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liamhain
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Persuasion (2022)
So cringe it was actually funny
Truly awful movie. I loved the endearment "my dear octopus" so much I decided to rate this bizarre movie 1 star. The 2007 version is infinitely more enjoyable.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Lacking direction and magic
I loved the first movie and the second was decent but this one was painful to watch.
Almost 2.5 hours of uninteresting plot that could easily be trimmed down to 1.5 hours and no one would even know. While watching, you are bombarded with great CGI/special effects but that's about it. The movie itself felt like a dream sequence - no clear vision regarding what is supposed to happen, where we are going, just a series of pretty looking scenes that were glued together to somewhat work together. It felt like the creators obviously know where we eventually want to end up (Dumbledore defeating Grindelwald in the last movie) but have absolutely no idea how to get there and how to fill in the space in between.
That being said, this is a movie from the Harry Potter world and as such, the fans can forgive it plenty of missteps. What I personally can't overlook however, is the lack of magic. This is a movie about a magical world that lacks the actual magical feeling. It lacks the "wow" element and I wonder if I'd feel the same way if I was watching a random Fast and Furious movie... without the car chases.
Lastly, shame on you WB for removing Johnny Depp from this movie. I don't care about him as an actor, nor do I think he is that great of an actor, but he did a way better job than Mads Mikkelsen (and don't get me wrong, I love Mads). This new version of Grindelwald was simply... bland and did not help the movie in any way whatsoever. I expected at least some half-believable explanation in the movie for the face swap but there was none which made it even worse. Shame on you for punishing a victim of DV. Anyone who listened to the tapes and/or experienced DV themselves is more than able to tell he was the victim. Shame on you for siding with a liar and a poor liar at that.
All in all, "meh" is an accurate description of this movie. In my opinion, this franchise is dead. Doubt I will go to the cinema to see the next one and I am highly tempted to stop supporting WB completely.
The Magicians: Fillory and Further (2020)
So this is the end
My initial thoughts before watching the season finale was: "This season was really disappointing, I will not be watching the next one. If I stumble upon it in a few years, maybe I'll watch an episode or two... but my support of the series and the creators is done."
I remembered a few months back when I wrote my first review ever on imdb about how displeased I was with the "creative" choice to kill off Quentin (who was basically the glue of the show) in the disgusting way they did. How the new season felt very disjointed and I wondered how long a show like that could possibly last. Well, I saw an article today that The Magicians have been canceled. No surprise there. And I am saying that with the utmost respect to the actors themselves; I think they did a fine job this season considering what the creators of the show gave them to work with.
The actors did a good job, but the creators failed to find a character that would replace Quentin as the glue of the show or find a way to make the existing characters evolve and grab the attention and hearts of the viewers. Because it's no easy thing doing this and Quentin was a character that did it so well because he was so relatable to many of us, the attempts at doing so felt empty and meaningless.
Don't get me wrong, I am no longer sad or angry they got rid of Quentin. It was a creative mistake many other creators did and paid the same price. Life goes on. As it is, the series is over and so is my interest in it.
All in all, the final season was fine. The final episode of the final season was fine. It was a generic episode of a generic season because it lost its magic though. And that it was the magicians without their magic... that's what makes me sad.
I had a real great time, guys, I really did... until I didn't.
The Magicians: The Mountain of Ghosts (2020)
It's still all about Quentin
It is quite telling that even after 3 episodes, the glue of the show is still Quentin. Or his lack thereof. While I am all for seeing how his death affected his friends and lovers (and the acting is very good), it seems to be the only thing that keeps the show together at the moment. Most of the characters are doing their own thing and I feel like I am watching several different shows set in the same universe.
I still think it is quite unfortunate how the creators shot themselves in the foot by removing Quentin from the show. And despite the effort to underline it is an ensemble cast and Quentin is in no way the main one... he always was the thing that held everything together. And considering the even more unfortunate way they killed off Quentin . I would be very surprised if this show survived more than a season or two. And I effin' LOVED this show. But trust once broken is not easily regained.
Oh, I WILL be watching the whole season. Just so I can see if the creators finally understand the mistake they made and decide to fix it (they can always say: surprise! season 5 was about everyone missing Quentin, season 6 is about getting Quentin back) or if they magically find another "glue" of the show. Right now I am not feeling it.