ay6 Reviews

The Blacklist: The Dockery Affair (2023) Season 10, Episode 5

Poor production values

[4/10 · 21 August 2023]

This instalment is quite the dull and unimaginative episode which doesn't really further the greater story or character development in any way. It's little more than a police procedural with no twists, no turns, no suspense, no Blacklist!

But aside from that, there's one really irritating thing about this episode, which led me to giving it such a poor rating: bad sound production. This is a high budget show; there's no excuse for shoddy phone-it-in production! There's more than one point where there's massively obvious post-production ADR work where they've changed the script, changed some lines. Visually it's undetectable, so credit there to the editors, but aurally it's an abomination - the sound is not matched at all; the volume changes, the echo level changes, it's blatantly obvious the new lines were recorded later and just pasted in without a competent sound engineer's supervision. I wasn't even looking for it but it leapt out at me. It's like they don't even care anymore.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

A visual feast, with too many contrivances

[6/10 · 11 February 2023]

This is a visually very pleasing movie. But there's remarkably little substance to it.

The main good thing I can say about the movie is that for something that's mostly CGI and motion capture, it's surprisingly realistic looking; it doesn't look cartoonish, which is of course a good thing.

Unfortunately there are a few bad things about the movie: First and foremost, nearly the whole thing is a world-building exercise, which does look wonderful, but it gets a bit tiresome after a while. The plot is just a huge contrivance to provide a vehicle for the world-building; there really is no plot, except for the ridiculous, forced one. It does get entertaining and engaging, but still, the audience is rooting for the good guys in a situation which shouldn't exist because at its heart it's a preposterous contrivance.

Talking of contrivances, there's the issue of Kiri. Kiri is an unnecessary character whose traits could have been written into Tuk's character. Kiri is yet another contrivance whose only purpose is to shoehorn Sigourney Weaver into the movie. It's also slightly bizarre that she's playing her own daughter - sure motion capture and CGI can give the visuals of an adolescent, but she's still being voiced by a 70-something year old. Odd, to say the least.

Another thing I noted about Kiri - there's a touch of the uncanny valley about her which I don't get from any of the other characters. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe she was a late addition or had some late alterations and her face was rushed? Or maybe it's just the nose; Kiri's nose is smaller than the other Na'vi or Avatar characters, making her face more human, which maybe contributes to the uncanny valley feeling because she's not a convincing human, but we don't expect the Na'vi to be human, so there's no jarring effect with them. I don't know, I just know something is quite "off" with Kiri's face.

I felt that towards the end of the movie, things got a bit clumsy, like the randomly thrown-in rescue of the villain, presumably only to ensure a continued antagonist in the next sequel, and then the overly schmaltzy epilogue which added nothing to the story.

The only other criticism which springs to mind is the contracted timeline with significant chunks of time missing, without it being made immediately clear that's what was happening, making it hard to gain any appreciation of the timescales involved.

Having said all of that, I did enjoy the movie, I did root for the protagonists, I did dislike the (ridiculous) villain, and even got a bit emotional at the bits I was supposed to get emotional over. It's a fantastic looking movie which I'll be buying on Blu-ray when it's released. I was just disappointed that it wasn't as good as it should have been - after more than a decade, was this really the best script anyone could conceive?

New Amsterdam: Talkin' Bout a Revolution (2022) Season 4, Episode 11

What an utterly ridiculous episode

[1/10 · 6 February 2023]

This is a thoroughly ridiculous episode.

Generally I like this show. I'm normally fine with most of the more political, social justice, left-leaning storylines. But this episode, rubbishing socialised healthcare, and specifically the NHS which is a fantastic (if underfunded) service, while glorifying the broken American health system is utterly preposterous. Which US health insurance company funded this episode?

Also portraying a British health facility as being operated out of a run down, badly lit, dingy old house is completely unrealistic; even health facilities in the poorest, most disadvantaged areas of Britain are modern, well maintained, clean and bright. Is this what Americans really think the UK is like? Maybe it is if shows like this keep pushing this image.

And don't get me started on the portrayal of London streets.... That could not look more north American if it had Uncle Sam himself parading up and down while eating buffalo wings!

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Whose Show Is This? (2022) Season 1, Episode 9

Last Action Hero meets MCU

[8/10 · 15 October 2022]

Ok, so I started out really hating this show. It got better.. Then it got much worse... Then it got better again. I rated episode one with "3", episode four with "6", episode six with "1", a real low point. But episodes eight and nine have both received an "8" from me.

There's plenty I don't like about the show, and contrary to what some people will tell you, it's not misogyny; it's bad CGI, it's the constant breaking of the fourth wall, and various other problems which I've probably already mentioned in earlier reviews. I know the fourth wall breaking is true to the source material, as many fans are very keen to repeatedly point out, but this is not the source material, this is the MCU. Sure it's derived from the original comics, but it's now part of something bigger. If you break the fourth wall in one MCU show, you've broken it for the whole MCU, and I don't like that.

Anyway, this episode... At this point I decided to just get on board with the fourth wall breaking and accept it... And that's just as well, because this episode destroys that wall! It was an interesting direction to take for the finale... The plot really went entirely off the rails, and I kinda liked it. I wasn't bored. A bit incredulous at points, but not bored. And I actually laughed out loud at the KEVIN reveal. The episode really was thoroughly preposterous, but it was fun. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Have to give them some kudos for having the balls to deliberately derail their own show.

The Blacklist: The Conglomerate (No. 142) (2022) Season 9, Episode 11

Ourstanding

[10/10 · 9 September 2022]

It's about time we got a Agent Park episode, and with this instalment, we really get one hell of a Agent Park episode!

She's always so enigmatic, blank faced, hard to read, and now we see more of what's underneath, her internal struggles. We see how she's simultaneously as tough as nails, and very fragile. Laura Sohn is excellent and deserves all the credit for making this episode so good.

The rest of the supporting cast were on form, as usual Amir Arison plays the affable everyman character of Agent Mojtabai, who we can all identify with to some degree. He offsets the tone of the Agent Park scenes very well; there's little to dislike in this episode. My only minor gripe is the continued hold that Liz seems to have over the show, but I'm hoping that will now start to taper off.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Is This Not Real Magic? (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

The first episode I haven't disliked

[6/10 · 9 September 2022]

This is the first episode of She-Hulk I've enjoyed watching. It was actually kinda fun.

However, there are still things I dislike:

Firstly, I'm having some trouble getting onboard with all the fourth wall breaking. It works in some shows, but I don't like it in an MCU show. Because the MCU is all linked, if one character acknowledges that's it's just a show, then it breaks any perception of realism for the whole MCU, which spoils it, at least for me.

Secondly, the Hulk CGI is bad, especially in Jen's face when she's talking as her Hulk self. It's almost cartoonish, with more than a hint of the uncanny valley about it. It's unsettling.

I think with better CGI, and none of the fourth wall stuff, I could probably start to like the show.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

8 stars for Bale's scenes, otherwise 6.

[8/10 · 9 September 2022]

Was this a good Marvel movie or even a good Thor movie? Not really. It took too much tone from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies; don't get me wrong, they're great, and they work when written / directed by James Gunn, but their tone doesn't really work for a Thor movie.

Having said that, this is not a terrible movie, in fact it's a very entertaining movie, it's amusing and fun if you don't try to take it too seriously.

One thing that must be mentioned is Christian Bale's performance, which is truly excellent. All his scenes are amazing, and the black and white scenes with just the odd hint of colour are very effective. The Gorr scenes are really the only ones in the movie where you feel like you're watching a proper action or superhero movie. Those scenes are what made me give a rating of eight stars, otherwise it would have been a six.

Lastly I would just add, I felt quite uncomfortable about the scene where Thor turns the children into soldiers and killing machines; that's not really a heroic thing to do. That's happening for real right now in parts of the world, and it's not good guys making it happen. There was no real need for that scene.

The Blacklist: Between Sleep and Awake (2022) Season 9, Episode 7

No Reddington. No Blacklist.

[6/10 · 6 September 2022]

This wasn't a bad episode of random TV. But it was not a good episode of The Blacklist. That's mainly because there's no Blacklist in this episode of The Blacklist, which kind of defeats the purpose. There's also no Reddington - not good. As an episode of The Blacklist, this is a one out of ten. I'm generously giving it a six because it's not a bad story and it's reasonably well made. It's just entirely irrelevant and pointless.

I'm just going to type a bit more unnecessary nonsense here because apparently IMDb won't let me post a review of less than 600 characters. Since when has that been a rule? Anyway, to reiterate, this episode of The Blacklist isn't great. You won't have missed out if you skip this one.

The Flash: Negative, Part Two (2022) Season 8, Episode 20

Dire

[1/10 · 12 August 2022]

Seriously, who writes this preposterous claptrap and has the gall to expect payment?

This was just nonsensical and childish. It's like they're just making stuff up or pulling out of their butts and putting it straight into the script unfiltered.

This show is now more like a soap opera than sci-fi or a comic book adaptation. I'm so glad next season is the last.

The Orville: Mortality Paradox (2022) Season 3, Episode 3

An interesting twist on a familiar trope

[10/10 · 21 July 2022]

Ok, this trope has been reused in various sci-fi shows, notably several times in a few different Star Trek shows. But it hasn't really been done quite like this, nor quite as well.

Even recognising the familiar trope didn't give the game away and kept the audience (me at least!) guessing, not really fully knowing what was afoot. It was only towards the end that the episode started tipping its hand a little bit.

Got to give it a ten for keeping me fully engaged, keeping me guessing, and keeping me entertained, all while wrapping me in the nostalgia and comfort of reminiscence of much loved episodes of other sci-fi shows that have come before.

The Flash: Funeral for a Friend (2022) Season 8, Episode 14

Slow, dull, unrealistic. Terrible.

[2/10 · 7 July 2022]

This was a melancholy episode, done oh so so badly.

We have a team of superheroes and support team who are entirely incapable of compartmentalising, and get fully derailed by grief. That in itself is preposterous. If they're so emotionally weak they have no business being in the superhero business. Just think what a mess we would be in if our emergency services, military, doctors, nurses etc got derailed and rendered useless by grief. Professionals can compartmentalise and grieve without it affecting their jobs.

Then equally preposterously, we have the same group of people finding ways to "honour Frost" and just getting over it in a day. One day they can barely function and the next day they're over it? Who writes this utter trash?

The only bits of this episode even remotely worth watching happened in the last few minutes.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

I understand the low ratings, but I liked it.

[7/10 · 13 June 2022]

I'm not going to rubbish the low ratings and bad reviews and say they're wrong; I understand them, I get them. To be fair, they are honest and deserved low ratings and bad reviews.

However, I personally kinda liked it.

Sure, there's plenty to hate: No Laurence Fishburne, no Hugo Weaving, too many flashbacks, almost making it feel like a cheap clips episode of a sci-fi TV show. Those flashbacks were necessary and integral to the story telling, but they really could have been much tighter, shorter, just a few frames quickly flashed on screen and used more sparingly.

But, despite all the criticisms, the idea was good, and not terribly executed. I was entertained by it. It's no award winner, but it held my attention and entertained me. I rate it as "not bad" and give it a generous 7 out of 10.

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Charming and fun. Remember it's for kids.

[8/10 · 11 June 2022]

Remember people, it's for kids; this isn't supposed to be another Falcon and the Winter Soldier or Loki.

Sure it's a bit silly and a bit childish, but that's because of the audience it's aimed at. I'm absolutely not the target demographic, but I was able to find my inner child and enjoy it. It's funny, it's warm, it's charming, and it has a hint of Scott Pilgrim about it.

Killing Eve: Hello, Losers (2022) Season 4, Episode 8

What??

[5/10 · 18 April 2022]

I was onboard until the last few minutes of the episode. I couldn't really understand all the low ratings; it all seemed to be going in exactly the direction we expected, and sure maybe it felt rushed, but that's a necessary by-product of not slowing the pace of the last few episodes.

It seemed to me we were heading straight for the ending we all expected and wanted. Then the last few minutes happened. If ever there was a case of writers not reading their audience, this is it! This is not what anyone wanted. Sure Villanelle is a bad person, has done bad things and is unhinged, but the writing throughout has made her into an antihero we could all love and find ourselves rooting for; we didn't want to see justice served.

The ending makes me want to give this episode a rating of 1, but I'm generously giving it a 5 because most of the episode was good, up until it wasn't.

Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils (2022) Season Unknown, Episode Unknown

Bad

[2/10 · 17 April 2022]

Rarely have I witnessed such badly written, badly produced, badly directed trash, complete with bad cinematography, bad CGI and bad chroma key to boot.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 0.5

[8/10 · 27 January 2022]

Loved the episode and was grinning like a kid through most of it... But, I can only give it an 8 because this is The Book of Boba Fett, not The Mandalorian.

Honestly, for all that this was great, I'm massively confused as to why a whole Mandalorian episode was shoehorned into the middle of Boba Fett's series. Most of this episode had nothing whatsoever to do with Boba Fett.

So, 8.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021)

So much better than the trolls would have you believe

[9/10 · 25 July 2021]

I read some of the bad reviews on IMDb with quite a feeling of sinking disappointment before watching, so I went in fully expecting to hate it, but gave it a chance anyway.

After the first five episodes, I don't hate it at all; I'm thoroughly enjoying it and it's bringing back some of my childhood from decades ago! Particularly enjoyable is Mark Hamill's Skeletor; he's so good at playing deranged bad guys! It's just a pity there isn't an awful lot of Skeletor (or He-Man) in it, but their absence serves the longer story arc, and allows the story to focus on the other characters, so I'll forgive it.

The animation is good, even replicating some live action effects, with focus, lens flares and some clever match cuts for example. Sound production is also good, with realistic background noise and believable directional sound effects and even a good score. The audiovisual sync is on point too.

Really the only problem I have (aside from not much He-Man and Skeletor) is with Evil-Lyn. She isn't really evil enough, though she did eventually return to form, even if seemingly reluctantly, and I'm not entirely convinced about Lena Headey's casting in the part, she doesn't sound right. But I did enjoy hearing her saying "B*ll*cks".

There are a few tonal nods to other franchises such as Star Wars and even Star Trek, while still remaining true to the feel of Eternia and He-Man, albeit with slightly more violence than I remember in the 80s. I'm at a bit of a loss to understand the depth of some of the hate to be honest; I'm going to put it down to misogyny from a certain demographic not liking Teela being put front and centre. In any case it gets a thumbs up from me, especially after the episode five ending!

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Mindless fun. Don't overthink it

[7/10 · 18 July 2021]

Ok, it's probably not gonna be nominated for any Oscars. There are plot holes, paradoxes and preposterous moments aplenty.

But it's fun!

Suspend disbelief, don't overthink it, gloss over the paradoxes and plot holes and just enjoy it.

I've seen much worse. This movie is really not the train wreck some of the reviews would have you believe. Give it a chance, you might find yourself having some fun despite yourself!

The Flash: Mother (2021) Season 7, Episode 3

Ridiculous. A real low point.

[1/10 · 17 July 2021]

There wasn't a single element of this episode that wasn't utterly preposterous. I'm not sure what the writers were taking, but it probably wasn't legal.

I'm not a fan of the CW's Arrowverse shows at the best of times, but this was truly dire even for the CW. At a time when Marvel is producing some truly great TV shows, DC needs to take notice and up its game. A good first step would be to ditch the CW with all its bad writing, ridiculous plots and shockingly poor production values.

The Blacklist: Konets (2021) Season 8, Episode 22

Not that bad

[7/10 · 1 July 2021]

A few complaints in these reviews about the failure to reveal Reddington's true identity. But it was revealed, just not overtly. There's enough in there between the lines for us to infer Red's identity; sometimes things are better not dumbed down and explicitly stated.

I've been wanting Liz dead for a while, so I'm happy to see she might be... But is she? She might not be...

There's enough in there to give the answers we want, give the results so many have been wanting, but still leaving the door open for another season.

Not a perfect episode by any means, but really not as bad as some would have you believe!

Loki: The Nexus Event (2021) Season 1, Episode 4

End (or mid) credits scene!

[10/10 · 1 July 2021]

I've seen some reviews expressing shock at the unexpected episode ending. Those people obviously didn't stay tuned for the mid-credits scene!

A great, solid episode with some answers and some more questions, and some changing allegiances. Great performance by Owen Wilson!

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Misunderstood

[8/10 · 28 June 2021]

I see so many complaints about reboots, remakes, rewrites. This movie is none of those, and if you think it is, you weren't paying attention. It's a fork, a splinter.

The movie starts in the future of the Terminator (1984) and Terminator Judgment Day movie timeline, then as the events at the start of the 1984 movie are about to be set in motion, the timeline forks after Skynet attempts to change things again as the original attempts didn't work out.

Sure there are a few problems, plot holes and causality issues which don't quite track, but they don't really affect the overall enjoyment of the movie. It's well made, well thought out, and really quite enjoyable if you pay attention to what's happening and don't spend all your time fretting about reboots.

I'm giving it 8/10 because it's entertaining and well made. It doesn't deserve the lower scores from people who just don't get it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Man of the People (1992) Season 6, Episode 3

Again....

[5/10 · 27 June 2021]

Yet again, Troi is violated. The episode is fine, I guess. I'm just so tired of Troi being perpetually violated in so many episodes. I'm guessing this is yet more Rick Berman toxicity.

Lucifer: Is This Really How It's Going To End?! (2021) Season 5, Episode 15

Wow... Shocking and emotional

[10/10 · 26 June 2021]

One of the darkest and heaviest episodes of Lucifer. Not the light hearted humorous content we've come to expect, though there is still some of that, it wouldn't be Lucifer without it! It's a very well made episode; without giving any major spoilers, there's one scene which is just plain shocking, and others which are emotional and upsetting, more so because it's just so unexpected in Lucifer, which doesn't usually go so deep and dark. There's some great acting from Tom Ellis, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Scarlett Estevez and notably Kevin Alejandro. I imagine it was a risk to deviate from the usual form, but I think it worked and it paid off. Definitely this season's best, maybe one of the best Lucifer episodes since the start.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cost of Living (1992) Season 5, Episode 20

A confluence of bad Trek and bad Trek

[4/10 · 15 June 2021]

There are few things in Trek more annoying than a Lwaxana Troi episode. But one of those few things is the child oriented episode. Another one is the parenting textbook episode. This episode seems to be all these dull and infuriating things rolled into one episode. Do yourself a favour and skip it. It has few redeeming qualities, other than the last few minutes which are quite amusing and the reason it got four stars rather than one.