Leungzy Reviews

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Much better than what I was expecting

[8/10 · 4 April 2023]

After seeing the trailer, I didn't have much high hopes for this movie. I was expecting a cheesy "B" movie style flick with cheap laughs and a terrible storyline. But I was pleasantly surprised with it and happy to be wrong.

The casting of each character was perfect. It was filled with a lot of laughs and funny scenes but blended with exciting action... exactly the way you would expect a D&D movie to be.

I think had they tried to make it too serious like LoTR it wouldn't have worked, but this movie really ticked off every box. It was entertaining and the pacing was perfect. And the storyline flowed with no boring scenes or dialogues that dragged on too long.

Some of the scenes that really stood out to me as exciting where Doric's scene where she's trying to escape the castle and the scene where the team were fighting Sofina, I was on the edge of my seat watching them.

This is definitely a movie I'd watch again, and I hope we see a sequel because all the characters were very likeable. This has been a great addition to the fantasy genre and I can't wait to see what comes now in the future for this franchise.

The Last of Us (2023– )

Peaked too soon, then felt rushed and dropped in quality

[7/10 · 13 March 2023]

I'll start with the negatives:

My opinion after Episode 8 was that you cannot tell the story of TLOU in such short episodes, that was after a 50 min episode.

For the finale, it was unforgivably the shortest episode of the season at 44 mins?

Overall, the show started off really really good. In the first few episodes I was recommending this to everyone I talked to, telling them that this was one of my favourite shows I'd ever watched.

Unfortunately, that opinion changed after Episode 6.

From 7 onwards, I felt the show just shifted from being too slow at times to needlessly rushing through specific plots, character relationships and action sequences that took place in the game that enriched the story, added suspense and drama, and gave depth to character relationships.

The pacing from the majority of the first half of the season just didn't match up with the second half.

Also characters being introduced at the start of an episode and then being killed off at the end felt too quick and rushed. Had they split the season up or made episodes longer, I think that may have made it seem less rushed.

In hindsight, I wish they had skipped certain things they added to the show that were not in the game, and stuck to the original storyline.

I thought the casting of David and Riley was poor.

In David's case, I didn't feel the actor was an accurate on-screen version of him or that they did a good enough job of portraying how creepy he was.

This was also largely due to the fact that they skipped over his whole storyline of helping Ellie fight a swarm of infected, in which he gains her trust, before revealing that he knew who she was all along.

I had really been looking forward to his encounter with Ellie and unfortunately was left very disappointed when they rushed through his story in 50 mins.

I also would have liked to see Joel have to fight his way through David's survivor group to get to Ellie.

Instead it was a rather easy process for him to find her, and for them to escape a whole resort of people that were hungry for revenge for what he had done in Colorado.

In the case of Riley, I just didn't feel like her relationship with Ellie was authentic or believable. When compared to Bill and Frank, who I felt an emotional connection with, I felt nothing when watching Ellie and Riley together. It was rather bland and felt rushed.

In general, I found that episode mostly boring, and thought that they ruined it by showing the infected person so early on that would attack them at the end of the episode.

To me, this completely removed the element of surprise, and I found myself sitting there bored during the episode just waiting for him to attack Ellie and Riley.

I thought the finale should have been much longer, as it felt rushed and basically like the show's producers had run out of time and needed to cram the rest of the story in.

I would have liked to seen the hospital scene more drawn out, although I will say that I liked how it was done so artistically and with the music in the background.

Although Joel cares for Ellie, this doesn't necessarily make him a good person.

It felt like the show rushed through scenes where we see him be ruthless to get what he needs/wants, and would have liked to have seen his character development fleshed out a bit more, along with his relationship with Ellie.

Now for the positives:

I loved Bill and Frank's episode.

I was a bit disappointed that we never got to see Ellie meet Bill as their encounters in the game are hilarious, but I loved what the producers did in writing a story that had me really caring for 2 people who were not main characters in the game and whose story wasn't explored originally.

I thought Bill/Frank's episode (Episode 3) did a really great job of portraying post-apocalyptic life with someone you loved and cared about, and how you wouldn't want to go on living without them. Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" was used beautifully in their final moments together.

In fact, overall, the soundtrack for the show was really good in my opinion. It was great that they brought back Gustavo Santaolalla to do it.

Episode 3 ran at 1 hr and 16 mins, which to me was perfect. I don't know why the producers didn't make all the episodes as long as this or as the season premiere's.

I also enjoyed the other added backstories which weren't featured in the game, as I felt that these really enriched the story. These included:

• the origin of the outbreak
• Ellie's birth and her immunity
• Kathleen and her insatiable hunger for revenge

There were some nods to fans of the game as well that were a nice touch such as

• Ashley Johnson (Ellie's voice actor from the game) play Ellie's mother
• Troy Baker (Joel's voice actor) play James
• Jeffrey Pierce (Tommy's voice actor) be killed by a bloater exactly in a manner that happens in the game.

It was also great hearing the original music from the game used so heavily as it really brought me back to playing it years ago for the first time. Hearing that music and Ellie tell her pun jokes was very nostalgic.

In terms of acting, I thought Pedro Pascal was very good, as was Bella Ramsey.

They both did a great job of portraying Joel and Ellie with the scenes they were given.

Although this show had a lot of good things about it, overall it left me thinking it could have been much better, and that they could have done a lot more with the story, and not rushed certain scenes or character storylines.

I'll summarise this show with a quote from a friend:

"My wife hates zombies, but she doesn't mind watching TLOU because there is never really any of them in it".

Overall, I think that has been a huge downside to a show that started off so well, from Episode 1 showing how terrifying a day one outbreak can be, to Episode 5 showing a evolved swarm attacking a group of armed survivors.

While we didn't need "The Walking Dead" level of zombies in every episode, this show, in my opinion, just skipped too many scenes that should have featured them a bit more, and largely for that reason, it just doesn't live up to the real drama, suspense and terror of the game.

The Last of Us: Look for the Light (2023) Season 1, Episode 9

Unforgivably short and rushed

[7/10 · 13 March 2023]

Disappointingly, my review is basically the same as last week's episode. This episode felt rushed, and had potential for the show to end on a really good note.

My opinion after Episode 8 was that you cannot tell the story of TLOU in such short episodes, that was after a 50 min episode.

For the finale, it was unforgivably the shortest episode of the season?

While I enjoyed the hospital action scene, from Joel finding out what Marlene's plan was for Ellie to him saving her, it all just happened too quick. I liked how it was done a bit more artistically, but just felt it could have been drawn out a bit.

Overall, the show started off really really good. In the first few episodes I was recommending this to everyone I talked to, telling them that this was one of my favourite shows I'd ever watched. Unfortunately, that opinion changed after Episode 6.

From 7 onwards, I felt the show shifted from being too slow at times, to needlessly rushing through specific plots, character relationships and action sequences that happened in the game that enriched the story and gave depth to the relationships of characters.

In hindsight, I wish they had skipped certain things they added to the show that were not in the game, and stuck to the original storyline material.

I thought the giraffe scene in the game was a very touching moment, seeing Ellie react to them in her young innocence. In this, it almost seemed out of place and the editing within the story's timeframe just didn't feel natural, especially coming from the last episode.

I did think the backstory to Ellie's immunity was good, as this wasn't in the game. And it was a really nice touch having Ashley Johnson (Ellie's voice actor from the game) play Ellie's mother.

Also Pedro Pascal's acting for this episode was pretty solid.

But overall, this show left me wanting more, and not in good way.

I would have loved to have seen more infected, and seen the story of David and Ellie played out properly and not just skipping over their whole battle with infected.

I'll summarise this show with a quote from a friend:

"My wife hates zombies, but she doesn't mind watching TLOU because there is never really any of them in it".

Overall, I think that has been a huge downside to a show that started off so well, from Episode 1 showing how terrifying a day one outbreak can be, to Episode 5 showing a evolved swarm attacking a group of armed survivors.

While we didn't need "The Walking Dead" level of zombies in every episode, this show, in my opinion, just skipped too many scenes that should have featured them a bit more, and largely for that reason, it just doesn't live up to the real drama, suspense and terror of the game.

The Last of Us: When We Are in Need (2023) Season 1, Episode 8

Rushed and half-baked episode

[6/10 · 7 March 2023]

This episode should have been at least an hour and a half to flesh out the story between Ellie and David and to really show how creepy he is.

It even could have been told in 2 episodes if they told the story in its entirety.

Aside from Bill/Frank, characters being introduced in 1 episode and being killed right at the end of it just feels too quick in my opinion.

For comparison, Bill's episode was almost 1 hour 20 minutes. I loved what they did with him and Frank because they spent so much time letting us get to know and develop feelings for the characters.

A whole episode was used to show us Ellie and Riley playing around in a mall in the last episode. Do we just forget about her now?

What happened to Riley? Did Ellie kill her? Did she kill herself? Did Ellie just run away and leave her? Why bother spending so much time showing her. I was hoping they would show what happened or at least explore it since the game just says that Riley became infected and nothing else.

They took the liberty to explore a story with Bill and Frank. Instead of developing Riley's story or adding to it, they just rush straight into David's and half-bake his story before it's over within the hour.

I have no idea how they thought it would be a good to tell this part of the story in less than an hour.

Going off the game's storyline, this episode had a lot of potential to be so much better and should have been.

Originally Ellie and David are attacked by a massive swarm and a bloater (a wasted opportunity to show some more infected) who they fight off, proving to be an effective team before he saves her life, appearing to be a decent man before revealing that he actually knew who she was all along.

In this he barely spends any time with Ellie and he's ready to make her his partner? And trust her over everyone in the town? Based on what? Her just holding him at gunpoint as opposed to seeing her fight against infected in the original story?

Wasn't very believable and should have been included to some extent.

The show has gotten to a point where too much has been cut out from the original, especially storylines that actually enrich relationships and make them seem real.

We are shown David and Ellie having a conversation for a literal few minutes before James breaks a world record for a 4 mile hike and tries to ambush her. They didn't show David gaining her trust or a reason for us to believe that David really trusted her.

His character development (or lack there of) and the episode itself have been rushed.

Where was the rest of the group that wanted revenge on Ellie and Joel when she was captured? How did Joel manage to get into the resort without any trouble? In the game he has to fight his way in to get to Ellie.

Did the whole group just go on holidays or vanish?

Again...rushed and half-baked, telling us only half of the story.

The show started off so promising but now we're getting GOT Season 8 treatment were things aren't being fleshed out enough and it has become such a disappointment.

I never had a problem with the lack of screen time the infected were getting until this episode but they have just skipped over too many parts now that should have had some of them in it.

You cannot give the story of the TLoU justice by telling it in such short episodes, 50 minutes isn't long enough to tell segments of the story and to introduce and then kill off characters.

Characters are just easy come, easy go at this stage.

As a huge fan of the games, I know I'm not being completely biased either, as I have been watching this with my house-mate who had no knowledge of the game, and his exact words after the episode ended were "that was an anti-climax", referring to the build up and how quick the episode ended.

The only good things about this episode were seeing Joel's voice actor playing the character of James, and then Joel and Ellie's acting.

But again, had they took the time to develop the story properly, it could have been better.

There is definitely some cherry picking going on too in the reviews because my review for the last episode got removed and almost 24 hours after this episode released there is only positive reviews and no negatives.

The Last of Us: Left Behind (2023) Season 1, Episode 7

First time I was disappointed by this show

[6/10 · 1 March 2023]

First time I've ever had a review removed. Don't think I said anything bad, guess someone is having negative reviews removed.

Here's what I said:

Having played Left Behind, I hate to admit that I was disappointed and underwhelmed by this episode knowing what happens when comparing it to the game.

I think it was a huge mistake to show the infected person in this episode before he attacks... it removes the surprise of Riley getting bit and the mystery around what to her.

Had they not shown the infected, and shown Riley and Ellie have the conversation about her leaving before they're both bitten, it would have left the viewers (who haven't played the game) wondering did she leave Ellie to go to Atlanta. Showing the infected person foreshadowed Riley's end and took the element of surprise away.

When comparing this to episode 3, which I felt had emotion and had me caring for the characters and invested in their relationship, I didn't feel any connection or feelings at all towards Riley's character or her relationship with Ellie.

I'm not sure if that was down to the actress herself or the script she was given, but I just didn't believe or get the same sense of a strong relationship between Ellie and Riley as I did playing the game.

Perhaps this was just a back story that didn't translate well from the game to a tv show, but I found most of this episode boring. In the game, this story is mixed with chases from the infected and a few thrilling action scenes.

I think they should have spent less time perhaps of Ellie and Riley exploring and playing Mortal Kombat, and more time focused on their actual relationship and making us believe it was real rather than just for the sake of including a back story.

I would have even gone an extra step and taken creative liberties to show Ellie having to kill Riley, or show what happens to Riley after she is bitten; hopefully they might do that in the next episode as I felt the ending to this one was very underwhelming.

In my opinion, this was the worst episode so far.

The Last of Us: Endure and Survive (2023) Season 1, Episode 5

May the quality/standard endure and survive.

[9/10 · 24 February 2023]

This show has been a gift to fans of the video game. If ever future writers want to take a template of how to do a game justice, this is how it's done.

In my opinion, if you want to make fans happy while staying authentic to the original material, you have to enrich the storyline and the experience for the existing fans while introducing new fans to the TLOU universe.

From including the original voice actor for Tommy in this episode, to having his head ripped off by a bloater mimicking the in-game deaths of being killed by a bloater, I find myself constantly surprised and happy with what they're doing.

They're not just sticking to the script and re-enacting the game scene by scene. They're adding storylines to characters such as Henry, and introducing new ones such as Kathleen to foreshadow the theme of revenge that is such a prominent feature in TLOU universe.

Ellie thinking she could cure Sam by giving him her blood was such a sweet and innocent scene - this wasn't in the game and it just shows how a tv show can really add to the experience and to characters, I found it really touching and sad as it showed the innocence of children in a chaotic world filled with zombies and people trying to survive.

I couldn't have wished for a better on-screen adaption of a bloater, the way it was introduced to to the screens and how they showed how devastating a horde of infected can be was absolutely terrifying.

And I really love how they still managed to merge parts of the game such as having Joel be a sniper while trying to protect Ellie with having Kathleen and the resistance fight the infected.

So far, this has been one of the best TV shows I've ever watched. I'm hoping the quality and standard endures and survives and we don't end up with another GOT Season 8.

The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023) Season 1, Episode 3

Touching episode and a refreshing take on a post-apocalyptic life

[9/10 · 22 February 2023]

I'll start by saying anytime I hear "Max Richter - On the nature of Sunlight" on tv, I tend to get teary eyed as I've never seen it used in a scene that wasn't emotional.

The video game was special not because of its action or zombies, but because of the story, relationships and the emotions it invokes in you when certain things happen to the characters in the game. And I thought this episode recreated some of that emotion I felt when I played the game the first time.

This episode touches on the human connection side of a post apocalyptic world. I was quite surprised at the change of pace and tone for this episode in comparison to the previous, but in a good way. There is no shortage of zombie post-apocalyptic shows/movies, so it was refreshing to see a show offer a different view on it.

I had been looking forward to Bill meeting Ellie (IYKYN), but the show takes a different storyline for Bill, one which I actually enjoyed.

It gives far more time to Bill and Frank's relationship, and gives you a glimpse of what a life in solitude would be like with someone you love in a zombie-esque world, not something I've seen done before on TV.

I've seen people complaining about this being a gay romance episode, which is unfortunate as you can tell they haven't played the games and don't know who the other gay characters are.

However I found this episode very touching as I was able to put myself in that situation if I was caring for someone.

*Update* - Spoilers ahead!

After watching the 5th episode, I am really appreciating what the screenwriters have done with this show.

If you are familiar with the game, you can appreciate this episode because without creating a side story, all the characters that would be introduced in the show would just die shortly after and in my opinion, would make it seem pointless to have them and also just feel like a rushed storyline, most of the characters introduced don't survive very long.

People need to stop complaining about this being a filler, I would rather see a show explore something new like they did in this episode and enrich the TLOU storyline than just stick exactly to the script and re-enact the game scene by scene.

Hannibal (2001)

Weak sequel to SOTL

[4/10 · 18 February 2023]

In comparison to this movies predecessor, this is a very weak addition to the Hannibal franchise. The actors themselves do a good job, especially Gary Oldman. Julianne Moore does a decent job, although let's be honest, she was never going to be better at playing Clarice than Jodie Foster.

The problem I had with this movie was the script, the plot holes and the general laziness in the writing.

For example, Verger just happened to have hired hitmen in Italy who were also raising Italian man eating Boars? No explanation as to how or why they had to be in Italy and somehow ended up in America. Another example, Cornell just decides then and there to throw Verger into the pen? This felt like such a pathetic and weak ending to Mason Verger, on top of it feeling like a lazy way of killing his character.

Also, the Boars just happen to completely ignore Hannibal and Clarice who's bleeding in the pen, walk right past them and instead go further to get their food. To me this was just plain stupid.

And the ending, Hannibal just cuts off his hand and manages to get on a plane (for the second time including flying from Italy) despite being on the FBI's top 10 most wanted. This movie left me rolling my eyes a lot and it was a disservice to Hannibal and Clarice Starling. Not a movie I would watch again.

The Bear: Review (2022) Season 1, Episode 7

Blown away

[10/10 · 4 February 2023]

I seen someone else mention that this was one of the best episodes of any tv shows they have seen and I couldn't agree more. The last time I remember being that gobsmacked by an episode of a tv show was after the "Hardhome" episode of GOT.

You could feel the tension building up through this episode and I loved how it was all done in one shot. The emotions and reactions of the actors felt very raw and real and is exactly like something you would see in Hell's Kitchen. I was so sucked into this episode that by the time it ended I couldn't believe it was over and how much time had passed. I cannot remember the last time where I was so emotionally invested in a show.

Without a doubt, the best episode of this show so far.

Nope (2022)

Peele's worst horror movie so far

[5/10 · 14 October 2022]

Compared to Peele's previous horror movies, this has been the least best out of all of them. While the acting and atmosphere built up in the movie were good, I just felt it lacked that big twist or clever storyline that the previous movies had.

Overall it wasn't bad, I enjoyed learning about all the hidden messages in the movie afterwards that Peele is so notorious for in his filmmaking, but I don't think this is a alien sci-fi horror movie I would want to watch again as it lacked any real memorable scenes (aside from the one scene in the aliens digestion system) in my opinion and there is already so many great alien movies out there.

Halloween Ends (2022)

Different, and not in a good way

[4/10 · 14 October 2022]

I'm not too sure what movie I watched, but it seemed totally disconnected from the 2018 and 2021 sequels.

Allyson seemed like a completely different character, and this interpretation of Michael was just so strange and uncharacteristic that it didn't feel like him or a Halloween movie at all.

I will never understand why they decided to introduce Corey but I had a bad feeling about this movie when the first 20 minutes had no Michael at all.

It's actually 40 mins before we even see Michael appear on screen, and he's more reminiscent of a Loganesque "Wolverine" who has aged and whose powers have dramatically decreased.

It's a pity because with the prequels, I was really looking forward to seeing Michael and the final showdown.

If they had just cut out Corey and focused on the main antagonist that everyone wanted to see, this would have been a much better movie.

The showdown between Laurie and Michael happens so quickly and feels like it lasts no more than 10 minutes with no build up that you wonder why they bothered making a full sequel to the last movie if that was all the screen time they were going to give to the "conclusion".

I feel like they ran out of ideas after the previous 2 sequels and wanted to try something different to keep it fresh and not just have Michael going around again on a killing spree, but unfortunately if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Such a shame.

Samaritan (I) (2022)

Not bad...entertaining enough!

[6/10 · 5 September 2022]

I'll start with the cons: some of the acting felt very over the top, mainly from Pilou Asbæk's character Cyrus. Especially the scenes where he gave speeches, I find them to be quite cringey and it took me out of the movie.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the story as well about Samaritan and Nemisis, but understandably this may not have been possible without showing too much.

Also the overall plan from Cyrus just seemed a bit pointless and how ordinary people were just willing to go along with it. Also he seemed to be a bit overpowered considering all he had was the hammer of Nemsis.

The pros that I liked about the movie were the back story between the two brothers. It's was good to see a superhero movie that didn't have a Marvel / DCU feel as this felt darker and grittier. I think it would have benefited from being more violent and aimed at a more mature audience.

Most of the fight scenes were good as well, aside from it just feeling that Cyrus shouldn't have been as able to cause as much damage as he did to Stallone.

I also felt Stallone's acting was very good and you didn't feel like you were watching an almost 80 year old actor, he can still play a believable action hero.

Overall I felt the movie wasn't bad, and it was entertaining enough to keep invested in the characters.

The Batman (2022)

The perfect Batman movie

[10/10 · 4 March 2022]

Not only is the my favourite Batman movie, it might just be my favourite movie of all time. As a die-hard Batman fan, I loved how they went back to his comic book roots.

His relationship with Catwoman, his team work with Jim Gordon consisting of good cop / bad cop where he can do the brutal things that the law prohibits Jim from doing. How dark and run down Gotham looked. How he used fear to fight crime. It was like what Batman Begins touched on but then never followed up with in the sequels. They finally showed a very smart Batman and the world's greatest detective.

The soundtrack was perfect as well... as a huge fan of Hans Zimmer I never thought anyone would score a Batman movie better. The whole casting was perfect too, Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Jerffrey Wright were stellar. And Pattison has over taken as the best Batman from Michael Keaton in my opinion. The next movie can't come soon enough.

Moonfall (2022)

Worst movie I've seen of 2022

[2/10 · 11 February 2022]

Easily the worst movie I've seen this year. I had seen the bad reviews online but wanted to give it a chance as my mum had never seen an imax movie in the cinema so decided to go along to humour her.

Some of the special effects were good but for the most part of the editing of this movie is absolutely awful. It was like watching a recap of a TV show where important things are shown very quickly expecting you to know the context. At one stage New York is shown being destroyed and there is absolutely no lead up to it or any explanation given as to what's happening.

Compare this to Independence Day where there was a huge build up and you knew people were trying to escape. They may as well have shown some remote place in an uninhabited island being destroyed because there was no drama or emotion behind it all. Just a terrible film with ridiculously paced dialog that just seemed unnatural and out of place.

This movie could have had potential which is a pity.

All of Us Are Dead (2022– )

Entertaining but very frustrating at the best of times

[7/10 · 8 February 2022]

Last episode let it down with characters making stupid decisions to go after lost causes and having weak dialog. I think the show could have concluded on the 11th episode and I'd have been happy at that. At the best of times the show was frustrating watching characters bicker with each other in life and death situations or seeing them needlessly sacrifice themselves.

Another particularly frustrating thing to see was Nam-Ra only utilise her strength in the last episode when she could have done more in previous episodes to help the group.

Also at times it was very convenient how dozens zombies would be chasing characters in one scene, and then in the next scene it wouldn't show how the characters had somehow outran them, the particular scene coming to mind is Onjo's father in the stairwell during the evacuation of the politicians.

Some things I really liked: the virus origin story, it was refreshing to see a different take with a zombie virus that could be explained. And with a sad story behind it. I also really enjoyed the setting of most of it taking place in the school. The show was very tense at times, and the setting really added to it.

I really liked Park Mi-Jin, her bratty attitude and lines were very funny. And Onjo's father and his undying will to save his daughter really added the sad drama to the show.

The show also created some very good characters which you want to see fall, and it delivers on that front as well.

Overall while not a perfect show, it is very entertaining and delivers a fresh addition to the zombie genre. Hopefully that is the show done because I wouldn't want to see them make another season.

Scream 4 (2011)

Over the top cheesy and unrealistic

[3/10 · 31 January 2022]

This is the worst Scream sequel in my opinion. While the previous sequels weren't great, they did have an interesting story and the killer always turned out to be someone unexpected. I found this one to just be too cheesy and unrealistic.

I had a particular complaint with how one of the murders end with the victim being thrown through a window. Maybe I was clinging too much of "my who is it theory" on clues from each murder and ultimately ended up being disappointed with who the killer was, but this Scream just did not do it for me. I'd much rather watch part 2 or 3 then sit through this one again.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

Felt like more of a love story than a Matrix movie

[6/10 · 26 December 2021]

I decided to watch this a second time since after the first viewing I thought it was just okey. On second viewing I think it's average and not up to the standard of the original trilogy. I'm a hardcore Matrix fan, I loved the originals, the first movie was always my favourite but I always really enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd too.

This movie felt very different in comparison. It lacked the intensity and excitement compared to the others such as the car chase or Neo fighting off hundreds of Smiths. The action scenes were just ok too. Nothing really memorable in my opinion. The movie could have done with more action. Also nobody dies? Or even seems to come close to dying... an example of how this movie lacked the excitement compared to the originals.

I would have preferred if they had brought back some of the original actors, especially for the exile programs... I'd have loved to have seen the twins!

I appreciated the current social commentary from the analyst but overall I felt like this was more of a love story between Neo and Trinity. It was nice to see them come together but I also was happy with the ending of the third and didn't need to see a continuation.

I was very excited when this movie was announced, I'd be very skeptical and pessimistic now if there are any more sequels announced.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Nostalgic and excellent story writing

[10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Going into this movie after hearing all the leaks and rumours, I had high expectations while also wondering how it would be possible to write this story.

After seeing this movie I believe it's one of the best superhero, if not the best superhero movie I've ever seen. Seeing all the characters brought back, especially ones that I remember seeing in the original movies in the cinema when I was a teenager brought back so much nostalgia.

I loved how they wrote the characters in and each one had a great on-screen appearance, none of them were cheesy. Also some of the reference to the previous movie jokes were very funny too.

Overall I loved what they did with this movie and can see this becoming a classic in terms of a Marvel movie for the expectations it has set.

Ransom (1996)

Far fetched thriller

[6/10 · 27 November 2021]

This move was ok. Decent pace and good acting from Mel Gibson to keep your attention. My criticism of this movie was that it was just a bit too far fetched at times. Especially the ending before they go into the bank, when Gibson's character could have just told the cops outside the bank he was being held hostage... Overall though it's entertaining enough but not a movie that would go down as a classic thriller.

Cape Fear (1991)

Average flick

[6/10 · 22 November 2021]

I thought this movie was average enough. The only things that stood out to me and that were memorable was the soundtrack's theme song and De Niro showing off his acting range. He plays his character very well.

Other than that, I probably wouldn't be in a rush to watch this movie again in the future as sometimes the story was a bit far fetched.

Dune (2021)

Best movie I've seen in the last decade

[9/10 · 26 October 2021]

Full disclosure, I have not read the books but I intend on doing so after watching the film.

I went to see this in imax, there is only 2 cinemas in my city that have imax and both are far from my home, so I generally save them for big movies.

Dune did not disappoint. I went into this movie not knowing anything, I purposely avoided trailers and reviews on IMDb. In the opening sequences the visuals in this movie blew me away. They are stunning to say the least and I'd love to know if the cities are computer generated or miniature sets because they looked so real.

When watching some of the scenes, I was transported back to my childhood watching 80s and 90s sci-fi movies where you would see certain scenes and just know that they would be ingrained in your mind forever as an epic scene.

The soundtrack is fantastic, Hans Zimmer is my favourite composer and I can understand now why he turned down working with Christopher Nolan's Tenet to work with this. Each scene is complimented by his epic soundtrack.

The character costumes and designs are awesome, they did a great job of giving the audience an easy task of distinguishing the different houses and characters from each other. The sand worms also looked surreal too.

I can't recommend this movie enough. My only gripe with it would be that sometimes it was bit slow paced, but I really enjoyed the plot and I felt the build up was worth it. It's been years since I've seen a movie that resembled this, the first movies that come to mind are the Lord of the Rings, so if you're a fan of them, go see this ASAP.

** I went to see it for the second time and did not mind the pacing this time as I knew what would happen. On second viewing this is the best movie I've seen in the last 10 years.

Halloween Kills (2021)

Not as good as the 2018 prequel

[6/10 · 19 October 2021]

I was a huge fan of the 2018 reboot and had high hopes for this this sequel but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. I appreciate how they tried to bring in more characters and give a more full circled story but sometimes it felt like there was just a bit too much going on. The movie was missing something that I just can't quite put my finger on.

I know horror movie characters always make bad decisions but sometimes the characters in this just made really really stupid decisions which almost cheapened the story a bit in my opinion.

On a positive note I do feel the movie does Michael justice and doesn't feel like a cash grab compared to other horror reboots I've seen. I like how they circled back to characters and scenes from 1978.

**Spoiler Alert** I had forgotten that the movie makers had already agreed to make a third movie, so at the end of the film when it looks like Michael is about to meet his end, I thought that this would be the end of the movie.

I actually would have been satisfied to see the series end here in that fashion as it's not a type of ending I've ever seen before in slasher movies and I really liked the idea. After seeing this though I'm hoping that the third movie in this series lives up to my expectations.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Another poor interpretation of Venom

[2/10 · 18 October 2021]

I was hoping after criticism of the first Venom movie and seeing how well an R-rated comic movie can perform, that the film makers would make this more geared towards adults. Unfortunately, that was not the case and this film is even worse than the first. Venom should really be a darker movie and this is one of the criticisms I have.

The story just feels rushed along with the jokes. Whatever way the movie was edited, it felt like they were trying to compress it into a very short time span and the result feels like a poorly edited B-movie. The whole movie just lacks any real passion or feeling, and feels like it was made for the sake of making another Venom movie.

It also really bothered me that you could hardly differentiate between Venom's and Carnage's voice in the movie.

I'd have no interest in watching it again, and I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time on it, especially if you are a diehard Marvel fan.

Limitless (I) (2011)

Entertaining but with plot holes

[6/10 · 25 September 2021]

Overall this movie was entertaining to watch but being honest I probably wouldn't watch it again. It seemed like he just had an unlimited amount of pills until the end of the movie, and I didn't like how everything just seemed to be convenient enough to suit the movie's plot, e.g. The Man in the tan coat deciding to help him in the end.

Surely the man would have taken the pills for himself. It also he had been trying to kill the main character and his partner, and then just decides to help them because his boss has died? I would have liked to have known more backstory behind the pills. I didn't like how everything just worked out for the main character in the end either. 6/10 for being entertaining enough.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Good soundtrack but overall overrated and dated

[5/10 · 11 August 2021]

I'll start with why I gave it a 5/10. This movie is very dated when comparing it to modern day movies, I don't feel like it has aged well at all.

Maybe had I seen this movie around the time it was released I would have appreciated it more, but I really do not understand how it is so highly rated.

For example some of the action scenes are ridiculous to the point that they are comical, at one stage DDL's character hip-fires two muskets killing two soldiers without even aiming them.

During one of the main fighting scenes when they are ambushed, you can see soldiers in the background holding their guns upside as if they're baseball bats ready to swing them... These are muskets by the way that have knives attached to the end of them... It was like they paid a load of extras to be in the movie who had never seen what a gun was before and gave them no direction as to what to do.

I also didn't find Major Hayward's character redemption story very believable at all, how could someone go from being evil and selfish to sacrificing themselves to being burnt alive... just seemed so far fetched to point the story in the direction that the movie makers wanted it to go.

The ending also didn't make any sense either how one character got so far ahead of the pack on the mountain.

I don't know how this movie won an Oscar for "best sound" as some of the scenes were completely inaudible, I couldn't make out what they were saying without turning on subtitles, for example, the scene when they're in the waterfall.

Some of the things I did like - the soundtrack is good, probably the best part of the whole movie and the most memorable to me. I also enjoyed how the main antagonist isn't dealt with by the main protagonist in the end... it was pleasant to experience an ending that wasn't a typical Hollywood one.

Overall I gave this movie a 5 because I'll only ever remember the ridiculousness of the fighting scenes and the good soundtrack, other than that I've no interest in ever watching this again.