LetsWatchSomething Reviews

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Expectations + Logical fallacies

[5/10 · 7 January 2013]

When you decide to watch Prometheus, you'll probably do one of two things. You can either disregard the entire film due to its poor scientific standing or you can just appreciate it for the decent film it is.

I've chosen to do the latter just because it's ridiculous to bash a film constantly based on the science. What about the imagery or the acting? I think too many people have got carried away with actively attacking the film due to many positive reviews.

In any sense, the film serves as an average 'prequel' to the 'Alien' series, it was no surprise that they tried to distance themselves from the Aliens by throwing in the idea of the engineers who they believe created the human race. Unfortunately I must admit that the thought process on the characters and the actions they do are extremely limited and come across as reckless and stupid.

This for me is where the main problem lies, I can't fault the acting because clearly the script is the trouble. It appears the characters are magnets for disaster, they have no regard for safety and don't seem to be at all aware of the conditions of the planet (LV-223 which I believe is a moon). This has nothing to do with the science element of the film, but since these people are looking for the greatest question asked to mankind, it appears they don't seem to be the ideal candidates intelligence wise.

Other than that, the film is quite interesting in the way the events pan out, it's hard to categorise the film in terms of a genre since it isn't a horror like 'Alien' and it isn't a thriller since it doesn't really keep the viewer gripped.

Just take this film as it is, basically a 'Look what we can do with effects and a $100 million dollar plus budget'. If you take nothing else away from the film at least enjoy the aesthetics... or watch this film as you dumb down a notch or two!

Lost (2004–2010)

It could have been perfect...

[6/10 · 7 January 2013]

If 'Lost' had ended after season 5 then despite all of my aching unanswered questions, I would have been happy.

Instead I'm left with what in my opinion is the worst ending in television history. I honestly can not express how truly disappointed I am in the way that it finished having invested all my time in getting there. This may sound a little arrogant considering I'm sure many people enjoyed the ending but to me it was the exact opposite of how I wanted it to end.

All of the mystery that existed before season 6 was incredible, I was ready to hail 'Lost' as one of the greatest shows ever. Despite the far fetched nature of time travel, the way it was beginning to develop had me intrigued enough to overlook any possible flaws except I still couldn't shake the fact from the back of my mind that 'Lost' was no longer about simply leaving the island with all the survivors who remained, which made it the most humanly accessible in the first place.

Now we were beginning to unravel the even bigger mystery of the island itself which is what many of us had been looking forward to since the beginning so I accepted the change of direction. After the hydrogen bomb detonated, I recommend leaving it at that. No seriously stop watching, it all goes down hill so fast I don't even have time to blink.

When Locke was revealed to be the Man In Black I had already predicted the outcome - Jack Shephard kills him. In fact it was so obvious that I was hoping 'Lost' pulls yet another trick on me, but unfortunately at this point, no more twists or turns were available.

What hurt me the most wasn't entirely the final showdown between Shephard and the MIB, it was the awful build up. At this point I literally didn't care about the characters anymore because I was so unattached by the ridiculous decisions they made however I still wanted to view the conclusion to the entire series.

Everything about season 6, from all of them finding out that they are candidates, to the average reunion of Jin and Sun, to the boring death of Widmore, to the awful episode 'Across the Sea' where we learn about the origin of Jacob and the MIB, all of which were topped off by the most lacklustre conclusion ever.

What went from finding about the islands secrets, instead turned into a generic battle between good and evil (and of course good always wins). It truly is pathetic that they took such an easy root despite the amount of intelligent writing in previous episodes.

But wait! Now the definitive ending will arrive, finally the survivors will leave the island and the truth will be revealed to the world! But of course not, yet more unnecessary things occur and the island is about to sink... and of course it is up to Jack to save the day!

Without dwelling on the outcomes, another irritation I'm concerned about is the flashback time-line. The 'reunions' that each character has are completely irrelevant and I couldn't help but think they were added to give us some sort of emotional justification having seen all the characters go through so much. Jack Shephard's death which mirrored the arrival he made in the pilot was the only thing that was enjoyable but the fact that he enters the church and starts hugging people to me just ruined the reality part of 'Lost' that I enjoyed so much (Despite time travelling and killer black clouds).

I'm still in two minds whether I should recommend 'Lost' to other people. On one hand you have an incredibly written and deep show packed with meaning, but on the other hand the ending is awful.

But of course I could be wrong and maybe some people could be satisfied with the ending.

It pains me to give 'Lost' a 6/10 considering before season 6 I was going to give it a 10/10, but I just can't recover from the mental loss of the worst finale in television history.

Air (2005)

Heart Warming/Breaking

[10/10 · 6 January 2013]

'Air' is the first ever show that I have actually shed a tear for.

It's perfect. Unforgettable. It's fair to suggest that 'Air' could be considered a stepping stone into the world of emotional Anime because essentially that is all it is. Just pure powerful moving emotions that continuously fly at the viewer and if like me, you watched it unprepared, then you're in for a real treat because being sad isn't the only emotion present in this Anime.

'Air' is filled with lots of fun and reminiscent of simple times as a child despite the characters being in their late teens (I think). It's surprisingly funny and packed full of interesting characters that are fully explored. I felt immersed in a world that I didn't have a clue about yet it was so easy to access, the town is specifically one of the things that stood out as memorable to me and really emphasises the power of simplicity.

The story is one that leads you one way then completely drags you off your feet and sends you another, considering it only consists of 12 episodes, it's amazing how much actually occurs. I don't wish to give away any spoilers, however some of the events in the series can be a little hard to understand and ultimately we are left with an ending that is open to interpretation about what had been achieved.

What truly makes 'Air' one of the best, is the soundtrack that is used throughout the series. I often find myself thinking about one of the pieces unintentionally because they are considerably catchy and add to the overall atmosphere that I believe would not be the same without it.

'Air' is truly a must see and definitely one I would recommend to someone who has never seen Anime before, but for other people who have, it's a great way to discover that there is more than just violence and smashes many negative stereotypes about Anime out of the water.

Angel Beats! (2010)

Not bad to start with.

[8/10 · 6 January 2013]

If someone had never seen Anime before and asked me to recommend one, Angel Beats! would be the perfect choice.

It has a bit of everything... but unfortunately it isn't perfect. Think of it as 'The jack of all trades, master of none'. Angel Beats! has powerful emotion, well placed humour and great protagonists all worth rooting for.

The problem is that it tries too hard with all these elements and all of them come off much less effective. It's most notable when you look at the 'side' characters which most of them ultimately become forgettable rather quickly. These characters have absolutely no depth or meaning considering the whole point of the story is about them coming to terms with life, despite the fact that these characters are not even shown to have a back-story and feel as if they have just been created to provide conversation.

13 Episodes simply wasn't enough to cater for all of the characters or provide enough time to become fully invested in them, I was also disappointed with some elements of the story too however I don't wish to include spoilers but it felt a little rushed sometimes.

The main characters however is the reason I give Angel Beats! an 7/10, The back-stories are really touching and I truly enjoyed the ending. Definitely one to recommend to someone who hasn't watched Anime before but if you have, then I wouldn't consider it a 'Must see'.

Clannad: After Story (2008–2009)

It's been said a thousand times before, but this truly is the best Anime ever.

[10/10 · 6 January 2013]

I have never been so moved by another film, TV series or animation in my entire life as I have been with 'Clannad'.

Prior to watching this, I had seen 'Air' which is another made by the same company. 'Air' was the first thing that had ever brought a tear to my eye, I considered myself as emotional as a stone wall when it came to watching things like films and TV series because I couldn't connect with the characters but for some reason I cannot explain, I was simply captivated by 'Air' whether it was the animation, the voices, or the story, it was incredible.

I truly believed I would never experience something greater... and then I watched 'Clannad'. Clannad is split into two parts (Series), the first revolves around Tomoya Okazaki helping Nagisa Furukawa re-establish the theatre club and as a result become better socially as they meet characters along the way, I won't divulge any further about what happens in the second part because it all builds up from the very start.

Prepare your heart for an intense emotional roller-coaster that never stops until the very end. In a lot of series, you can often find episodes that are somewhat irrelevant or weaker compared to others. Fortunately this doesn't occur in 'Clannad'. Characters are explored in incredible depth, not just the main characters either, but all of the peripherals too.

The characters are simply unforgettable, the OST (Original Soundtrack) is incredible and fits seamlessly with the entire series but 'Clannad' strikes hardest with its beautiful and incredibly touching story. I shed so many tears while watching 'Clannad' and it felt like a truly cleansing experience.

While 'Clannad' would be the first Anime I recommend to someone, the story can be quite difficult to understand in its entirety due to the unconventional subplot that is often seen in Anime that prevents them from being immediately accessible and I don't wish anyone to have a tainted experience of it by not understanding it fully. However I believe anyone that has even a decent experience of watching Anime would be able to understand it fully and appreciate it for what it truly is. A masterpiece.