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Reviews
Bel-Air (2022)
It's Good But Weighed Down by Opinionated Political Commentary
I'm 4 episodes in. I'm enjoying it more than I expected. It's chock full of social/political/racial commentary that will drive some people away. It took me a few episodes to even realize how over-the-top it is because the writing is pretty decent. For the most part, it doesn't feel opinionated or one-sided.
The over-the-top PTSD from being arrested one time is what makes me decrease my rating by a star. Lot's of people get arrested but because he's black he is forever scarred from seeing a cop or someone in uniform? That's ridiculous and offensive.
Most of the show is talking about racial and political issues, with a few class issues mixed in, and it generally does it well. It's basically the O. C. but with a focus on racial issues.
Most of the first few episodes show some balanced commentary but the colors of the network start to bleed through and you end up with a prejudiced script. It's disappointing because the script from the first couple of episodes is quite good. They bring up real issues and real f feelings, then it switches over, slowly - almost unbeknownst at first - to pushing an anti-Republican, anti-white, anti cop message. Which is unnecessary.
The Almighty Johnsons (2011)
A lot to be desired but entertaining nonetheless
Just finished the 3rd and final season and watching from the U.S..
Going into it I didn't expect much as it looked pretty cheesy and it was really cheesy at the beginning. The first couple of episodes were quite awkward but it got a lot better over the course of the remaining episodes.
If you're expecting action, special effects, and the typical fantasy genre, this show is not that. It is more of a drama/comedy and it can be charming at times. Most of the acting is pretty decent, save for the main character who, in my opinion, was quite poorly cast. Additionally, the main actor's character is so incredibly hard to watch - cringe-worthy in fact. Extremely awkward, creepy, weird, lacks charm of any kind, and has the physique of a birch tree rather than that of a god, let alone that of Odin.
If you can get past the plot holes and overall drawn out story lines that go no where, and the annoying Axl, then it's an enjoyable, fun show to watch.
The ending was quite anticlimactic especially after spending 3 seasons attempting to accomplish the goal that was established in the first episode. This show is like a bag of potato chips, which are tasty and hard to stop eating but lacks substance and ultimately unsatisfied.
I've noticed a lot of positive reviews and a lot of them mention the few poor reviews, mostly blaming it on the person not understanding shows from New Zealand. That may be the case for me, I don't know but, while I did enjoy watching it, I don't see how so many people gave it such stellar ratings and reviews. If your expectations are very low, especially after watching the first couple of episodes, it definitely makes the rest of the show seem much better but not as fantastic as so many reviewers keep saying.
I rated it 6/10 because it's above average but not by much. Again, it's entertaining and worth watching if you don't have anything else interesting to watch but don't think you'll be blown away by it.