femkemvs Reviews

The Masked Singer: 2 Night Season Premiere, Part 1: Group A Premiere (2021) Season 6, Episode 1

And the judging is still garbage

[4/10 · 23 September 2021]

Seriously? Why do the judges keep eliminating good singers in favour of keeping the bad ones with personality or performance? I am beginning to get fed up with it and it almost makes me want to stop watching. Season 2 was the best because the judging was actually fair! Stop making things more frustrating!

Pufferfish absolutely should have gone home here. She was the worst singer of the night by a LONG shot and I was frankly quite shocked she wasn't announced as the first eliminated. Mother Nature was a good singer with tons of personality, not to mention that she is one of the only good-looking masks this season. It is just so disappointing to see her go so early for such a dumb reason.

Loki: For All Time. Always. (2021) Season 1, Episode 6

Disappointing

[2/10 · 15 July 2021]

I think I've realized why these shows keep missing on the finale. The finale is reserved for the future of the MCU, NOT the characters, story and themes of the show itself. I know some people will like that, but I prefer to be invested in the moment for what the series has been doing, with small hints of what's coming next, like they did in Wandavision and TFATWS.

THIS, just cut out the middle man and made the entire last episode focus on the future of the MCU. Why? We all knew that this series would have repercussions for the whole series, but up to this point, it had been focused entirely on its original characters and story. It felt like, just like Wandavision, that they threw out everything they'd been building up in favour of following one character - and this one wasn't even the main character of the series!

It is simply not narratively-rewarding to have the ultimate antagonist, the guy they've been building up this whole time, be someone we've never heard of and who only comic book fans would pick up on. It felt like being hit with a train that, oh, this guy is gonna be the next big bad and we're gonna make you sit here and listen to him for most of the episode. Thanos worked because they teased him for literal years, building up suspense as to who he is and what he wants. This episode took suspense, threw it out the window and said, "here's the villain. Have fun."

The series had been fundamentally about Loki and Sylvie the whole time and they were so uninvolved in the finale that it felt like they became side characters in their own story. The needs of the MCU should not circumvent the needs of the individual entries, ESPECIALLY a tv series. You invest all your time into a series that then spits in your face and calls it set up for the future. They literally ground the show to a halt to have He Who Remains spend most of it relaying exposition, which left less than 10 minutes in the end for our main characters to come to a conclusion.

I get that the story is not yet finished, but the ending was so abrupt with so little time to comprehend what has happened that it just feels cheap. The second season does look promising, but I just wish they had ended this one better.

The Masked Singer: Semifinals (2021) Season 5, Episode 12

This season is so rigged...

[3/10 · 20 May 2021]

Yeti was supposed to win the season. There is absolutely no way that he should have gone home over the Chameleon. They keep sending home the best singers for reasons I do not know. I swear that fourth place is cursed because they keep eliminating some of the best singers of the season in that spot.

The only reason my rating isn't lower was the amazing and hilarious reveal of Cluedledoo, which saved the episode in a way. But still, sending Yeti home was such a bad decision that I'm questioning why I still support this riggery.

The Masked Singer: Season 5 Premiere - Return of the Masks (2021) Season 5, Episode 1

Anticlimactic and rigged

[3/10 · 11 March 2021]

I thought the show had actually gotten its judging in order after last season, which had few poor judging choices, but looks like we're back to the kind of judging that plagued season 3. There is no way that Snail should have gone home over Racoon. It doesn't matter that the Racoon gave a better performance; the show is called the Masked SINGER, not the Masked PERFORMER. Seems the judges can't remember this.

And speaking of the Snail's reveal, it was so anticlimactic. Look, I love Kermit the Frog, but I was expecting a real person in there. The least they could have done was show us the human controlling him, who I imagine is his current performer, Matt Vogel, but I guess that would have broken the magic for kids watching. I really expected it to be Seth McFarlane performing a stunt, so I'm just disappointed overall.

I know this will probably be an unpopular opinion, but the season opened with a bit of a bust for me.

RuPaul's Drag Race: World's Worst (2020) Season 12, Episode 3

Totally Accurate Ratings

[4/10 · 9 March 2021]

Regardless of the disqualification scandal, the low ratings for this episode are spot on. There is no way that Sherry should have won this challenge. Heidi and Jackie were both funnier than her in the challenge and this was totally Heidi's challenge to win. If Sherry was funny in the challenge, they certainly didn't show it in the episode. The episode was clearly rigged in Sherry's favour because, before the scandal, the producers had chosen her as a front runner. Bet they're regretting that decision now...

WandaVision: The Series Finale (2021) Season 1, Episode 9

Good, but ultimately anticlimactic

[7/10 · 6 March 2021]

The best way to describe the finale is that it was good; just not as good as the rest of the series.

There were a lot of elements in this episode that were great. The conclusion to Wanda's story arc was so bittersweet and heartfelt, and the door it left open for her future storyline was juicy. There was also some great action and visuals, as well as set ups for future Marvel films.

However, there were also elements that were ultimately disappointing in the long run. Agatha was kinda butchered as a villain, the supporting characters were barely involved (or wrapped up their storylines) and the climax devolved into another Marvel action scene.

I feel that the series would have benefited from an additional episode. Think of Stranger Things season 2. Like Wandavision, it also had an episode that focused entirely on one character's backstory and emotional growth, but rather than transitioning straight into the finale, it had an episode in between them that explored what was happening with all the other characters. I think Wandavision would have really benefited from that, because the supporting cast just felt tacked on in this episode since they had to cram them all in within the time limit. It took away from their stories and Wanda's in the long run.

The finale is by no means bad; it's just a little disappointing. The show as a whole was amazing and some of the best work Marvel has ever done. It just didn't quite stick the landing.

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

A Most Mediocre Adventure!

[6/10 · 27 September 2020]

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a classic and one of my all-time favourite movies. Bogus Journey, while admittedly a little too bizarre for me, was still a good follow-up that proved a surprisingly worthy sequel despite the complete tonal shift. Face the Music is a pretty average film with some absolutely hilarious moments and some pretty dumb ones too. It's easily the worst of the three Bill & Ted movies, but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie overall and I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

It's best to address the bad parts first since they stick out strongly and are pretty easy to identify. Keanu Reaves' acting was... not good and you could tell he just was not comfortable playing a dumb valley boy after decades trying to distance himself from the role. It was even more apparent beside Alex Winter, who was giving his all in playing Bill again. Funnily enough, Keanu seemed far more comfortable playing the older versions of Ted, as he was hilarious in those roles.

The story was also all over the place and really confusing (even for Bill & Ted standards, which says a lot). It bounced to different characters constantly and I was never quite sure what exactly was happening or what the stakes were, which resulted in a complete lack of suspense. It definitely could have used some more refining to make it smoother.

However, despite those flaws, there were some definite highlights to the film. Bill and Ted's daughters were amazing and major props to the actresses (especially Brigette Lundy-Paine) for pulling off incredible impressions of the young Bill and Ted in the original films. Their storyline was (ironically) far better than that of the actual Bill and Ted and felt more like the spirit of the original films.

The jokes were often hit or miss, but when they hit, they were great. I won't spoil them, but some running gags from the previous two films continued and I loved them so much.

Overall, it was underwhelming, but still kept the spirit of the original films, even if it heavily missed the mark on some areas. I didn't love it, but I don't really hate it either. It was pretty average and that's about the best way to sum up this movie.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Dangerous Debt (2020) Season 7, Episode 7

Where's the focus?

[1/10 · 4 May 2020]

This group of episodes felt less about Ahsoka and more about those damn Martez sisters. If they had been more interesting characters or somehow better connected to other elements of the universe, perhaps this might have worked, but these two are amongst the most pointless and annoying characters in all of Star Wars. If this were a regular season of Clone Wars with 20+ episodes, I would be more forgiving, but if you only have twelve episodes to complete the show, what is the point of not focusing entirely on its primary characters?

I understand that they needed a way to get Ahsoka associated with the Mandalorians, but there were so many better ways to go about this. I think it would have been more interesting to focus on Ahsoka's struggles immediately after leaving the Jedi and then having a timeskip to connect her to the Mandalorians. It would have cut the filler and actually focused entirely on Ahsoka, rather than characters we will never see again.

This episode is particularly offensive because you could cut everything but a few seconds and it wouldn't matter in the end. They end up exactly where they started and only Bo Katan's appearance makes any actual progress for the series. There are only twelve episodes for the final season, so every episode matters and this one was an absolute waste. They're lucky they hit it out of the park with the other two arcs; otherwise, this would have been six years of waiting for nothing.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Extremely creative, but lacking in charm

[6/10 · 13 April 2020]

While I do think that a film about the internet personified would be better and funnier as an R-rated one, the creativity in this movie is through the roof. Practically every shot in the middle of the movie is filled to the brim with in-jokes, Easter eggs and creative interpretations of popular sites. I particularly enjoyed Instagram as an art gallery and of course, the Oh My Disney scene was just as amazing as the trailers made it out to be.

However, aside from the creative interpretation of the internet, this film is a dip in quality and charm compared to the first. A big part of that comes from the focus being entirely on Ralph and Venelope. While their relationship is very strong and dynamic, the choice to focus almost completely on them is to the detriment of the film. Felix and Calhoun appear only briefly at the beginning and end and it feels as if their characters were wasted. A funny joke was set up with them looking after the racers and the movie never followed through, save for a cop-out joke at the end. I feel they could have been utilized more, particularly given their important roles in the first film.

The charm especially does not compare to the first. Though an important lesson is taught, Ralph comes across as extremely unlikable throughout most of the film, making it feel like his development in the first movie meant nothing. Vanelope suffers as well for two reasons. 1. Her entire arc is contradictory to a major plot in the first film. Ralph left his game and caused major repercussions for everyone in it, leading to a change in attitude from everyone. Here, Vanelope leaves her game and nothing bad comes of it. See the problem? 2. The lesson taught in the process is a really bad one. Her arc comes about because she's bored. So leaving her friends, family and job because she's bored is a viable reason for her to do it. It really takes away from her character and makes her seem extremely selfish, even more than she usually is.

Another element that I think could have been used better was online gaming. While it does feature, for a film series based on video games and revolving around them, I think the film would have benefitted from utilizing them more. Slaughter Race was only touching the surface of online gaming and I think it might have fit better with the established world and narrative to have the movie revolve around that rather than social media, especially considering that the latter will likely make it quite dated in the future.

This by no means means that this is a bad movie. It's funny, creative and can be entertaining at times, but suffers from a slow start, underwhelming climax, underused characters and a poor script. With some tweaks, it could have lived up to the first, but what it ended up as pales compared to the first. The creativity is there, but the charm certainly has taken a dip.

RuPaul's Drag Race (2009– )

A great show (which has lost its way)

[8/10 · 22 March 2020]

Every generation has its tv shows that sweep the airwaves. Rupaul's Drag Race is certainly amongst those for this millennium. It's not just a show; it's a cultural phenomenon that has brought the art of drag to the mainstream and earned countless fans in the lgbtqa+ community and beyond.

Drag Race is among the better reality tv competition shows because it is so fun and inventive. There's a little bit of everything in there, from fashion to comedy to acting to singing. Many of the queens to come out of the show are icons and have helped make drag as popular as it is today.

However, where Drag Race in the past seemed to be above the usual shady reality show tricks, in recent seasons it has become more and more unfair and seems to be more rigged than it ever was. Most fans agree that the show's peak was seasons 5 and 6, but since then (for the most part) it has been losing its way. Season 7 is famous for being a disaster, season 9 was good but the change in format for determining the winner was one of the shadiest things Rupaul has done, season 10 was messy and season 11 was the most unfair season of the show so far. Storyline and drama seems to have become the show's primarily focus, sacrificing fair judging for causing a stir. Yet, the earlier seasons did not need this to create a good story. Season 5 had the best storyline of any season and it didn't feel manufactured or forced by the judges. There was a definite attempt to replicate it in season 11, but because it wasn't natural, it didn't work. Things like that make the enjoyment for the show go down, along with the quality.

This does not mean the show has become awful, but it has experienced a drop in quality. The earlier seasons will always be the peak of the show and unless Rupaul changes the way things are done, I think the show will continue to go downhill.

The Masked Singer (2019–2024)

Stupid, but I can't stop watching it

[8/10 · 15 March 2020]

This show is not high-quality television in the slightest nor is it really high-quality reality show tv either. However, the Masked Singer possesses a certain je ne sais quoi that I haven't seen in any other reality competition show.

Its biggest draw for me is how engaging it is. The anonymity itself creates intrigue immediately and I've never been quite so invested in finding out a person's identity as I have with this show. True, the celebrities revealed are often obscure, barely even famous and/or came to fame either very recently or very long ago, but the exhilaration of guessing one correctly is a great feeling. The show runners do their best to make each episode interesting and the clue packages are easily some of the highlights of each episode.

My big complaint is that the show can be a bit on the rigged side. For a show called the Masked SINGER, the bad singers seem to stay on a lot longer than they should if they give a good physical performance (*cough* White Tiger *cough*). They also seem to elevate the drama unnecessarily from time to time by sending good singers home in favour of the continuing storyline of a not so great one.

Still, I would recommend this to anyone who's a sucker for reality competition shows a la Dancing with the Stars. The costumes are stunning (for the most part) and some of the performances are mind-blowing. If you are easily bothered by puns though, be warned: this show loves them.

RuPaul's Drag Race: Bring Back My Queens! (2019) Season 11, Episode 11

Bad decisions across the board

[1/10 · 8 February 2020]

Wow. Talk about the piece de resistance of poor decisions made by RuPaul. Most episodes that boast a bad decision usually only have one, whether it be a poor choice of winner or a really badly judged elimination. This episode has not one, not two, but THREE choices done in really poor taste. Had the choices been altered, this had the chance to be one of the best episodes of the season, with a deserved comeback and a long-coming elimination wrapped up in one, but instead, we got this mess.

Addressing the first, Yvie Oddly should not have been ranked low. While I'm not the biggest personal fan of hers, the jeans look was ingenious and chock full of detail. My guess would be that the judges were filling a status quo as no one else's outfits would fit into a low position and they felt they needed one, despite there having been previous episodes where there was no third low spot, just a bottom two. Whatever it was, it was a poorly made choice.

Secondly, Vanjie should have won the challenge. It would have been the perfect comeback for her and proven that despite a lot of struggling, she still had it in her to pull through. Her makeover of Ariel was stunning. I didn't even recognize Ariel the first time I saw her; that's how good it was! Brook Lynn's was also very good, but Plastique is an extremely easy person to makeover and there were definite colour coordination issues with the outfits. I don't believe this snub should come from the fact that Vanjie hadn't won a challenge beforehand, as Miz Cracker and Yara Sofia both demonstrated that it is possible to win your first challenge near the end of the season. It was the worst challenge win decision of the entire show.

Finally, Nina West's elimination should not have happened. Yes, that lipsync was an absolute mess, but at least Nina kept it somewhat polished. Silky was a complete disaster, with botched wardrobe reveals, slips, missed lyrics and clumsy movements. Silky's elimination was also long overdo, with her presence on the show lasting far longer than it should have. I know RuPaul probably really liked her and that's why she stayed, but I don't think that mentality should be present when judging a lipsync performance. Even sending both home would have been a better decision than eliminating Nina.

This was one of those episodes with potential to be really fun and great that was just brought down by bad choice after bad choice. If it was done for the drama and scandal, then that's just dirty to the contestants who deserved better, especially this late into an already messy season.

RuPaul's Drag Race: Grand Finale (2017) Season 9, Episode 14

Entertaining, but unfair

[5/10 · 4 February 2020]

There is no doubt that the lip sync smackdown for the crown makes for a more enjoyable finale. However, its introduction marked a change in Drag Race towards the worse.

I've discussed this in my review of season 11's finale, so I won't get into it too much, but by making the determining factor only two lipsyncs, it takes anything accomplished over the course of the season and throws it out the window, meaning that a queen who skated by in the competition (not that there has been one yet) could potentially win the crown if she does a killer lipsync. Think about it this way: would you be cool if Coco Montrese won the crown, despite her terrible performance? Probably not, but people have just accepted this as what Drag Race is now.

Shea Coulee should have won the season, given that she was the only queen other than Sharon Needles to win four challenges in a regular season. That accomplishment alone should have guaranteed her the crown, along with her flexible, entertaining performances she consistently showed. A part of me wonders if the lipsync for the crown was introduced purely to screw with that and allow RuPaul to play favourites. It is no secret that "avant-garde" queens do VERY well on the show, with only a couple not being named the winners, namely Acid Betty. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Sasha Velour was the favourite to win but the producers knew that naming her the winner under normal circumstances would incite fan backlash. Whatever the reason, I think it was unfair to Shea and a dirty tactic that the fans just ate up because of the entertainment value.

Does this mean I didn't like Sasha's amazing wig reveal? No. That was probably one of the best lipsyncs in the show's history. What I am saying is that I don't believe that lipsync should have happened in the first place. It is unfair to the queens' hard work over the season and something done purely for drama and entertainment.

The Legend of Korra (2012–2014)

A worthy successor

[10/10 · 3 February 2020]

When I usually see or hear people talking about Korra, they almost always begin by calling it good, but inferior to The Last Airbender. I have a different take, as I think both series are good in their own unique ways and Korra (both the character and the series) serves as the perfect foil to the original.

Much like the original takes adult topics and translates them to be understood by children, Korra follows a very similar mandate, but in a different way. Fitting with the older protagonist, Korra looks at themes more befitting to its more mature characters and audience. Mental health is a strong overarching theme to the series, particularly as we watch a strong, confident Avatar slowly lose her confidence and struggle to gain it back. In that sense, Korra's journey mirrors Aang's by having a physically strong, confident person struggle to empower her mind and spirit, instead of the opposite journey as Aang had.

As many people point out, the romantic subplots are the weakest part of the series because there are too many and most go nowhere, but I am not opposed to the idea. It is realistic to have a primarily teenage cast wrest with this and most of the romance subplots happen in the first season, showing that much like Korra's journey as the Avatar, she is still trying to discover her place in the world. They get fewer as the seasons go on, reflecting how the series and its characters are maturing.

I don't see Korra in any way as inferior or better than the original series. It is simply a different perspective, that I know some people will not like, especially hardcore fans of the original because they have certain expectations about how they think it should go. Korra has a lot of depth to it that needs a keen eye to be seen. The messages and themes may not be as obvious as the original series, but they are there and they are important. Top that off with some amazing animation, loveable characters and incredible action sequences, and you have a series that is great all around.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker

[10/10 · 6 January 2020]

In an iconic franchise that has highs and lows, Revenge of the Sith stands out as one of the best films in Star Wars. While certainly not taking home the awards for best writing, it more than makes up for that with the best action, visuals and score out of the entire saga.

Revenge of the Sith stands out for being so strikingly different from any other movie in the Star Wars franchise in tone and visuals, but not in a bad way. The darker tone fits with the story and is welcome in a franchise usually about the good guys triumphing over the villains. The dark tone of Sith plays especially well in the Order 66 massacre scene and during Obi-Wan and Anakin's legendary duel, particularly when paired with John Williams unique score. Revenge of the Sith has the most variation to its musical score than any other Star Wars film, which is why I personally consider it to be the best. Very little of the music is lifted from previous films and the strong presence of vocals creates an eerie environment in many of the scenes, especially Padme's ruminations.

The acting improved for this movie, particularly Hayden Christiansen, who demonstrated in scenes where he is silent that it is rather bad dialogue than poor acting which caused the problems in the previous two movies. The scenes where he does not say a single word and instead simply uses his expressions are powerful and even heartbreaking. Ewan McGregor is fantastic as always and through his performance, you can truly feel Obi-Wan's grief at losing his friend to the Dark Side.

Revenge of the Sith stands out as not just the best film in the prequel trilogy, but one of the best films in the Star Wars saga. It is better than all the sequel trilogy combined and needs more praise for what it brought to the table. Sith is truly the great tragedy of the Star Wars universe, but not in a negative way. While it had a rocky beginning, the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker certainly delivered in the end.

Star Wars: Rebels (2014–2018)

Not awful, but nowhere near great

[5/10 · 5 January 2020]

The best way to describe Rebels is to take Clone Wars and reduce the quality of the animation, writing and characters enough to make it inferior, but not horrible. That's not to say that Rebels did not have its great moments, but you have to sift through a lot of content that is at best harmlessly childish and at worst beyond annoying.

Rebels' biggest problems come from its main characters, the people you are supposed to care about. Hera is the only one of the main group with any actual sense and good characterization, while the rest (with maybe the exception of Kanan) range from annoying to depthless cardboard cutouts. Where Clone Wars had the issue that you knew most of the characters would survive because they appeared in Revenge of the Sith, Rebels has the problem that you don't care enough about any of them to be worried that something could happen. Ironically, the best parts of the show are those related to Clone Wars, either featuring characters or ideas from it, proving the impact those characters have more than these new ones.

Rebels is definitely a show reflective of who it is aimed at: preteens. I have no doubt that younger Star Wars fans would enjoy it, given that it has bright colours, is very rarely dark or mature and appeals directly to them with its younger protagonist, but for fans of Clone Wars and the films, its flaws will quickly appear. It has enough Clone Wars fanservice to appeal to fans of that show, but only on two occasions does it actually deliver. The season 2 finale was the closest Rebels got to Clone Wars in quality and a short grouping of episodes in the fourth season is also very good.

As for the rest, it's fine, but you'd be better just rewatching Clone Wars again.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Nomad Droids (2011) Season 4, Episode 6

Why does this episode exist...?

[2/10 · 27 December 2019]

The fourth season of Clone Wars was absolutely fantastic... save for this anomaly. It is one of the weakest episodes of the series and definitely the strangest.

To sum it up: this episode is an homage to the Wizard of Oz and Gulliver's Travels. As if that wasn't strange enough, it focuses entirely on C-3PO and R2-D2, one of which does not talk, meaning the majority of this episode consists of 3PO either talking to R2 or translating what R2 is saying. It just feels out of place, especially this late into the game. I will give it credit that it's visually interesting, but aside from that, not much to this one.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Overlords (2011) Season 3, Episode 15

Powerful, strong and thoughtful.

[10/10 · 27 December 2019]

The Mortis Arc of episodes (Overlords, Altar of Mortis, Ghosts of Mortis) was the first true example of how Clone Wars could go beyond the films and bring incredible new things into the Star Wars canon. It was already a good series up to this point, but these episodes really showed how it could be great.

Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka end up on a mysterious, ethereal world that seems innately connected to The Force. There, they meet a group of individuals who seem to personify different aspects of The Force, being Light, Darkness and Balance. From there, they must find a way off of the world, while also forced to confront their inner fears and regrets.

The Mortis Arc delivered some of the best visuals the show had to offer, along with new concepts that really added to the Star Wars mythos. The mystery of Mortis is intriguing, while the lore it adds is breathtaking and thought-provoking. It also stands on its own, meaning you could just watch these episodes without watching the main series and still get a lot out of it.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Rookies (2008) Season 1, Episode 5

Best Episode of the First Season

[8/10 · 27 December 2019]

The first season of Clone Wars was very hit and miss overall and is definitely the weakest of its (so far) six seasons. This was the best episode of that season and still holds up as one of the best of the entire show.

Rookies demonstrates one of the show's major strong points: the Clones themselves. It is the first of several Clone-centric episodes and although you only know these Clones for under 30 minutes, the episode is able to quickly establish their individual personalities and make you care for them. Two in particular would go on to be some of the series' best and most beloved original Clone characters.

Definitely a great episode and worth a watch.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Ambush (2008) Season 1, Episode 1

A Good Start to a Great Series

[7/10 · 27 December 2019]

This episode perfectly set up the feeling of the entire series. It is a simple, contained story focusing Yoda and a group of Clones and the trials they must face. While nothing particularly special compared to the later episodes, it does its job well in establishing characters, tone and the groundwork for later development. It does particularly well with the Clones themselves, who are given individual personalities and defined as individual characters instead of variations of the same person, something the show would do very well as the seasons went on.

While nowhere near the best episode of the series or even cracking the top 10 for me, this is still a good episode and a good premier for the entire show.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Lawless (2013) Season 5, Episode 16

The Best Episode of the Series

[10/10 · 27 December 2019]

Clone Wars has had many great episodes, but this one is above and beyond the best of the show. It is cinematic, mature, well-written, beautifully-animated, and features one of the best lightsaber duels in not only the show, but the entire franchise.

The Lawless is the culmination of several ongoing storylines that go back to the second season of the show. In only 30 minutes, it manages to deliver a satisfying and explosive conclusion that several of the films weren't able to do in over two hours. It melds love, death, drama, action and atmosphere perfectly, making this episode a true testament to the skills of the writers.

It is worth watching for any fan of the show or even any fan of Star Wars in general. Powerful, dark and gripping, it will make any doubter of Clone Wars realize how great the series can be.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)

Fantastic in every single way

[10/10 · 27 December 2019]

There is no way to describe how amazing Star Wars: The Clone Wars is. As someone who watched it straight from its premier, I have been a loyal fan from day one.

This series has something for everyone, whether you be a Star Wars fan, an animation fan, whether you like certain characters and genres, or were simply interested to see what happened between Episodes 2 and 3. As an anthology series, it does not need to be watched in order to be appreciated nor do you need to watch every episode to understand what's happening. It had both high and low points, but the better episodes far outweigh and outnumber the bad ones. The animation, writing, action and visuals increased in quality with each passing season, making it one of the very few shows that got better as it went on.

Clone Wars is worth seeing for any fan of Star Wars. For anyone who might disregard this as a simple kid's show, I can assure you that it is certainly not. It is darker and more mature than the movies at points, with writing and action that is equal and at times exceeds the films in quality. It is a worthy inclusion to the Star Wars universe and deserving of more praise and attention.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Such a disappointment

[5/10 · 18 December 2019]

I wanted to like this movie. Star Wars has always been my favourite film franchise and this was my first time seeing a new one in the theatre. It was such a disappointment, especially considering what it could have been. If your nostalgia for the original trilogy outweighs any other opinions you would have, I have no doubt you would like this movie because that's what it is: a feature-length "tribute" to the original three movies. But that's where its biggest problem lies.

The Force Awakens tries to recapture the original trilogy, especially the first movie, but it has no charm to it. It's like a game of fill in the blanks: exchange Luke for Rey, Leia for Poe, Han for Finn, Vader for Kylo, throw in the same basic story and suck the life out of it. It might sound a little mean, but that's what this movie felt like. I swear they even referenced how they were just copying the first movie when they brought up the differences between the Death Star and Starkiller Base, like they knew what they were doing, which I have no doubt they did.

Don't get me wrong: it's entertaining and I still get some enjoyment watching it, but that doesn't stop its problems from coming to the forefront.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

New and unique

[8/10 · 18 December 2019]

The Last Jedi is a really good movie and it's a shame that people are so caught up in how it disappointed them to see that. It is not without its problems, but that does not preclude it from being one of the strongest films in the series and the best of the new trilogy.

There's incredible tension throughout the entire movie, accompanied by fantastic visuals and some really strong character development. For me, the problems do not lie with the film's revelations and major deaths, like many people see. Instead, I find them to be in certain story decisions. Finn and Rose's side story is so unnecessary, especially when you consider that if Holdo had just told everyone her plan, they would have never had to go on what felt like a side quest. It is the weakest part of the movie by a long shot and other things are just nitpicky.

Contrary to popular opinion, I believe that Snoke's death was a good thing for the series. Kylo Ren is both stronger as a villain and a character and killing Snoke was a necessary moment for him to move into the position his master held.

I also think that Luke's death was worthy of his character. If each of these movies were supposed to focus on one of the original trio (Han, Luke and Leia), it makes sense that they would have their arc and then die at the end to allow the new characters to take the stage. Could Luke's death have been handled better? Yes, but as it is, I don't think it's as awful as everyone makes it out to be.

The Last Jedi is a vast improvement on The Force Awakens, because rather than milking your nostalgia dry and playing it so safe it hurts, it dares to try new things. That will always cause division between people, but for me, I would much rather have something that dares to go beyond its predecessors.

Black Panther (2018)

Significant, but overrated

[5/10 · 16 December 2019]

There is no denying that Black Panther is an extremely important film, being a mainstream superhero movie with a mostly black cast that has good things to say. However, this does not excuse it from the major problems it contains.

I have never been so thoroughly able to predict the plot of a movie before. This is not to say that most Marvel movies don't have predictable plots, but with this one, it is more blatantly obvious than any other in the series. It is also not aided by the fact that it has a boring protagonist in a movie where every other character is more interesting than he is. Because he has no real enticement as the lead, it quickly reveals the other problems more readily than other Marvel movies as you are paying more attention to them.

The only part of this film that really deserves the praise it got is Killmonger. He is a great villain, the most interesting character in the movie, and has some really worthy things to say. But he cannot save the entire movie, which is so generally mediocre. It's no doubt an important movie, but that does not mean it doesn't have problems.