Wikingking Reviews

Honest Thief (2020)

It's the most average action movie ever

[5/10 · 27 March 2021]

If you have seen at least 10 movies of this genre then you will likely foresee every character's next move, every aspect of the plot and the ending as well.

There are simply no new or never-seen-before treats about this flick, it plays a very safe game and therefore there is very little excitement and almost zero tension. It's still decent as it does nothing particularly wrong either, so if you would like to just sit back and enjoy a movie you have never seen before but at the same time don't want to experience any new content and are already too stressful to take additional excitement a good action film or thriller could offer then this is definitely your movie!

It is absurdly average but you can still spend the 90+ minutes moderately entertained, mostly because you'll see familiar faces on-screen and it will/could somehow make you feel more than the movie can actually offer.

Men in Black: International (2019)

If it was the pilot of an MIB series, it would be close to 10

[6/10 · 24 October 2019]

The headline says it all: if this movie was a pilot of a mini or regular series about MIB with this cast, I'd say it's a pretty good opening. As a kind of follow-up to the trilogy featuring Will Smith and TLJ, it is sort of letdown-ish.

Nothing serious though. In a world of hopeless and mindless reboot/remake/prequel/sequel making, this spin-off+sequel does something exceptionall important, many other titles fail to achieve: it does not ruin the original, not a single bit. Strange, that I need to applaud such "feat", but it is what it is. When legendary characters like Han Solo is being butchered from left and right, when great standalone movies got horrible sequels that were totally uncalled for and still ending in cliffhangers (like Independence Day 2), this film stands out.

It features a new duo of agents, the smart and adroit Agent M (Tessa Thompson) and the very annoying yet somehow legendary Agent H (Chris Hemsworth). Chemistry between them is no big deal, the story is kind of basic and pretty predictable (there is a mole in the Agency), the action sequences are plenty and kind of mediocre, humor is a mix of cute and tiring. Supporting cast has some big names like Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson and Emma Thompson.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes the original MIB and can maintain only a decent amount of expectation towards this movie and also to anyone who likes sci-fi action/comedy movies. It's not a boring one, but not memorable by any means. It just works. Still, overwhelming negative reviews seem to be harsh, especially considering what I wrote in the second paragraph of this review.

One Punch Man: Cleaning Up the Disciple's Mess (2019) Season 2, Episode 12

I think most people here don't get the point...

[9/10 · 27 July 2019]

I've read the ratings and some of the non-spoiler user reviews before watching the whole season - the benefits of catching up late :)

Many people criticise that Saitama's screentime was badly reduced and that there are way too many time given to a huge number of different heroes of the Heroes Association. Also, another point was that the main character of the season seems to be the "Human Kaiju" Garou, but the whole show was supposed to be about Saitama.

I disagree. This is still Saitama's show, but I like this new approach and storytelling and how it widened the view on the world of OPM. The first season had a few separate incidents only to show the incredible power of Saitama and all the characters were subordinated to this specific goal. Each and everyone we got to know was key to move the story forward - in this regard, I agree that S1 was superior. However, it was pretty one-sided and I don't think that another copy-paste with different monsters would have done the trick for a second time. Thus the writers went to a different road and it is true that Saitama is somewhat of a side-character and we get to know Garou's story, which is pretty well-written btw.

I liked how we were introduced to a lot of different high level heroes, the fighting scenes were spot on most of the time and there are a lot of them, much more action in S2 than it was in S1. Garou's story is deep, the different heroes are funny and interesting enough (for me at least), the returning characters, like Genos or White Fang are still very cool and well, Saitama is still OP. But this is the point after all and Season 2 uses this "final move" of writing very well.

Look, I really adored season 1 when it came out, it was stupid fun from the first second of it to the very last. This season was a bit deeper, more mature in a sense (still funny) and it takes itself just a tad bit more seriously. I don't think this is a problem, but I must say that the entire second season feels as a mid-act before the finale - which will supposed to be season 3 now? In this regard, yes, there are some things left to be desired. Animation is noticably worse than season 1 but then again, I think it was season 1 being absolutely amazing and this one is just OK. It's not bad by any means.

As for the whole season it is still funny, still OPM-ish, extremely action-packed anime which also has its more serious, touching moments. The main difference is that while the first season was built around Saitama and used his pov 90% of the time, this time the POV jumps from one character to another but the point is that we get to know how the existence of Saitama affects people around him and the world he lives in. This influence of Saitama to everyone he ever meets is the essence of this season and to really appreciate his omnipotence we must learn how these people can handle their situations first. My rating of 9 is for the whole season itself...it is more likely to be 8.5, but who cares.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

I felt nothing...

[4/10 · 20 July 2017]

John Wick 1 wasn't my favourite film, even though I have an unhealthy attachment to nice kills on-screen more so if those kills are head-shots. :) But it did the trick and although I've only seen it once, it was still good enough to bring me to it's sequel, Chapter 2.

Well, this movie surely won't get me to a possible 3rd act. This is a mess, really. Only the first sequence of the movie is worthy of the hype around JW and his character. That was nice. But the rest is dumb, boring, repetitive and is without any kind of excitement or whatsoever.

John Wick gets hit, stabbed, ran over, punched, kicked, thrown so many times I lost counting around mid-time of the movie. I just can't take it seriously and that is OK, but only if the film makes it up on another field. For example I truly don't care about such things while watching Fast and Furious or a new Mission Impossible movie. But in John Wick it is really the only redeeming factor that there are many, a lot of, I mean a huge number of kills. That's that. It's a one trick pony. And while flicks like Shoot 'em up! did such a great job to make it entertaining this is like a conveyor belt of head-shots. Enemies just keep coming as if it was some kind of lame arcade video game. No tactics, nothing. John is immortal. Also, no one cares about anything anymore, although theoretically he still has that "devil incarnate" kind of reputation, but everyone try their luck anyways.

John Wick 2 is like the 2nd Matrix or PotC movie (but it's a long list): head-shots and style sold the first movie so the production team tried to put twice as many into this movie, but it all became dumb, dull and fake. This movie is like a fake Chinese (sorry...) copy of the first, where the casing and the looks are pretty much the same, but efficiency and reliability is much worse.

Also, I'm quite fed up with immortal, god-like leads. Can Hollywood come up with anything else other than these guys, where any lack of logic or reason are being 'explained' by him being inhumanly good and no one can make harm to them. Jason Bourne, the Transporter, John Wick and countless others since Rambo and John Matrix. And every new guy has less and less personality and originality...

Baby Driver (2017)

Has more merits than faults, but certainly not Top250 material

[6/10 · 9 July 2017]

I know...I know. Booo me as much as you desire, but I just can't love this movie, although I wanted to believe the hype badly. Here's what I think: The movie has many merits both acting wise, writing wise and from a technical approach. The editing, the soundtrack and how it works, the sound editing, cinematography all top-class. There are not many actors in the movie but as you can see, the line-up is pretty strong and everyone of them does a great job - Spacey and Foxx are especially good. It was a delight to see Jon Bernthal, too bad he only has a minor role in the movie.

So we have a nice idea, a great and cool setting, some interesting or menacing but certainly fun-to-watch characters so almost everything is ready to make up one of the greatest heist-movies in recent memory. What can go wrong? Well, only a few things, and I must state that these things won't bother most people (sadly or thankfully, you decide).

As I mentioned, the writers did a great job with the setting and characters - or should I say they had some great ideas, but generally did a lazy work with it? Because I believe this is the case here. Baby Driver is yet again another movie where the premise is extremely promising but execution is decent at best. I had the feeling that the movie is made up of a series of individual takes or clips rather than a well-written flow of events. When you have ideas like "that would be cool" but don't know how to make a story around it. The ending is absolute chaos or mess with some totally random character "development" which was so upsetting to see.

This movie unfortunately can't make up it's mind and I could feel this all way long: it wants to be a romantic movie, a heist movie, but there are so many things that build on characters and dialogue, and unfortunately none of these are top-class or even good job, and as I mentioned it just won't work, the movie makers couldn't mix them into a working piece.

Too bad, because they've had a great recipe and some outstanding ingredients.

If you read this I'd still suggest to go to the cinema and watch it. Chances are that you'll like it much more than I did, but even I didn't regret buying the ticket because the movie was entertaining. I laughed, I was excited, nervous and of course upset. I'll remember this movie for a very long time - just not as a great one, but one that couldn't realize its immense potential.

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Things have taken a wrong turn...

[6/10 · 9 February 2016]

...And not only in the life of our protagonist, Grandmaster Ip Man (Donnie Yen), but Ip Man 2 fails to become as good and soulful as the first movie.

It's like you'd watch Rocky 2-3-4 in a Hong Kong setting. The plot is pretty much the same. Ip Man and his family moved to HK. They are poor, are expecting their second child and Master Ip struggles to set his feet here as a renowned martial arts master. When he finally finds some students, he quickly finds himself in a hostile environment, as rival masters want him to pay fee and join their club to become an 'official' master. But after dealing with this situation, there comes the third act, and it's bad foreigners disrespecting and abusing Chinese all over again.

---SOME SPOILERS FROM NOW ON---

I had to ask myself while watching this the first time ever: am I watching Rocky 2-3-4 or is this Ip Man 2? The similarity is exceptional here: the financial struggles, the pregnant wife, the adversary (Sammo Hung) who proves to be an equal of Ip, but later they became friends and they respect each-other, the unbeatable foreign fighter who hates this culture and beats said friend, the revenge match under heavy circumstances, the final speech given by Ip Man with the used to be hostile British accepting and praising him after-wards. The list might be longer, but these are the cornerstones of this movie's story.

---SPOILERS END---

And don't get me wrong, I like Rocky 2-4, I liked this one as well. Even when it was increasingly difficult to take this seriously. My problem with the movie is different though. You see, while Ip Man had amazing fight scenes, it also had a heart, a great atmosphere and a message. It was nice to see how Ip stands against the Japanese, defends his culture while being so humble and elegant. Actually, the story is the same here but without the elegance. Much of the fight scenes are over the top (I know, it's what you expect when watching a kung-fu movie, but it's at least one level over the first movie), and they follow each other without much logic. The only reason here is to have a good fight. "You claim to be a master? Prove it. Beat me" - says the student. "You claim to be a master? Prove it. Avoid falling" - says the guild of masters. "You claim that Chinese kung-fu is superior to boxing? Beat me." - says the British champ. Everyone wants to fight here. And this sadly shadows the soul of the movie and also Donnie Yen's great performance (example: Ip vs 10 Japs was believable under those circumstances. It was a serious and sad scene, powerful. Ip vs 20 students trying to kill him at the fish market is not.)

Ip Man 2 is not a bad movie, and is highly recommended to anyone who loves martial arts movies! But if you only enjoyed the first film because of it's atmosphere and soul (while tolerating the action), you may want to avoid this one.

Maggie (I) (2015)

Not for Arnold fans, but only because of him

[3/10 · 22 January 2016]

I wouldn't recommend this movie for die hard Arnold fans, but it is the example of when a movie tries to get some audience with the choice of actors. Arnold is still a big name and I was really curious to see his first real dramatic role in Maggie. So let's get things straight: Maggie is anything but an action movie! So better not handle it like one.

Why is the low score then? Well, because it's boring, gets nowhere, and lacks real emotional roller-coaster. At least one of these aspects should have been well made if this film would qualify as a good drama. According to the story there's an incurable plague reaping Earth's population. There's nothing to do, no antidote or whatsoever, jut slow, agonizing death...or...something like death. Zombies you know. We'll follow the story of Maggie, a freshly infected teenager and her family, mainly her father (Arnold) and step-mother, and how they coop with the given situation.

That could've gone anywhere but the movie fails to shine as a drama. There are some moving scenes, and the film is kind of depressing, but somehow it lacks. They try and fail. Not miserably, though. You know, when you are curious about another brand of something you like and it turns out to be worse than expected? But when you read the 'ingredients' the contents are pretty much the same as in the one you favor, but it's still bad. Maggie is the bad one, unfortunately.

I would still recommend for curious Arnold fans and for someone who's looking for a drama, or like zombie flicks no matter what. Arnold plays pretty well in this one - certainly nothing sort of spectacular, but he's decent. Still, anyone no-name actor with decent capabilities could've played the part, but that would've made Maggie an even less popular movie. Though even the combined forces of DiCaprio, Spacey and Day-Lewis couldn't have managed to save this from mediocrity.

Self/less (2015)

An action flick with some idea

[7/10 · 12 January 2016]

Self/less was a really fine experience for me, as I didn't expect this much although I liked the premise.

Story is that an aging and terminally ill businessman (played by Ben Kingsley, who gives one of his finest performances in a while) is still in the top of his game, but death is inevitable for him now. He struggles to accept that it's game over for him, so when he seems to have an opportunity to change things a bit, he grabs it without hesitation. A controversial and secret medical procedure called "shredding" transforms one's consciousness into a freshly made and perfectly healthy body, and side effects are minor. Damian is now becomes Edward (played surprisingly well by Ryan Reynolds), a human being with a new face, new identity but with the same memories. He can now continue where he's left off - but his former self of course had to die for the public, so it's kind of a one way ticket anyway. Damien is all happy now, he lives life, everything seems perfect - only that he has nightmares and strange yet extremely lifelike visions. When he tries to leave his temporary safe-house and see if he can uncover the story behind one of his visions, things run out of hand.

Self/less is a bit cliché but it 'tries'. It has a nice little (may I say fresh?) sci-fi story which is certainly not that thought-provoking, but better than expected. The pace of the movie fluctuates, we have less than expected action sequences but those are made well. What this movie did right is that I somewhat cared about the protagonist and wanted to see the outcome of the movie, it kept me in the edge of my seat most times - the movie is pretty exciting. Acting and casting is exceptionally good for the genre, most actors did a really fine job with this one. I also liked that the protagonist acts fairly reasonably in most cases - a delight in these times when most heroes are dumb but somehow end up victorious in the end.

What movie does bad is that it didn't try to avoid unnecessary cheesiness in some cases. There are way to many dumb clichés around the protagonist and his female/child companion. They are those scenes when you can tell the outcome of the story 30-45 minutes before it's on-screen, just because of badly written sentences. Also it would have been nice if there were a more philosophical approach towards the main idea behind the film. I don't demand a new Matrix here, just a tiny bit more than this, because the film uses the idea as a motor for new events (and that's OK) but it could have been more brave.

All in all, Self/less is a pretty good action movie with good acting, nice story and some heart as well. I really liked it, and if you like movies of the genre (The Island, Looper, Limitless and such), you don't want to miss this one!

Strike Back: Legacy: Part 10 (2015) Season 5, Episode 10

Bittersweet ending - Season review

[6/10 · 24 August 2015]

I really don't know what to say...Strike Back was something special to me since the story of John Porter ended and the 'buddies' got introduced. It was a fun, action-packed, dramatic, tense ride and this 5th season really wasn't that different, so why do I complain? You know it's like really good roller-coaster compared to a mediocre. They kind of have the same traits: fast, long, etc. but somehow one is much much better than the other. This 5th season was the mediocre one, unfortunately. We had a nice little back-story, a somewhat menacing antagonist, we had the good acting and lot's of bullets were fired. Still, this came out mediocre. The second half of the season (or maybe the whole) felt like the staff and crew knew that this is going to be the last one, and instead of taking the opportunity to kick some major butt for a very last time, they went stolid and phlegmatic, like 'why bother?!'. The writing was especially bad in most cases, considering all the situations Scott and Stonebridge had to solve. I can't believe that the writers still kept themselves to the templates of making section 20 look like a bunch of unlucky idiots: they keep screwing every mission while coming out alive and victorious at the end. They make one step forward and two steps backwards. There just has to be another way to keep things interesting for the audience, or is it (not to mention that somehow Scott manages to sleep with all those women again, no matter what, even in the most impossible locations and under the most ridiculous circumstances...)

One last thing: I know that Sulliven Stapleton had an injury and they had to delay shootings. Still, there is no way a battle-hardened soldier could look like the way he looks during the last episode with all that fat around his belly. They didn't even care this time. And that's unfortunate.

Strike Back: Legacy: Part 1 (2015) Season 5, Episode 1

Strike Back is Back!

[10/10 · 12 June 2015]

With the introduction of Stonebridge and Scott, Strike Back has become one of my favourite TV-series ever. Rarely you see a series getting better and better with each season. Now, after a seemingly endless time of waiting, they are back, and man, they are better than ever! According to the story, an ambassador's daughter has been kidnapped by some bad dudes in Thailand. Their motives are unclear, but they force the ambassador to do as they please. This is some serious issue, as in the meantime, the ambassador is a key figure in some diplomatic conference between the UK and North Korea, including other nations. Peace is fragile and the ambassador is being pulled by strings. He asks for help though: Philippe Locke, leader of Section 20 is a good friend of him, so Mike and Damien now have to act quickly and firmly to avoid a political catastrophe, which can easily lead to military aggression. This opening episode of the (sadly) last season of this great series packs a punch. I was on the edge of my seat for more than 40 minutes, and had to realize that Strike Back is (still) easily more exciting, better choreographed and action-packed than most big budget Hollywood movies nowadays. I am really looking forward to watch the next episode and see where this is going. So far, I am extremely optimistic about this season!

Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary (2010)

A Glorious Birthday Show!

[10/10 · 26 July 2013]

First of all I have to say that I have seen the movie before I dig into Les Mis on the internet, so somehow the movie could catch my attention back then, and I am so grateful for it that I won't compare it with this masterpiece. Secondly, this is my first ever review on IMDb so hurray! :)

What we've got here is a monumental show of pure talent and epicness, which is a must for all 'Les Mis' fans and for everyone who likes to listen to a musical masterpiece, and likes to get goosebumps all the time. The show took place at the O2 arena with hundreds of people participating. The setting is great, the lights and all technical stuff are excellent, the show sounds great, the mixing is very well made. The show has been conducted by the same conductor, who did the 10th anniversary concert back in 1995 (David Charles Abell), and he did one hell of a job, not a single flaw in the play of the orchestra. The cast is a brilliant one - well you could guess that something big is happening when musical giants like Earl Carpenter, or Hadley Fraser only get minor roles... There's a really large choir behind the orchestra, and they really make a punch when it is time for extra amount of epicness (like One Day More). The backing vocalist are also great (in numbers as well), everyone in minor roles (prostitutes, workers, the students) are great, this cast was chosen really carefully, that's for sure. I give a solid 10 for the supporting section of the cast.

Earl Carpenter plays the bishop, and he delivers a fine performance, worthy of his reputation. He's really gentle but powerful at the same time. 10/10

Hadley Fraser plays Grantaire and he makes the new standard for the role with his performance. His baritone is a joy to listen to and they have a unique chemistry with Ramin. 10/10

Katie Hall plays Cosette and she's excellent as well. I think that the role of Cosette has few moments to shine or to stand out, but Katie gives a fine performance, so no worries here. 8,5/10

Lea Salonga is Fantine, and 15 years after she played Eponine during the 10th anniversary show, she delivers this role incredibly well. Her "I Dreamed a Dream" earns her a big applause and some standing ovation as well. Her low harmonics makes her voice quite unique, and that's something I really like. 9/10

Matt Lucas plays Thenardier and he enjoys his role very much. It is fun to see that Matt's dream comes true on-stage, so be ready for a benefit performance. I found him good. 8/10. Madame Thenardier is played by the veteran Jenny Galloway, so no surprises here :) 8/10

Now one controversial choice of singer: the role of Marius is played by Nick Jonas, member of the (in)famous Jonas Brothers. While Nick tries hard, his acting suffers from many wounds, and his voice is at least one or two leagues weaker than the rest of the cast's. He is not good, not for this role at least. The only possible explanation (other than making steps towards his younger fan-base) is that his weaker voice and young looks help creating the impression that his character is innocent and needs guidance from the more mature characters he hangs out with. 4/10

The tragic role of Eponine is played by Sam Barks, and boy, she is awesome. She is a real beauty, that her looks can only be compared her wonderful singing. Her 'On my own' earns her the show's biggest applause till then. 10/10

Enjorlas is played by musical prodigy Ramin Karimloo. He is absolutely incredible and for me, he is the best Enjorlas ever. His commanding performance and seemingly limitless range of voice is a joy to watch and listen to over and over again! 10/10

Norm Lewis is Javert, and the great afro-American singer gives an excellent performance. The role of Javert is possibly the best role in the musical and definitely has the most depth, so it is common that singers make their own interpretation and Norm is no exception. His enunciation is somewhat controversial, but I love his Javert anyway. He is not as good as Quast (and I found EC's Javert better as well), but he gives a commanding presence and a great 'Stars' and soliloquy with full of emotion. 8,5/10

As you can see, the cast is superb, but the real deal is Alfie Boe as JVJ. Now Alfie sets new standards for the singing part of the role, and he is in his own league. He makes you feel that there are absolutely no limits to his wonderful voice as he makes those high Bs and Cs come out so clear and loud like no JVJ did before. His acting is a little stiff here and there, but maybe because his operatic-style of singing and acting, but he compensates it with facial emotions. Stunning. World Class. His 'Bring him home' earned him a standing ovation for minutes. The whole show stopped because of him! 10/10

After the show ends, there are two extra songs involving the original and then-current casts from London. Bring Him Home is presented by the 4 Valjeans and One Day More by the original 1985 cast. Good extras!

One more thing I really like in this concert: you can clearly feel the love between the cast members, and how the story and the incredible talent of Alfie Boe touch them. For me, these scenes are almost as important as good performances.

Well, what can you say? This show made me love Les Mis, and I'm seriously in love with the show itself as well. Brilliant masterpiece which has to be listened to over and over again!