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Reviews
Pantheon (2022)
Utterly and in every sense of the world BRILLIANT
Incredible. So many bright, beautiful ideas on display as this show builds, layer upon layer. The execution is flawless, from an amazing cast to the stunning animations and imaginations of the depicted. And let's not forget the wonderful soundtrack- some of my all time fav bands/songs feature. Such a treat.
The many, many ideas stem from the one simple premise...what if people could upload their intelligence? Not AI ... UI. It's a highly believable place to start.
What is life? What makes a person? Rich fields to till. And from that simple premise things begin to take shape.
And then accelerate. By season 2 the pace and scope is...surprising.
One of the things I look for and rate in my sci-fi is when a show's writers reveal how deeply they've considered the consequences and connections of the world they've created. It's so important to creating a sense of the real.
And good news...it's here in spades. By the end I was shaking my head, bc I was blown away by the accomplishment. Thank you all involved. It was a joy to behold. Bravo!!!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
This is a cracker of a film!
Loved it! Jonathan Majors as Kang is infinitely watchable...I relished every moment of his performance. Been looking forward to this since Loki. "Are you the one with the hammer?" Great line. He is terrifying. And we'll see more of him soon!
Was not expecting MODOK or the call back to the first Ant-Man (and he was suitably nutso...if anything he was underdone). Did not think we'd see MODOK in the MCU bc did not think it could be done well. Glad to be proved wrong.
Awesome 'aliens'...someone should show this to the Star Wars crowd. Fun and funny and epic in the ratio you want from a Marvel comic/film.
Well done gang! Looking forward to The Marvels next. Bring it!
Andor: Nobody's Listening! (2022)
Dark, oppressive, evil - what you would expect under the heel of the Empire
This show is killing it.
Great writing: the.tension continues grow with each instalment! Every moment is telling. Each event cascading in consequence.
The performances are superb. A dark foreboding score that hits the mark. The costumes and sets are lush. They and the cinematography are painstakingly true ti earliest (ie finest) Star Wars traditions.
And the direction is ... restrained but relentlessly taught. No there's not much humour.
I know people are saying "this isn't a Star Wars story" but it so very much is. No it's not a Jedi story. It's not even a Jedi adjacent story. And it is SO much the better for it.
This is a serious show about the desperate courage of real people trying to get out from under the heel of an authoritarian government. It is mandatory viewing.
Between this and Netflix's utterly brilliant All Quiet on the Western Front we have two powerful and timely studies into the horrors of conflict and oppression.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: First First Contact (2021)
This show is hitting its stride - bigly!
Man o man. Funny thing: I really loved I, Excretus.
So how amazing to have the ep almost immediately supplanted barely a week later by new favourite wej Duj.
Only to see THAT now surpassed by First First Contact!!!
Holeeee this show has gotten goooood. My head is spinning.
Like some folk on here, I should admit that it took me a while to catch the vibe. It wasn't until mid S1 before I was properly warming to it.
Since I, Excretus I've been unabashedly telling everyone to get on it!
Kudos to the creative team. The show is wonderfully coco ever and really well written. Titmouse have lent their immense visual talents while staying true to the Trek aesthetic, spotting the familiar is always a fun part of each ep. And the cast...well they are just perfect.
Keep 'em coming folks.