Monthly Archives: December 2024

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin – TV Review

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TL;DR – The first speed bump for the season

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

The Onyx Cinder arrives at At Achrann.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Throughout the series so far, I have been filled with delight and joy. But there is always a feeling that there has to be a bump in the road somewhere; even DS9 had its rocky episodes. Well, unfortunately, it looks like today is the day.  

So, to set the scene, after getting a map back in Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem, the Onyx Cinder arrives back at At Attin. But instead of the friendly welcome, they are locked into an auto-piolet landing sequence. But something does not feel right because where are all the people? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem – TV Review

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TL;DR – Okay, so we are Star Wars x Treasure Island x Goonies. I can work with that.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

People run with a gas giant hanging in the background.

Skeleton Crew Review –

There are a lot of reasons I want to sit down and watch some TV. It could be dangers, suspense, wonder, or sometimes I just want to have some fun. Well, if Skeleton Crew were only doing one thing right, it would be the fun. But they have a lot more going for them other than just that.

So, to set the scene, things went from bad to worse once the Onyx Cinder blasted outside of the barrier and into deep space. Because the kids didn’t understand just how valuable they were, and what weight the name At Attin had. So, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman) all end up in the brig at the Pirate Port of Port Borgo. Luckily for them, in the jail cell is also the Jedi Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), and it looks like it is escaping time. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks: The New Next Generation & Season 5 – TV Review

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TL;DR – I am sad that our time with Lower Decks is over. However, I am glad that it went out on such a high note.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

The USS Cerritos.
The USS Cerritos

Star Trek: Lower Decks Review –

One of the many wild swings this new era of Star Trek undertook was jumping back into the animated world with a show that would be more farcical and self-referential than ever before. Playing off one of the most famous episodes of The Next Generation, Lower Decks rode the line between being a love letter to Star Trek fans and telling a good story in its own right. Now we have come to its final episode, and the question is: did they stick the final landing?

So, to set the scene, after William (Jack Quaid) poured all the rift energy into his universe, our Prime-Star Trek world, there was only one chance to stop it. Well, after Boimler (Jack Quaid) has had an acceptable freakout, he lets Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) know, and while Starfleet Command would have preferred any ship but the Cali-Class USS Cerritos to be the ones to fix it, time is not on their side, and the Cerritos is already near the Klingon border. The only problem is that The Federation might not be the first one to find the rift. We will be looking at the episode, season, and probably series as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review: Third Time’s the Charm

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TL;DR – Well, I think the third time is the charm, as they finally get a story that makes the most of their outstanding character work.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

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

Sonic Racing

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review –

I have had real issues with the previous two Sonic films because while Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had strong character work, they were let down with generally average at best narratives. Even their absurd Knuckles series came across these same issues, which meant that when I walked into the third instalment, I didn’t have much hope. Well, have I ever been glad to be wrong.

So, to set the scene, things are almost calm in the lives of the Wachowski family, bar the fact that they are now home to three different alien beings with extraordinary powers. But while Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) can’t out-race or fight Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (Idris Elba), they can still surprise with an Earthday party. But while this wholesome bonding session is happening in Green Hills, Montana. Over in Prison Island in the Bay of Tokyo, one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet has just escaped. G.U.N. needs Team Sonic’s help because Shadow (Keanu Reeves) ripped through their teams. Well, when Team Sonic is called, they respond, and thankfully, a helpful explosion lets them know where to go and immediately get stomped.

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Mufasa: The Lion King – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This movie feels like a little cub trying to put its footprint inside one of their parents. It’s cute, but it does not compare.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

A pride of Lions.

Mufasa: The Lion King Review –

I’m going to be honest; I came into his film feeling a bit apprehensive. On the one hand, The Lion King is one of my favourite animated films of all time and was the first film I ever watched in a cinema. However, the 2019 version fell flat in so many ways. Would the second time be the charm or be more of the same?

So, to set the scene, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) is concerned because a storm is coming, and her parents, Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), have gone to give birth to a second child. But she was not left alone because Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) were there for security. But what is the best way to pass the time? Well, it is to have a story, and the best storyteller around is Rafiki (John Kani). Who tells the time when her Grandfather Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins/Aaron Pierre) first stepped into the world alone?

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Earth Abides: World Without End – TV Review

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TL;DR – How do you build community when you fear the world outside?

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The group has to start salvaging a wider area.

Earth Abides Review –

Earth Abides has been a very interesting show so far, in many respects, in how it can blow through time yet still make it feel like a coherent whole. Alone was about Ish’s journey to find himself in a world alone, and then The Space Between discovered a world where there are now two. But you need more than two for a community, but with community comes benefits and potential dangers.

So, to set the scene, it is now Year 6 of a world without humans or most humans, and nature has started to reclaim much of the world that once was. However, as the human world shrinks to nothingness, those few connections that remain become even more critical. This is what forces Ish (Alexander Ludwig) to race after a young child he sees in the woods. However, as time passes, their small community will face their biggest challenge, which is a throuple. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Carry-On Film Review: Tension and Action Combined

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TL;DR – This is a film that didn’t need to go as hard as it did, and I am glad that they went there.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

Security in an airport.

Carry-On Review –

Many films just cost on their generic action beats or their main cast and give you a substandard product. Add enough charismatic smiles, and it feels like you can get away with anything. When I came into this film, I honestly thought this was what I was going to get, and I am glad to say that I was wrong.

So, to set the scene, Christmas is upon us, and millions of people are making the trip home to see their families. Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) and his girlfriend Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson) both work at LAX, and Christmas Eve is the worst day for travellers. But as Ethan tries to step up in his job for the TSA thanks to his wife’s pending pregnancy. Little does he know that someone is coming through with a package that will change his life. All he has to do is ignore one package, just one package, and his girlfriend lives. Surely, that can’t be that hard.   

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Star Trek: Lower Decks: Fissure Quest – TV Review

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TL;DR – It has been a long time since an episode of Star Trek made me audibly explain, but that was this week’s outing.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

USS Anaximander coming out of a rift.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Review –

I honestly can’t believe that today’s episode of Lower Decks is potentially the second last one that we will ever get. There is just such a wealth of joy here that I am sorry to see it go. While this final season has been a bit hit-and-miss for me, I was hoping that it would end the season on a high. Well, after last week’s Fully Dilated and today’s outing, I think they just might do it.

So, to set the scene, all the way back in Season Two’s Kayshon, His Eyes Open, our Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) got duplicated by a transporter accident, and William Boimler (Jack Quaid) was created. Thought dead, we know that William was recruited into Section 31, but we were wondering what he has been up to. Today, we discover that he is the captain of the USS Anaximander and part of the mission to find out why quantum fissures between universities have been opening all over the place. His crew are full of dimensional castaways, but when there is a chance to find the people doing this, the question is, how far will William go? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Movie Review

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TL;DR – It is not a perfect film, but goodness, it was a joy to jump back into this world with all its horns blaring.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Héra befriends an eagle.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Review –

Few things get me excited as hearing the words ‘there is a new Lord of the Rings film about to be realised’. It is a world that brings me back to my childhood, back to reading The Hobbit and seeing those Lord of the Rings films for the first time. Well, today, I get to capture that joy because while I might not hold space for Defying Gravity, I do keep a place in my heart for The Ride of the Rohirrim.

So, to set the scene, there are many stories in Middle Earth about wizards and dragons or great wars and clashes of good and evil. But as Éowyn (Miranda Otto) explains, many stories are just as important and don’t get told made into songs but get talked about around the campfire. Almost 200 years before the War of the Ring, on the plans of Rohan lived Héra (Gaia Wise), the only daughter of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), ruler of all the Rohirrim. She rode a horse like it was an extension of her wild fury, charming the people and frustrating her father in equal measure, those secretly he delighted in her wildness. But when of the Lords, Freca (Shaun Dooley) demands a meeting of the Lords of Rohan and tries to position his son Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) as the rightful husband for Héra. Helm would hear nothing of it and strikes Freca down with a single blow and chases Wulf away. He did not mean to kill Freca, but sometimes unexpected actions create unexpected outcomes.

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Earth Abides: The Space Between Review – Exploring Cast Chemistry

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TL;DR – Today shows why the chemistry between the cast is so important because it helps make this episode everything it is.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Alone in an empty supermarket.

Earth Abides Review –

Last week, we got to dive into a fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world where someone woke up to a world gone. While the first episode was very much a primer for the world and the stories that we will be telling in it. I am looking forward to seeing what the show can do when it expands on its premise.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Alone, Ish (Alexander Ludwig) was contemplating his life as possibly the last human on Earth, or at least the last one in his part of the country, which was emotionally devastating but still a cathartic ending. That was until he saw smoke coming out of the chimney of a house on the other side of town. But what starts as a confrontation at the barrel of a gun begins something a bit more. Because with Emma (Jessica Frances Dukes), he has met someone who understands what he has gone through. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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