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Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023)
I had so hoped for this to be good
I made it 30 minutes or so into the special until I switched off, this time for good, I think. I haven't even watched the last Chibnall season and I am so annoyed how much they destroyed the first female Doctor (which was a good premise) and discarded probably the only good idea the Chibnall run had almost immediately (seriously, the Lone Cyberman was great). And I wanted this new special to be good, but man, did it suck. The first WTF moment was Donna's daughter (Rose, sure, yea), who is supposed to be 12 or 13 years old, but looks like mid-20s. One of the worst casting choices I've seen in a long time and I still don't know what they thought when casting that actress. David Tennant looks like he doesn't care and just wants this to be over with, so he can cash in his paycheck. All in all this was such a massive letdown.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Style over substance, full of logic holes
The movie is terrible. Completely style over substance. Massive logic flaws, way too long. Spoilers from here on: First of all, it makes no sense at all for Sully and his family to leave their tribe, who have been fighting the humans for atleast a year by that time and have gathered experience, training and modern weapons. It's not like they will stop fighting the humans or the humans will stop hunting them, so they're in the same danger wheter Sully and his family are with them or not. By leaving them, Sully actually endangers them more than he would if he would stay, because he leaves them with an inexperienced leader to fight in his place (he says so himself). The "children playing in the water" sequences were mostly unneccessary, I'd say atleast 2/3rd of these sequences should have been cut. And the death of the oldest son was probably one of the worst death scenes I've seen in a movie for a long time (comparable to an 80s c-level action movie). First of all, the wound he got would have been fatal immediately (shot through the heart and his spine, and yes, Navi have their heart there too, as can be seen from the "control your heartbeat to breathe" sequence a few hours earlier), and even if it wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to walk with the severed spine. And even if that wouldn't have been the case, the whole sequence was so, so bad, entirely cliche. And lastly, the little mesiah story was way too much on the nose (the "virgin birth" of a girl with special powers...). I give it a 3/10, and that's very generous. It's basically a tech demo for how good the crew is able to animate water.
Halo: Contact (2022)
Halo?
Ok, as a Military-Sci-Fi show it isn't bad. The CGI is mostly acceptable (still not on BSG-2003 level, but acceptable), the story also isn't that bad so far. But other than the names it has nothing to do with Halo. We have a human who is seemingly a high-ranking Covenant, which means the whole reason the Covenant have for attacking the humans in the videogame version is pretty much void, Cortana is now the computer on Reach (and not like her holographic version, more like the computer in Star Trek) and the rest is pretty much Soldier (1998) with the Master Chief instead of Kurt Russel. As I said, as a standalone Science-Fiction show not bad, but it doesn't belong under the Halo brand.
The Batman (2022)
A Batman movie that's only saved by the action
Well, let's just say Robert Pattinson isn't bad ... as Batman. His version of Bruce Wayne is just terrible. Turning Bruce Wayne into a twenty-something emo kid who's hiding from the world and in desperate need of a haircut just doesn't work. But the batsuit definitely was well-armored, with all the upholstering the costume department had to do. Zoë Kravitz had to fill some big shoes as Selina Kyle, and she isn't able to. Michelle Pfeiffer's version of the character is in another league (well, that was kind of expected), as is Camren Bicondova's. Even Anne Hathaway was a better Catwoman in my oppinion. Andy Serkis as Alfred is a total miscast, whoever thought that was a good idea should be fired. I really liked Jeffrey Wright as Gordon. He does the best with what he's given. And what happened to Colin Farrell? Great makeup, but the film basically removed everything that defines the Penguin in the comics. No umbrella, no weird features, he's just another brute.
The story itself was dragged out way too long, it could have done with a lot less "will they won't they" moments (and Batman as a peeping tom watching through a window while Selina changes clothes was kind of weird). The ending with Batman and Catwoman parting ways at the graveyard exit was beyond cliche. And setting up the sequel with the Joker was way too much on the nose. I did however like the hand-made action, very little CGI was used in the movie.
But the main issue of the movie is Batman's main adversary. In the comics the Riddler is Batman's smartest enemy, the movie turns him into an anarchist influencer who hides behind a gas mask (or something like that) and preaches to his 500 insane followers, who try to run amok for him. They should have used another enemy from Batman's rooster, Professor Pyg for example would have been a way better choice.
All in all I wouldn't recommend this movie, atleast not in cinemas. I think I'll wait for the sequel until it hits Netflix (or whatever other streaming service it will be on).
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
So far not really good
Add an annoying child character (that's probably one of the things they shouldn't have copied from Episode 1), a bunch of been there, seen that episodes, that feel like repeats (and not good ones) and a lot of plot holes in the first three episodes alone and you have The Bad Batch. The main characters taken from The Clone Wars are pretty good (and the only reason for me to keep on watching), but the new character(s) are useless at best and annoying and out of place (Omega) at worst. You can cleary see Disney's agenda to add a character younger viewers can identify with, which simply doesn't fit into this more grim and dark setting.
The entire show feels extremely rushed, not only because of the bad storylines, but also because of the bad CGI. It's not as bad as the first seasons of Clone Wars, but also by far not as good as the last season of that show.
Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
"Alien" it ain't
The only good thing I can say about this movie is that the main actress, Chloe Grace Moretz, is actually pretty good (she was basically the only reason I even saw this movie). I can't say anything about the acting abilities of the other actors, they don't have enough screen time to leave a lasting impression. The CGI is somewhere between acceptable and horrible (the scene where Maude throws boxes through the open bomb hatch, trying to hit a gremlin is especially bad) and the other special effects tend to be more or less ridiculous. The story and directing have an extremely high chance of winning the Razzie award this year.
I normally compare bad movies to the worst movie I own as a DVD, which is Surf Nazis must Die, a very bad 1987 Troma movie. This one here is one of the few that are actually worse, because the idea is not even original.
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks (2021)
Not entirely terrible, but nothing special really
The title is misleading (there is no revolution whatsoever), it's all been done before (and better), the companions are still boring and/or needy and the plot is paper-thin (basically take a few ideas from Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks and Victory of the Daleks, mix them together, throw in some random useless sub-plots that go nowhere and you got this). Way too much happens off-camera and is just told in endless (and not very good) dialogue. Oh, and the ending is pretty much a cheap cop-out.
Not one of the episodes I'll ever rewatch.
Dash & Lily (2020)
Great, fun show to watch
First of all, I started this because I basically had nothing better to do, and I didn't expect anything of it. I didn't even expet to like the show. And I am DEFINITELY not in the target audience.
That said, I am three episodes in and I am hooked. It's fun, it's quirky, it's sometimes over the top and cheesy, but never in a bad way.
The acting is solid, the writing isn't bad either and all episodes so far end on a cliffhanger, making you want more.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020)
Seen three episodes so far, won't bother with the fourth
The first episode was OK-ish, with a lot of bad writing. The second episode was worse (forced plot twist about that one kid's mother, yea, sure), the third one was a mess. Night and day changes without any sense to it, as if the writers had written scenes separately and then realized that some of them were set in the night and some in the day, you have four changes within 10 minutes and none of them really make sense. + Bonus an uninteresting side-plot about one of the characters being kicked out by their parents because of their sexual orientation, because hey, every series nowadays needs atleast one gay character, right? Nothing against that if they're well written (like in The Rookie, for example), but this one simply isn't.
None of the characters are actually interesting enough (or original and non-cliche enough) for me to bother what happens with them.
The bad guys are Negan 2.0, nothing original here either.
The special effects are hillariously bad, that one szene when one of the characters pukes on a zombie (yes, you read that correctly) comes to mind, they clearly switch to a doll that gets puked at while shooting that szene, and the doll looks nothing like the extra that plays the zombie.
I've endured two seasons of Fear The Walking Dead, before deciding not to watch that crap any more, but compared to this sh..ow Fear is TV gold.
Bunk'd: We Can't Bear It! (2018)
Kind of jumped the shark
All in all this episode is really weak. Bunk'd was never really good, the writing was inconsistent at times, some of the jokes were overplayed (yes, we get it, Ravi is weak and Emma isn't the brightest at times), but it generally was a decent coming-of-age-show with teen characters, some new and some we had seen growing up for six years, since the start of Jessie (seriously, if you want to realize how good the actors and especially Skai Jackson are, check S02E13 of Jessie).
The new season takes 1/3 to half (if you cound side characters) of the cast away and replaces them with three preteen elementary school characters (8-ish), all of them cliche and all annoying, and none of the three actors especially good at acting. This totally changes the focus of the show. Most of the original characters aren't even mentioned anymore, all we get to know is that Gladys took the ensurance money and didn't rebuild the camp (and seemingly scammed a bunch of parents by still accepting new campers and taking their money aswell, but that isn't mentioned). How Lou didn't realize that the camp wasn't rebuilt when she got the bus to pick up the kids is everybody's guess. All in all the writing is extremely sloppy and production quality not very good, they didn't even bother creating a new intro for the show.
I haven't seen the entire season yet, but I already know that the Ross siblings are leaving by the end of it, so I am not sure if I'll even bother watching (most of) season four.
Doctor Who: The Timeless Children (2020)
I didn't think there could be a worse final than Death in Heaven, but now there is
The entire season wasn't good, the writing was utter garbage. Half the episodes were pointless filler episodes full of cliches and a bunch of in your face environmentalist messages, three unneccessary companions you didn't give a rat's a** about (seriously, the most uninteresting companions ever, because nothing they ever did had real consequences for them) and probably the worst master so far. I am still annoyed how the new writers totally ignored the great Missy story ark (well, great except for Death in Heaven, but whatever) and the character devellopment that character had gone through, just to turn the Master into a two-dimensional run of the mill psychopath with a god complex again. And they made him boring (which is something no writer before managed to achieve).
The second part of the season finale manages to answer almost no questions the first part or the rest of the season raised. How did the Master get out of that other dimension (not that I actually care)? What was the point of that rural village? Who was that boy who misteriously appeared in said village? Did the writers read too many Superman comics to come up with such a lame plot? Why did Captain Jack appear two episodes earlier? Seriously, him being there was absolutely pointless, pure fan service.
The Lone Cyberman, whom I considered to be a pretty interesting opponent, kind of like a dark mirror version of the Doctor, was entirely ruined by the second part of the season finale. When even the most boring Master thinks your plan is boring and uninspired, then your plan really is boring and uninspired.
And of course this episode single-handedly ruined and destroyed the lore the entire series had built up and created in 50+ years. I am not a fan of these "it was all just a dream" plot twists, but to retcon this crap I would happily accept it.
I still think that Jodie Whittaker could be a decent Doctor if there was a somewhat talented writer, sadly so far all her episodes seem to have been written by some untalented hack with barely any understanding of the series.
MacGyver: Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin (2020)
This was abysmal
Normally I like this show, but this time it was just bad. First of all, why would the Phoenix even be called to such a rescue site? They are twelve hours away (and that is just the flight). Also German civil services can handle something like this by themselves. Then there are the uniforms and cars for German police and civil services. They look nothing like the ones shown in this episode, even cheap carnival costumes look better. And of course nobody from the Phoenix wears any protective gear when going into a collapsed building, not even helmets. Are they afraid of ruining their hairdo or what? Then there is the undetonated bomb. Under a building that was constructed after WWII in an area that was a known target for an air raid. And they didn't bother checking for bombs first. Ok, not impossible, but highly unlikely. But instead of doing the reasonable thing and get an expert (or more than one) down there they try to get the bomb out of the building. Yes, German civil services have experts for bomb disposal (the Kampfmittelräumdienst).
The entire Bozer/Taylor subplot is unrealistic too. Why would they have to break into a museum to get a model of that bomb? German civil services already have construction plans for every type of bomb that was dropped on Germany during WWII (they have to dismantle them constantly), I am pretty sure you can also find them online.
Then there is the ending. Please don't give us a Mac/Riley relationship. Get Mac and Desi back together if you have to, but please no Mac/Riley.