bendjowen Reviews

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Not the Black Panther we were promised

[7/10 · 17 November 2022]

The movie is fine overall but it's so very long.

The story takes ages to go anywhere but the scenes move way too quickly into the next ones.

Namor was a great villain with a really interesting change and served to be the highlight of the film but it wasn't quite enough to save it and keep me invested.

It did feel at times like a beautiful goodbye to Chadwick Bozeman but it often seemed to forget that it's a movie too.

It also never really answers why the FBI are after Riri Williams (Iron Heart) they just show up and it kind of felt like they just wanted more involvement for Martin Freeman and Julia Louis Dreyfus than any practical, story telling reasons.

All-in-all, better than the Disney+ projects but not the film we needed to save the MCU.

Ghost Files (2022– )

A Strong Predecessor to BFU

[8/10 · 21 October 2022]

The show is a great follow-up to its predecessor, BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural, and deals with the subject with a balance of seriousness and comedy.

The show is much more creatively fulfilling than BFU, with clearly a high production value and much more passion behind it.

The boys seem to enjoy making this show much more than the last and that's great. We also see there friendship and dynamic in a much more real and better sense - neither is playing the over the top naïve believer or stubborn denier, they seem to understand each others points much more than before.

My one criticism is how Ryan's personality seems to be lost to this new manufactured persona of a man who seems clinically insane and does a random, maniacal, high pitched laugh that seems more at home in kids' paranormal parody videos.

Hopefully this is a slight kink that can be ironed out for season 2 - it doesn't make the show unwatchable but as it happens in the solo explorations at the end, it does make the endings much more skippable.

How I Met Your Father (2022–2023)

It sticks the landing 75% of the time

[8/10 · 18 January 2022]

The tone manages to stay true to the building blocks of the original show while still trying to do something new, it will of course get criticism for trying to be more diverse and woke but to anyone who has happiness left in their being, it can remain a good show.

In its opening 2 episodes it manages to stick the landing around 75% of the time - the show will certain find its footing if it's allowed the chance to continue and grow without being beaten down by outdated critics.

The Green Knight (2021)

A new fantasy hit

[9/10 · 28 September 2021]

Much better than the reviews would suggest, this masterful retelling of The Green Knight firmly deserves a place amongst the fantasy greats. It pairs great storytelling with brilliant cinematography and the brilliant acting of Dev Patel and Sean Harris really makes it a standout.

M.O.D.O.K. (2021)

It's really good (for some)

[9/10 · 21 May 2021]

The show is an extremely good representation of M. O. D. O. K in comic form and to be fair, the whole Marvel Universe from the comics, matching tones and personalities really well. However, it's not for everyone - it's humour is very much that of Robot Chicken sprinkled with a bit of Patton Oswalt's humour that you see in his stand-up and if that's not your thing, this isn't either.

The show doesn't have any laugh out loud moments but it does well for a series with long form storylines as a goal and will make you giggle throughout. It's definitely worth the watch.

Intergalactic (2021)

It's not good, but it's not without potential either

[2/10 · 30 April 2021]

The show sets up a good Trek x Star Wars universe with just a hint of Guardians of the Galaxy. The lead actress clearly has what it takes but her supporting cast of criminals significantly lack the ability to act, specifically the girl who meows on arrival at the prison and the character who seems to be weirdly written as some sort of slightly-perverted lesbian criminal.

Why Are You Like This (2018– )

It's "woke" but for the worst

[4/10 · 16 April 2021]

It's kind of funny I guess for a comedy where you laugh at overly woke people but it's written by overly woke people - it just didn't really work because it's not quite getting what people find funny about woke people.

Truth Seekers (2020)

Surprisingly Good, lacking the Pegg/Frost Duo

[8/10 · 30 October 2020]

As far as horror comedies go, it's really good and given the lacking success of Slaughterhouse Rulez I wasn't expecting much at all but it does deliver... BUT for something hyped up as being Simon Pegg and Nick Frost coming back together, there's barely any of them in the same room together. If only they'd realise that people want to see their friendship and chemistry on the screen

Hoops (2020)

It works but it's not groundbreaking

[8/10 · 21 August 2020]

The show is good but it's nothing new, worth the watch if you're between binges - the shows main issue is that Jake Johnson's character isn't likeable but that's an issue that would smooth out easily in a second season (and some of the Kentucky accents don't hold up, going weirdly British at times) but again, these are all issues that can be ironed out with time

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

A diamond in the rough

[8/10 · 7 August 2020]

It's been slandered by reviews since even the first trailer was dropped and has unfortunately met the fate of Trek fans reviewing things, they all want something new but when they get it they just want Next Generation back.

The show is actually brilliantly made, it drops its viewers off in the middle of the characters stories rather than taking its time to set up. It's beginning is very similar to Rick and Morty's (rather than going out of its way to set up jokes it is focussed and carefully expands the trek universe showing masses of potential)

Central Park (2020–2022)

The most underrated show of 2020

[10/10 · 26 June 2020]

Central Park is near perfect and exactly what you'd expect to combine the genius of Loren Bouchard and the talents of Josh Gad. It's heartfelt and only seems to get better - it's songs are both high quality and funny, it's meaningful and came just at the right time