johnno1969 Reviews

Arthur & Merlin (2015)

This is not horrible!

[5/10 · 24 September 2015]

Considering the reviews so far are either 'zeroes or heroes', I thought I'd offer a middle-of-the-road approach.

This movie is by no means horrible. It reminds me of a better than average pilot for a TV series (albeit one made in the 80's), or could even pass as 'part-one' of a mini-series.

The leads are unknown, but solid without being brilliant. David Sterne who plays King Vortigern is a better than average TV actor, and he was very believable. Charlotte Brimble who plays Olwen (the lead female) does a very creditable job, and she didn't have to get her kit off to do that job either!

Special Effects were very, very, simple and wouldn't have over-stretched the budget, eg the occasional fog machine got switched on, but that worked in the movie's favour, as it meant that nothing was done 'badly'. ie there was no need to cringe at poorly constructed monsters.

The Story was also very, very, simple, but that meant that it wasn't as rushed as B-Grade movies can often feel, as they try to pack a script worthy of War and Peace into 90 minutes. The last 12 minutes were 'so-so', as endings go, but once again, 'not horrible'.

In summary, you wouldn't pay to go see it at the movies, but you wouldn't regret watching it, if it turned up on Netflix either.

It's not worth much more than an honest 5, but it's definitely not a 1!

The Transporter (2012–2014)

Worth Persevering with...

[7/10 · 30 November 2014]

So... Season 1. Check wiki for a proper order. There are multiple orders. I had to disregard the back of the bluray and follow the Dutch/Canadian season, otherwise characters appear and things happen and you are left going 'huh'? Who was she, how did he know here? It's important as there's an ongoing storyline through the whole of season one.

Apart from that little hiccup, I found the season pretty decent. So it isn't great writing, but the episodes do follow through for the most part. The acting is by no means second rate, the car action is fast paced and the fight scenes well choreographed. There's a certain amount of pointless 'better show some boobs' moments that make you cringe, but generally the nudity is contextual, and where you'd expect to see it. Come to think of it there is a particularly cringe worthy 'better not show boobs' moment, with an awkwardly places set of table decorations. (You'll know it when you see it). So it cuts both ways.

There are however two things that may distract you (1) the ongoing storyline (which is weak to say the least) and (2) the extraneous regular cast members that tend to not offer much at all.

But it's still a really enjoyable season.

Season 2, which I've started watching...

Forget Season 1. It's basically a reboot. All the annoying side-cast is gone, and the new co- lead, Kat, is great. And, there seems to be no ongoing storyline, just stand alone ep's.

Unfortunately, despite the fact all my complaints from Season 1 are gone, it' not actually better (to date).

For starters Chris Vance who plays Frank seems to have let himself go somewhat, and appears for want of a better description, 'old and tired'. Funnily enough, the ladies seem to have noticed this as well, as Frank doesn't pull half as much as in Season 1.

Secondly, the show has tried to turn itself into something more serious, and that seems to have affected the overall feel. Maybe the extra money they've spent on script and exotic locations (and a really good co-lead - she's worth mentioning again) has meant they couldn't afford a fight scene coordinator (or an ab-master).

Thirdly, Frank kills a lot more people in this season too, which seems to rub against the first series where he hardly picked a gun up at all, and if he did he shot them in the knees. It's all very un-Frank like.

I would have gladly given this series an 8 if Season two was progressing more positively, and I hope my rating doesn't slip when I finally catch up with the Second Season when I have time.