eaglescout910 Reviews

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

One of the Best Animated Series Ever Made

[10/10 · 7 January 2022]

This show is amazing and captivates audiences long after they outgrow other children's programming.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is not afraid to tackle mature themes and impactful storylines.

War, genocide, indoctrination and propaganda, brainwashing, parental abuse, female empowerment, oppression, forgiveness, gender discrimination, and loss are just some of the major themes covered throughout the series.

So many episodes are heavy hitters that create an emotional impact that is lasting and powerful. Unlike many other series that are made to be binge-watched, Avatar: The Last Airbender is unique in creating stand-alone episodes that leave you satisfied when they're over - all while still building on an overall plot that continues throughout the entire series.

It is a masterpiece that far exceeds what is typically expected of a series made for children's television.

The Flash (2014–2023)

Fantastic Show - For Awhile

[7/10 · 27 March 2021]

No spoiler in-depth review: I've watched through 6 full seasons. If this review was solely based on season 1, this show would easily be 9 or 10 out of 10. Season 1 is fantastic. Season 2 is also great. After that things aren't quite as great. From best to worst, I'd rank the remaining seasons: 4, 5, 3, 6. Season 6 is by far the worst (I'll get to that later).

The casting is fantastic for the most part. Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker, Grant Gustin, and Carlos Valdes are among the best. Fun tidbit: Barry Allen's father is played by John Wesley Shipp who starred as The Flash in CBS's "Flash" TV series from 1990 to 1991. He is also one of my favorite castings in this series - especially during season 1. The acting of these cast members is outstanding.

Season 1 origin story and main villain buildup are phenomenally written. Season 2 goes in an interesting direction that creates great storytelling and world building while introducing more new and diverse characters.

Unfortunately things don't stay top notch after that. Season 3 would be better if the main villain wasn't so redundant from the previous two seasons. Season 4 is better with a villain from a different background and an engaging story. Season 5 is honestly the last season I found to be decent.

As the seasons go on, they try to do more and more crossovers with other tv shows in the dc universe. The crossover episodes can (usually) be skipped over without much consequence, although it can get irritating when you know some crossovers were simply written to get you to watch the other tv shows. Occasionally they throw in things you need to know, but these are usually covered in the recap that you can watch at the beginning of the next episode. However, the crossovers also seem to go off on tangents that have no relation to the main plot happening over the course of an entire season which diverts time that could've been used for better writing development for the main plot. Writing seems to get worse the longer this show is carried out.

These crossovers were never really too much of an issue until season 6 however. Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 5-part crossover, epically destroys most of what I loved about prior seasons, especially world building and the diverse cast of characters. It is placed smack dab in the middle of season 6 and is a rare occurrence where it is almost necessary to watch for context later in the season of the main show. In fact, this crossover was an absolute disgrace. Basically it spits in the face of most of what happens in seasons 1-5 of The Flash and tells you to just throw it away as if it never existed. There were moments where I was completely confused (as were the characters) because of how the crossover changed things. They took a great show and utterly ruined it. All because they had to have a multi-show crossover that tried too hard to be as epic and doomsday-filled as possible.

Basically the big "epic" crossover destroyed this show. Seasons 1-2 are great. Watch those at least. Seasons 3-5 are hit and miss but generally pretty good. Season 6 is an utter disappointment- simply because they tried to be too ambitious with a crossover.

The Giver (2014)

Don't Judge a Movie by Its Book

[10/10 · 2 August 2020]

One thing to consider before watching this film: Lois Lowry, the author of the book it's based off of, genuinely loves this film. In fact she feels like it is better in some ways. If she likes it that much, then it's certainly worthy of being viewed with an open mind.

If the book hadn't been written and this movie was the first time this story had been told, it would have at least a 7 or 8 star rating. People are comparing it to the book and their prior expectations too much.

Considering this adaptation of less than 2 hours is very impactful, and captures the most important aspects of the book, I think it's a great adaptation.

One thing it really takes advantage of is the visuals. The way it utilizes color, black and white, and even faded color to show the story's progression is such a clever idea.

Some say the film isn't dark enough. It's exactly what it needs to be for the story to work, especially in the way it shows how horrible things can be without emotion. Could it have been darker? Of course. Would that have made the film better? I don't think it would. This film encourages you to think and apply things to real life. No need to be shown more and more darkness when we can already envision that happening in our own real world.

Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep are fantastic in their roles and really help carry the impact of what's happening. In fact, I like the performance of all the main actors. It's challenging to portray characters who only show fleeting feelings rather than lasting emotions, but they were quite successful.

Ultimately, I consider this film to be underrated and it has not gotten the respect it deserves due to preconceived ideas from people who read the book. Movies will never capture the same magic of the book they're based off of, but this film is a great representation of the ideas and thoughts presented in the book.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Give it Time - This Movie Will be More Loved as Time Passes

[5/10 · 21 December 2019]

If you thought The Last Jedi moved too slowly (although I didn't), this film does the complete opposite. Action or fast-paced storytelling pretty much from start to finish. Lots of questions answered and plot points wrapped up. But as with any film made by people, it still has its unresolved plot points and questions. After seeing it for the first time, it's a lot to take in. There's a lot to unravel and understand from this film, and I think it's one that will require many viewings in order to understand more fully. However, the overall direction was intriguing, thought provoking, and quite the journey to wrap up a 9 part film saga. Is it the best film in the saga? No. But it's certainly packed full of everything you love about Star Wars: action, saber battles, strong force connections, interesting characters, and of course, the Force. Instead of enjoying it, many will probably try to nitpick and complain about every detail that "isn't the same as George Lucas's vision." That's unfortunate as I've enjoyed pretty much everything Star Wars including this film. When it's all said and done, I've been taken to a galaxy far, far away on one of the greatest adventures in history. From Phantom Menace to Rise of Skywalker, through film and tv series, I've been transported to that galaxy and have enjoyed it. I hope other viewers can have that same experience. Sometimes we focus so much on critiquing things that we fail to let the film do what it was meant to do in the first place: entertain and transport us to that amazing place of adventure where anything is possible.

Frozen II (2019)

Impressive, But Not Quite Like the First

[9/10 · 24 November 2019]

This film has much of what made the first great: cute moments, memorable music, and plenty of humor. In fact, it's safe to say this film was actually funnier than the first, with a lot more comedy from Olaf and some humorous moments from Kristoff. A lot of thought was put into this sequel and it has great connections to the first film that help answer questions viewers may have had from it. As always in a Disney film, it has great teaching moments and lessons. The plot was interesting and not quite what viewers might expect. There's a lot of exposition to start the film, but it's done in an interesting way and helps set up the rest of the movie pretty well. The film is well paced for the most part and keeps you engaged throughout. With all this said, this film doesn't quite reach the standards of the original in some aspects. The music isn't quite as top notch (although it's still really good), the plot isn't quite as easy to follow, and it's just hard to match the magic from the first time we saw our main characters on screen. The visuals are incredible, there's plenty of cuteness, and I again have to mention the humor because it was just great. Overall, a film great for slightly older kids that also has plenty for adults to enjoy, although not quite as impressive as the original Frozen.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

It's Great for a Sequel

[8/10 · 19 October 2019]

The pacing of the film was great with the exception of the initial scene with Aurora feeling a little too drawn out. Michelle Pfeiffer, Angelina Jolie, and Elle Fanning were outstanding in their roles and really made this film great. It had some interesting twists that at times felt a little cliche, but hey it's a Disney film that's still trying to cater to kids - or at least families (and Disney knows how to use a formula that works). It was nice to see a sequel that actually had some thought put into it and had actors/actresses that seemed really invested in it. Supporting actors and characters also brought great performances that helped carry the story along. Overall, I'm just happy they put real effort into this film, the actors cared about how it would turn out, and it puts yet another creative spin on the story of Maleficent that isn't like the cartoon version that came before it.

A sequel that doesn't make you feel like you wasted your time and money and provides a great follow up story to the original, albeit with some cliches. But hey, don't most Disney films have cliches?

The Lion King (2019)

Tries to do the Impossible

[6/10 · 21 July 2019]

This film tries to ride a fine line between portraying animals as realistically as possible while also trying to stay as true to the original animated film as possible. The problem is that the original included cartoony aspects (like an elephant crushing Zazu, Timon filing Simba's nails, etc). The other problem is that real animals don't really show emotions in their facial expressions. So it was impossible to stay true to the original 1994 version.

The animation is incredible- they were going for realistic looking animals and that's what they achieved. The problem is those animals don't show emotions. So when you're seeing a sad moment, the faces of the characters aren't sad-looking.

Pros: Timon and Pumbaa, some of the songs, amazing animation Cons: lack of emotion, wasn't willing to stray away from the 1994 version, nothing makes this film stand out

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Absolutely Stunning.

[10/10 · 25 February 2019]

What a way to end the trilogy! Wrapped up the story beautifully. Makes me wish these characters were real because that's how it felt throughout their entire journey - I felt like I was literally in the story with them. You get so attached to these characters that you've watched over the years. The ending is touching and truly well thought out. I know some people don't like stories to come to an end, but I believe it actually would be a disservice to continue to drag this series out just to make more money. It ended wonderfully and felt like the appropriate way to finish off the series. The animation is breathtaking, the villain is intriguing, and the timeframe feels right. They pack a lot into the 1 hour 44 minutes of screen time. The best film to come out so far this year and a great tribute to the entire series. Nothing negative that I can say about this film. I hope it's as great a journey for you as it was for me.

The Grinch (2018)

A Nice Family-Friendly Christmas Film

[8/10 · 31 December 2018]

While it could never capture the nostalgia of the original "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", this film is still a nice tribute to the character we all loved watching on television growing up. Don't go in expecting it to be the best Christmas film ever, but don't expect it to be horrible either. The one thing I love about this film is it actually gives a great reason for why The Grinch hated Christmas. I love the family messages and inspiration all along the journey this film takes you on. All in all, a nice Christmas film I will watch each season to celebrate the holidays.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Stan Lee Is Smiling Right Now

[10/10 · 17 December 2018]

A movie worthy of Stan Lee's approval. Incredible animation, great story, great message. This film lives up to the hype and honestly surpassed my expectations. The only reason I think there are some negative reviews is because you can never please everyone. However, for the vast majority of viewers, I believe you'll find this film to be great. Highly recommend seeing it in theaters just for the amazing animation style.