mcmikey Reviews

Hijack (2023)

Fun but utter nonsense

[10/10 · 1 July 2023]

We really got into this after watching the first episode, even though there are so many obvious errors it's ridiculous. You really have to leave your common sense at the door or know nothing about aircraft to find this in any way believable. If the Captain just Squawked 7500 as soon as he was aware what was going on the whole show would be wrapped up in the first episode. However - if you just go with it you'll find they manage to create a suitably tense atmosphere which left us wanting more. I think the soundtrack helped here a lot. Apple gives us two episodes to be going on with - and to echo another review: why? Are they scared we won't resubscribe or something? That is so annoying! Just dump the whole thing Apple and let us watch it. Disney + is the same.

Anyway in summary - leave your common sense at the door and enjoy!

Severance (2022– )

"The Prisoner" for the 21st Century

[10/10 · 18 July 2022]

This is a fantastic show. I put off watching it because it looked a bit odd and not my cup of tea if eventually started watching and I'm glad I did. The acting and direction are top notch as noted in the other reviews but the story reminds me very much of the 1960s series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan. By this I mean there is an air of menace and mystery and at the point I'm at in the show you don't really know what's going on - it's sometimes funny, dark or gruesome but always very odd. Watch it and see what you think!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

A worthy tribute to the original

[10/10 · 6 February 2022]

Reading the negative reviews on here I can't help thinking the reviewers weren't even born in 1984. For those of us who saw the original movie at the cinema and got caught up in the hysteria at the time I will say this is a worthy and touching tribute to the original film. I mean really - what else could they have done? How could they have made it better? If you love the original you'll love this. It has all the musical cues and effects, the original music, a good storyline, and cameos from the original characters just when they're needed. But they look old now! (although Dayna Barrett seems a bit tacked on at the last minute just so they could say she was in it). After watching this and throughly enjoying it I went back to watch the original and it was a seemless transition. Highly recommended to the original fans.

Dracula (2020)

A worthy addition to the Dracula legend

[9/10 · 5 January 2020]

Having struggled through the BBC's recent woeful adaption of War of the Worlds, I was more than a little sceptical of this offering. But with Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat at the helm it had to be worth a look. And what a result! An excellent adaptation, smoothly segueing between the original timeline and the present day, with some very sharp observations on modern culture. I hadn't come across Claes Bang before, but I can confidently say he is to Dracula what Jeremy Brett is to Sherlock Holmes. Well worth a watch.

Moonshot (2009 TV Movie)

Very watchable low budget version

[7/10 · 2 February 2019]

In 2019 comparisons will inevitably be drawn between this film and First Man. If this film was made with the budget of First Man it would be a winner. It was more watchable than First Man. Armstrong's character is far more rounded than the morose and withdrawn character in the other film. You can believe in him much more here, and that connects you and draws you into the film. There is a fair amount of stock Nasa footage used which interestingly they have managed to lipsynch to the Nasa audio. This is a much vaunted feature of the upcoming Apollo 11 documentary. What really lets this film down are the silly mistakes. If you are not a space buff you probably won't notice, but if you are - prepare to be frustrated! The floating space pen has already been mentioned in other reviews, but for me the incorrect wristwatches (which got a far amount of screen time) and footwear made me roll my eyes. The DVD can be picked up very cheaply online and if you're into this stuff it's definitely worth a loo.