Monthly Archives: May 2024

Star Trek: Discovery – Life, Itself & Season 5 – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – While you can tell this was never meant to be a season finale, it did still give us a lovely swan song for the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

The Binary Blackholes.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

All good things come to an end, and while it was never meant to be the final episode, it is the end. In today’s review, we will first look at how the episode works as a finale. Then, we will take a look at Season 5 as a whole. Finally, we will take a moment to look back at the series in its entirety, the bastion of a new wave of Star Trek during the second golden age of Sci-Fi.    

So to set the scene, after spending all season trying to track down the Progenitor tech, the crew of the USS Discovery-A finally made it to the end of the treasure hunt. However, the Breen beat them to it in Lagrange Point. But as the portal to the tech gets flung into the binary black holes, Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Mol (Eve Harlow) get trapped inside. Now, the Discovery is trapped outside with an angry Breen dreadnaught and a new fleet on its way if Saru (Doug Jones) can’t stop them. Now, we will be looking at the Episode, Season, and Series as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory – Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – This continues to be a love letter to both Dinosaurs and Jurassic Park. You feel the danger and the wonder of dinosaurs at all times, even if that highway turnoff looks suspiciously familiar.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this series.

Darius, Sammy, and Ben.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Review –

It should be no surprise that I am a fan of dinosaurs, and if you are talking about dinosaurs, the reigning champion of that world was and still is Jurassic Park. While the movies have been a bit hit-and-miss lately, one thing I have been consistently impressed with was this younger demographic-targeted animation on Netflix. Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous was an actual love letter to the series and the giant reptiles that once walked the Earth. Today, we are looking at the next follow-up to that series to see if it can still capture that joy and wonder.

So to set the scene, we open as a Tyrannosaurus Rex crashes onto a highway. It is a wild new world as Dinosaurs roam the countryside, and the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife try to keep people safe. While everyone from Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous made it home and tried to help out, not everyone survived the rise of the dinosaurs. Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams) is out hunting for one particular Allosaurus that he has beef with, for reasons, when Ben (Sean Giambrone) arrives with news that the Nublar Six are being hunted, which is when a whistle blows out into the night. Now from here, we will be looking at the series as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Doctor Who: 73 Yards – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – A tense, brooding episode, and that is just the Welsh coastline.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Ruby and the Doctor hop out of the TARDIS on the Welsh Coastline.

Doctor Who Review –

One of the strengths of Doctor Who is that you never know what tone you are going to get. Will this be a fun romp with Space Babies or a deep dive into historical racism with Rosa. It can be an entertaining comedy, a profound emotional time or a deep dive into horror. Today’s episode falls firmly into the latter category with a dash of the supernatural.

So, to set the scene, they land on the Welsh coast, which is full of green beauty. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is in the middle of reminiscing with Ruby (Millie Gibson) about his love for the place when he steps on a woven construction in the grass (my boy needs to start looking where he steps). It seems like some sort of memorial, something that kids make, but when the Doctor disappears, the TARDIS locks itself, and a figure in black signs some kind of warning. Well, things started getting weird, and why do they stay 73 yards away? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

Atlas – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – It has a rough start, but kind of finds its feet, but probably long after most of switched it off.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

The Mech.

Atlas Review –

Well, if there has been one technology that can define the 2020s, it is AI. As much as that affects behind-the-scenes in exciting but also exploitive and dubious ways, we are also going to see that come to the forefront of narratives. Today’s film does just that as we dive into the world on the edge.

So to set the scene, everything was going fine on Earth until one day, every AI robotic component on Earth rebelled, killing millions. All the damage was seemingly set off by one Robot called Harlan (Simu Liu) who helped kill millions before what was left of the world combined under the ICN and fought back. Harlan escaped the planet, but twenty-eight years later, he legacy of destruction is felt by all. No more so than Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) who grew up with Harlan as a child. When one of Harlan’s top lieutenants, Casca Vix (Abraham Popoola), was captured on Earth, everyone knew he was ready to return, the one thing Atlas was fighting to stop.

Continue reading →

Star Trek: Discovery – Lagrange Point – TV Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – A race to the end, but with some real charm.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Escaping twin blackholes.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

Well, it is the penultimate episode of the series, and I am not sure, but I am ready for it to end. Today, we get a perfectly solid part 1 to the end of the season and a part 1 to the end of a series. This is a significant burden to bear, even when you know it is coming, which makes the question today, how did it hold up when it didn’t know what it would end up being?  

So to set the scene, after the final clue was revealed in Labyrinths, it is now a race between the USS Discovery-A and the Breen to get to the location of the Progenitor’s tech. The only problem is that it is not just one Breen faction after the tech, and the Discovery was severely damaged in the last conflict. After Spore jumping in between two black holes, the Discovery is finally able to find the technology, only to see the Breen arrive and snatch it in front of their eyes. So, can the crew find a way to steal it back before the warring factions of the Breen descend on the power of creation itself? Now, we will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Movie Review

Posted on by
8

TL;DR – It is a film that roars to life and explodes on to the screen, captivating you with every turn.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Furiosa stands alone in the desert.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Review –

Well, this was always going to be an interesting film for me. The last entry in the Mad Max Saga, as we are now calling it, Fury Road, blasted onto the world and had a profound effect on me. It is one of those rare films that I have watched over and over again, and each time, I found a new detail I had missed before. It is in my Top 10 Films of All Time list for a reason. This means that there was some trepidation when I walked into the theatre wondering how a prequel to that film could stand up, but the second my seat reverberated with a motorcycle roar, I knew that I was in for something exciting.

So, to set the scene, a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is living in the green land of many mothers when she comes across three bikers who have discovered their hidden sanctuary. Being captured, her mother (Charlee Fraser) chases Furiosa across the desert till they make it to the roving camp of Praetorian Jack (Chris Hemsworth). He sees her value as the one person who knows where the place of abundance is and brings her into his collection, which is where she first meets the leader of the Citadel, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).

Continue reading →

Doctor Who: Boom – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – An episode that was both profound and frustrating in almost equal measures

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The face of an ambulance.

Doctor Who Review –

Oh, okay, I think today’s review is going to need a little bit of a preface going in. I honestly think the best work the renewed series of Doctor Who has ever done was when Steven Moffat was writing during the first Russell T Davies era. That is not to say I didn’t like Russell T Davies’ work. The recent Space Babies & The Devil’s Chord were a blast, and what Steven Moffat did when he was showrunner wasn’t terrible. Rory and Amy are my favourite companions that had ever been in the show. But the combination of the two was always fire, so I came into this episode with very high expectations and left it with some pause.

So to set the scene, we open on a battlefield as two soldiers are trying to get back to base, concerned about the landmines, understandably, and the ambulances, more concerningly. However, as John Francis Vater (Joe Anderson) is captured by the ambulance, we understand his fear. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) arrives just in time to hear a scream and runs to the call, only to step down and see a landmine under his foot. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

Star Trek: Discovery – Labryinths – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – A fun action romp of an episode.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

The Breen Mourn.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

We are getting to the pointy end of Discovery’s final season, and so far, I have been enjoying our treasure hunt across the galaxy. However, as we come towards the final piece in the puzzle, we need to ask, will the treasure be worth the hunt?

So to set the scene, in Erigah, two significant events happened. First, the Breen went from being mysterious and dangerous to being outright hostile, with the knowledge of what The Federation was seeking. Secondly, the crew finally unlocked the answer to take them to the final clue. This time, it was hidden in the Eternal Gallery and Archive in the book Labyrinths of the Mind. The Gallery is hiding in The Badlands, and hopefully, the USS Discovery-A can get to them before the Breen. Now, we will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Continue reading →

X-Men ’97 – Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 3 & Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – It perfectly sticks the landing, balancing emotion, narrative, and a cameo or 10 to create an episode that had an impact.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ Service that viewed this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Bastion's eyes.

X-Men ’97 Review –

When I first started this series, I had this concern that maybe this new series would dent the old memories, or what if I was living in the world of rose-tinted glasses? The X-Men are the one side of the Marvel Universe that I have been the most connected to over the years, and the original X-Men: The Animated Series was the critical catalyst to that. This first season had its highs and lows, but I still wondered if it could stick the landing, so I needn’t have been concerned.    

So to set the scene, after Bastion (Theo James) lets loose his sentinels in Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1 leading to Magneto (Matthew Waterson) declares war on humanity. The X-Men joined together under newly returned Professor-X (Ross Marquand) to try and stop him in Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 while also attacking Bastion. But as Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) was despatched by her own son Cable (Chris Potter) and Magneto decided to rip every atom of adamantium off Wolverine’s (Cal Dodd) bones, all looked lost. But never count the X-Men out, even in the face of complete failure. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and series as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Planet of the Apes (1968) Review – Exploring the Past

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – You can feel its iconic nature at every turn, even if not every part has aged well. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ series that viewed this film.

The spaceship crashes in the lake.

Planet of the Apes Review –

This week Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes landed in cinemas, and while I was watching it, I was reminded of the musical score from the original film. This unlocked a memory of being a kid and watching through all of the Apes films as a family. Well, there is no better time than the present, so I thought tonight would be an excellent time to dive back in and see just how it stacks up with my memories.

So, to set the scene, George Taylor (Charlton Heston) leads a crew on an experimental spaceship that is going near the speed of light. While it was 1972 on Earth, they were sure that it would be 2673 when they all emerged from hibernation. However, something goes very wrong, and the ship crashes into a lake on a barren, unknown planet sometime after 3978. As the survivors, Taylor, Landon (Robert Gunner), and Dodge (Jeff Burton), try to find their footing in this new world, they discover that there are humans, but they are mute and run around in herds. The more concerning factor is that humans are being hunted by apes … who can talk …!        

Continue reading →