Vansnitchzel Reviews

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

Just like the books.

[10/10 · 27 November 2021]

Yes, the story significant changes. After seeing the first episodes, I was unsure whether it was just going to crash, but 4th episode nailed it.

The story jut has far too much exposition needed early on. TV Series doesn't have +300 pages to establish everything, and add interesting thoughtful dialogue and some action along and carry the story too.

It's just can't be done. The way they have managed to set things up here is ingenious, and have to say I don't know, how it could have been done better, while keeping the people not knowing the books engaged.

First three episodes are very comparable to first book, getting pieces and bits line up for follow up. With fourth, they truly got in the groove and catched the spirit and style of source material. And it feels new and exciting even when you know the books, without taking anything out.

Remarkable, how well this episode turned out, and I hope and trust they can keep it up.

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

It's not what I expected, but feels perfectly right.

[10/10 · 21 November 2021]

I have been fan of the books since I started reading them 20 years ago, so I really can't be perfectly objective here, but I wanted to address couple of things some don't seem to like in the show.

1) It generic:

Yes it is. The story starts as a generic fantasy, because it's scope is massive and needs tons of exposition and build up. It took Jordan three books to set up everything, after which the series becomes one of the greatest fantasy ever written for 3-5 books onwards.

I think limited to just these three episodes, they have made much better job at pushing things forward I would have expected. Game of Thrones is poor comparison, because it's so much simpler so they could get things up and running right away.

2) Woke casting:

When I saw the casting, I kind of hated it. None looked like I thought and I they just seemed out of place for the series.

Now after 3 episodes I must say they did great job. Of course tv adaption is going to be different from ones imagination and the world and characters truly feel right and alive.

If you think variety doesn't fit to the world, think again: The huge, racially and culturally varied subcontinent of WoT has history full of wars, and at one point, unification of everything under one kingdom. Aiel war, that messed up entire said subcontinent, just ended 20 years before the start of the show, moving people around en masses last time.

Then there's huge number of factions and systems that collect and move around people from all over the world: White Tower, Whitecloaks, tinkerers, armies of nobility, traders, mercenaries, etc...

And like said, Jordan very rarely mentioned specific racial traits of characters. He did wrote that people of Two Rivers had darker complexion than other Andorans though, so keep that in mind.

3) Casting

I don't get what people complain. One great thing in WoT is how most characters are pretty smart and in control of themselves mostly. Not much of that crappy over the top drama and embarrasingly constant tongue in cheek attitude, that most show today seem to go for.

They're farm boys (and girl) out in the world first time. They should seem confused, they shouldn't be good fighters, they shouldn't be able to handle everything well. And that shows brilliantly.

Nynaeve is exactly what she should, and Rand just as wooden, out of touch and simple as he is in the books: If you don't remember, it took him to fourth book to actually grasp well his ways around the world and other people (at least somewhat), and still he just is that kind of person that may throw a tantrum, or lock up if getting pushed.

And Mat really became the guy we loved in the books in around third book. Remember?

For all of them they we're just bunch of random youngsters from a small village doing what they could to survive in the beginning. And they perfectly catch that in the show.

This seems like it's going to be a great adaption of Wheel of Time. Not like I'd done it, but that's every readers personal thing.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

Slow, thoughtful, nihilistic and utterly depressing gut punch.

[9/10 · 10 June 2020]

Considering the "intended audience", I never expected to like these movies. I was utterly wrong... I'm reviewing both parts here because they are same story just split in two.

Catching fire tried really hard to be something different, and special movie on it's own right and didn't get there. But it didn't need to, because it was very obviously just lead up to this final.

I guess everybody expected series like this to go out in a typical hollywood grande finale; as action packed thriller with heroes coming out on top.

Instead, Mockingjay is slow, thoughtful, nihilistic and utterly depressing gut punch. Brutally honest movie about the realities of human society. I really didn't guess Hollywood could produce a big budget movie like this these days. Especially in this genre, and it really wouldn't work the same if it wasn't.

These movies have so many sides that could be written about, so I only pick out one:

I expected Katniss to be your typical young adult heroine... Instead being honest dephtful character that only becomes more apparent further the story goes. First glance I thought her coldness and sudden hits of weakness was just poor writing. But shes teenage girl, who's constantly pushed and forced to do everything she does throughout story.

She doesn't want any of it and appears cruel and cold, understanding that she is, which makes her hate herself as well as the outside world for it. Knowing that she has to be, she still wants and tries to be good. Finally she goes on to just take her revenge come hell or high water.

It goes as you'd expect such endeavour to go in real world. Events pushing her in to a full Travis Bickle mode in the end. She never recovers, eventually learning she can't but live her life, taking herself and world around her as they are.

It's tragic story of young people pushed to adulthood by aggression and violence. It's realistic depiction. Not just entertaining hollywood action.

The final movie drives home all the other themes as well. World is unfair and chaotic and we rarely can do anything about it. But that doesn't mean things we do don't matter.

I have to say Hunger Games might be one the most important scifi stories of 21st century. It's strange people haven't catched that yet, but I'm sure they will in the future.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

It truly is overrated film.

[8/10 · 9 March 2014]

2001: Space Odyssey, as stated here multiple times, really contains two stories. The brilliant claustrophobic thriller in traveling spaceship, and a philosophical art film about mankind, existence and evolution. It could have been a one of the best films ever made, but sadly Kubrick dropped the ball.

Problem is that the film seriously lacks content. It has brilliant pieces that stay separate to the end of the film and you can't really form any kind of summary or idea what it was about. Instead of a sequences that would allow audience to get the plot and idea, Kubrick added classical music and fancy picture art show.

Point being, if you can't follow the movie without reading a book about it, it is rather poorly made.