, of course, that it was advertised as, "based on real events". No, no it's not. This is the work of fiction - like most films. There was never an english woman or any english children kidnapped by Raisuli. You can string a connection between historical events and this film, sure, but nothing substantial if we're being honest here.

Now, if you can set all of that aside and judge the movie as it stands you will see that this is a pretty well written, well acted and well directed film.

John Milius does a great job encapsulating the personalities of both Roosevelt and Raisuli (he wrote and directed this film btw). Brian Keith does what I would consider the role he was born to play with president Teddy Roosevelt. Sean Connery does a swimmingly enigmatic execution of Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni (Raisuli). Candace Bergen does a believable and likable performance of the widow and mother, Eden Pedecaris.

Honestly, the biggest sell for me on this film is the dialogue. There are some lines here that will stick with you long after it's all over. This film actually has something to say, and it delivers it with skill.

If you enjoy the films 'Lawrence of Arabia' or 'The Mission' you will definitely appreciate this one.

7/10 it's a film that achieves some greatness but falls short of becoming an all out epic.

I had high hopes for this film. Not sure where to begin, but as a lover of epics I can say that this one simply falls short.

I guess I can start with the positives.

This is one of the best casted films out there. The score is good, though not iconic. I do love that although this movie is about the crusades, it isn't afraid to criticize them. The costumes are well designed and add an element to the film that elevates it (much like the costumes in 'The 10 Commandments' had done for it). The fight scenes are hit and miss; some are excellent and some are very poor which is a bit jarring to be honest.

Everything I have stated I had expected out of this film from the get go, but I had assumed that it would be enough to get me to love it - regardless of the pacing, plot or any other reason.

Boy was I wrong! LMAO!

It is SO HARD to give out the criticism this film deserves without spoiling it. I suppose I can put it like this: this movie is more in line with a film like 'Troy' than one like 'Gladiator'.

There are many pointless subplots that aren't given any background or followed through to a conclusion. That makes it hard to endure the three hours it takes to get a glimpse of the highlights this movie has to offer (yes, I watched the Director's Cut).

The main character is a mary sue. This guy, a widowed blacksmith, is also for some reason an amazing fighter and expert horseman suddenly. I hate this character writing just as much as I hated Rey's in the star wars sequels.

The love plot was entirely unnecessary and did nothing for the overall movie. That was screen time that should have been given to any of the other subplots or used to better develop the main characters of the film. And as much as I love Jeremy Irons, his character needed less screen time. 'Sibylla' needed less screen time. 'Raynald' needed less screen time. 'The Hospitaller' needed less screen time. This movie refuses to focus on the characters that are the most important. It should have given more to the main three that drive the overall plot: Saladin, Guy de Lusignan and Balian. There is no justification for Guy's thoughts or actions, so he is reduced to the complexity of a cartoon villain.

Final word.

Looking over these notes there is one thing I feel I failed to elaborate on and it is a positive: this is a very aesthetically rich film. The set pieces, the landscapes and - like I previously mentioned - the costumes are the best crafted parts of the film. It's almost worth watching for that alone. Almost.

I do believe those who have not seen many epic films or those simply starved for a good crusader movie, will praise this one highly. But for me I wouldn't even consider placing it in the epic category for it is wanting. It's a great idea for a film that was executed poorly.

5/10 I don't ever see myself sitting through three more hours to watch this one again.

First off, there is no such thing as a perfect movie because the way we all experience movies is different. Subjective. I want to say that so people understand I have no vendetta against this film or it's maker. I only have MY experience with it.

Now then.

This wasn't a great movie and I loved the first. Let me make a list:

Pros: CGI

That's really it

Cons: Poor pacing. Crippling.

Writing. It is less clever than most marvel films. Ouch

"Cinematography". The angle of scenes, chosen (created) backdrops, were not great. EVERYTHING WAS BLUE - NO CONTRAST. It takes place in the ocean and not just any ocean, but an ocean that looks exactly like ours. It felt like I was on earth for the entirety of the film. If that was the goal then mission accomplished I guess? I understand the director has a love for the sea and you can clearly see that with how much this one imitates our own. But the thing is I didn't feel that way at all about the original Avatar. The forest felt far more alien.

I really wanted to love this movie. The first 10min give you loads of necessary exposition for a story that I guess progresses in the next film? For THIS film you simply watch a lot of blue people swim in a lot of water. It's pretty... and it's also pretty boring. It felt like James Cameron had his finger on the trigger after the first 10 minutes and you're waiting for him to pull it but he never does. There was no climax. I was blown away by how underwhelmed I was by everything.

Plus every important character (of which there are too many) is wearing so much plot armor that the suspenseful scenes lack any kind of palpable tension.

Go ahead, dislike my comment. I kinda want to too tbh. After this long wait I was expecting a better story, that's all. They should have called it 'Avatar 2: Whale Wars'.

I'm kidding. Kinda.

Elden Ring is fabulous in every aspect of its design - save for the way it handles its lore and npc's. If I have to go to a wiki page to get even a remote idea as to what is going on then the game's writing failed to represent itself. The npc's are also shells without genuine identity that, with only a modicum of additional effort, could have been perfectly passable but as it sits they're too poorly implemented to give these developers a perfect score here (yes, I'll relent, Alexander is the only npc that I would say is an exception to this).

Make no mistake this is a great game and is certainly worth a playthrough just for the clout; but when you add together the previously stated flaws plus it's very weak endings... you're going to get a 9/10 from me at best.

P. S As I was playing this I couldn't help but think of Kingdom Come Deliverance. It's a historically accurate medieval rpg that hardly anyone knows about and if you liked Elden Ring, you will probably appreciate KCD too as they're both what I would consider "get gud" games. I would definitely consider giving that gem a look if you're feeling empty after finishing ER and looking for something else to explore.

I don't have the words. The other thor films were tolerable enough but this one has set the bar low for all future marvel films. I'm pretty sure the marvel golden age has ended and we're now entering the dawn of a new 'meh' era. It tries so hard to be funny that it's unfunny. Yeah, it's one of those films I am shocked to say.

I waited until all of the episodes were released before passing a final judgement on this. I can say I'm glad I did, as the first couple episodes were 3/10 stars for a tv show with the latter being more toward a 7/10.

With that said, I'm trying rate this show as a whole. Would I recommend it to anyone? Would I watch it again?

It's hard to slap a number on this. I did like it more than the recent film trilogy despite it being very campy at times (tbh I'm not entirely sure if that was at all intended, which make some moments even more hilarious) with a weak and noticeable production value that did take a lot of the enjoyment out of it for me.

Reva's arc was a classic Star Wars story that actually justifies its existence in the end, even if it does it poorly. Why it was such a centerpiece in a show titled Kenobi... I dunno. Honestly I think this show would have received much less backlash if it was simply titled something else.

Taking everything into consideration, would I recommend it to anyone? I would recommend it to anyone that loved the prequels. I do think it falls out of purview for mostly anyone else though.

Would I watch it again?

Yes, I will rewatch a few of the episodes just for some of Vader's sequences, as much as I don't want to admit it. The last few episodes focus more on the relationship between 'Ben' Kenobi and Anakin, which in turn give us a better transition of Anakin to Vader than the films did alone.

This show is dumb, light hearted and sometimes heavy. It's a very true to form Star Wars story with the exception of having poorer production and slightly lesser quality in writing, and if you can laugh at the scenes where the child outruns bounty hunters by walking, you'll get some enjoyment out of this.

If you wanted a purely serious tv series based on Kenobi like I did, you won't get that. But maybe you'll find something passable in the meantime.

6/10.

I was reluctantly dragged into the theater, thinking that they didn't need to make a Top Gun 2 and that the first one was where that story needed to end.

I could write a couple paragraphs to summarize my feelings after walking out of the theater, but I'm going to leave it with just one sentence.

I was wrong.

I could feel my braincells wither & die as I watched this. I don't have the words. This film isn't clever, it's just plain stupid.

I was told Fargo was great by a couple people and eventually found the time to watch it. I admit, with such high expectations I was a little let down for the first 30-40 minutes, then the film kicked into high gear and I was immensely satisfied by the end.

This isn't a movie for regular viewers so much as it is a film for movie lovers. Even then, I enjoyed this movie 9/10. It gets a 10/10 because I find it rather flawless for what it is-there is little to no room for improvement. Recommend anyone to give a try sometime. If you like slow, methodical films like "Joker" you may like this.

This film is awful, but in a good way! Like a terrible yet ironically enjoyable scifi movie--similar to Army of Darkness (though definitely not as good, I'm not kidding when I say this film is awful). The soundtrack made it for me.

4/10 watch if you're bored with some pals. It's not every day you see a medieval science fiction movie.

Perhaps the most cliché war movie I have ever seen - it was far too busy trying to be a modern version of 'Full Metal Jacket' to aspire to anything else. Great production, lots of potential but it is all wasted which is a real shame. Jake Gyllenhaal tries to be 'pvt joker' from FMJ here with his similar narration but it doesn't work at all.

Speaking of actors, I'm not sure if it was the directors fault or what but they are all just way too unhinged. Jamie Foxx did do a good job (and is THE exception to my criticisms) and Jake gave it his all, but I cannot buy any of these guys as marines, they just come off as tryhards, jockeys, ect.

The film is so directionless at times... I should have loved this movie but honestly the characters annoyed the crap out of me so much I could not stay interested.

If given slight changes to script, a different director and editor this film could have been something.

5/10, sadly mediocre. Go do yourself a favor and watch 'Generation Kill', it's everything this film wasn't.

Band of Brothers came close to a 9 for me, however, the show has issues that cannot be overlooked.

Game of Thrones got one thing right and that is in how it handles so many characters. The biggest problem with Band of Brothers is simply character introduction; too many times in the first half of the series I could not place names on familiar faces and that heavily impacted my ability to enjoy this show. Winters, Nixon, Harry, Buck, Bull, Malarky. I got them. The rest I desperately tried to follow but often got them confused with one another and their names mixed up. Later on in the series I got the names sorted out and I often found myself thinking things like, "So they were making jokes about 'him' earlier - man, if I'd known that at the time I would have laughed," but no.

I am certain that this show is better on a second viewing but first impressions matter. I tried watching this show with 4 different people (1 a seasoned war veteran) and none of them made it through the whole thing because they could not keep track of who was who and lost interest. These 4 people completely vary in attention span, age and interests and if none of them became seriously invested (they all have varying degrees of positive like for military based media) then something is wrong. I myself wasn't invested until episode 7; after which I was on board and finally felt like I was appreciating the show the way the creators intended me to.

Bottom line, great tv. Other issues that I have are more based off of personal preference. However, I am adamant that this show mostly fails to properly introduce characters and, in my opinion, reduces it's otherwise good qualities to a score of 8/10.

To be clear, 8/10 is a positive score to those who are undoubtably hovering their finger/mouse above the unhelpful bottom, because they blindly love BoB so much. Lmao, go ahead and click it. Just try to let people have different opinions in the future, please.

When I saw a commercial for '68 Whiskey' a couple weeks ago I was a tad bit curious, so I looked up more trailers for it online and in the comments section many people were recommending an old mini series called 'Generation Kill'. Now, after having watched GK and finished the non-fiction book it was based on, I can say that I'm immensely satisfied and that this is probably the best literature-to-film media adaptation I have seen. Honestly, if you have read or watched either you do not to seek out the other as they're practically identical.

That aside, it is refreshing to watch a show that doesn't drum up drama or dumb down events for easy viewing. If you try to watch this show with your brain turned off you will get confused and possibly lose interest (unless you are already familiar with military jargon as it is concentrated here). This is a show created with the intention of illustrating the accurate tedium and tribulations of modern warfare (from the point of view of the marines, which, at times, is hilarious). If that is something you're interested in seeing then don't waste any more time, hook up with a free trail from one of those streaming services that hosts it (HBO, Amazon Prime, maybe others) and get to viewing!

10/10, this show, for what it is, could not have achieved a higher level of quality without dramatically altering the real life events it was based on.

I'm not rating the wholesome human being that is Fred Rogers, I'm rating the documentary. It was weak, not very informative and very uninteresting. Yes, Fred Rogers was amazing - this documentary however is not.

A hard to look at mirror on how society handles mental illness and how we tend to treat people that strike us as odd with cruelty. I'd like to think I've become a better human being with a greater capacity for empathy after watching this film. A contemporary masterpiece.

Everyone says that, right? And they aren't wrong, but it takes more than excellent cinematography to make a complete movie going experience.

I have to be real, I love war films and I love slow films but this film is mostly dull with a few outstanding moments. It is in the humble opinion of this movie goer that Dunkirk was a similair but more riveting experience.

I liked the movie, don't get me wrong, but too many reviewers are setting up readers for disappointment with their ridiculous praise. I wholly recommend you go see this movie if you enjoy films like Dunkirk, just be sure to check your expectations at the door.

Speaking freely, this is the only game that has ever made me feel truly uncomfortable while playing it. I've played hundreds of games and have laughed, cried, felt guilty or even despressed while playing but with this... I felt like throwing up. I felt like crap. I felt like a monster - I even felt a bit like blowing my brains out (but in a good way).

Bottom line, the jokingly dubbed "PTSD" Simulator lived up to what everyone said it would, surprisingly.

9/10. Only misses the 10 due to weak gameplay mechanics and laggy controls.

My only regret is not playing this sooner.

I guess the army is full of, ahem, promiscuous women and insubordinate drug dealers? Are you kidding me? I know the military has its fair share of idiots and heroes, but if you make a show like this it needs to be somewhat balanced out. Everyone here is an unlikeable a****** - save for Davis (the token black guy) who is simply mindnumbingly boring and Petrocelli who's young naïveté is the only thing with some genuine comedy potential.

Go do yourself a favor and watch 'Generation Kill'. It's a mini series based on the first 40 days of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is hilarious (particularly if you have a dark or adult sense of humor, think 'Deadpool') and accurate. No trashy s-e-x scenes or unnecessary drama. The older mini series is available on HBO and Amazon Prime and it is still the best representation of the modern military (in this case, active duty marines) to this day. Do not waste your time with 68 Whiskey unless you are looking to punish yourself.

Side note: how is this show even listed as a comedy anyway? It's an all out reaching drama is what it is.

I lost faith is this entire trilogy after 'The Last Jedi' so I went into this (after my friends forced me to go) with zero expectations and I found myself mindlessly enjoying some of the visuals, plot twists and humor. This film could have genuinely been a 7 or 8 if the last 20 minutes hadn't been so awful and I mean awful. It's actually worse than awful, but that's the only polite word I can think of to describe it.

6/10 - it's an OK movie.

Been a fan of star wars games, films and now this tv show. It's not perfect, and honestly my favorite episodes were the first 2 as they felt so much like star wars - yet bizarrely /other/ at the same time. As the show progressed, it lost some of that while we also lose any resemblance of a plot after episode 3 til episode 7, and that did bother me as I waited weekly for the ridiculously short episodes. All in all, I am so glad to have something be cool with the star wars name and not be about jedi - we direly needed a break from them with all the inner turmoil within the fanbase caused by the recent films.

8/10 would recommend to anyone

The actors are great. The monsters are great. The whiplashing timeline in this is enough to reasonably throw anyone off though, as well as some of the writing. I am looking forward to the second season, but not with bated breath.