Swift07 Reviews

The Changeling: Battle of the Island (2023) Season 1, Episode 8

Embarrassing

[1/10 · 15 October 2023]

I can tell you that I loved the first few episodes. It started off so intriguing, I was curious to watch more.. it was a solid start. I was telling people to watch it. By the midpoint, things took a turn, and the last 2-3 episodes.. pathetic really. Episode 7 was not the time to completely go off track and ruin any such momentum (the little it had). If I knew by the end that this would be a complete waste of time I wouldn't have started and I certainly would not be recommending it to others. No answers, no such closure.

The acting for the most part was great, but great acting doesn't make a show when everything around them is falling to pieces, such a shame. The cliff at the end was ironic because this show literally fell off it.

You: Best of Friends (2023) Season 4, Episode 6

Turned into Eastenders

[4/10 · 11 March 2023]

This season has taken a steep nosedive, and this episode epitomises how bad it has become. There are no likable characters, including Joe. Nobody to root for. The drama in this episode just reminded me of the typical British soaps, the ones that have been going 30+ years- with bad writing, tedious dialogue and over the top below average acting. Everything that made the first few seasons good has been flipped and it's just not at that level anymore. It's a shame, I just can't see a further season being any good at this stage. The show has unfortunately outstayed its welcome. I can see a lot of people giving up after watching this episode or this season (if it doesn't redeem itself in a big way).

The Midnight Club (2022)

What a disappointment!

[5/10 · 3 November 2022]

Being a huge fan of Mike Flanagan's previous works I had high expectations with this. It was a strong start, story was engaging, characters were great, I looked forward to seeing how things develop.

As the season goes on however, it becomes tiresome and slow. The stories within the story (though a couple are watchable) become frustrating as they do nothing to advance the very slow main story (or add anything of note), so you find yourself looking at the time and waiting for the short story to end so that we return to our main characters. This formula basically sucks, it doesn't work and it makes getting through the season a real chore.

Without spoiling anything, the ending is not conclusive in the slightest, it potentially leads on to a second season but please make it stop here. I doubt enough people watched or enjoyed this show for it to warrant a second season, likewise worse shows have been renewed.

If you're a fan of Mike Flanagan, skip this one.

The Midnight Club: Midnight (2022) Season 1, Episode 10

What a disappointment!

[3 November 2022]

Being a huge fan of Mike Flanagan's previous works I had high expectations with this. It was a strong start, story was engaging, characters were great, I looked forward to seeing how things develop.

As the season goes on however, it becomes tiresome and slow. The stories within the story (though a couple are watchable) become frustrating as they do nothing to advance the very slow main story (or add anything of note), so you find yourself looking at the time and waiting for the short story to end so that we return to our main characters. This formula basically sucks, it doesn't work and it makes getting through the season a real chore.

Without spoiling anything, the ending is not conclusive in the slightest, it potentially leads on to a second season but please make it stop here. I doubt enough people watched or enjoyed this show for it to warrant a second season, likewise worse shows have been renewed.

If you're a fan of Mike Flanagan and his work, skip this one.

White Noise 2: The Light (2007)

Good concept, poorly carried out...

[6/10 · 9 January 2007]

From the start it looked promising, the stage was set and I was looking forward to the next hour and a half or so. It did not however go on from here. It was inconsistent in the fact that there were some great bits, then some not so great dull, often pointless parts. There were jumping parts, but well too often and at various random times, the filmmakers obviously thought cheap scares were the way forward, this however does not in any shape or form make the movie better, it makes it somewhat amateurish. One or two jumping parts may be alright, but when it happens many times throughout the film, it starts to get out of hand and predictable when the main story should be the focus.

The whole idea behind the movie was great, but I felt that it could of been expanded on so much better. It didn't delve deep enough until the last portion of the film, when it would mean so much more if it was explained more earlier. This would drive the story on and actually make you want to find out what happens. It all seemed a bit rushed towards the end.

The lead man does a great job and I did actually feel for him at times, felt his emotion, but even his performance cannot save a lacking script.

This film and the original are completely different, this could of even been a separate film not even a sequel, because it's so different. To me, even the original White Noise is better than this. I enjoyed that more. White Noise 2: The Light may however have a completely different concept, which is good... but it simply doesn't satisfy this concept fully. Its like an half baked cake, a little more time and it may of been just as good if not better than the original. At the end, I was just glad it was all over and hope 2007 sees much better horror films than this one.

Eragon (2006)

Watch this without any other film in mind & it may be enjoyable...

[7/10 · 20 December 2006]

Forget Lord of the Rings and Star Wars for that matter, everyone writes comments comparing Eragon to those classic movies, that just is not right. Watching Eragon with an open mind and seeing it for what it is you'd be able to realise that it is not a bad movie nor should it get the battering from critics, its undeserved.

Yes the dialogue is patchy in places, but it is good in others. You are able to understand what the characters' motivations are. The movie may be named 'Eragon' after the main character, but the focus is also on the dragon Saphira, and this is where most of the joy comes from, watching the dragon bond with it's rider Eragon. There are no Oscar-worthy performances in Eragon, but that doesn't mean they did a bad job, i'd say the acting was average. It was what I expected, no more, no less.

The score was great, it added a great emotional drive to the film, so credit has to go to Patrick Doyle. It creates more of an emotional attachment to Eragon and Saphira throughout the film and particularly towards the end.

I went into this film with all the negative reviews and comments in mind, I also knew the 5/10 rating on this site. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I wasn't expecting to! I have not read the book, so didn't know how it compared, but seeing the film for what it is has benefits and I was satisfied come the end. Was worth seeing and look forward to the eventual sequel, if it is given the go ahead.