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Deadliest Warrior (2009– )
7/10
I am embarrassed to enjoy this
26 May 2010
Explaining the premise of this show to someone is truly humiliating. I'd rather just not bring it up. For those who don't know, it's a "who would win" contest where they choose warriors from history who never had a chance to fight. Often times these warriors are separated by centuries or even millenia, but they try to make the matchups as fair as possible.

It's a fun show to watch. Certainly the best part of the show is watching the weapon experts at work. The horseback archery from Attila vs Alexander, the blademaster from William Wallace vs Shaka Zulu, and the quickdraw and trick shooting from Jesse James vs Al Capone come to mind as some of my favorite moments.

Unfortunately, it's got a lot of problems. They are very, very loose with historical accuracy, and often they do an awful job of picking weapons - especially with the modern day warriors. They rarely test armor and almost never test shields - only the Spartan and the Viking had a real shield test. The outcome is decided by a simulator which runs on magic, and the decisions are questionable at best.

The choreographed fights are hit or miss. Some are thrilling, like Apache vs Gladiator, but some are downright stupid, like Roman Centurion vs Rajput Warrior, where the Roman throws his shield aside for no reason halfway through. They also rarely, if ever, show actions in the choreographed fights that match up with the tests or results.

This is definitely "turn your brain off", guts, gore, and splodin'-style entertainment. Actually, who am I kidding? You already knew if you were going to watch this show when you read the synopsis. You are either the right audience, or you aren't.
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10/10
Fantastic series, far exceeding the low expectations of the pilot
1 April 2008
For those who saw the original pilot, leaked quite some time ago, you may have experienced a level of disappointment in terms of the quality of the show. I thought the pilot was uninspired, but at least entertaining. I supported the show and looked forward to it mostly out of loyalty to Firefly alum Summer Glau, who was excellent even in the pilot. The writing was poor with numerous logic errors, silly lines, and a simple rehashed plot taken directly from T2, but with less special effects. I admittedly did not have high hopes for a long running Terminator series.

Oh, but, was I delighted when the show started! Immediately from the first regular episode I realized the quality of the writing had absolutely skyrocketed. The plot took a huge twist into new territory, unexplored by previous films. Thank god it didn't devolve into silly "terminator of the week" robot fighting nonsense. Even the acting had improved! Lena Headey is very tough and very believable as Linda Hamilton's old character Sarah Connor. Thomas Dekker is much less annoying (no Anakin Skywalker wannabe here) as an adult playing an angsty teenager, and playing it well. His character is actually important and plays a real role in the plot, as opposed to a VIP to be hidden in a basement.

Supporting roles in the characters of James Ellison and Charley Dixon are also very well played and compelling. Best way to make a sympathetic, heroic character without giving him hardly any screen time or lines: make him an EMT! Seriously, though, Dean Winters does a great job with the small amount of screen time he is given. I'm sure he will be a fan favorite. Richard T. Jones takes the Ellison role, originally written as the generic "good guy cop who figures it all out" guy, and expands and layers it into something much more interesting. Can't say enough for how much these guys contribute, with their few key scenes.

The quality of the show continued to improve throughout the series. At about the halfway point we get a new regular character, played by Brian Austin Green. If you haven't read spoilers yet on his character, don't! He is fantastic and really adds to the dynamic between the characters. He gets a handful of truly mesmerizing key scenes, especially in the season finale, which cannot be missed. We also get a new (old?) character played by Garret Dillahunt. Again, don't want to give anything away here: watch the show! Overall my opinion of this show is that it is quite excellent and cannot be missed. Watch the pilot but do not be deterred by the errors and other problems. Watch the first season all the way through to the finale and be blown away. I can't say enough for the writers and actors for their work on this great piece of TV.
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Encrypt (2003 TV Movie)
5/10
Not as bad as some people make it out to be
5 May 2005
I switched to this movie because nothing else was on and expected the usual garbage that comes out of a "Sci-Fi Channel Original", due to low budgets and everything else. I was actually pretty impressed with the script when I took considerations for what TV writers have to go through in terms of rigorous formulas and budget crises. There were definitely some issues: was it really necessary to have a bad guy? What if the team really was going after what the hero thinks they are going after? The worst was that stupid robot Rook; although it's not a bad name for a robot, it looked like a 30s scifi plastic piece of junk. We could have skipped all of that. The psychological games between the hologram and the hero actually make up about 90% of this film anyway. The rest is just 10 minutes of silly subplot. Without any of the extra fluff and with a budget this movie actually had the potential to work.
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Somebody give Eugene Levy the "Most Understated Line" award
7 February 2004
I'm not sure how many people caught this, but my absolute favorite line from this movie- a single line which makes this my favorite of the three as well as validating the trilogy as a strong film- comes from Jim's Dad when Michelle asks him for advice.

Michelle: "Jim said that you are always there for him..." (continues) Jim's Dad: "Jim said that?"

Michelle keeps going, and all the focus is on her, but seeing Jim's Dad's eyes light up is easily the best thing about the movie. At this point he realizes that his entire life has meaning; he truly is the loving and devoted father he always has hoped to be. He now knows that he is a success because his son really does love him.

Thoughts?
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