thomasmatzeit Reviews

I, Frankenstein (2014)

I, a bored Viewer

[25 February 2022]

By reviewing this movie, one can actually kill several birds with one stone, because it was one of a dozen of movies that were just like that. It seems that no efforts were made to make this one stick out from the bulk that the industry cranks out. Initially an interesting idea, it was not carried through stringently enough to tack you onto the seat. The monster (falsely named 'Frankenstein') kills Victor and his wife but claims to have no soul. Well, if you have no soul, you couldn't harbor feelings like hate. It was also hard to tell which side he and all the other characters were on, which added to the confusion. Why did Miranda Otto's character decide to kill Adam (aka the monster) when she was prepared to incorporate him into her Gargoyle army earlier one? And exactly what event made Adam more committed to fight evil?

The CGI orgy was what I've come to expect and what I saw in so many other films, in fact, the whole thing was probably shot in front of a green screen. I don't buy into that anymore; the CGI wizards have crossed the uncanny valley too many times.

Patient Zero (I) (2018)

Zero Patience

[4/10 · 25 February 2022]

About 20 mins into the plot, I ran out of patience. The most implausible thing was the main character (Morgan), who enjoyed a quick shag with the hot lab doctor Gina Rose and minutes later kept telling his half-transformed wife that he loves her. WTH? Don't get me wrong, giving movie characters a contradictory persona adds to their depth but it should be plausible (i.e. A sheriff on an island who is afraid of water but sets out to kick the shark's butt etc) . But this character was simply a lying hypocrite and generated no empathy in me.

With the main character gone, I started looking for other things to do like checking my smartphone. With the appearance of the Professor, it briefly become a bit more interesting but then it went downhill from there. There were loose ends in the story (why was the Professor different than the other zombies?), and if they were tied, I probably missed them due to the lack of interest.

The climax was as dull and unsatisfying as the one Morgan and Rose had in the lab earlier on.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999)

Fun ride

[9/10 · 16 August 2021]

There's a certain quality to this show that is dearly missing in today's TV productions: it's simply fun to watch! While all we get nowadays is either doom and gloom, endless crime shows or downright stupid concepts, this show stands out in comparison to most of the stuff we get today. It boasts an excellent cast, mostly interesting, but certainly entertaining stories, and elaborate set designs that are actually real. And there's the music, too.

Relic Hunter (1999–2002)

On the heels of Indiana Jones

[5/10 · 17 December 2020]

Being a fan of anything not ordinary, I have now watched each episode about 3 times, yet I'm still not a 100% convinced. The first thing that I'd criticize is the quality of the scripts, at least for most of the series. Too often, the dialogue seems to focus on the unnecessary rather than conveying the plot. The characters themselves seem rather stereotype: the know-it-all main character, the clumsy sidekick, the man-eating secretary, and so forth. And then there's this dreaded hidden mechanism in every episode, that opens a secret chamber. Isn't there a thousand other ways to uncover mysteries? And too often than not, the locations where the story takes place look a damn side more like a Canadian forest than some exotic place. The series could have been a lot better but despite all that maintains a certain charme.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Indy's back

[2 September 2011]

I can't deny that when I left the movie theater after the credits I felt somewhat disappointed. Naturally, there was a lot of expectation on my side since I cherished the other Indy installments. I began to analyze why I felt like this (and my friend too who is also a true Indy fan). First I thought it had to do with the fact that Indy really is a phenomena of the 80's which I remember as a very carefree and easygoing time, but I guess there was enough of Indy's legacy left to convey that feeling. Still, Indy lacked the contradiction that made the original character so interesting; a true scholar who believes that most of archeology happens in the books, and then the next best thing he does is sneak out the back of the school to dive into his new adventure. I also reckon that the antagonist (Spalko) is not compelling enough and is hardly causing any serious trouble to anyone. There's also a historical flaw when Spalko is introduced as Stalins sidekick when in fact Stalin died in 1954 (story is set in 1957 if I remember correctly.----(1st spoiler coming up!)----- The fact that Indy survives a nuclear explosion in a fridge may be credited to the tongue-in-cheek action of the previous films but it still feels odd.------ (2nd spoiler!)-----------------And then the thing with the aliens! Too much out there, too esoteric in my opinion. They would've been better off to set Indy on a quest to find Atlantis or something. Still, it felt good to see Indy back on the screen. However, should there be another installment please be more faithful to the concept, guys.