Aang can just fly now I guess, but he forgets in the second half of the episode when he gets hit by Zuko’s fireball. He straight up flies like Zaheer from Korra but I assume that’s not coming back.
I don't think he was flying. He was just falling, with style.
Watched the first episode of Netflix’s The Last Airbender. I have mixed feelings on it but overall I thought it was alright. Here are some q… moreuick thoughts. There’s some things I really liked and some things I really didn’t. The main cast is alright so far, though nothing has blown me away as of yet. The actors for Gyatso and Iroh are PERFECT. Th choreography is actually solid, but much of these scenes take place at night and I sometimes found it difficult to make out what was going on. I do like that they immediately display how deadly bending can actually be, particularly in the first 5 minutes of the episode which had a surprisingly brutal death scene. I also enjoyed how powerful they made airbenders feel with one being able to handle ten firebenders… uh for the most part. Earthbending however felt really weak, like it takes a lot of effort and strain to do anything. It comes off looking incredibly inconvenient and sluggish.
There’s a cou… [view original content]
Like others, I'm posting my own thoughts on Episode 1: Aang down below. I'm putting these down as I watch the episode:
I was half expecting them to make Sozin this generic, screaming, furious leader. Instead, his intro scene is short, but damn good. He just burns a man alive by touching him. Stoic, ruthless, efficient, and brutal, I love it.
That leads me to my next point: I do like the brutality that this show has. It's not blood and gore, but it's not afraid to be violent. Showing burns, injuries, screams of agony, and yes, even death. It's a good amount of dark, without being depressing.
Aang's reason for leaving pisses me off. In the show, they highlighted how much it impacted him. He talks about it with Katara, but they also do great at showing how it impacts him. He was ostracized, he was under a ton of pressure, he overheard that he was going to be taken away from his father figure. It all caused him to flee out of panic, because he had no other plan and was scared. It was an impulsive decision, but one that showed a relatable flaw. Here, it's played off more like he needed a mental health break. Less "My entire world is crumbling around me," and more "Ehh, I need a moment to clear my head." It feels less impactful and contrived, I was hoping it would be better than what I tell myself to procrastinate on doing a project at work.
On top of that, bravo, you completely ruined one of the best episodes in all of Avatar, The Storm, by showing Aang's portion of it here, with nothing to contrast it to, like they did with Zuko's backstory. That episode is damn near flawless because it showed how our hero and villain were affected by their circumstances, but chose different paths. It was our first real thought that maybe there was good in Zuko. Now, it was just Aang's backstory. I'm sure they'll do Zuko's story as well, but it works so much better to show the two side by side, not separate.
Action was really good. A lot of quick cuts, obviously to make it look better, but I found myself very entertained and impressed.
Southern Air Temple and the South Pole looks pretty good set-wise.
Maybe I'm being nitpicky, but Katara's first outburst at Sokka on the boat feels less of her arguing and defending herself, and more of acting like a rebellious, "ugh, whatever" brat. It was similar words used, but it just felt, off. Not sure I'm explaining it well.
Pacing a bit rushed in some parts. Aang being told he was the Avatar, Katara and Sokka in the aftermath of being stranded. The latter especially. In the original, they argued, Katara got mad, Sokka said something stupid, causing Aang to be discovered naturally. Here, it's crash, and immediately Katara is like "Whoa, what is that?" It was like she didn't even care that they were stranded, as if the plot was calling to her.
The music slaps. Seriously, it's great.
Sokka: "A bald kid comes out of the iceberg, what part of that makes you think we should bring him home?" Because you'd be leaving a child to die in the freezing cold you fucking psychopath.Seriously, what the fuck kind of logic was that?! Sokka acted like a dick to Aang in the beginning, but it was because he didn't trust him, and he never argued that he shouldn't be brought back, especially when he was still unconscious. Dude, Sokka came off like a murderous dick here.
Well, guess Appa's dead, just leaving him behind I guess. Shame, RIP Appa. JUSTICE FOR APPA!!!
Wait, there's a man in the village, why is there a man in the village? I thought they all went to fight and left Sokka on his own to defend it, causing his huge inferiority complex and his overcompensation in the show's early episodes. So we're not just getting rid of his sexism, but this as well.
I do love the acting from Zuko and Iroh already. First scene, I'm sold on them, and it captures their dynamic well, similarly to how their first couples scenes in the show did. However, anyone else feel the dialogue is way more...expositiony. I know they're trying to cram a lot in, but it feels like their characters are being spelled out to us more than they are being shown to us. Not saying the show was flawless in this regard, there were definitely times when they did this as well. It just feels very transparent here. Not bad, but not the most natural. In this one scene, we got Zuko dropping how he was banished, why he's searching, that he's the son of the Firelord, and Iroh not being the Firelord. All things that were balanced out in the show, instead of being given all at once.
Okay, I passed it off in the beginning, but I can't because he's doing it again...AANG IS FLYING!?!? What the hell?! When did he study from the great Guru Laghima? That is such an advanced form of spirituality and detachment that all but two people in the Avatar world had ever been able to achieve it. Even Aang, as young a master as he was, had never learned it, nor would he have considering his feelings for Katara. Here's he just flies, nonchalantly. I hate this, a lot.
Oh, okay, there's Appa. Felt weird to do that to him, and he's immediately flying, but okay I guess. JUSTICE FOR APPA!
No....no...no they did not just give that to fucking Gran Gran...oh my God they did. Made all the more worse by Gran Gran's actress being...less than stellar, let's call it. These lines work for an intro, but they just feel stupid in an actual conversation. No one talks like that.
Again, very expositiony. Holy fuck Gran Gran, what the hell are you doing to this poor kid. You just threw a ton of plot at him. Aang just mentions the Comet Festival, and she goes into a tirade of lore like a walking codex. I actually don't blame the actress for this, she got shit material to work with.
Wait, did they just say "asses?" Holy fuck, they're actually cursing in this show, nice.
Overall I do like the costumes and robes, it feels very authentic to the show. However, I miss the skull masks of the Fire Nation soldiers.
Katara: "The Fire Nation hunted down and slaughtered all of the water benders. Sokka hides me. He doesn't understand." Sounds like he understands plenty...expose yourself, you die. Got to agree with Sokka here.
While on the subject, I'm not liking how Katara is written so far. The actress is doing fine, but her attitude feels way off. Yes she was a fighter, and she fought for her right to fight. But it was always fighting out of necessity. It wasn't for herself, it was for others, to do the right thing. Here, it's more "I'm a fighter! I deserve to be more!" generic female empowerment/breaking patriarchy/warrior girl boss characterization. And yes, I am taking this more personally because Katara was by far my favorite character in the original show, and you're changing some of the fundamental aspects of her.
Katara in animated series: struggles with learning water bending for several episodes, but shows her progression and improvement through practice and hard word, while also showing her insecurities and flaws by lashing out over her inabilities. Katara here: One lesson, barely tries, immediate success. Oh man, really hoping there's more struggle as the series goes on. Same goes for Zuko. Iroh chides him for being undisciplined in the original, but here, he gets praise and says his form is flawless. Zuko was supposed to be the screw up, Azula was supposed to be the perfect prodigy.
Oh my God, seriously bitch, just shut the fuck up. I swear, Gran Gran is just some doom and gloom exposition dump who pops out of nowhere to be a creepy old woman. She's absolutely awful, it's funny. Seriously, I think Gran Gran in the movie is actually better. Sure she was an exposition dump too, but she had one scene. This one's got two.
Also, notice how there's like no bond at all between Aang and the other main characters. In the original, he had already played games with the kids, acted goofy and fun, went penguin sledding with Katara, and won the hearts of the young children. Here, one sort of lesson and a dour conversation, and that's it. No personality in their interactions. Everything feels empty. The Fire Nation is attacking, this is the moment Aang gives himself up, and reveals he's the Avatar. It was earned and well paced. Now, it's "You're the Avatar, aren't you, you little bitch" from Gran Gran.
Show: "I am Prince Zuko. Firstborn son of Fire Lord Ozai." Me: "BRING ME...ALL YOUR ELDERLY!" In all seriousness, I really do like the writing here with Zuko. Unlike the movie where he just comes barreling in and immediately starts threatening others, this one is much closer to the original.
(Avatar theme plays) FUCK YEAH!!!! LET'S GOOOOO! (also, where's Appa, he could be helping here. JUSTICE FOR APPA!!!)
I love this scene between Aang and Iroh. The first time we ever truly saw them interact with each other in conversation like this was, I believe, the S2 finale. I like the conversation itself, and how Iroh explains the justification of the war, while also showing, not telling, that this isn't what he himself believes. ("A noble sentiment Avatar. But in the end, for most of us, it doesn't matter how it started, but how it ends.") and then his look when Aang asks him directly. And of course, offering him tea, THIS is Uncle Iroh. I love it.
Also, I love the detail given to Zuko's desk in his room. The cartoon never really had much, but here, his walls and desk are cluttered with notes, maps, history, and journals. You can tell this is a man who has obsessed over this one objective for years, has looked under every possible rock he could find. It's stuff like this that I appreciate, great characterization through showing. And then later when it cuts back to him frantically drawing Aang and placing it on his wall, again, great job, and great acting.
You see, this is the problem with showing that Aang can fly on his own. If he can, why isn't he just doing it now to get off the ship? Also, now he needs his glider?
Yeah, no, Sokka's arm is broken. from catching a free falling Aang right out of the sky. Also, that's it, that's his escape? No epic display of him in the Avatar State?
Oh fuck you Katara! What did I say about her struggling and not being an immediate girl boss?
Okay, at least we get one epic display of Avatar State power. And I will say, especially here, the show is doing a great job of showing how powerful, and destructive, it can be. What I'm mixed on is Gyatso's words being what gets him out of it, and not Katara and Sokka. It just doesn't feel like their friendship is earned, but in the original, it was moment's like this between them that they made it feel real and genuine.
They are really trying to hammer in Katara as a fighter, huh? Again, yes, she was one, but that wasn't ALL she was. Katara feels more like Sokka, while Sokka, who is being protective and selfless to those around him, is almost acting more like Katara.
Okay good, end credits song is the same. I can't help but want to dance to it, it's just so awesome.
Overall, I'm feeling a 5/10. Not bad, not great. Some neat changes, some questionable ones. Action was largely good, and most of the acting. Writing and pacing struggles are what holds it back for the most part.
Watched the first episode of Netflix’s The Last Airbender. I have mixed feelings on it but overall I thought it was alright. Here are some q… moreuick thoughts. There’s some things I really liked and some things I really didn’t. The main cast is alright so far, though nothing has blown me away as of yet. The actors for Gyatso and Iroh are PERFECT. Th choreography is actually solid, but much of these scenes take place at night and I sometimes found it difficult to make out what was going on. I do like that they immediately display how deadly bending can actually be, particularly in the first 5 minutes of the episode which had a surprisingly brutal death scene. I also enjoyed how powerful they made airbenders feel with one being able to handle ten firebenders… uh for the most part. Earthbending however felt really weak, like it takes a lot of effort and strain to do anything. It comes off looking incredibly inconvenient and sluggish.
There’s a cou… [view original content]
Ok, the more I thought about the Netflix show, the more I feel like it missed the mark. It seems that only Aang and Zuko were the only developed characters in this version of the story. Katara and Sokka's arcs felt way too rushed and they didn't do enough for me to feel invested in their characters.
I should have also mentioned the show still managed to share the biggest mistake with the movie, which is EXPOSITION. Now I think it was a mistake to cram the story in just 8 episodes.
Of all the things they kept in, they really kept Jet.
Unpopular opinion, but the Jet episode is by far a worse episode than The Great Divide in the original series. They made them such obvious bad guys and everyone else was so stupid, outside of Sokka, to see it.
If they are going to do it here, I was hoping that they might do something different. But nah, same plot, same stupidity. And same cringy "romance" between him and Katara. Sokka was right, she wants to stop being treated like a kid, grow the hell up.
Halfway through Netflix's Avatar and I'm pretty much still on the it's alright train. Again, some things I like and others I don't, especially with some of the changes from the source material. I still really like Iroh, I think he's pretty much the best cast member so far, and he actually has some additions to his backstory that I actually really like! I'm also enjoying Zuko even if they've softened him a little. Katara unfortunately I find to be the weakest member of the main group. She has very little agency of her own and I find her overly soft spoken and unassertive. There's a couple moments where her original personality surfaces, but it's very few and far between.
There was a fairly big change in the first episode in regards to how Aang got Captain America'd that I didn't mention before, because I didn't think it'd be much of a big deal until the episode with the Kyoshi warriors which just has me wondering why on Earth they'd change it in the first place. Suki appears and honestly I think her actress did a good job with what she was given, unfortunately what she was given isn't entirely all that great, as I'm personally not a fan of making her thirst after Sokka. Bumi makes an appearance far he's the character with the most changes so far. He's still crazy, but he's far more serious and less happy go lucky than his animated counterpart, which I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. I kind of like how it's resolved, but Bumi being the way he is here makes things feel overly dour. Also his makeup is awful, it's incredibly obvious the actor's got prosthetic's on.
Spoilery complaints and praises
What was the point changing the reason why Aang flies off with Appa in the flashback? The story pretty much ignores that and just blames him for running away. Even Kyoshi, who should know what happened to him full on blamed him for the genocide of the airbenders and the firebenders taking over. Changing it from him running away to him just wanting to get a breather ends up becoming more of a detriment to the story and characters than if they hadn't touched it at all.
On another note Kyoshi looked GREAT!
Loved the flashback of Iroh at Lu Ten's funeral. Really emotional, especially with the orchestral version of Leaves from the Vine playing in the background
I also liked the expansion of Iroh's guilt with his involvement in the war and what his actions caused.
Bumi's change is one of these things that I'm not sure how I feel about. I do like some of the stuff that he says and argues during their fight, but everything before that was absolutely painful to see to a well liked character. I get what they were trying to do, but as a fan of the original, I don't like it because it is the opposite of who this character was, and even ignoring that, I don't really like it because the payoff just isn't worth it. That, along with the majority of changes, really just don't work. However, there is one change that I and almost everyone else in the fandom loves, and it makes so much sense. You'll know it when you see it.
Aang's reasoning makes no sense, especially since the show ignores it anyway. He went for a walk essentially, and they treat it like he runs away. But he didn't, not in this version. And even in the original, none of the Avatars shit on him for it. Like Katara tells him in the original, he would have just died with them had he stayed. I get Aang having survivor's guilt over it, but no one, let alone the other avatar's, should be rebuking him over it.
The Lu Ten funeral was sad enough. Then realizing they're playing Leaves From the Vine during it, and then later when Iroh comes onto Zuko's ship and he tells him that everything he needs is right here...fucking bawling. If there is one thing the show did phenomenal with, and it was imperative that they do so, it was Iroh and Zuko. Honestly, most of the Fire Nation stuff (minus Azula) was the best parts of the show.
Halfway through Netflix's Avatar and I'm pretty much still on the it's alright train. Again, some things I like and others I don't, especial… morely with some of the changes from the source material. I still really like Iroh, I think he's pretty much the best cast member so far, and he actually has some additions to his backstory that I actually really like! I'm also enjoying Zuko even if they've softened him a little. Katara unfortunately I find to be the weakest member of the main group. She has very little agency of her own and I find her overly soft spoken and unassertive. There's a couple moments where her original personality surfaces, but it's very few and far between.
There was a fairly big change in the first episode in regards to how Aang got Captain America'd that I didn't mention before, because I didn't think it'd be much of a big deal until the episode with the Kyoshi warriors which just has me wondering why on Earth they'd change … [view original content]
Finished the live action Avatar last night. I'm not going to post my whole thoughts because it would take too long. There's some stuff in here I REALLY like, and some stuff that I REALLY hate. The acting is a mixed bag, the best being Iroh, Zuko, Zhao, Ozai, and Sokka, and the weakest being Katara, Aang, Bumi, and Gran Gran. Though I think most of the bad acting is the fault of the writing and direction, not so much the actors.
The writing is abysmal at times, even during the best moments. The original did such a good job of showing, not telling, while this show, despite being more for adults, is a whole lot of telling. There's one moment where they literally tell us something, and in the next scene, hammer the exact same thing into our head again like we just forgot it. Which sucks because the scene in question is one of the best moments from the show.
Effects are good for the most part. There are times where you realize that this scene or this character is there because they're making a callback. Some of it works, but a lot doesn't. Outside of a few scenes and moments, it's a show that feels like it just doesn't have the spirit or heart of the original. I'm seeing these scenes and moments that should be getting to me, but it just feels off. But the scenes that do have heart...holy hell, they fucking nail it. It's either one of two extremes, either brilliant, or pointless.
Overall, I'd give it a 6/10. The Fire Nation stuff, acting, and set pieces really save the show's faults, such as its characters, writing, and storytelling.
Good changes: Seeing Lu Ten's funeral and Iroh coming aboard Zuko's ship (both with Leaves from the Vine playing), highlighting Ozai more and his manipulation and cunning (and that body, I'm not gay but hot damn), Zuko's crew being the unit that was going to be sacrificed, Zhao's character is mostly upgraded, references to some of the other material from spinoffs, comics, and novels
Bad changes: Bumi going from cooky, but wise king, to a dour, resentful, and corrupt leader, Azula not having blue fire except for one second, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee being included at all, Koh not stealing faces if you show emotion and changing from a morally grey spirit to just outright antagonist, Yue just appearing to Sokka randomly as a fox in the spirit world, Katara never getting trained, honestly Katara's character as a whole, and perhaps the biggest one of all, AANG DOESN'T FUCKING BEND A SINGLE DROP OF WATER!
So, I'm just gonna say what I think Netflix Avatar did better and worse than cartoon:
Better
* Iroh and Aang interacting with each other in more than just one conversation. As I said, it was kinda lacking in the cartoon, having only one in Book 2.
* June flirts with Iroh over vice-versa. I feel like one of the weakest points for Iroh in the cartoon is him being a complete perv and a little bit out-of-character. Simping over a lady who seemed to be in her 30's and I think the live-action made her age in 40's to make it less creepy. So June is no longer Iroh's favorite month.
* Ozai and Iroh actually being in scenes together.
* The death tone.
* Zuko doing research on finding the Avatar. Makes Zuko's obsession of finding the Avatar more accurate.
* Aang and Zuko having a conversation while escaping the Fire Nation army together.
* The 41st Division crew. More complexity and development between Zuko and his ship crew.
* Koh The Face Stealer has an actual villain arc rather than being an expositional character. Small but still good.
* The final fight between Zhao and Zuko.
* Avatar Kuruk gets a spotlight.
Worse
* Katara and Sokka (Mostly Katara) taking a huge backseat. Katara is lacking the motherly and anger traits, makes her less interesting and realistic. Sokka being less sexist is one thing but I think his love relationship were both very underwhelming, especially with Yue.
* Aang did NOT waterbend once. This entire book is literally about him learning water and he threw no splashes.
* Aang's motivation for leaving the Air Temple is garbage.
* Cutting out the Imprisoment episode. It may have not been a very important thing in the story but it was for Katara. If they are saving this one for Book 2, I might forgive them. But I doubt it.
* Bumi's entire arc. From a funny goofy guy who loves messing with people to a corrupt leader who is upset towards his best friend and forces him in teaching. Not to mention the horrible reunion.
* More tell, don't show than vice-versa. Shut the fuck up, Gran-Gran.
* The dialogue is very unnatural at times.
It's a shame that I think this show is mid at best because the cast is actually great and the producers did show care for the source material. It's just the entire script ruined the whole excitement.
I finished NATLA and overall I thought it was alright. Good, not great but with room for improvement. It's nowhere near as bad as the previous attempt at a live action adaption. The cast for the most part I think do a good job with what they were given, it's just that sometimes what they're given isn't very good. My favourites of the cast are Zuko and Iroh. Really great chemistry and they did a wonderful job with the more emotional moments of the show. Zhao the antagonist of the season is also fantastic, one of the more expanded characters on the show though the conclusion to his story is fairly anticlimactic in comparison to what happens in the original series.
The second half of the series I find to be better than the first as it stays more faithful to the original series. Some of the issues with the season becoming less and less prevalent, though the painful exposition still remains one of its greatest weaknesses. Aang is way too serious. He barely acts like a kid and rarely goofs around. He's on that rise and grind. Katara's original personality does pry its way out eventually, which I liked. Azula is barely reminiscent of her original character. She's fairly normal in comparison. She's overly serious and her playfulness just isn't there. It's gonna sound weird but I don't get the sense that's she's psychotic. It feels like they're leaving in room for her to be redeemed in some way. The same could be said for Ozai as well, he's definitely still not a good person, but it seems like they're trying to give him some sort of warmth when there shouldn't be any.
The CG is fairly mixed in quality. Some moments look great, some not so much. Except the spirit world, that just straight up look bad. The bending, in particular with water and air don't feel like they have a lot of weight or impact. You'll see a character get hit with a gust of air or a splash of water and be thrown 10 feet away, but it doesn't look or feel like they should. The CG characters overall I think are fairly well done, especially Koh the Face Stealer who looked really creepy and unsettling. Momo looks great, but severely lacks in screen time, to the point I would often forget he's even in the show. You could remove him and nothing in the show would change. I honestly think he has like a solid minute or two of total screen time.
I do hope the show gets renewed. Despite all its issues, the show could legitimately be great. Maybe not as good as the original series, but great nonetheless if they listen to the criticism and do some coarse correction with the biggest issues fans are having with the season.
Spoilers
Don't like them changing Zuko not wanting to fight his father, to instead losing the fight.
Also don't like Ozai actually seemingly having a modicum of care for Zuko and Azula.
Really liked the Masks episode, might actually be my favourite of the season.
Don't like June hitting on Iroh lol. It feels really weird, similar to what happened with Suki. In the showrunners quest to do away with the original shows "sexism", they actually managed to make it more sexist.
At least they didn't do away with the Northern Water Tribes sexism, and I think it's done fairly well.
What was the point of introducing a specific knife to kill the Moon Spirit lol. It comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the show.
Not sure how I feel about Azula having masterminded the entire season the whole time with very little foreshadowing. Also she only has the blue fire for a split second. Why?
Zhao's death in this is so much more anti-climactic. He just gets hit with a fire blast from Iroh and dies.
Why doesn't Aang waterbend once throughout the entire season?
Also don't like Ozai actually seemingly having a modicum of care for Zuko and Azula.
That's what I was initially thinking as well, especially with how Ozai corrects Azula that it was Zuko that found the avatar, until you realize that he's just doing that to motivate Azula. He's manipulating her by saying these things to get the best out of her. Zhao pretty much says as such at the end (how he knows that I don't get, it was one of the few things the show was doing well with in showing, not telling before then). I do like how Ozai is portrayed here. I love what both show's did, but they are two different ones. The original's is portrayed more as looming dread, something to be fearful and terrified over, captured by Mark Hamill's menacing performance. Here, we see something different, one not based so much on fear, but cunning and manipulation. One is not necessarily better than the other, it's just two different approaches, and for what both were doing with them, they're both successful in their own way.
That's also why they had Zuko actually fight Ozai. Again, how it's done in the original works perfectly for what they were doing. And while I'll admit I hated it too at first, when I rewatched it, you can see that Ozai is not at full strength here. He's egging Zuko on, he even gives him an opening, a chance to take him down, but Zuko hesitates. Much like with a lot of what he does, Ozai is trying to teach him a lesson, that compassion is weakness, and wanted to see if he would take the opportunity when it was given. He didn't. Again, I think this is something that, while a change, it was a good one that goes for what this interpretation was trying to do.
Really liked the Masks episode, might actually be my favourite of the season.
Largely agree, but I will say the one thing I don't like about it is how they setup the Blue Spirit. Yes, we as fans of the original already know it's Zuko. But what the original did, which was very smart, was you had a scene where the Blue Spirit is watching Zhao in the very beginning of the episode, before Zuko is even introduced, making you think it could be someone else. It's a small, but clever misdirection. Here, it's soooooooo obvious. Iroh tells Zuko the avatar is lost, and then you have this masked person breaking in to free him. The setup just wasn't done right. Other than that, great episode, especially with what they reveal in regards to Zuko's crew.
What was the point of introducing a specific knife to kill the Moon Spirit lol. It comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the show.
My guess, and this is validated by the random appearance of Wan Shi Tong, is that they aren't going to do the Spirit Library in S2, which was how Zhao figured out that the spirits take material form initially. In erasing that plotline, they had to come up with some other bullshit thing, and what we got was this weird moon thing where they take form and a special knife bullshit. This was also made worse because they moved Koh earlier and changed his role up completely. Which reminds me, why did they not just get Erik Todd Dellums to voice Koh again? I actually wasn't a huge fan of Takei as him. It's not like Dellums is busy or anything, The Dragon Prince has been squandering him by giving him like 3 lines a season lately, I'm sure he could have made the time.
Also she only has the blue fire for a split second. Why?
I got nothing, that pissed me off too. That was such a senseless change.
Why doesn't Aang waterbend once throughout the entire season?
Again, got nothing. This one is so baffling and mind-bendingly stupid. This just sets Aang back so much. But then again, they haven't fully fleshed out the timeline yet. The Fire Nation is still mapping when Sozin's Comet is supposed to return, so they're not even aware of the time crunch they're under. Even with that however, the fact that he doesn't take one look at the scroll, have one lesson with Pakku, or do one simple motion is one of the biggest "what the fuck are you doing" moments from the show.
I finished NATLA and overall I thought it was alright. Good, not great but with room for improvement. It's nowhere near as bad as the previo… moreus attempt at a live action adaption. The cast for the most part I think do a good job with what they were given, it's just that sometimes what they're given isn't very good. My favourites of the cast are Zuko and Iroh. Really great chemistry and they did a wonderful job with the more emotional moments of the show. Zhao the antagonist of the season is also fantastic, one of the more expanded characters on the show though the conclusion to his story is fairly anticlimactic in comparison to what happens in the original series.
The second half of the series I find to be better than the first as it stays more faithful to the original series. Some of the issues with the season becoming less and less prevalent, though the painful exposition still remains one of its greatest weaknesses. Aang is way too seriou… [view original content]
Don't like June hitting on Iroh lol. It feels really weird, similar to what happened with Suki. In the showrunners quest to do away with the original shows "sexism", they actually managed to make it more sexist.
I too did feel disgusted at first with June hitting on Iroh. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it made more sense this way. Not that it bothered me personally, but it just seems weird to see Iroh flirting with June, when you compare this action with the character for the rest of the show. I mean, he literally pretended to be paralyzed just to have June sit on his belly, let alone not being concerned about his nephew being paralyzed.
If I'm not mistaken, June seems to be in her 30's in the cartoon, while in Netflix, she appears to be in her 40's. I do agree about Suki though. The relationship build up between her and Sokka felt too small and rushed. But with Yue, it was much worse IMO.
I finished NATLA and overall I thought it was alright. Good, not great but with room for improvement. It's nowhere near as bad as the previo… moreus attempt at a live action adaption. The cast for the most part I think do a good job with what they were given, it's just that sometimes what they're given isn't very good. My favourites of the cast are Zuko and Iroh. Really great chemistry and they did a wonderful job with the more emotional moments of the show. Zhao the antagonist of the season is also fantastic, one of the more expanded characters on the show though the conclusion to his story is fairly anticlimactic in comparison to what happens in the original series.
The second half of the series I find to be better than the first as it stays more faithful to the original series. Some of the issues with the season becoming less and less prevalent, though the painful exposition still remains one of its greatest weaknesses. Aang is way too seriou… [view original content]
Am I the only one who finds the Northen Air Temple episode of Avatar the most forgettable? The Great Divide may be the most disliked episode but it is still memorable for all its faults. But upon rewatching the show, I couldn't remember shit about the Nothern Air Temple and I'm probably still gonna forget it in the future. It doesn't do anything for me to love it or hate it. It's just there.
Recently, I was watching the trailer of the film "Dignity and Defiance: A Portrait of Mary Church Terrell" is a captivating and inspiring documentary that sheds light on the life and legacy of an influential figure in American history. Through compelling storytelling and archival footage, the film provides a nuanced portrayal of Mary Church Terrell, highlighting her unwavering commitment to civil rights and gender equality.
..... So I watched The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
And I thought it was pretty good! It's great seeing Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira back as Rick and Michonne. The show has some of their best acting in the series, and their chemistry is as electric as ever. There's some new cast members as well who I think do a great job for the most part, especially the character of Nat who quickly became one of my favourite characters in the franchise. Jadis makes her expected return and she's actually good character this time. There's a certain tragedy to her that I enjoyed, though she still has that horrible haircut streak going on.
Of course there are some issues. The CRM and Civil Republic stuff is just fine. The characters in it are cool and so are the uniforms, but the organisations as a whole I just didn't find all that interesting. While Gimple-speak is kept to a minimum, it comes back in full force in the 5th episode to an almost painful degree. I could feel my eyes glazing over as the characters started waxing poetics and speaking like they're in some Shakespearean play. The following episode does away with that thankfully. Speaking of the finale, I did tear up but it did feel a bit rushed and way too clean cut.
Overall I'd say The Ones Who Live is a solid entry into the franchise. It's not as good as the Daryl Dixon series, but very enjoyable and concludes in a fairly satisfying way. Also it's just nice seeing these characters make their return and see them complete their stories, though I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of them.
While Gimple-speak is kept to a minimum, it comes back in full force in the 5th episode to an almost painful degree. I could feel my eyes glazing over as the characters started waxing poetics and speaking like they're in some Shakespearean play. The following episode does away with that thankfully.
Which is weird because Gimple wrote Episode 6. Episode 5 was Gabriel Llanas and Matthew Negrete.
But I would largely agree with you. My favorite episode was by far Episode 4. Its pacing was great, the acting phenomenal, and the characters have some of their most human moments in the series. I was nervous going into that one because, I believe, it was the writing debut of Danai Gurira, Michonne's actress. She's a great actor, but that doesn't always lend itself to writing prowess. Holy fuck was I blown away! She absolutely nailed the writing here.
I did also like that this episode title, "What We," and the next episode title, "Become," form "What We Become," which was the episode in Season 10 where Michonne leaves to go find Rick. And the first three episode titles are "Years," "Gone," "Bye," a nod to the very first episode of the series and the first volume of the comics "Days Gone Bye."
Now all we need is, somehow, Daryl and Rick to have their reunion. I haven't watched the new Daryl series yet, but I believe he's in France, right? I saw a clip where Carol calls him and she says something over the radio but it's unclear, but it sounds like "Rick came back." If there is a scene of these two brothers finding each other again, I might actually cry.
EDIT: correction, Danai has written before, she's done multiple plays, including Eclipsed, which won multiple awards. So my apologies on that, this is her first time writing for television however.
..... So I watched The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
And I thought it was pretty good! It's great seeing Andrew Lincoln and Danai … moreGurira back as Rick and Michonne. The show has some of their best acting in the series, and their chemistry is as electric as ever. There's some new cast members as well who I think do a great job for the most part, especially the character of Nat who quickly became one of my favourite characters in the franchise. Jadis makes her expected return and she's actually good character this time. There's a certain tragedy to her that I enjoyed, though she still has that horrible haircut streak going on.
Of course there are some issues. The CRM and Civil Republic stuff is just fine. The characters in it are cool and so are the uniforms, but the organisations as a whole I just didn't find all that interesting. While Gimple-speak is kept to a minimum, it comes back in full force in the 5th episode to an almost p… [view original content]
Which is weird because Gimple wrote Episode 6. Episode 5 was Gabriel Llanas and Matthew Negrete.
I can't believe Gimple was out Gimple'd.
My favorite episode was by far Episode 4. Its pacing was great, the acting phenomenal, and the characters have some of their most human moments in the series.
Agreed, absolutely loved it. Danai Gurira did a wonderful job breaking down the characters, everything they've been through and "what they've become." It felt really cathartic. Admittedly the helicopter and apartment stuff is a little convenient, but the rest of the episode was so good it becomes an easy thing to forgive.
I saw a clip where Carol calls him and she says something over the radio but it's unclear, but it sounds like "Rick came back." If there is a scene of these two brothers finding each other again, I might actually cry.
Gimple plans to have some sort of crossover event to bring everyone back together, so this is definitely happening at some point in the future.
While Gimple-speak is kept to a minimum, it comes back in full force in the 5th episode to an almost painful degree. I could feel my eyes gl… moreazing over as the characters started waxing poetics and speaking like they're in some Shakespearean play. The following episode does away with that thankfully.
Which is weird because Gimple wrote Episode 6. Episode 5 was Gabriel Llanas and Matthew Negrete.
But I would largely agree with you. My favorite episode was by far Episode 4. Its pacing was great, the acting phenomenal, and the characters have some of their most human moments in the series. I was nervous going into that one because, I believe, it was the writing debut of Danai Gurira, Michonne's actress. She's a great actor, but that doesn't always lend itself to writing prowess. Holy fuck was I blown away! She absolutely nailed the writing here.
I did also like that this episode title, "What We," and the next episode title, "Become,"… [view original content]
I can't believe they managed to pull it off but the Fallout show is absolutely FANTASTIC!
Really funny, super charming, pretty horrific at times, and very true to the world of Fallout. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like a main entry to the franchise. The main cast is excellent especially Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, who is an absolute scene stealer. I'm very happy that it's been renewed for a second season.
We really are living in the golden age of videogame adaptions.
I've never been able to get into the Fallout games. I've tried 3 and 4, but I always lose interest a couple hours in. But I've seen some clips from the show and it does look good, especially the makeup on the ghoul character. That being said, as someone who's not into the game, wouldn't still be worth the watch?
I can't believe they managed to pull it off but the Fallout show is absolutely FANTASTIC!
Really funny, super charming, pretty horrific a… moret times, and very true to the world of Fallout. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like a main entry to the franchise. The main cast is excellent especially Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, who is an absolute scene stealer. I'm very happy that it's been renewed for a second season.
We really are living in the golden age of videogame adaptions.
I've seen a few people with similar experiences to you giving the show a shot and ended up loving it so I'd say it's at least worth giving it a couple episodes. You don't really need any knowledge of the games to get into it as the show does a good job of introducing the world to the audience, though there are definitely a few things people are just gonna have to roll along with.
I've never been able to get into the Fallout games. I've tried 3 and 4, but I always lose interest a couple hours in. But I've seen some cli… moreps from the show and it does look good, especially the makeup on the ghoul character. That being said, as someone who's not into the game, wouldn't still be worth the watch?
I was skeptical about this because it's been 7 years since the last one and I don't see how it could live up to what I consider the best movie trilogy of the last decade.
It's fortunate for me to say this movie was very good. Caeser's legacy does continue in this franchise but now it's all about new characters in a new age. The movie does a great job at building the world where apes are more popular than humans and making us connect with the new apes, especially Noa, the main character.
While the movie was worth the ticket, I think the Caeser trilogy is still better in my opinion. It could be because of nostalgia but I thought the previous movies had better pacing with better developed characters.
But I am excited to see where they would take this new trilogy. Just please for the love of God, don't repeat the same mistakes as the Star Wars sequels and the last Halloween trilogy.
I watched Godzilla Minus One on Netflix.
If you told me before that I was gonna love a Godzilla film that focuses more on human characters than the titular one, I would NOT have believed you even in the slightest. But this film did the fucking impossible and it is already not only my favorite Godzilla film but also probably my favorite Kaiju/monster movie of all time.
The Dragon Prince Season 6 is here. After the agonizing disappointments of Seasons 4 and 5, the penultimate season dropped today, and my honest reaction is...it was fine.
I mean, it's without a doubt better than Season 4 and 5. I remember this season actually having some great episodes. But I can't say it's anywhere near Seasons 2 and 3. There are 2 episodes in this season that I find outright terrible, one of which is easily my least favorite of the series. But the season ends on a pretty damn good high note, with Episode 8 being one of the best episodes in the series.
The same problems exist as before, they do fantastic with some characters and have nothing to do with the others. Some storylines worked perfectly, and some were just a slog to get through. Pacing is both slow and very rushed. But all in all, it felt more tempered this season, like there were glimpses of the show's former glory trying to come out. Is it the greatest, God no. Is it an improvement over what came before, yes. For every painstaking bad, there was a redeeming good somewhere around the corner, so it balances out.
To be honest, Rayllum is fucking dead to me. They ruined this ship, they absolutely destroyed it. The Ray of Illumination burning and sinking was a perfect metaphor for it. I felt nothing during any of there awkwardness during the season (except for one scene which was nice), I was whelmed when they FINALLY got back together, and you can tell that there was an immediate bump in quality when they wrapped that crappy plot line up. Once it was, they were able to start focusing again on the good shit. Everything with Viren was some of the best writing in the show, and his final scene was quintessential TDP, the quality of writing I expected from this show. Aaravos actually got some screen time for once, and we finally learn more about his backstory and who he was. I honestly warmed up to Terry and Claudia quite a bit this season, and their scenes (without any spoken words) were far more effective than anything involving Rayla and Callum.
I'd give it somewhere between an enthusiastic 7/10, and an unenthusiastic 7.5/10.
Edit: Oh…joy…we’re getting three more seasons of TDP. Well, here’s hoping they’re more like 2, 3, and 6, and not like 4 and 5
Finished watching The Dragon Prince season 6 and really liked it! More in line with the "first act" of the series in my opinion with some of the episodes surpassing those, especially the last few episodes. Viren to my surprise became the MVP of the season, giving the show some of the most raw and emotional moments in the past 6 seasons. In fact I'd say most of the antagonists in general, specifically him, Claudia, and Aaravos have been getting a ton of development. Soren gets a lot more to this season as well, he hasn't had this much agency since before the time skip, and what's done with him has been really great. Callum and Rayla's relationship gets put on the spotlight again, though I wish the show didn't jerk its audience so much when it comes to them. Regardless I still found their part of the story to be entertaining.
There's a lot of closure this season, which I very much liked. Questions get answered and some stories meet their conclusion in fairly satisfying ways, really lets you know that it's the penultimate season. The show's also upped the ante with its brutality, there's a pretty shocking amount of blood and violence that's shown. They're doing a good job of pushing the boundaries of its rating, and what can be shown in all ages animation. There's still some of the silliness there that often conflicts with the tone of certain episodes, but it's much more subdued here. I think my biggest criticisms are that Ezran really doesn't get much to do this season and I still found Karim to be a weak antagonist. There just really isn't much going on with him outside of him going, "BUT TRADITION."
Overall I thought it was great. This season's had some of the best storytelling the series has had with some really incredible character moments. It really feels like they're heading towards the end of the story. The stakes are getting stakey-er, and consequences are getting... consequencey-er.
Spoilers
Claudia losing a leg and being covered head to toe in the blood of a child was super messed up. Granted the child was some weird gremlin thing, but still.
Goddamn, the premiere episode was intense with Claudia pleading after Viren to not leave her.
Alright someone really should have followed Callum when he went to swap the pearl with the fake. It's really weird that no one took him seriously when he was freaking out about being controlled by Aaravos.
I get that the following episode with Claudia and Terry was supposed to mirror that, but it just looked kind of silly since he can actually walk. Like come one man, just get up and go to her. They really should have had Claudia restrain him with magic or something.
Not gonna lie I thought the ship stuff was pretty funny. Finding out that the ship was named after Rayllum made it funnier for me.
The confrontation between Viren and Soren was great. Loved how angry Soren was and that he ultimate never forgives him.
Really liked the twist with an anguished and hopeless Callum turning out to be a possible future that Kosmo sees.
Also noticed that the room in the Starscraper with all the columns had staffs in them that looked exactly like Viren's, and that one of the columns was noticeably missing one.
The episode being titled Red Wedding had me WORRIED, thankfully it was just a red herring. It was great seeing Karim just get his ass beat after being so smug the entire episode.
Loved the twist with Sol Regem heading to Katolis instead.
Viren's sacrifice was great! Really emotional, and I liked how conflicted Soren looked by the end.
Claudia's reaction to finding Viren's body was heartbreaking.
Finally, the Mystery of Aaravos has been solved! His backstory did make me tear up, it was much more tragic than I expected. He kinda see where he's coming from now, though he's definitely going about everything the wrong way.
Also he's HUUUUUGE.
Viren to my surprise became the MVP of the season, giving the show some of the most raw and emotional moments in the past 6 seasons. In fact I'd say most of the antagonists in general, specifically him, Claudia, and Aaravos have been getting a ton of development.
So I've always been on the fence with how the show handled Viren. I thought he was meh in Season 1, fantastic in 2, and kind of meh again in 3. Season 4 had some moments, but he also flip flopped a bit, and Season 5 had him comatose from dark magic/Claudia twerking in his face (no I am not over how awful that was, I would be traumatized if I had a daughter do that to me). But Season 6 felt like everything that came before with him was well earned, it did so much to bring it all home, they absolutely delivered this season to the point where I do look at his overall character more favorably (not his actions, but his arc). The first scene with Claudia is gut wrenching and the finest voice acting in the show, such a dark and twisted performance from her in that episode (and the imagery helps a lot with it). And finally, after 3 seasons of hype, Aaravos actually gets more than 5 minutes of screen time and some much needed development. Finally the Mystery of Aaravos honors its namesake.
Callum and Rayla's relationship gets put on the spotlight again, though I wish the show didn't jerk its audience so much when it comes to them. Regardless I still found their part of the story to be entertaining.
To be honest, this was not only the weakest storyline for me this season, but the most insufferable, self-gratifying, unfunny, pointless, insulting, poorly executed, and abominable plot line this season had, and easily the worst of the plot lines in the second half. I hate what they did to Rayllum in this half, especially with this season. They could have done so much more, and done this so much better, and they dropped the ball at almost every single moment, and it dragged the show way down. And I'm not saying it because of shipping, I'm saying it because the show spends a ridiculous amount of time focusing on it. The one thing this show did better than Avatar was the romance, and they fucked that up.
I still found Karim to be a weak antagonist. There just really isn't much going on with him outside of him going, "BUT TRADITION."
The way his storyline was wrapped up was such a let down. The way it was set up in Season 4 was weak with the candle incident. Season 5 felt like more of a detour with him and the Bloodmoon Huntress, just so his girlfriend can steal the seed at the end anyway. And then, his gambit with Sol Regem doesn't end up going anywhere because of Aaravos, and his army is crushed easily. It all felt like a waste of time.
And yeah, his character is just "Hold onto tradition" and be an annoying foil to Janai's progressivism. And much like a lot of things in TDP, it's a black and white issue, rather than exploring the nuance of it all. Karim could have been an interesting character, if they actually did more to show his downfall, but instead, it comes off more as tradition is bad and Janai is completely right. When really, both means can be good and bad. Tradition can be a crutch to stop things from changing and stick to an old, outdated, and possibly cruel way of life. But it also binds people and groups together under a shared cause and identity. It can unite people and honors the legacy of those who came before and reminds of us our common values and principles. It acts as a guiding light for the generations that come after, or as James Madison said when describing the US Constitution, it creates a debt against the living. Progress is a natural occurrence because nothing ever remains stagnant. People, culture, societies, and technology all change and we have to respond accordingly. However, not all progress can be seen as good progress, and much like tradition, can be used as a crutch or a weapon if enough people are convinced. Tyrants and disenfranchisement can absolutely arise under the guise of trailblazing progress, just as it can with over overadherence to tradition. And the show could have explored this more, but instead, Karim is evil and Janai is good, and it acts more as a means to move chess pieces on a board (get Sol Regem into position for Aaravos) rather than actually saying anything of value.
I get that the following episode with Claudia and Terry was supposed to mirror that, but it just looked kind of silly since he can actually walk. Like come one man, just get up and go to her. They really should have had Claudia restrain him with magic or something.
I honestly think that's what they wanted to do, hence Claudia slamming the staff into the ground like she did. But whether it was because they changed their mind, or deadlines, or budget, nothing was ever animated. But it really makes no sense why Terry doesn't follow her. I saw some people say "Terry was giving her some space to figure things out." Okay, then why is Terry crying and pleading with her not to go? As cool as it was, the scene doesn't make sense.
Not gonna lie I thought the ship stuff was pretty funny. Finding out that the ship was named after Rayllum made it funnier for me.
This was the insulting part for me. Meta humor can be funny (Deadpool), but it has to be done right. And just because you can make fun of yourself for how badly botched Rayllum was, doesn't mean you still didn't incredibly botch it. The problem is that nothing is ever really said about them. Callum makes some comments about a ship being frozen, the ship sinks while spelling Rayllum. And yet, nothing actually changes, they just keep dancing around it. Rayla reads a journal of a captain who regrets leaving her love for adventure and glory, but it's immediately dropped. They have a scene of almost kissing, only for Callum to come clean about dark magic. Rayla yells at and admonishes him (something he never did to her for leaving for two years). The needle doesn't move, it exists to be a meta episode, while adding and saying nothing at all outside of 1 or 2 small things. A perfect opportunity for Rayla to comment on her actions, and she doesn't take it. Episode 3 was the episode I believed to be the worst in the series in my review, it was an unfunny and cringe-inducing episode, only elevated because the 3 minutes of Claudia and Terry, in complete silence, was handled infinitely better than anything Rayllum in 3 seasons (seriously, Claudia and Terry's writing this episode was fucking peak, and I honestly don't care for them as a couple).
The confrontation between Viren and Soren was great. Loved how angry Soren was and that he ultimate never forgives him.
Absolutely! Everything with Soren and Viren, especially together, was the highlight of the season. I loved how Viren burns the letter he wrote because all it would have done would confuse and hurt Soren more. It wouldn't have absolved Viren of his guilt, or make Soren understand what he did, it would have just passed the guilt onto him and make things worse. And it plays very well into the theme of the episode about truth, and how it can end up hurting people even if told with the best intent.
Really liked the twist with an anguished and hopeless Callum turning out to be a possible future that Kosmo sees.
And then this for me was incredibly stupid. That same theme is in play here, and it makes absolutely no sense. Callum being upset over the pearls and being so broken that he doesn't want to do the ritual, that's fine, I'm cool with that. WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NOT TELL HIM AFTER THE RITUAL WAS COMPLETE?! He was cured, Aaravos wouldn't be able to control him, he found his truth in Rayla (I have my own issues with that, but fine). Kosmo didn't see an outcome of Callum reacting negatively to him learning the truth after the ritual, so now that he's free, you can tell him. They could have went back and grabbed the pearl before Sol Regem attacked. And even then, if they didn't tell him and they went back to Katolis and everything was fine, that means they would be leaving the real prison completely unguarded under a false assumption. And with how the season ends, Callum is just going to find out anyway. So what was the fucking point in lying? Episode 6 was the other episode I called out, because while I absolutely loved the Viren and Soren scenes, I was floored with the Callum and Rayla ones. And that's why I can't give this season higher than a 7. I don't get how it can go from something absolutely phenomenal, to outright stupid.
Finally, the Mystery of Aaravos has been solved! His backstory did make me tear up, it was much more tragic than I expected.
It feels like a Greek tragedy in a way. Aaravos was so distraught over his daughter's death, that he cries for so long, his tears become the Sea of the Castout, I really liked that. Also, when they go to grab his prison under the sea in Season 5, you see a bunch of ribs or a skeleton. Yeah, that's Aaravos' daughter. Writers confirmed it. Damn this show can be dark when it wants to be.
Finished watching The Dragon Prince season 6 and really liked it! More in line with the "first act" of the series in my opinion with some of… more the episodes surpassing those, especially the last few episodes. Viren to my surprise became the MVP of the season, giving the show some of the most raw and emotional moments in the past 6 seasons. In fact I'd say most of the antagonists in general, specifically him, Claudia, and Aaravos have been getting a ton of development. Soren gets a lot more to this season as well, he hasn't had this much agency since before the time skip, and what's done with him has been really great. Callum and Rayla's relationship gets put on the spotlight again, though I wish the show didn't jerk its audience so much when it comes to them. Regardless I still found their part of the story to be entertaining.
There's a lot of closure this season, which I very much liked. Questions get answered and some stories meet their con… [view original content]
I decided to check out Batman: Caped Crusader, the new animated Batman series by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), JJ Abrams, and Matt Reeves. Overall, I thought that the show was good...but not great.
Some of the things I liked/enjoyed about it:
The animation and art style is very similar to the original B:TAS, which even today is still damn good. I enjoyed it very much from a visual perspective. It's got a 40's-50's feel to it, again, a lot like the original series, and much like there, I think it really works.
Bruce Wayne's childhood and the death of his parents is touched on here, but it is brief. And what we get is probably one of the creepiest and darkest moments from a young Bruce Wayne that I remember seeing.
I thought the overall writing was pretty good. I like how it leans more into the detective side of things from both Batman and the Gotham Police. The original B:TAS leaned very heavily into the feel of the Burton films, you can tell this leans more into the Matt Reeves film, and I think the writing of the story and characters really does fit that. It made for some entertaining TV.
The opening sequence is so good. From the music and the presentation, it had a very distinct Band of Brothers feel to it. I didn't skip the intro once for any of the episodes because I thought it was cool.
Some of the meh things:
I think the character designs are hit and miss. Clayface is fantastic. Onomatopoeia (first time I've ever seen or heard of this villain) was also pretty cool. Catwoman's was kind of disappointing, feels very basic and safe, like it's been used and done before. And Two-Face was weak as hell. We've seen some damn good Two-Face designs in both live action and animation. Even the original series had a twisted design for him. This show feels like it chickens out with it, it could have been a lot better.
The show's overall writing is good, but I'm not a fan of when a show tries to balance episodic stories, and an overarching narrative. It may seem weird and more of a me problem, but either tell a cohesive story, or be an episodic story. This season goes back and forth, mostly episodic, but there's elements here and there, or a B-plot, that is tying more into an overlapping season or character arc. Feels like trying to have your cake and eat it to.
Harley Quinn was both one of the best, and worst, changes for me. I like how she's not attached to the Joker in this one. I hate her Harleen Quinzel persona, it feels too bubbly, chipper, and bright. It's incredibly annoying, but people in the show are drawn to her. I really love when she puts on her costume and immediately flips a switch to this soft/dark spoken, punishing, and sadistic controller. You can say this was purposely done to draw the contrast, but I wasn't into that. So to be clear, Harleen Quinzel was bad, Harley Quinn was great.
The Penguin is a woman here...sure. It doesn't really add anything, especially since we don't spend a hell of a lot of time exploring her operations or character. It doesn't necessarily take anything away, but it feels like making a change for the sole purpose of making a change, rather than actually doing something with it.
Some of the things I disliked/hated:
Harvey Dent and Two-Face was a perplexing character in this. Early episodes portrayed him as a self-serving prosecutor, who is obsessed with his personal image and being the next mayor of Gotham. That he doesn't care who he prosecutes, so long as there is a conviction that makes him look good. Then, midway through, they try to make him more sympathetic, you see him act more like the Harvey people know. He wants to rid Gotham of corruption, he doesn't want to use the mob to become mayor because he wants to clean things up. He is almost bribed to drop a case against a mobster, but ends up turning it down and continues on with it (causing him to be scarred). It's kind of jarring. And it's not a matter of a split personality or anything, because the show doesn't even really highlight it until after the attack. His transformation into Two-Face is really rushed. He has some good scenes in the last two episodes, but overall, I didn't like his character, and I didn't like how his story was wrapped up.
The voice for Batman. Now, I'm not mad that he's replacing Kevin Conroy, it's a different take on the character and it needs a different voice. But half the time it feels like he's trying to be Kevin Conroy, while also trying to be like Robert Pattinson, to the point where there's nothing unique about him. It's the same stuff we have seen before, nothing really new with it, and the actor doesn't really have anything to work with. Batman himself is still Batman, and he's smart and cunning and this show does do a great job of showing that. I just wish the performance was better.
I'd definitely recommend it and am waiting for a second season. But I do hope they can fix some of the issues and improve.
I watched Alien: Romulus and I thought it was great! Very fun and incredibly tense, with a lot of really cool moments. There are a couple pretty gnarly deaths, though I'd say it doesn't go as far as Covenant or Prometheus in just being absolutely disgusting outside of one scene. I know it's a really overused term but it feels like a love letter to the Alien franchise, taking inspiration of all the movies and even the game. It feels like a resurrection of sorts for the franchise, taking it back to its roots, while being a little mix of the past movies.
In terms of characters I do really like the main duo, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson), two siblings who form a salvaging crew with their friends in order to find a way out of their backwater mining colony. They've got a really touching sibling dynamic, and you really can't help but root for them. The rest of the crew are fairly one dimensional outside one or two moments. Though there is a character that I just felt really bad for lmao.
Overall I really enjoyed it! It's very solid and would definitely like to see Fede Alvarez tackle another movie. He talked about wanting to team up with Dan Trachtenberg for a potential Alien vs Predator movie, which I think would be really cool.
Great film, loved the two main characters, the cinematography was practically flawless and suspension was real. Not perfect due to unimpressive side characters and too many callbacks to the previous films.
Comments
I don't think he was flying. He was just falling, with style.
Like others, I'm posting my own thoughts on Episode 1: Aang down below. I'm putting these down as I watch the episode:
Overall, I'm feeling a 5/10. Not bad, not great. Some neat changes, some questionable ones. Action was largely good, and most of the acting. Writing and pacing struggles are what holds it back for the most part.
Okay good, I wasn't the only one bothered by you know who doing you know what randomly, twice, in the episode.
Ok, the more I thought about the Netflix show, the more I feel like it missed the mark. It seems that only Aang and Zuko were the only developed characters in this version of the story. Katara and Sokka's arcs felt way too rushed and they didn't do enough for me to feel invested in their characters.
I should have also mentioned the show still managed to share the biggest mistake with the movie, which is EXPOSITION. Now I think it was a mistake to cram the story in just 8 episodes.
Of all the things they kept in, they really kept Jet.
Unpopular opinion, but the Jet episode is by far a worse episode than The Great Divide in the original series. They made them such obvious bad guys and everyone else was so stupid, outside of Sokka, to see it.
If they are going to do it here, I was hoping that they might do something different. But nah, same plot, same stupidity. And same cringy "romance" between him and Katara. Sokka was right, she wants to stop being treated like a kid, grow the hell up.
Once everyone here finishes the Netflix show, we should all talk about what it did better and worse than the cartoon.
Went to see Land Of Bad today.
Since I still have access to watch anything on Netflix for just a month, I figured its time to rewatch the Avatar cartoon.
Halfway through Netflix's Avatar and I'm pretty much still on the it's alright train. Again, some things I like and others I don't, especially with some of the changes from the source material. I still really like Iroh, I think he's pretty much the best cast member so far, and he actually has some additions to his backstory that I actually really like! I'm also enjoying Zuko even if they've softened him a little. Katara unfortunately I find to be the weakest member of the main group. She has very little agency of her own and I find her overly soft spoken and unassertive. There's a couple moments where her original personality surfaces, but it's very few and far between.
There was a fairly big change in the first episode in regards to how Aang got Captain America'd that I didn't mention before, because I didn't think it'd be much of a big deal until the episode with the Kyoshi warriors which just has me wondering why on Earth they'd change it in the first place. Suki appears and honestly I think her actress did a good job with what she was given, unfortunately what she was given isn't entirely all that great, as I'm personally not a fan of making her thirst after Sokka. Bumi makes an appearance far he's the character with the most changes so far. He's still crazy, but he's far more serious and less happy go lucky than his animated counterpart, which I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. I kind of like how it's resolved, but Bumi being the way he is here makes things feel overly dour. Also his makeup is awful, it's incredibly obvious the actor's got prosthetic's on.
Spoilery complaints and praises
What was the point changing the reason why Aang flies off with Appa in the flashback? The story pretty much ignores that and just blames him for running away. Even Kyoshi, who should know what happened to him full on blamed him for the genocide of the airbenders and the firebenders taking over. Changing it from him running away to him just wanting to get a breather ends up becoming more of a detriment to the story and characters than if they hadn't touched it at all.
On another note Kyoshi looked GREAT!
Loved the flashback of Iroh at Lu Ten's funeral. Really emotional, especially with the orchestral version of Leaves from the Vine playing in the background
I also liked the expansion of Iroh's guilt with his involvement in the war and what his actions caused.
Bumi's change is one of these things that I'm not sure how I feel about. I do like some of the stuff that he says and argues during their fight, but everything before that was absolutely painful to see to a well liked character. I get what they were trying to do, but as a fan of the original, I don't like it because it is the opposite of who this character was, and even ignoring that, I don't really like it because the payoff just isn't worth it. That, along with the majority of changes, really just don't work. However, there is one change that I and almost everyone else in the fandom loves, and it makes so much sense. You'll know it when you see it.
Aang's reasoning makes no sense, especially since the show ignores it anyway. He went for a walk essentially, and they treat it like he runs away. But he didn't, not in this version. And even in the original, none of the Avatars shit on him for it. Like Katara tells him in the original, he would have just died with them had he stayed. I get Aang having survivor's guilt over it, but no one, let alone the other avatar's, should be rebuking him over it.
The Lu Ten funeral was sad enough. Then realizing they're playing Leaves From the Vine during it, and then later when Iroh comes onto Zuko's ship and he tells him that everything he needs is right here...fucking bawling. If there is one thing the show did phenomenal with, and it was imperative that they do so, it was Iroh and Zuko. Honestly, most of the Fire Nation stuff (minus Azula) was the best parts of the show.
Finished the live action Avatar last night. I'm not going to post my whole thoughts because it would take too long. There's some stuff in here I REALLY like, and some stuff that I REALLY hate. The acting is a mixed bag, the best being Iroh, Zuko, Zhao, Ozai, and Sokka, and the weakest being Katara, Aang, Bumi, and Gran Gran. Though I think most of the bad acting is the fault of the writing and direction, not so much the actors.
The writing is abysmal at times, even during the best moments. The original did such a good job of showing, not telling, while this show, despite being more for adults, is a whole lot of telling. There's one moment where they literally tell us something, and in the next scene, hammer the exact same thing into our head again like we just forgot it. Which sucks because the scene in question is one of the best moments from the show.
Effects are good for the most part. There are times where you realize that this scene or this character is there because they're making a callback. Some of it works, but a lot doesn't. Outside of a few scenes and moments, it's a show that feels like it just doesn't have the spirit or heart of the original. I'm seeing these scenes and moments that should be getting to me, but it just feels off. But the scenes that do have heart...holy hell, they fucking nail it. It's either one of two extremes, either brilliant, or pointless.
Overall, I'd give it a 6/10. The Fire Nation stuff, acting, and set pieces really save the show's faults, such as its characters, writing, and storytelling.
Good changes: Seeing Lu Ten's funeral and Iroh coming aboard Zuko's ship (both with Leaves from the Vine playing), highlighting Ozai more and his manipulation and cunning (and that body, I'm not gay but hot damn), Zuko's crew being the unit that was going to be sacrificed, Zhao's character is mostly upgraded, references to some of the other material from spinoffs, comics, and novels
Bad changes: Bumi going from cooky, but wise king, to a dour, resentful, and corrupt leader, Azula not having blue fire except for one second, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee being included at all, Koh not stealing faces if you show emotion and changing from a morally grey spirit to just outright antagonist, Yue just appearing to Sokka randomly as a fox in the spirit world, Katara never getting trained, honestly Katara's character as a whole, and perhaps the biggest one of all, AANG DOESN'T FUCKING BEND A SINGLE DROP OF WATER!
So, I'm just gonna say what I think Netflix Avatar did better and worse than cartoon:
Better
* Iroh and Aang interacting with each other in more than just one conversation. As I said, it was kinda lacking in the cartoon, having only one in Book 2.
* June flirts with Iroh over vice-versa. I feel like one of the weakest points for Iroh in the cartoon is him being a complete perv and a little bit out-of-character. Simping over a lady who seemed to be in her 30's and I think the live-action made her age in 40's to make it less creepy. So June is no longer Iroh's favorite month.
* Ozai and Iroh actually being in scenes together.
* The death tone.
* Zuko doing research on finding the Avatar. Makes Zuko's obsession of finding the Avatar more accurate.
* Aang and Zuko having a conversation while escaping the Fire Nation army together.
* The 41st Division crew. More complexity and development between Zuko and his ship crew.
* Koh The Face Stealer has an actual villain arc rather than being an expositional character. Small but still good.
* The final fight between Zhao and Zuko.
* Avatar Kuruk gets a spotlight.
Worse
* Katara and Sokka (Mostly Katara) taking a huge backseat. Katara is lacking the motherly and anger traits, makes her less interesting and realistic. Sokka being less sexist is one thing but I think his love relationship were both very underwhelming, especially with Yue.
* Aang did NOT waterbend once. This entire book is literally about him learning water and he threw no splashes.
* Aang's motivation for leaving the Air Temple is garbage.
* Cutting out the Imprisoment episode. It may have not been a very important thing in the story but it was for Katara. If they are saving this one for Book 2, I might forgive them. But I doubt it.
* Bumi's entire arc. From a funny goofy guy who loves messing with people to a corrupt leader who is upset towards his best friend and forces him in teaching. Not to mention the horrible reunion.
* More tell, don't show than vice-versa. Shut the fuck up, Gran-Gran.
* The dialogue is very unnatural at times.
It's a shame that I think this show is mid at best because the cast is actually great and the producers did show care for the source material. It's just the entire script ruined the whole excitement.
I finished NATLA and overall I thought it was alright. Good, not great but with room for improvement. It's nowhere near as bad as the previous attempt at a live action adaption. The cast for the most part I think do a good job with what they were given, it's just that sometimes what they're given isn't very good. My favourites of the cast are Zuko and Iroh. Really great chemistry and they did a wonderful job with the more emotional moments of the show. Zhao the antagonist of the season is also fantastic, one of the more expanded characters on the show though the conclusion to his story is fairly anticlimactic in comparison to what happens in the original series.
The second half of the series I find to be better than the first as it stays more faithful to the original series. Some of the issues with the season becoming less and less prevalent, though the painful exposition still remains one of its greatest weaknesses. Aang is way too serious. He barely acts like a kid and rarely goofs around. He's on that rise and grind. Katara's original personality does pry its way out eventually, which I liked. Azula is barely reminiscent of her original character. She's fairly normal in comparison. She's overly serious and her playfulness just isn't there. It's gonna sound weird but I don't get the sense that's she's psychotic. It feels like they're leaving in room for her to be redeemed in some way. The same could be said for Ozai as well, he's definitely still not a good person, but it seems like they're trying to give him some sort of warmth when there shouldn't be any.
The CG is fairly mixed in quality. Some moments look great, some not so much. Except the spirit world, that just straight up look bad. The bending, in particular with water and air don't feel like they have a lot of weight or impact. You'll see a character get hit with a gust of air or a splash of water and be thrown 10 feet away, but it doesn't look or feel like they should. The CG characters overall I think are fairly well done, especially Koh the Face Stealer who looked really creepy and unsettling. Momo looks great, but severely lacks in screen time, to the point I would often forget he's even in the show. You could remove him and nothing in the show would change. I honestly think he has like a solid minute or two of total screen time.
I do hope the show gets renewed. Despite all its issues, the show could legitimately be great. Maybe not as good as the original series, but great nonetheless if they listen to the criticism and do some coarse correction with the biggest issues fans are having with the season.
Spoilers
Don't like them changing Zuko not wanting to fight his father, to instead losing the fight.
Also don't like Ozai actually seemingly having a modicum of care for Zuko and Azula.
Really liked the Masks episode, might actually be my favourite of the season.
Don't like June hitting on Iroh lol. It feels really weird, similar to what happened with Suki. In the showrunners quest to do away with the original shows "sexism", they actually managed to make it more sexist.
At least they didn't do away with the Northern Water Tribes sexism, and I think it's done fairly well.
What was the point of introducing a specific knife to kill the Moon Spirit lol. It comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the show.
Not sure how I feel about Azula having masterminded the entire season the whole time with very little foreshadowing. Also she only has the blue fire for a split second. Why?
Zhao's death in this is so much more anti-climactic. He just gets hit with a fire blast from Iroh and dies.
Why doesn't Aang waterbend once throughout the entire season?
That's what I was initially thinking as well, especially with how Ozai corrects Azula that it was Zuko that found the avatar, until you realize that he's just doing that to motivate Azula. He's manipulating her by saying these things to get the best out of her. Zhao pretty much says as such at the end (how he knows that I don't get, it was one of the few things the show was doing well with in showing, not telling before then). I do like how Ozai is portrayed here. I love what both show's did, but they are two different ones. The original's is portrayed more as looming dread, something to be fearful and terrified over, captured by Mark Hamill's menacing performance. Here, we see something different, one not based so much on fear, but cunning and manipulation. One is not necessarily better than the other, it's just two different approaches, and for what both were doing with them, they're both successful in their own way.
That's also why they had Zuko actually fight Ozai. Again, how it's done in the original works perfectly for what they were doing. And while I'll admit I hated it too at first, when I rewatched it, you can see that Ozai is not at full strength here. He's egging Zuko on, he even gives him an opening, a chance to take him down, but Zuko hesitates. Much like with a lot of what he does, Ozai is trying to teach him a lesson, that compassion is weakness, and wanted to see if he would take the opportunity when it was given. He didn't. Again, I think this is something that, while a change, it was a good one that goes for what this interpretation was trying to do.
Largely agree, but I will say the one thing I don't like about it is how they setup the Blue Spirit. Yes, we as fans of the original already know it's Zuko. But what the original did, which was very smart, was you had a scene where the Blue Spirit is watching Zhao in the very beginning of the episode, before Zuko is even introduced, making you think it could be someone else. It's a small, but clever misdirection. Here, it's soooooooo obvious. Iroh tells Zuko the avatar is lost, and then you have this masked person breaking in to free him. The setup just wasn't done right. Other than that, great episode, especially with what they reveal in regards to Zuko's crew.
My guess, and this is validated by the random appearance of Wan Shi Tong, is that they aren't going to do the Spirit Library in S2, which was how Zhao figured out that the spirits take material form initially. In erasing that plotline, they had to come up with some other bullshit thing, and what we got was this weird moon thing where they take form and a special knife bullshit. This was also made worse because they moved Koh earlier and changed his role up completely. Which reminds me, why did they not just get Erik Todd Dellums to voice Koh again? I actually wasn't a huge fan of Takei as him. It's not like Dellums is busy or anything, The Dragon Prince has been squandering him by giving him like 3 lines a season lately, I'm sure he could have made the time.
I got nothing, that pissed me off too. That was such a senseless change.
Again, got nothing. This one is so baffling and mind-bendingly stupid. This just sets Aang back so much. But then again, they haven't fully fleshed out the timeline yet. The Fire Nation is still mapping when Sozin's Comet is supposed to return, so they're not even aware of the time crunch they're under. Even with that however, the fact that he doesn't take one look at the scroll, have one lesson with Pakku, or do one simple motion is one of the biggest "what the fuck are you doing" moments from the show.
I too did feel disgusted at first with June hitting on Iroh. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it made more sense this way. Not that it bothered me personally, but it just seems weird to see Iroh flirting with June, when you compare this action with the character for the rest of the show. I mean, he literally pretended to be paralyzed just to have June sit on his belly, let alone not being concerned about his nephew being paralyzed.
If I'm not mistaken, June seems to be in her 30's in the cartoon, while in Netflix, she appears to be in her 40's. I do agree about Suki though. The relationship build up between her and Sokka felt too small and rushed. But with Yue, it was much worse IMO.
Went to see Imaginary yesterday.
Finished rebinging the Avatar cartoon and it's still a timeless masterclass. Even at its worst, it doesn't bore me at all.
I'm.....not impressed.
Am I the only one who finds the Northen Air Temple episode of Avatar the most forgettable? The Great Divide may be the most disliked episode but it is still memorable for all its faults. But upon rewatching the show, I couldn't remember shit about the Nothern Air Temple and I'm probably still gonna forget it in the future. It doesn't do anything for me to love it or hate it. It's just there.
Recently, I was watching the trailer of the film "Dignity and Defiance: A Portrait of Mary Church Terrell" is a captivating and inspiring documentary that sheds light on the life and legacy of an influential figure in American history. Through compelling storytelling and archival footage, the film provides a nuanced portrayal of Mary Church Terrell, highlighting her unwavering commitment to civil rights and gender equality.
They should’ve left it alone as it was (1994) The Crow and the graphic novel are better.
Saw Imaginary on opening day.
..... So I watched The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
And I thought it was pretty good! It's great seeing Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira back as Rick and Michonne. The show has some of their best acting in the series, and their chemistry is as electric as ever. There's some new cast members as well who I think do a great job for the most part, especially the character of Nat who quickly became one of my favourite characters in the franchise. Jadis makes her expected return and she's actually good character this time. There's a certain tragedy to her that I enjoyed, though she still has that horrible haircut streak going on.
Of course there are some issues. The CRM and Civil Republic stuff is just fine. The characters in it are cool and so are the uniforms, but the organisations as a whole I just didn't find all that interesting. While Gimple-speak is kept to a minimum, it comes back in full force in the 5th episode to an almost painful degree. I could feel my eyes glazing over as the characters started waxing poetics and speaking like they're in some Shakespearean play. The following episode does away with that thankfully. Speaking of the finale, I did tear up but it did feel a bit rushed and way too clean cut.
Overall I'd say The Ones Who Live is a solid entry into the franchise. It's not as good as the Daryl Dixon series, but very enjoyable and concludes in a fairly satisfying way. Also it's just nice seeing these characters make their return and see them complete their stories, though I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of them.
Just saw Abigail today.
Loved it.
I watched Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver.
This shit was ass
Which is weird because Gimple wrote Episode 6. Episode 5 was Gabriel Llanas and Matthew Negrete.
But I would largely agree with you. My favorite episode was by far Episode 4. Its pacing was great, the acting phenomenal, and the characters have some of their most human moments in the series. I was nervous going into that one because, I believe, it was the writing debut of Danai Gurira, Michonne's actress. She's a great actor, but that doesn't always lend itself to writing prowess. Holy fuck was I blown away! She absolutely nailed the writing here.
I did also like that this episode title, "What We," and the next episode title, "Become," form "What We Become," which was the episode in Season 10 where Michonne leaves to go find Rick. And the first three episode titles are "Years," "Gone," "Bye," a nod to the very first episode of the series and the first volume of the comics "Days Gone Bye."
Now all we need is, somehow, Daryl and Rick to have their reunion. I haven't watched the new Daryl series yet, but I believe he's in France, right? I saw a clip where Carol calls him and she says something over the radio but it's unclear, but it sounds like "Rick came back." If there is a scene of these two brothers finding each other again, I might actually cry.
EDIT: correction, Danai has written before, she's done multiple plays, including Eclipsed, which won multiple awards. So my apologies on that, this is her first time writing for television however.
I can't believe Gimple was out Gimple'd.
Agreed, absolutely loved it. Danai Gurira did a wonderful job breaking down the characters, everything they've been through and "what they've become." It felt really cathartic. Admittedly the helicopter and apartment stuff is a little convenient, but the rest of the episode was so good it becomes an easy thing to forgive.
Gimple plans to have some sort of crossover event to bring everyone back together, so this is definitely happening at some point in the future.
I can't believe they managed to pull it off but the Fallout show is absolutely FANTASTIC!
Really funny, super charming, pretty horrific at times, and very true to the world of Fallout. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like a main entry to the franchise. The main cast is excellent especially Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, who is an absolute scene stealer. I'm very happy that it's been renewed for a second season.
We really are living in the golden age of videogame adaptions.
Binge watching horror movies.
I've never been able to get into the Fallout games. I've tried 3 and 4, but I always lose interest a couple hours in. But I've seen some clips from the show and it does look good, especially the makeup on the ghoul character. That being said, as someone who's not into the game, wouldn't still be worth the watch?
I've seen a few people with similar experiences to you giving the show a shot and ended up loving it so I'd say it's at least worth giving it a couple episodes. You don't really need any knowledge of the games to get into it as the show does a good job of introducing the world to the audience, though there are definitely a few things people are just gonna have to roll along with.
I watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
I was skeptical about this because it's been 7 years since the last one and I don't see how it could live up to what I consider the best movie trilogy of the last decade.
It's fortunate for me to say this movie was very good. Caeser's legacy does continue in this franchise but now it's all about new characters in a new age. The movie does a great job at building the world where apes are more popular than humans and making us connect with the new apes, especially Noa, the main character.
While the movie was worth the ticket, I think the Caeser trilogy is still better in my opinion. It could be because of nostalgia but I thought the previous movies had better pacing with better developed characters.
But I am excited to see where they would take this new trilogy. Just please for the love of God, don't repeat the same mistakes as the Star Wars sequels and the last Halloween trilogy.
I watched Godzilla Minus One on Netflix.
If you told me before that I was gonna love a Godzilla film that focuses more on human characters than the titular one, I would NOT have believed you even in the slightest. But this film did the fucking impossible and it is already not only my favorite Godzilla film but also probably my favorite Kaiju/monster movie of all time.
The Dragon Prince Season 6 is here. After the agonizing disappointments of Seasons 4 and 5, the penultimate season dropped today, and my honest reaction is...it was fine.
I mean, it's without a doubt better than Season 4 and 5. I remember this season actually having some great episodes. But I can't say it's anywhere near Seasons 2 and 3. There are 2 episodes in this season that I find outright terrible, one of which is easily my least favorite of the series. But the season ends on a pretty damn good high note, with Episode 8 being one of the best episodes in the series.
The same problems exist as before, they do fantastic with some characters and have nothing to do with the others. Some storylines worked perfectly, and some were just a slog to get through. Pacing is both slow and very rushed. But all in all, it felt more tempered this season, like there were glimpses of the show's former glory trying to come out. Is it the greatest, God no. Is it an improvement over what came before, yes. For every painstaking bad, there was a redeeming good somewhere around the corner, so it balances out.
To be honest, Rayllum is fucking dead to me. They ruined this ship, they absolutely destroyed it. The Ray of Illumination burning and sinking was a perfect metaphor for it. I felt nothing during any of there awkwardness during the season (except for one scene which was nice), I was whelmed when they FINALLY got back together, and you can tell that there was an immediate bump in quality when they wrapped that crappy plot line up. Once it was, they were able to start focusing again on the good shit. Everything with Viren was some of the best writing in the show, and his final scene was quintessential TDP, the quality of writing I expected from this show. Aaravos actually got some screen time for once, and we finally learn more about his backstory and who he was. I honestly warmed up to Terry and Claudia quite a bit this season, and their scenes (without any spoken words) were far more effective than anything involving Rayla and Callum.
I'd give it somewhere between an enthusiastic 7/10, and an unenthusiastic 7.5/10.
Edit: Oh…joy…we’re getting three more seasons of TDP. Well, here’s hoping they’re more like 2, 3, and 6, and not like 4 and 5
Just saw Deadpool & Wolverine
Finished watching The Dragon Prince season 6 and really liked it! More in line with the "first act" of the series in my opinion with some of the episodes surpassing those, especially the last few episodes. Viren to my surprise became the MVP of the season, giving the show some of the most raw and emotional moments in the past 6 seasons. In fact I'd say most of the antagonists in general, specifically him, Claudia, and Aaravos have been getting a ton of development. Soren gets a lot more to this season as well, he hasn't had this much agency since before the time skip, and what's done with him has been really great. Callum and Rayla's relationship gets put on the spotlight again, though I wish the show didn't jerk its audience so much when it comes to them. Regardless I still found their part of the story to be entertaining.
There's a lot of closure this season, which I very much liked. Questions get answered and some stories meet their conclusion in fairly satisfying ways, really lets you know that it's the penultimate season. The show's also upped the ante with its brutality, there's a pretty shocking amount of blood and violence that's shown. They're doing a good job of pushing the boundaries of its rating, and what can be shown in all ages animation. There's still some of the silliness there that often conflicts with the tone of certain episodes, but it's much more subdued here. I think my biggest criticisms are that Ezran really doesn't get much to do this season and I still found Karim to be a weak antagonist. There just really isn't much going on with him outside of him going, "BUT TRADITION."
Overall I thought it was great. This season's had some of the best storytelling the series has had with some really incredible character moments. It really feels like they're heading towards the end of the story. The stakes are getting stakey-er, and consequences are getting... consequencey-er.
Spoilers
Claudia losing a leg and being covered head to toe in the blood of a child was super messed up. Granted the child was some weird gremlin thing, but still.
Goddamn, the premiere episode was intense with Claudia pleading after Viren to not leave her.
Alright someone really should have followed Callum when he went to swap the pearl with the fake. It's really weird that no one took him seriously when he was freaking out about being controlled by Aaravos.
I get that the following episode with Claudia and Terry was supposed to mirror that, but it just looked kind of silly since he can actually walk. Like come one man, just get up and go to her. They really should have had Claudia restrain him with magic or something.
Not gonna lie I thought the ship stuff was pretty funny. Finding out that the ship was named after Rayllum made it funnier for me.
The confrontation between Viren and Soren was great. Loved how angry Soren was and that he ultimate never forgives him.
Really liked the twist with an anguished and hopeless Callum turning out to be a possible future that Kosmo sees.
Also noticed that the room in the Starscraper with all the columns had staffs in them that looked exactly like Viren's, and that one of the columns was noticeably missing one.
The episode being titled Red Wedding had me WORRIED, thankfully it was just a red herring. It was great seeing Karim just get his ass beat after being so smug the entire episode.
Loved the twist with Sol Regem heading to Katolis instead.
Viren's sacrifice was great! Really emotional, and I liked how conflicted Soren looked by the end.
Claudia's reaction to finding Viren's body was heartbreaking.
Finally, the Mystery of Aaravos has been solved! His backstory did make me tear up, it was much more tragic than I expected. He kinda see where he's coming from now, though he's definitely going about everything the wrong way.
Also he's HUUUUUGE.
So I've always been on the fence with how the show handled Viren. I thought he was meh in Season 1, fantastic in 2, and kind of meh again in 3. Season 4 had some moments, but he also flip flopped a bit, and Season 5 had him comatose from dark magic/Claudia twerking in his face (no I am not over how awful that was, I would be traumatized if I had a daughter do that to me). But Season 6 felt like everything that came before with him was well earned, it did so much to bring it all home, they absolutely delivered this season to the point where I do look at his overall character more favorably (not his actions, but his arc). The first scene with Claudia is gut wrenching and the finest voice acting in the show, such a dark and twisted performance from her in that episode (and the imagery helps a lot with it). And finally, after 3 seasons of hype, Aaravos actually gets more than 5 minutes of screen time and some much needed development. Finally the Mystery of Aaravos honors its namesake.
To be honest, this was not only the weakest storyline for me this season, but the most insufferable, self-gratifying, unfunny, pointless, insulting, poorly executed, and abominable plot line this season had, and easily the worst of the plot lines in the second half. I hate what they did to Rayllum in this half, especially with this season. They could have done so much more, and done this so much better, and they dropped the ball at almost every single moment, and it dragged the show way down. And I'm not saying it because of shipping, I'm saying it because the show spends a ridiculous amount of time focusing on it. The one thing this show did better than Avatar was the romance, and they fucked that up.
The way his storyline was wrapped up was such a let down. The way it was set up in Season 4 was weak with the candle incident. Season 5 felt like more of a detour with him and the Bloodmoon Huntress, just so his girlfriend can steal the seed at the end anyway. And then, his gambit with Sol Regem doesn't end up going anywhere because of Aaravos, and his army is crushed easily. It all felt like a waste of time.
And yeah, his character is just "Hold onto tradition" and be an annoying foil to Janai's progressivism. And much like a lot of things in TDP, it's a black and white issue, rather than exploring the nuance of it all. Karim could have been an interesting character, if they actually did more to show his downfall, but instead, it comes off more as tradition is bad and Janai is completely right. When really, both means can be good and bad. Tradition can be a crutch to stop things from changing and stick to an old, outdated, and possibly cruel way of life. But it also binds people and groups together under a shared cause and identity. It can unite people and honors the legacy of those who came before and reminds of us our common values and principles. It acts as a guiding light for the generations that come after, or as James Madison said when describing the US Constitution, it creates a debt against the living. Progress is a natural occurrence because nothing ever remains stagnant. People, culture, societies, and technology all change and we have to respond accordingly. However, not all progress can be seen as good progress, and much like tradition, can be used as a crutch or a weapon if enough people are convinced. Tyrants and disenfranchisement can absolutely arise under the guise of trailblazing progress, just as it can with over overadherence to tradition. And the show could have explored this more, but instead, Karim is evil and Janai is good, and it acts more as a means to move chess pieces on a board (get Sol Regem into position for Aaravos) rather than actually saying anything of value.
I honestly think that's what they wanted to do, hence Claudia slamming the staff into the ground like she did. But whether it was because they changed their mind, or deadlines, or budget, nothing was ever animated. But it really makes no sense why Terry doesn't follow her. I saw some people say "Terry was giving her some space to figure things out." Okay, then why is Terry crying and pleading with her not to go? As cool as it was, the scene doesn't make sense.
This was the insulting part for me. Meta humor can be funny (Deadpool), but it has to be done right. And just because you can make fun of yourself for how badly botched Rayllum was, doesn't mean you still didn't incredibly botch it. The problem is that nothing is ever really said about them. Callum makes some comments about a ship being frozen, the ship sinks while spelling Rayllum. And yet, nothing actually changes, they just keep dancing around it. Rayla reads a journal of a captain who regrets leaving her love for adventure and glory, but it's immediately dropped. They have a scene of almost kissing, only for Callum to come clean about dark magic. Rayla yells at and admonishes him (something he never did to her for leaving for two years). The needle doesn't move, it exists to be a meta episode, while adding and saying nothing at all outside of 1 or 2 small things. A perfect opportunity for Rayla to comment on her actions, and she doesn't take it. Episode 3 was the episode I believed to be the worst in the series in my review, it was an unfunny and cringe-inducing episode, only elevated because the 3 minutes of Claudia and Terry, in complete silence, was handled infinitely better than anything Rayllum in 3 seasons (seriously, Claudia and Terry's writing this episode was fucking peak, and I honestly don't care for them as a couple).
Absolutely! Everything with Soren and Viren, especially together, was the highlight of the season. I loved how Viren burns the letter he wrote because all it would have done would confuse and hurt Soren more. It wouldn't have absolved Viren of his guilt, or make Soren understand what he did, it would have just passed the guilt onto him and make things worse. And it plays very well into the theme of the episode about truth, and how it can end up hurting people even if told with the best intent.
And then this for me was incredibly stupid. That same theme is in play here, and it makes absolutely no sense. Callum being upset over the pearls and being so broken that he doesn't want to do the ritual, that's fine, I'm cool with that. WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NOT TELL HIM AFTER THE RITUAL WAS COMPLETE?! He was cured, Aaravos wouldn't be able to control him, he found his truth in Rayla (I have my own issues with that, but fine). Kosmo didn't see an outcome of Callum reacting negatively to him learning the truth after the ritual, so now that he's free, you can tell him. They could have went back and grabbed the pearl before Sol Regem attacked. And even then, if they didn't tell him and they went back to Katolis and everything was fine, that means they would be leaving the real prison completely unguarded under a false assumption. And with how the season ends, Callum is just going to find out anyway. So what was the fucking point in lying? Episode 6 was the other episode I called out, because while I absolutely loved the Viren and Soren scenes, I was floored with the Callum and Rayla ones. And that's why I can't give this season higher than a 7. I don't get how it can go from something absolutely phenomenal, to outright stupid.
It feels like a Greek tragedy in a way. Aaravos was so distraught over his daughter's death, that he cries for so long, his tears become the Sea of the Castout, I really liked that. Also, when they go to grab his prison under the sea in Season 5, you see a bunch of ribs or a skeleton. Yeah, that's Aaravos' daughter. Writers confirmed it. Damn this show can be dark when it wants to be.
I decided to check out Batman: Caped Crusader, the new animated Batman series by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), JJ Abrams, and Matt Reeves. Overall, I thought that the show was good...but not great.
Some of the things I liked/enjoyed about it:
Some of the meh things:
Some of the things I disliked/hated:
I'd definitely recommend it and am waiting for a second season. But I do hope they can fix some of the issues and improve.
I watched Alien: Romulus and I thought it was great! Very fun and incredibly tense, with a lot of really cool moments. There are a couple pretty gnarly deaths, though I'd say it doesn't go as far as Covenant or Prometheus in just being absolutely disgusting outside of one scene. I know it's a really overused term but it feels like a love letter to the Alien franchise, taking inspiration of all the movies and even the game. It feels like a resurrection of sorts for the franchise, taking it back to its roots, while being a little mix of the past movies.
In terms of characters I do really like the main duo, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson), two siblings who form a salvaging crew with their friends in order to find a way out of their backwater mining colony. They've got a really touching sibling dynamic, and you really can't help but root for them. The rest of the crew are fairly one dimensional outside one or two moments. Though there is a character that I just felt really bad for lmao.
Overall I really enjoyed it! It's very solid and would definitely like to see Fede Alvarez tackle another movie. He talked about wanting to team up with Dan Trachtenberg for a potential Alien vs Predator movie, which I think would be really cool.
Came back home after watching Alien Romulus.
Great film, loved the two main characters, the cinematography was practically flawless and suspension was real. Not perfect due to unimpressive side characters and too many callbacks to the previous films.