Tag Archives: Science Fiction

Star Trek: Discovery – …But To Connect – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get an exploration of some fundamental philosophical questions, which is Star Trek at its best.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Star Trek: Discovery - ...But To Connect. Image Credit: Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

At its heart, Star Trek has always been about exploring ideas about politics, philosophy, hell, even religion, economics, sociology, and more. This week we get a show that tackles not one but two core dilemmas about society and in ways that leave no clear-cut answer. 

So to set the scene, at the end of last week’s episode, the crew of the USS Discovery used the electrical impulses left by the Anomaly in Book’s (David Ajala) head to discover that the aliens who sent it sent it from outside the galaxy. This week, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), Stamets (Anthony Rapp), and Adira (Blu del Barrio) are all trying to outline where The Anomaly entered The Milky Way so that they can chart in back to the people that made it. With a way forward, Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) calls a meeting of the Federation and other worlds to discuss how to go ahead from here, just one problem. At the same time, Zora knows the coordinates. However, they are keeping it to themselves. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Expanse: Strange Dogs – TV Review

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TL;DR – If this is the last we get of The Expanse, well, it was a solid opener to go out on.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Expanse: Strange Dogs. image Credit: Amazon Studios.

The Expanse Review –

Today we have a show that is filling me with joy and sadness. Joy, because The Expanse is one of my favourite adaptations and one of my favourite shows. Sadness, because this is the last season that we will get on all accounts. Well, today, we start our dive into the final season.  

So to set the scene, during Season 5, The Free Navy attacked Earth using asteroids covered in stealth composites. Since then, rock after rock has been flung at Earth, and while they are mostly shot down, debris still rains down on the planet, causing dirt to clog the atmosphere and the temperature to plummet. Meanwhile, on Laconia, Cara (Emma Ho) explores the new environment when she stumbles upon a strange dog that she has never seen before. All while orbiting above lies something … waiting in a web. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 1 (Stranger in a Strange Land) – TV Review

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TL;DR – While this was an interesting start to the series, it also felt like it lacked weight in places.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ subscription that viewed this show.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 1 (Stranger in a Strange Land). Image Credit: Disney+.

The Book of Boba Fett Review –

For many people, Boba Fett is a character from Star Wars that they adore. But part of that was because of his brevity on screen, giving you only snippets of who he is. The problem is that the industry is littered with the corpses of projects based on characters that people liked in glimpses, only to find out they had no legs to stand on when they tried to expand the character out. Well, today, we get to look at a show that charts a course forward into a realm both known and unknown.

So to set the scene, we begin with Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) lying in a medical healing tube, but as he heals, he is wracked with bad dreams. He dreams of finding his father dead during the events of Attack of the Clones and of waking up inside the Sarlacc after the Return of the Jedi. These nightmares haunt his sleep. But there is no time for that because Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) has arrived to tell him that the tributes have come because, at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2, Boba killed his predecessor and took up the position left by Jabba the Hutt. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Cowboy Bebop (2021): Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – I thoroughly enjoyed this remix of the anime that walks the line between something old and new

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription that viewed this series

Cowboy Bebop (2021). Image Credit: Netflix.

Cowboy Bebop Review –

I have been on record with say that the original Cowboy Bebop was and is one of my favourite TV shows of all time. Indeed I wrote an article gushing about why I love it [see here]. Which meant I was of two minds when they announced that they would be finally doing that live-action remake that had been in development hell for decades. There is first the excitement of diving back into that world, but then the trepidation of what happens if they miss the mark. Well, now having watched it all, I can see the flaws, but none of them stopped me from having a good time.

So to set the scene, in 2171, the solar system is a very different place, with Earth in ruins and the human race now spread out across the many planets, moons, and asteroids. Because everything is so spread out, police find it difficult to catch criminals, so they use bounty hunters or cowboys to help bring them to justice. On the Bebop, we see a pair of cowboys with owner Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) and his partner Spike Spiegel (John Cho). They are trying to make it through the week, with fuel, food, and damages all clocking up, which is good that out on New Tijuana, there is a new bounty with the name of Asimov Solensan (Jan Uddin) on the run from the Syndicate after stealing a supply of Redeye from Vicious (Alex Hassell). Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Lost in Space: Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR is a series that ends on a high note, both beautiful to watch and not afraid to hit those emotional beats.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription that viewed this film

Lost in Space: Season 3. image Credit: Netflix.

Lost in Space Review –

When I heard that Lost in Space was getting a third season, I was pleased. There has been a string of adaptations of old TV shows, but few captured the show’s essence yet took the narrative in a new direction, quite like Lost In Space. However, this news was coupled with the knowledge that this would be the final season. Thus, knowing the series is ending help or hurt the narrative, and I am glad to say it is the first.

So to set the scene, at the end of Season Two, The family Robinson was split asunder trying to flee the robot menace. At the same time, Maureen (Molly Parker) and John (Toby Stephens) took the adults of the expedition and caused a distraction. All of the expeditions kids, including Will (Maxwell Jenkins) and Penny (Mina Sundwall), and led by Judy (Taylor Russell), escaped using the alien engine piloted by Robot (Brian Steele). However, they don’t arrive in Alpha Centauri as planned. Instead, they come on top of a ruined planet where they find the Fortuna, a ship once thought lost and home to Judy’s father (Russell Hornsby). But before they could locate the missing crew, a thruster dies on Jupiter 2. The auto-piolet seeing the danger starts emergency landing procedures, and Judy is only just able to get on board thanks to the stowaway Smith (Parker Posey) before it makes a landing on the one habitable part left on the planet. Where they are stuck for a year. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Dune (2021) (Dune: Part 1) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A cinematic work of genius and masterclass in literary adaptation     

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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

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

Dune. Image Credit: Warner Bros Pictures.

Dune Review –

Few films have filled me full of trepidation and promise, like the prospect of another Dune film. Dune is a book series that means a lot to me, and the miniseries fits in as one of those foundational moments where you discover the joys of filmmaking. Add to this the spectacular run of films from Denis Villeneuve from Sicario, Arrival & Blade Runner 2049, one of which was my top movie in 2016. Look, this is a long way of saying I came into this with very high expectations, and can I say that this film exceeded all of them.  

So to set the scene, in an empire that spans the galaxy, the most valuable commodity is The Spice Melange. It extends life, allows intergalactic travel, and can only be found on one planet in the entire galaxy: Arrakis, Dune. The brutal House Harkonnen runs Dune, though its cruel Barron (Stellan Skarsgård) and his nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), commonly called “Beast Rabban”. But their time running Arrakis is up, as the Emperor has decreed that House Harkonnen’s mortal Enemies House Atreides, led by Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), manages the planet. All is well, but Leto is fearful for him, his son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and consort Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). Because while this is a great opportunity, it could also be a trap.

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Star Trek: Discovery – Anomaly – TV Review

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TL;DR – This week, we discover just how stuffed Discovery is this season.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Star Trek: Discovery - Anomaly. Image Credit: Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

There are many things that you can prepare for in life. But at any second, something entirely out of the realm of your understanding could snatch you away. As a species, we like to ignore it, even though we all kind of process that reality on any given day. Well, what happens if that something is a black hole five light-years across that likes to pummel planets into dust?

So to set the scene, at the end of Kobayashi Maru, disaster strikes when they save the space station crew. Still, while that is happening, the entire planet of Kwejian is obliterated, killing everyone and everything on the surface. This hits Book (David Ajala) the hardest because he had just started to reconnect with his family on Kwejian. Well, when you have an unknown anomaly, what is the first thing you do? Study it, which is what Discovery is sent to do before panic erupts across the galaxy. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Star Trek: Discovery – Kobayashi Maru – TV Review

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TL;DR – Not the show’s strongest opener but still an interesting start to the season

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Star Trek: Discovery - Kobayashi Maru. Image Credit: Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery Review –

Well … this was probably not the welcome back that anyone wanted, with a completely botched move for the show from Netflix to Paramount+ in international markets. However, after much annoyance, those outside North America are finally getting our look in at the new season.

So to set the scene, at the end of That Hope Is You Part 2, the source of The Burn was located in the form of Su’Kal (Bill Irwin), a scared child left alone on a dilithium planet. Now that there is no chance of a new Burn, the Federation is starting the extended effort of reconnecting with the galaxy. One such trip was to Alshain IV when discussions with Emperor Lee’U (Alex McCooeye) fell apart immediately after discovering that Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Booker (David Ajala) hold a monarch hostage in their ship. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Foundation: The Leap and Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The worlds come crashing down as damage comes to all.   

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Foundation: The Leap. Image Credit: Apple TV+.

Foundation Review –

When I first sat down to watch The Emperor’s Peace, I was not sure what I would get. I had read the novels that jump across time and space, making adaptation a challenging prospect. Indeed, it is not surprising that it has taken this long for someone to give a solid crack at it. As the season progressed, it became clear that the first episode might be the high-water mark for the show, but thankfully it was still always interesting.

So to set the scene, all the future plotlines had led to this point. On Trantor, the manipulations have come to a head. Still, thankfully, for the genetic dynasty, Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) was able to track Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), stopping the plan of Azura (Amy Tyger) and her rebels in their tracts. But the question remains, what to do about Brother Dawn, who a pure Cleon is no longer, only Brother Day (Lee Pace) can decide. On Terminus, Anacreons and Thespeians have each other at a gun barrel with the colonists square in the centre. It is a recipe for slaughter, right up until Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) appears out of the Vault surprising all. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Finch – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An emotional journal to find safety in a world that has fallen into disaster.     

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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

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

Finch. Image Credit: AppleTV+.

Finch Review –

One genre I have always found interesting is that of the lone survivor. Why they were left alone could be from them being forgotten, marooned, left behind, well, anything. Fighting against the elements and even time to survive. Indeed, Tom Hanks is famous for playing a similar situation in Cast Away, so you knew it had to be an exciting premise to get him back into this realm.

So to set the scene, in the not-so-distant future, a solar flare wiped away Earth’s ozone layer exposing the globe to a massive surge of radiation and also setting off a global EMP. This baked the planet, killing nearly all the plants, animals, and of course, humans. One of the last people alive is Finch (Tom Hanks), who has survived in St Louis in the basement of the robotics company he worked at. He has one mission, to finish building Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) an android, so there would be someone to look after Goodyear/Dog (Seamus) after he was gone. Things were going well until a supercell arrived. It will last for over 40 days, 40 days too long. So they all have to make a trip across the country to safety.  

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