Doctor Who: Boom – TV Review

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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. 

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Star Trek: Discovery – Labryinths – TV Review

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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. 

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

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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.

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

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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 …!        

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Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord – TV Review

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TL;DR – It generally hits the right chord, with a villain who commits to the note, and a Doctor who is ready to conduct

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Doctor and Ruby on the famous crosswalk near Abby Road.

Doctor Who Review –

When they first announced this first season, the one episode they focused on was the one where we get to run into The Beatles. It has been everywhere, and they have been dropping songs and images to the lead-up. So, I am relieved that we got to dive into this episode in the first batch, along with Space Babies.

So to set the scene, in 1925, Mr Timothy Drake (Jeremy Limb) is showing a student, Henry Arbinger (Kit Rakusen), the joys of the piano when the conversation leads to the ‘Devil’s Chord’, which is just a fancy name for a tri-tone, but was banned less it let the devil enter the room. Not that anyone takes that seriously, but not until someone starts knocking from the piano case and the devil, well, a demon, well, something called Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) bursts forth. Well, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) asked Ruby (Millie Gibson) where she wanted to go, and she has only one place in mind: Abby Row, 1965, to see The Beatles record their first album, and the Doctor is there to oblige. Insert obligatory crosswalk photo here. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Doctor Who: Space Babies – TV Review

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TL;DR – It was a deeply silly episode, yet I could not help but have a smile on my face for the entire run time.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Babies. In. Space.

Doctor Who Review –

After finishing the 60th Anniversary specials  The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder, and The Giggle at the end of last year and getting a small taste of our new Doctor in The Church on Ruby Road, it is now time for us to officially dive into the third era of Doctor Who. This is a series that always brings a mix of emotions, but now it is on a bigger platform than it has ever been, and it is time to see if it will thrive or flounder.

So to set the scene, after we get a crash course in Doctor Who lore, it is time for The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby (Millie Gibson) to go on their first official adventure, and why not have a random landing with dinosaurs and a little chaos theory. Then, let’s jump into the future onto a space station that is having severe problems, with monsters and all. But what no one was expecting was that they landed on a baby farm. 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: Discovery – Erigah – TV Review

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TL;DR – A very Star Trek episode all about whether violence or diplomacy is the best way forward.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

USS Locherer catches up with Moll and l'ak.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

We are starting to get into the back half of the season, and you can feel things starting to come ahead. This would be tense in any season, but given this is the final season of Discovery, you can feel that being amplified even more so because the Breen are coming.  


So to set the scene, after finding the next clue in an abandoned weather tower, the next hint was some sort of Betazed text inscription. But when the USS Locherer catch up with Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), the Discovery jumps straight there and beams them to their sick bay. L’ak is in bad shape and needs emergency cryo-therapy at Starfleet HQ before he dies. But the Breen knows where they are and are coming for Starfleet HQ with a dreadnaught, and everyone can feel that we are at a tipping point. Now, we will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While you can feel some tension in the script at times, this is still a solid entry into the franchise with characters you care about and a world you want to explore.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Noa rides through the ruins of the old world.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review –

Without a doubt, I have loved the Planet of the Apes reboot films. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a great foundation, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was this sad meditation on the legacy of trauma, all before ending the trilogy with this grand biblical epic of War of the Planet of the Apes that hit the big 5 out of 5 stars. So, there was a bit of hesitance to come back to this world after such a long time and a new creative team, but thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.

So to set the scene, we open with the final funeral of Caeser, a leader who brought his people out of danger and into a new promised land but was unable to enter himself. Led by Maurice (Karin Konoval), it is a solemn event, but it is the start of something, and you see that in the world several generations later. It is here where Noa (Owen Teague) and his friends Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery) climb up through the ruins of the old world to find eagle eggs. They are a village of eagle trainers, and Noa’s dad, Koro (Neil Sandilands), is the leader who sings to the new eggs. However, when Noa sees an Echo (human), little does he know the carnage that is following in their wake and how his world is about to change forever.

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X-Men ’97 – Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The ending gave me pause, but this was still a fantastic episode.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

A painting of the Sentinels.

X-Men ’97 Review –

When you have a trilogy, the middle part is always going to be, well, for lack of a better world, the middle child. They are stuck following up on what went before while also having to set everything up for the final part. In that space, there is rarely time for them to shine on their own. Today, we will see if Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 2 will continue or buck that trend.

So to set the scene, at the end of Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1, just when everything looks like it is about to fall apart, two critical events happen. Professor X (Ross Marquand) returned to Earth and called all his X-Men to him, and then Magneto was released from his prison. But this time, Magneto is not going to let humans get away with their crimes. This time, Magneto is going to war. The problem is that Magneto is destroying the Earth’s magnetic field, and in 12 hours, that might be irreversible. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Review – Exploring the Past

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TL;DR – It is a profoundly emotional work that builds on the first film in nearly every way.   

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

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

Caesar in war paint.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review –

It has been ten years since this movie first came out, and I was taken aback by just how good visual effects had grown, even by the high standards that the Lord of the Rings brought us. But with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes coming out this week, I wanted to take a moment to go back in time and see how well this second entry before War of the Planet of the Apes holds up.

So to set the scene, it has been ten years since the Simian Flu pandemic spread across the globe with a survival rate of only 1 in 500, as was seen at the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. As human society completely collapsed, the ape colony founded by Caesar (Andy Serkis) began to thrive in the growing woods outside of what was once San Francisco. It has been two years since they even saw a human, which made that first sound of a gun going off echo throughout the colony. One of the few human settlements left on the Earth has set up shop in the ruins of San Francisco. Caesar does not acquiesce to the drum beats of war but gives the humans an ultimatum: stay away from their area. Peace has a chance, just as long as no one on either side decides to fall on the animosity of the past.     

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