Change Your Image
tiktoksweebs
Reviews
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
(1st Half is spoiler free, 2nd Half contains spoliers)Could've Been so Much Better
The first half of this review is spoiler free. The second half contains more detailed criticism of the film dealing with plot spoilers and the problems they create with the film. First off, the movie was absolutely visually stunning and worth the theater experience. Every frame could be a perfectly photorealistic image of the fantastical world of Pandora. The underwater scenes were positively spellbinding, and the new creatures and environments were captivating.
That being said, the writing was it's downfall. To be fair, I was never bored per se because the visuals were so spectacular, but the movie had 3 hours of beautiful imagery and about 1.5 hours of actual story. It's basically a re-hash of the first movie, and promises another re-hash of the first movie in the third installment that has yet to come out. It resurrects the same villain from the first movie, with the same motivation, in the same setting, under near identical circumstances, and the same stakes.
The worst part is that it could have been so much better. With such a high budget and such a long runtime you would think they could spend a few minutes showing/explaining why humans came back to Pandora. Cameron could have shown a few minutes of the current state of planet Earth and the people living there, as well as the people behind the exploration of Pandora. Instead we just get a few nebulous lines of throwaway dialogue. There are so many unexplored ideas in a world where the storytelling possibilities are endless. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. The incredible visuals didn't make up for the bad story, they only distracted from it.
(SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!)
One thing that Cameron has never explained is why the military is even involved in the first place. The mining and exploration of the planet is purely corporate in nature, so why is a national defense force involved instead of mercenaries and private security? In the film, it is explained that the operations conducted there are no longer paid for by mining for the previous film's McGuffin "Unobtainium", but is now funded by the collection of Pandoran whale oil that stops the human aging process. No explanation, no visual backstory, just one line of dialogue from a tertiary character about 2/3 of the way through the movie.
Another thing that is glossed over is the fact that apparently the Na'vi can breath oxygen for hours without any negative results, despite the fact that Pandoran air is toxic to humans. Why this is the case is never explored or explained either. Something else that is never explored or explained is the "immaculate conception" of Dr Grace Augustine's daughter, Kiri, or her ability to control the wildlife around her like she was (no pun intended) an avatar of Eywa. Yet another thing that is revealed and then left to the imagination is the fact that now the Na'vi can straight up talk to some animals, whereas the previous movie portrayed it (I think) in a much more beautiful and subtle emotional connection. Speech just feels muddy and out of place.
Another missed opportunity is the fact that Spider/Miles is Quaritch's son. They share a few minutes of screentime with one another, and Quaritch even protects Spider on multiple occasions, including saving his life (a favor Spider returns toward the end of the movie). However, it's never explained why this Quaritch even cares about Spider, considering he never knew him or raised him. It would've behooved the story to show Quaritch in a flashback with Spider's mother or with Spider as a baby. It would've humanized and built on Quaritch's character beyond big bad military man.
Finally, the movie puts forth the idea that apparently humans now no longer just want to strip Pandora for it's natural resources, but want to colonize Pandora because Earth is so badly damaged. Yup. That's right. Apparently, in a reality where humans can traverse the cosmos freely, the ONLY place in the known universe that humans can colonize is the one with with an atmosphere that kills humans in seconds and does not support any Earth life at all. Why? Don't know. I'm sure we'll find out in Avatars 5-8 twenty years from now.
Wednesday (2022)
A Little Predictable But Quite Enjoyable
Going in I had reserved expectations. Usually, shows of the "bingable" type are overrated. I was pleasantly surprised at just how enjoyable this show was, and how well casted it's characters are. Jenna Ortega is the perfect Wednesday, playing her with a refreshingly morbid sense of humor and dark yet wry outlook. This is where the series sold me. It's increasingly rare to have a show where the protagonist is smart, capable, and endearing instead of one-note, whiny, or just simply unlikable. I correctly guessed the overarching mysteries and plot twists fairly easily and early on, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the journey through the series and through Wednesday's character growth (Another rare quality in modern TV protagonists 'cough' 'cough' She-Hulk 'cough' 'cough'). The production as a whole is quite well done, as is to be expected from cinematic mainstays like Tim Burton.
Of course, there are some cons. It has the usual Hollywood political overtones, but it doesn't constantly beat you over the head with them. Some might say that a few characters are somewhat cartoonish or exaggerated, but I take that to be in the spirit and style of the show as a whole and overall quite fitting (I mean, it's the Addams family, not Twin Peaks). The supporting cast including Gwendoline Christie, Luis Guzman, Catherine Zeta Jones, and other newer talents nicely round out the supporting characters. The entire Addams family was perfectly cast, and Thing is still one of my favorite characters in the show. For those worried about waiting for a second season to conclude the story arc, fear not. This season is fairly well contained, coming to a satisfying conclusion in the finale.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised 4/5.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Better than I would have expected
At the time of this review, only one episode has been released. It's a good start and a good set up for what's to come, instead of constant in-medias rez flashbacks to pad runtime for the next 5 episodes. It did make me laugh, the CGI is good for a TV show. I don't mind the underlying politics or issues being discussed (albeit in humorous fashion). The only thing that bothers me is how they just couldn't help themselves but to make fun of Bruce. Constantly. In the past, he was an intelligent, restrained, and very underlyingly sad individual who's had to deal with an incredible amount of hardship to get where he is in the present: self-harm, grief, torture, a constant bi-polar state of being, and the sacrifices he made throughout previous movies. Now, Bruce can reliably control his emotions, and can finally try moving forward with his life as a superhero and a person.
So when Jen gets her abilities, with no background to explain it and no journey leading up to that point, is automatically ahead of the point where Bruce is. And the explanation? Literally just because of her gender. If there were some more background as to why she is more stable and more able, that would be great. I have no problem with her being better than Bruce, I take issue with the fact that the writers just blow off all the character development and time that it took for Banner to be where he is and instead just props someone else up as naturally being better at everything. This can be saved if, going forward, the series does more for Jen's character, but if all we get is more dumping on previous characters to make Jen look better, then this show is lost.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Better than I would have expected
At the time of this review, only one episode has been released. It's a good start and a good set up for what's to come, instead of constant in-medias rez flashbacks to pad runtime for the next 5 episodes. It did make me laugh, the CGI is good for a TV show. I don't mind the underlying politics or issues being discussed (albeit in humorous fashion). The only thing that bothers me is how they just couldn't help themselves but to make fun of Bruce. Constantly. In the past, he was an intelligent, restrained, and very underlyingly sad individual who's had to deal with an incredible amount of hardship to get where he is in the present: self-harm, grief, torture, a constant bi-polar state of being, and the sacrifices he made throughout previous movies. Now, Bruce can reliably control his emotions, and can finally try moving forward with his life as a superhero and a person.
So when Jen gets her abilities, with no background to explain it and no journey leading up to that point, is automatically ahead of the point where Bruce is. And the explanation? Literally just because of her gender. If there were some more background as to why she is more stable and more able, that would be great. I have no problem with her being better than Bruce, I take issue with the fact that the writers just blow off all the character development and time that it took for Banner to be where he is and instead just props someone else up as naturally being better at everything. This can be saved if, going forward, the series does more for Jen's character, but if all we get is more dumping on previous characters to make Jen look better, then this show is lost.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
Disney Can Make This But Can't Make Punisher Season 3?
Unfortunately, this show is very derivative and a complete waste of time. It has it's funny moments, but they are far outnumbered by the amount of times me and my kid just cringed. The actors are doing their best with a horrendous script, so don't blame them at all. Judging by the comics sales of Ms Marvel, I cannot fathom why they thought a TV show surrounding this character would be a hit. The only way they'll get people to watch this is if the show has weak connections to other better movies and characters with an occasional easter egg, cameo, or end credits scene (Which, if there are any, I will be watching 30 second clips on youtube, not the show) If you're a soy-sucking tween or the unfortunate parent of one, you might want to or have to watch it.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Did not live up to the hype :(
Dr. Strange is one of my favorite characters and one of my favorite marvel movies. Benedict Cumberbatch's performance is always great, as is Benedict Wong's. Unfortunately, this movie has too little of either of them. I was expecting this to span the multiverse, where they would encounter many different versions of Stephen Strange. Instead, the "multiverse" is limited to three main realities plus the money shot of Strange and Chavez cascading through different realities for about 10 seconds. The development and ending felt extremely rushed, and the movie needed about another 20 minutes to feel properly done.
This movie focuses way too much on Wanda and America Chavez. It's been a bit of a trend with the MCU lately, where they make their protagonists play second fiddle for much of the movie or series in order to shoehorn in other characters for other movies. I'd happily go see other marvel movies with other characters if I thought they would do them justice, but I did not go see Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to see Elizabeth Olsen twitch her mouth and tilt her head and raise her eyebrows. I wanted to see more about Stephen himself, and who he is across different realities. Also, the fact that they tied in WandaVision and not the What If..? Episode with Dr Strange really says a lot about the movie.
I enjoyed parts of the movie, the cinematography and many effects look amazing, but between Strange's plastic looking hair and beard, the cartoony costume redesign, too many one-liners that felt out of place, and the rushed pace, I didn't enjoy this movie very much. I had to watch the first one to get the bad taste the second left in my mouth. The hardcore marvel sycophants will goo goo all over this movie, but I encourage you to decide for yourself. I don't know, maybe I'm being harsh, but I doubt it.
Diabolical (2022)
Only One Episode Worth Watching
Do yourself a favor and just skip to the last episode. It's the only one that feels like it actually belongs in The Boys universe and the only episode that provides any real depth to the characters from the actual show. The rest of the episodes were lackluster at best and just plain mind-numbingly stupid at worst. The one with Awkwafina in it is the worst by far, where she plays a girl who develops the superpower to shart out sentient poop. Yeah. Really screams "The Boys", doesn't it? Anyway, I sat through this so yall don't have to. The last episode gives some background to Homelander and his superhero debut, and also uses Antony Starr to reprise the role. Just skip the rest.
Carnival Row (2019)
Good acting, but entirely too predictable
First off, the acting is great. Orlando Bloom gets to stretch his legs and work with a good ensemble of actors and decently written dialogue (Jared Harris is a series highlight). It is slower paced, so don't go into this expecting the "non-stop action" and snarky humour that Marvel has oversaturated the entertainment industry with. The themes explored are handled in a much too ham-fisted way, simply bludgeoning the audience with a complete and utter lack of subtlety. It would have been more nuanced to explore a Burg set further along socially that has "accepted" the Fae, but with more subtle second-class treatment of the Fae citizenry. Instead, it comes across as way too blunt, with every situation being presented as blak and white.
As interesting a story as this is, it is extremely predictable. I had figured every twist and turn several episodes in advance throughout the series. There was nothing particularly surprising about any of the revelations about Philo's past or his parentage. Piety's character arc was all too predictable, especially if you've seen Game of Thrones. This whole series feels like it is trying to be edgy, dark, and violent like the first five seasons of GoT were, but the sexuality (especially a Lannisterian twist with Jonah), violence, and betrayal feels cheap because there's no tangible weight to the consequences.
The main issue I had with the series is that it's hard to care about anyone in the series. Sure, you can squeeze some pity and guilt out of the audience if you show enough Burgmen beating innocent Fae or using racial slurs, but that isn't any genuine attachment to the main characters. Especially if you knew what was going to happen anyway because the plot is so predictable. I can't say this series is bad, because it's not. It's just not particularly good. If you're bored, give it a go.