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The X Files: Irresistible (1995)
I want that faith back
This episode is absolutely brilliant. I give it 9/10 instead 10/10 only to some personal feelings during the watch and some things about the plot that could've possible ended the whole case a bit faster.
Other than that, the episode is so outstanding. I gotta admit, I'm such a sucker for episodes where we get to see characters development, break downs, get a chance to see them from different sides, from human ones. And here we see Scully being vulnerable, we see how much things, that happened to her, affected her. The worst thing possible happened, she started to doubt her ability to be able to save the world from bad guys, to be able to do her job and succeed at it in order to protect innocent people. The fact, that she decided not to try to deal with all of it by herself but went to a psychologist instead, is even more important. Person needs to be really strong to admit problems, weaknesses. And Scully is probably one of the strongest female characters I can think of. A real inspiration.
I also liked it how Chris Carter showed and developed the dynamic between her and Mulder. No matter what happens next, so far I can tell that Carter really knew his characters at the time of season 2. It was really understandable that Scully tried to play cool with him, look strong and hide her fears, her emotional struggle. After she had been brought back, Mulder was so over protective towards her and extremely caring, which wasn't something she wanted to. She wanted them to be partners, equals, not one protecting the other. Besides, even here she tried to stand for herself till the very end despite everything. And the moment she broke down and let Mulder in was made beautifully from any point of view I can think of. Such a great performance. Besides, this episode shows really great the nature of their partnership. Knowing, how uneasy the case was for Scully, Mulder didn't directly try to leave her out of it but gently tried to let her know that he understood. He respected her enough to let her decide for herself. Deep respect and caring is definitely something that makes these two and their relationships so special aside from all the other aspects. I can't even recall something similar on TV these days and it makes me appreciate it all even more.
Finally, I'd really like to say how amazing the story was. It's such a simple but yet true idea that the worst monsters are humans themselves. Especially people that you might not even notice before it's too late. It was so creepy to realize that a simple man, with no that much of the traumatic experience from the childhood, is capable of something so terrible. Such a deep closeness to reality and realization, that this is something that can happen anywhere, anytime on our planet, is exactly what scares the.
Also, all the scenes looked terrific and created a perfect atmosphere. Setting, acting, light, music, directing and every other aspect were very good.
In conclusion, I guess I once again want to say that this one is a pretty fantastic episode. It has a good story and such a strong development for both Scully and her relationships with Mulder.
The X Files: The Erlenmeyer Flask (1994)
Trust No One
This episode really left me speechless as it was really pretty good.
I guess I'll start with the story itself. It started off extremely dynamic, immediately giving the feeling that something big is about to happen. The whole conspiracy and alien experiments arc is exactly what I was waiting for. I don't even know if there are much to say tbh. It's not a difficult but definitely an intruiging one. I really wanna see how things will play out later on as all the evidences now are destroyed and Deep Throat is dead and unable to help Scully and Mulder any longer. Seems very interesting cause I'm sure that Mulder isn't about to give up. I like it how he always remains the same, loyal to his desire to make people believe. Anyway, I guess it could've been done better and some of the evidences would've remained, if Scully had taken results immediately or if Mulder had been more cautious and hadn't gone anywhere without a good plan. But I liked it the way it's been done.
The other thing I wanna talk about is characters. It's definitely one of the constant things which makes me continue watching the show even during not the brightest of the episodes.
Deep Throat. It was pretty unexpected to see him go so soon. He was probably the most intruiging character of the whole season and definitely one of the most charismatic ones. I've never known if he could've been trusted, always doubted him and hoped to see more of him. But it was an interesting way to kill him off by giving him the ability to save both Mulder and Scully. That was suprising and even shocking for me. I honestly expected those guys to work for him and it all to be a part of the one big lie initiated by Deep Throat. Feels good to be wrong about it. I guess that's one of the reasons a can give this episode a credit for.
Scully. She's my favourite character so I really pay attention on the way she's written. And here she was amazingly written in every scene she was in. I liked it how she at first was extremely bored and completely uninterested in the case that indeed was so vague and came from someone she didn't trust. Perfectly fitting. I liked it how, by being shocked, by being lost and maybe even scared, by realizing that she was dealing with something she could've never explained, by basically being faced with the evidences of what she thought was impossible, she remained professional. It's especially noticable during her and Mulder's convo with Deep Throat when she was asking only those questions that were realeted to the case and showed her suspicious towards him as a trustworthy source of information.
Mulder. The thing I loved the most about him in this episode was probably the fact that he confronted Deep Throat. As for the rest, he was perfectly in character that was obsessed with his case and wws willing to be put himself in a great risk just to find out the truth.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode a lot and I find it to be pretty exciting. I don't have much to say, but stakes were really high in this one and that was cool. I'll give it something between 8.5/10 and 9/10.
The X Files: Roland (1994)
'I believe in psychic connections... It's stronger between family members'
In my opinion, it was an interesting concept to use something that's hardly deniable - love between siblings, between members of the family - and take it to another, X-Files, I may say, level. I don't know if this episode is at least a little accurate in the context of real science, genetic and physics, to be precise (kinda doubt that) but as a standalone episode with the story to tell it definitely worked for me in so many ways that I just feel unable to rate it lower than 7.5.
First of all, the story itself. It was pretty intruiging and actually made me guessing, because it wasn't an open-and-shut case as some of the previous ones, it has an interesting setting, quite a good development and ends on an uncertain note. Did it really work? Did Arthur really say goodbye and was not controlling Roland any longer? Or can he come back any time? I mean, the work was completed, everybody will consider Roland to be the one who finished it, that's true, so Arthur can leave him alone. I believe he can do that but we should never forget that he's still a brilliant scientist that can come up with new ideas on how to improve it all even further. Who knows... But even with that, the story itself feels finished with a pretty good closure. And I'm grateful for that.
Secondly, actors' performances and characters interactions were truly amazing. Zeljko Ivanek was so good at portarying such a complicated character as Roland. Unability to control himself, deep struggles, but a strong fight, combined with all the good things that are inside of him, it all was acted really beautifully. He and Tracy also worked for me. They had such a sweet and belivable interaction with each other. And I can't even imagine how hard it must be to play an autistic character in a way that doesn't seem forced. And these two made a pretty nice job. All the other side characters were good as well. So were Mulder and Scully. I especially liked one thing in that scene where they found Arthur that was trying to kill Dr. Nollette. While Mulder was trying to make Arthur turn the mechanism off, Scully was trying to get through to Roland. Such a nice way of showing difference between the two and their povs.
Also I'd like to mention how much I liked the atmosphere. The episode might have some downs at dynamic, but in general it is a pretty enjoyable one.
Andor: Reckoning (2022)
"Real behavior, real needs, real anxieties, real decisions, real moments of challenge for people" - Tony Gilroy
So far the show has been fitting in with these words pretty amazingly. We the story through the characters, those behavior, motives and thoughts you can relate to. And it's truly great. As for the particular Episode 3, I think it was really stunning.
There are just so many things to appreciate this episode for. First of all, it is balanced and has it all - drama, action, characters development. The first two episodes were slow paced, but they introduced us to all these characters that, I have no doubt, have a role to play. And here we have a dynamic, stakes are rising, Cassian's story with rebellion is about to start, and it all is actually exciting.
The second thing I want to mention is characters themselves. We don't know them so well so far, but there are already some interesting ones to explore. Cassian, that we know from Rogue One but not from his earlier days, is definitely one of them. I like how we've been introduced to him. I also liked and wanna see more from Maarva and Luthen Rael. Box seems to find a reason to take some real actions, too. I also liked the way citizens are portrayed. It's all about rebellion, it's all about being united and standing up for their people. It's simple yet it worked for me.
The third thing is definitely an atmosphere of the show in general. I find it pretty amazing that we are getting a chance to see something darker than we're used to. I hope it remains. Beautiful music, some of the good actors' performances, setting in general, the way it edited and directed, the ability to see characters representing different species and new and unknown planet, that expend Star Wars' universe. Honestly, I'm kinda tired of so many projects taking place on Tatooine, so it was extremely rerfreshing. I would also like to point out how much I loved that final scene. Parallel was amazing with the beautifully fitting melody.
I find the plot pretty interesting as well. It's not something new but I don't keep coming back to Star Wars because it has puzzling plot twists. I love this universe for adventure I can be involved in with compelling and hopefully well written stories. Andor gives it all at this moment.
There are just a few things that I personally didn't like. First one is Syril Karn. I can't say that the writing for him is bad or something, but this guy is lack a nesseceery charisma and doesn't seem that interesting at the moment. The second thing is attempt to add some humor elements. I don't think the show is that good at combining genres. It's better not to disturb the dark atmosphere.
All in all, strong episode making you want to see more. I'm so glad that after some pretty bad projects I'm finally getting something good from Disney. Really hope it can last and I won't be disappointed with the episodes ahead.
8.5/10.
The X Files: Beyond the Sea (1994)
'Why can't you believe?' - 'I'm afraid'
This episode is simply outstanding. Everything about it is just great! Acting, writing, cinematography, music, atmosphere, character development for Scully.
First of all, I gotta say that it's kinda become my thing to catch up with really iconic and classic TV shows only now, after years they've finished. So for me it's the first time ever watching The X-Files. But I believe it's better late than never.
Now about the episode which I loved every minute in. It was probably the first time when Scully and Mulder switched their places when it comes to believing in things, and it was handled so nicely. Since Dana was having those some sort of visions of her dad right after he passed away, the episode didn't make it that obvious till the very end whether it was just her grieve that was pushing her to want to believe, or Boggs was really telling the truth. It was also so great to learn more about her family, her relationships with her parents and finally get into her thoughts and deep fears. Beyond the sea also got a good set up for her to admit that fear later when she lied to police about the way she found the place. Both fear to believe and for her reputation. The latter opposed to Mulder actually pops up as one of themes from time to time.
And what an exeptional acting on Gillian Anderson's part! The scene, where she yells at Boggs, was so intense and so amazingly made. She and Brad Dourif just killed it in this episode. Both of their performances are so on top! And I'm actually surprised how fast I got attached to Dana Scully as a character.
As for Mulder, it was also unusual to see him that skeptical but he had the right to assume it. His test for Boggs was pretty interesting. This episode is so good at showing one simple yet real fact: if you believe in something, you'll find your arguments. Like Mulder didn't believe Boggs and found evidence for himself, Scully was able to both find proofs for him being honest and the liar. In addition, it was nice to see Fox being so concerned and sympathetic when it came to Scully and what happened to her.
Boggs' plot line was extremely exciting to watch as well and let you have such a mixed feelings about him. He's a criminal that's done terrible and unforgivable things but it's like he's already got a pretty terrible punishment you can possibly imagine. So at the scene he was executed I kinda hoped Scully would've showed up but it's understandable why she hadn't done that.
In summary, strong and beautifully made episode which is definitely one of my favourite from this season and which I've already written so many good things about.
9/10.
Prison Break: Selfless (2008)
"Just don't tell me that everything's gonna be okay" should be one of the slogans of the show
This episode in general is more exciting to watch and consistent than the previous one, that's why I rate it higher. But just like the previous one, this one is great at first glance but is starting to fall apart, if you look closely.
So, the good stuff. And that's a lot this time, which is definitely a nice surprise.
First of all, it is the whole Michael's plan on getting Scylla. That twist, where The General thought that he outsmarted Michael, while in reality he was the one trapped, was outstanding. Their word exchange was brilliant as well as The General's reaction. His tries to birbe each member of the team and their responses to him were made pretty well, too. We also have a hint that brothers' mother has some skeletons in the closet and it all will play its role later on.
Use Lisa as leverage was really smart as well. And I extremely liked Sara's scenes with her in this episode. I wanna count it as another strong side of the episode. She was so convincing and had that a bit of crazy look in her eyes. Girl's been through a lot, so it was really hard to say if she could've pulled this off if plan had gone wrong. I'm getting those terrifying vibes each time I see her with something that she can use to choke the person.
Atmosphere of the episode was great as well. Time flew by and I haven't even noticed how the episode ended. Unstoppable action almost to the end where everything is a part of plan is something I genuinely missed. It wasn't that great as it was in the first two seasons, but still.
I also really liked characters and their interaction. Linc and Alex settling things up, T-Bag being actually terrified realizing that he's lost his chance to try to change his identity in order to not be its prisoner, The General trying to convince everyone mentioning the ones guys care about the most, being lost and actually loving his daughter to the point to give the most valuable thing he possessed, The General with Lisa and Michael with Sara and Alex having different povs due to their personal experience, it all was written nicely.
But, as I said, flaws, sadly, didn't just pass by. Where do I even start? Okay, first of all, why didn't The General's agents just split up and follow both brothers and Sucre with Alex. I get it that Michael's back was top priority but by that time they've already should've figured out whom they've been dealing with. There's always plan. So it was only for the story to go on. No other reasons seem to be suitable. Secondly, why didn't Michael immediately open the envelope Self gave him? It doesn't sound like him at all. I can assume that he, for some reason, grew to trust that guy, but even so he should've opened it at the second he took it. Also I still can't believe he didn't take his time to find info on Self to make sure the guy could've been trusted in the first place. It's not like their lives and freedom depended on it. No, wait... The other bad thing might be just my quibble, but I'm so tired of all these prompous speeches and characters rejoicing ahead of time. It's too obvious each time that nothing's gonna be alright. Also I actually didn't like action scene with Gretchen, T-Bag and Miriam. I mean, the latter had far less powerful weapon, it wasn't suppose to be that hard for someone like Gretchen to kill that girl. But she needed to stay alive for that revelation, so we've got not the best execution of the action scene.
There're also some moments that I can't call particularly good or bad. And, firstly, I'm talking about twist with Self in the end, of course. It doesn't really make much of a sense and feels more like the writers just wanted to create that so-called shock effect. At the same time we haven't learned a lot about him during the first 12 episodes, so it can work. But the fact that none of the characters had learned something about him before is extremely dissapointing. Also Michael didn't even try to learn everything on Scylla first. Doesn't sound like him as well. Another aspect of that grey area is Michael's condition. On the one hand, in both episodes his seizures happened at the moments of the strongest stress. On the other, it seems like they happen only when the writers need them to, so it kinda rises mixed feelings.
All in all, I honestly don't know how to feel about the episode. Michael's plan on getting Scylla was great, main characters and atmosphere were good as well, but plot holes, that can't be ignored, just don't let me enjoy the show I used to once. 7 out of 10 but not even close as good as it used to be. I really miss those days of first 2 seasons. Now even more, as show is finally trying to hold my attention.
Prison Break: Quiet Riot (2008)
Break through two walls, one concrete and one glass and make it quiet. Excellent way to bring tention in the game
This season of the show is extremely messy with too little good episodes in it. This one is one of the good ones, for sure. But still flawed, like really flawed. They managed to create a great tention in the scene with breaking though and keep it up during the whole episode, so it's actually possible not to notice bad decisions the writers made. But the more I was thinking about Quiet Riot, the more questions I had.
I guess it's better to make two parts of my review.
And first one is a good stuff aside from mentioned intense atmosphere which is probably the main good thing. First of all, I was glad to see the whole team coming up with the ideas on how to execute the impossible. Michael being the genius, trying to think about every single detail and making something extremely difficult to come to the reality, with show actually explaining it all to us, is something I really miss this season. Everyone worked as a real team where each member knew his part. And the parts, where things were going wrong, out of control, really made me feel for characters and be concerned. I was involved in the process as a vievew, and it hasn't happened a lot recently. The whole scene with getting Scylla was made well aside from one questionable decision I'll mention a bit later. Secondly, I liked it that we finally saw Gretchen playing her own games in order to be the winner of the situation. I'm glad they made her traitor of the Company as well as the traitor of everyone else. T-Bag even for a second thinking about the chance to leave it all behind and make some legal money was also a nice touch. Even more, all the characters from Michael's team felt right here and behaved the way where the vievew can understand their points of view, their reasons to do things.
Second part is everything that I didn't like. And that's a lot. Firstly, why was Gretchen so sure the General was about to bring his card with him? It's not like he wanted to have a chat about it with her. Why was he actually gonna do it in the first place? It just doesn't make sense and feels so forced. Also the General himself starts to feel less and less as a smart and frightening leader. I even start to wonder, how is it possible he managed to achieve so much and stay on top for so long? Secondly, why did Michael need to the one breaking though glass? I believe Alex, for instance, could've managed it. And it wouldve made much more sense since Michael is the one who could've collapsed any minute. His condition is too unstable to rely on it, and we've seen it even during the plan discussion. The tension they tried to make with his some sort of seizure just didn't work. It was far more dangerous to let him in than to let someone without that big experience in engineering, but also without the possibily to just die right there any minute do it. Third thing I want to mention is the whole thing with Michael's surgery. I know, they're all in great danger to be turned in, but wasn't it possible for them to at least try to convince that doctor to perform it later? I haven't seen anyone of them actually tried to explain the importance of what was going on. Maybe I missed it somewhere along the lines, but it still kinda bothers me. I also didn't expect Self and that his agent to be so naive. Going alone right into the trap. It's not like they had much of the support from other agents but both Gretchen and T-Bag are extremely dangerous. So yeah, them going into a trap was too obvious to everyone except for these two. Can't believe Self didn't even try to figure out who was calling him, especially after his agent revealed to him that she was suspicious to T-Bag. And another questionable decision is that another sensor that let turn in the camera. Let me get this straight. It was a nice twist and it was good that Michael didn't think about it. But it doesn't change the fact that the principle the sensor works is a bit off. Like why can't it always be turned on and have someone to keep an eye on it? And, to make sure it all is safe, just keep the alarm system that was when it all was activated. It would've been much more secure and would've made more sense. I mean, if he needed something he could've just turned it off any second.
Taking all my pros and cons into consideration, I still was pretty confused on how to rate the episode. Among all the first 11 episodes, this one was probably one of the best, at least when it comes to atmosphere. At the same time, if you start to think about what just happened, there are so many questions. I give it 6 because some of the the characters are still good, the story itself is finally came somewhere, I'm still wondering what Sara is about to do, stakes are getting at least a bit higher and yeah, this episode created an intrigue and made me want a little to see another episode.
Prison Break: The Price (2008)
This episode is definitely a breath of fresh air for this season
It's been awhile since I could've enjoyed a single episode of the show (the last one was 3x13), but this one finally was good, not perfect but really really good. Some dialogues and scenes were quite unnecessary, the whole storyline with Roland as traitor seemed a bit repetitive and predictable, but I don't really wanna focus on the bad stuff and so happy to be able to point out the good ones.
And the best thing was the characters and their development. They've been written amazingly.
Michael. It was great to see his human side once again. Despite the fact that Roland betrayed them, Michael stayed with the guy at his last moment and looked sincerely upset. The writers also showed pretty good what we've already knew about Scofield - absolute absence of sense of self-worth. He doesn't care that he has tumor and (I presume) will have more serious symptoms pretty soon, that he can eventually die from. He doesn't care and gets irritated when his loved ones do. Well done, writers, well done.
Alex. The way he started attacking Wyatt and couldn't stop truly got me. So much hate, so much anger, the desire to finally make this killer of his child pay. Bravo, William Fichtner, it was an outstanding acting! He and Robert Knepper are no doubt the best actors of PB that make even bad episodes better.
T-Bag. I'm not a big fan of this character this season, but in this episode he really worked for me. Trusting only himself and siding with both Gretchen and that secretary lady in order to double cross them all and get the best he can in the situation without risking his life that much was really cool to watch. Props to the writers for that.
Grethen. She was such a boring and unintresting character in season 3, but here, since the moment she started to do things only for herself (and I have no doubt she'll betray them all just to get the best benefit), she became so good as a character. I really love this psychopath, and her twisted way of thinking and settling things up with Sara in this episode was marvelous.
Sara. I'm glad the viewers finally got a chance to know how she escaped. I still don't think it was a good idea to ressurect her, but at least she was stunning in The Price. I truly enjoyed every side we've seen of her. She's a decent doctor which knows the job and always gets it done, no matter how traumatized she is. Definitely deserves respect and admiration. And it was a truly interesting and fitting the character idea to make death of that woman Sara's greatest motivation in her relationships with Gretchen. The guilt mixed with hate, I definitely like it, as much as I liked the writing for Sara to portray her as extremely strong and at the same time broken person.
Linc. I'm glad they decided to give him an opportunity to be the one suggesting the plan, risky but not a bad one. This character keeps growing on me more and more.
Not gonna say much about others as I've already written enough, just add that every character in this episode are in their places, that's a big relief for me.
I also liked the narrative. Not that we've learned something we hadn't already known by that moment, but at least story progressed. Now, since General is aware of the plan, things are gonna get much more intense. I'm finally intruiged at least a little, and this really makes me a bit happy as a viewer. Furthermore, I can't wait for the moment Alex gets his revenge, it's about time.
Roland being killed is also a bonus. He was kinda annoying. He could've been useful, though, and now things might get a bit harder for the rest of the team, but they'll figure something out, not that they have a choice anyway.
Overall, it was a decent episode, the best out of first 8 ones. I really missed this show being good. Not that it got that good, but at least it's better than it was in the beginning of s4, when I found it hard to watch a single episode.
Prison Break: Five the Hard Way (2008)
Amount of inconconsitencies keeps getting larger as episodes go on
This episode seemed fine, it was another boring and predictable episode (which isn't a surprise for season 4) up until the moment Lincoln said about his mother's cause of death. That's when I got pissed. Let me explain. In episode English, Fitz or Percy (s01e05) Linc told Sara that his mother died because of the liver cancer. And now it's brain tumor?
I used to love this show. Season 1 is probably one of the best I've seen in TV shows, especially in those that have such a big amount of episodes per season. Season 2 was good, season 3 was okay, but PB has never had such a huge amount of inconconsitencies. It came to the point that I find it hard to watch episodes of the show. And I would've quitted if I hadn't had that tendency to keep watching something I once enjoyed. So it is really painful to see what the show is turning into with each episode.
And don't get me wrong, this episode had good moments. Michael finally working on decoding Whistler's notes and interacting with T-Bag, T-Bag in general, Alex coming and saving the day - these moments were amazing. But I just couldn't ignore all the bad stuff. What I mentioned earlier and what pissed me off the most was only tip of the iceberg. How did T-Bag manage to get rid of those GPS trackers so quickly (since Gretchen wasn't the one doing it) ? Aren't they suppose to have some security system? Why is T-Bag is so bad at shooting at people that he couldn't even hit the target while shooting at Alex? Why didn't Roland immediately hide the device? And so on.
As I said, I loved this show, that's why I wish they let it go after season 2. It would've been fine with me even if they had finished it with season 3 before it got that bad. It would've been wise, but they never know when to stop, don't they? And since I'm first time wathcer and it's 2022 now, when show already has not 4 but 5 seasons, I guess, question is even more rhetorical.
Prison Break: Shut Down (2008)
It just keeps getting worse with each next episode, doesn't it?
I rate this episode higher than the first two ones (they've got 4 from me) only for Alex and, to some extent, his interaction with Linc. He's probably the only reason I'm still here wasting my time watching the show. He has a strong motivation, and I really sympathize with him and can't wait for him to make that agent pay for what he's done. William Fichtner definitely killed that last scene.
But other than that, episode has almost nothing to offer. They try to play like stakes are extremely high, but in fact they're not. The Company wants brothers (and now Alex) dead and is after them - that's not new, we've been down that road, or at least thought so. Sucre doing what he can for the baby and his loved one is also the exact same motivation as all the seasons before. And I'm okay with that, but it all is just getting too repetitive. Also, the story itself has an assumptions that I find too hard to ignore. And, I guess, my main complain here, when it comes to Shut Down, is the meeting with all the Card Holders. Just why? It doesn't make any sense. It would've been so much more rational for The Company to give all the cards to different people who had never met each other in order to keep it all in secret. But without that the story can't happen, huh? Though the show has had these 'lucky coincidences' before, it had been much more clever. Now, the events just adjust the characters, not vise versa, as it's supposed to be. I've also noticed that characters became too nervous and irritable this season, someone just has to scream and pick a word fight in every single episode. I'm getting tired of it and is kinda dissaspointed, since most of the time Michael is the one who does that. Speaking of him. I feel like he's slowly becoming less interesting, his plans still work, but I don't really have the feeling, that he's always one step ahead, anymore. It's not like he's always been before, but, for instance, I really find it hard to believe that he hasn't at least tried already to find a way to get rid of those GPS trackers. There's always a way. And I expected Michael to be ready if something went wrong.
Overall, I still have a hope that it'll get better, but so far it's only getting worse. Too bad for the show with an excellent 1st season, where it's extremely hard to find any filler or useless or boring episode.
Prison Break: Scylla (2008)
"We can think like convicts, we just can't act like them". What have I got myself into?
First of all, to justify the headline of this review, I gotta say that I think it's not a bad idea to change show's direction. Perhaps, it doesn't fit its name anymore, but it was inevitable - characters can't make prison breaks all the time. We've seen season 3, and even there escape seemed a bit repetitive, so it was just a matter of time, when they decide to move to something different. And I'm fine with that, as long as the show still has something to offer.
But this episode, though it has not a bad setup, just doesn't work. It's too rushed, filled with such a big amount of inconsistencies and questionable decisions, a total disaster, to be honest. And I guess that I still could've rated it higher, if it had been any other average show, but it's not. Since PB set such a high bar quality, I can't forgive it so many bad and messy things I've just witnessed.
I'm not the one who usually tries to learn more about off screen situation around the show so I'll stick with it here as well. Though I understand, that season 3 was cut off to only 13 episodes, it shouldn't justify the fact, that this episode is way too rushed. It raised too many questions. Since I'm sure that I'll never get answers for those, I'm gonna list all the things that were off when it comes to Scylla. If I'm wrong, I'll go back here and change my rating.
1) When you spend the whole last season in the prison, you do not just tell the viewer that there was a fire and riot. I get it, they didn't have access to that location, but I can't help but having questions. How did they manage to do it all? What was it like? Why did Sucre and Bellick decide to cooperate? How did they get away from that prison before meeting Brad's mother? And so on. It had to be shown. At least a small part of it when everything was on fire. It really could've been like one of the most interesting plot line. Well, so...
2) Sara's resurrection (and I can't call it any other way). I really like Sara and have always appreciated her as a character and pretty important part of the story. Not gonna lie, she's my third favorite (aside from Michael and Alex) character in the entire show. But it's wrong to bring her back for so many reasons. First, though the way it's been done (hello, Seven) was extremely poorly executed, characters had grieved over her, her death was impactful. We saw how devastated Michael was, how her death affected him, gave him a purpose to go against the Company and make them pay. It was great and it's been taken away too quickly. Terrible payoff for s3 finale, feels kinda disrespectful. She died pretty heroically for trying to help brothers to find her and LJ, risked so much. Second, Scylla provided us with absolutely nonsensical explanation of how it happened. It was dark in the garage? LJ wasn't watching? Seriously, show, that's all you've got? It's too lame. To fake someone's death, it takes time, even for the Company. Since Sara's escape definitely wasn't a part of their plan, it's just impossible to find a woman who looks so alike that fast. And I saw that episode with my own eyes, it wasn't that dark in there. Things with LJ doesn't fit in either. Apparently he and Sara had been together most of the time, including the moment she'd been 'killed' or, more importantly, the moment she managed to escape. Best version is that she ran away before and they killed another woman while LJ wasn't watching. It could've worked, I guess, but it's still very vague and cheap. Once again, it's hard to find woman who looks alike so fast, thus, I would've never believed LJ hadn't been watching all time. From what he said, it seemed like he wasn't watching only at the moment of killing, not a lot of time before that.
3) Whistler. He was such a huge part of the story last season and seemed so meaningful and mysterious, that it was just too strange from the writers to get rid of him so fast and reduce his role to one case, to one meeting. Lame and upsetting. Not much to add here, just a big disappointment. He seemed like such an intruiging character that had a great potential.
4) Why did they torture Sara in the first place? Seriously, what was the reason to do it? I mean, we've seen LJ, the boy was fine. I mean, of course, I can have my own theories, such as it happened due her tries to tell Michael and Linc where she was, but those are just theories, episode's answer was too terrible. You know, the Company, they always do stuff like that. And LJ is kinda a proof that they don't.
5) Tattoo that can be removed in 24 hours. I have nothing against some conventions the show may have, but it's just impossible to remove the whole thing that quickly
6) Dialogs and characters. Michael's speech at the beginning was the first sign. It was too pretentious and melodramatic. I know PB can do better than that. It also comes to characters' interaction. Actors still do a good job with the script they've been given, but there's just something that was off. For instance, I didn't feel an immediate menace when I saw T-Bag (though I've always done that before), or I didn't find that Glenn or his so-called funny interactions with others interesting because guy seemed too cliched (hope it'll change). Also the immediate brothers' consent after one killing attempt seems kinda weird, because it happened after Michael met Whistler, not before. If brothers had had nothing to do with all that but still tried to be murdered, I would've understood. But Michael had a meeting with Alex and Whistler. It still works, I guess, considering all the ties between brothers and the Company, but the show could've done much better.
I think, it's time to stop cause I can do it all day long. I wanna point out some good things. And there were ones.
1) Alex. It's great to have him and see how even more motivated he's gonna be due to what happened with his family.
2) Good intrigue. This show still manages to have good cliffhangers that I want to see getting their payoffs. It's more about Michael's nose bleeding than setup for the search of five cards, though, but still it counts.
3) Good potential for characters' interaction. It's nice to have all these characters back and now working together. It will be extremely interesting, unless the writers ruin it.
All in all, I'm extremely disappointed, the episode is a disaster. I wish they could've done it better. And because of the fact that I know, that they can do better, it all is even more upsetting. So yeah, what have I got myself into? It's pretty hard to quit when you came such a long way with the show and its characters.
Prison Break: Orientación (2007)
Prison Break 2.0. Welcome back to prison!
I was extremely conflicted after watching this episode. On the one hand, it definitely has its moments, but, on the other, it's just so boring and not that entertaining. One thing I understood for sure is that I was too harsh on season 2 premier back in the day. If that one got 7-7.5 from me, then this one I really can't rate any higher (but also lower) than 6.5.
I'll start with good things Orientación had. First of all, I really liked Alex and the way he was portrayed. Since his first appearance I was interested in him as a character. And here he was amazingly written. A man that on purposely rejected his family once again to not bother them any longer, overwhelmed by the things he's done, without his pills that helped him to keep it together somehow, with the only one thing left, - a strong motivation to get out of that place. I felt for him at some point and was grateful he helped Michael by giving advise and then by literally saving his life. Especially because it fit his motivation. The second plus of the episode is a pretty good atmosphere in the scene where Linc came to morgue. And the last, but not least, is once again a well written motivation for characters. As a viewer, I can get why that or another main characters does what he does. And I find it pretty important cause nowadays I'm really tired of characters those motives can't be logically explained.
So, the bad things. The main one is probably the realization that I'm indifferent to the given setup. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good idea to get the show back to its roots but it all just feels extremely repetitive, for some reason. Once again we have a situation where Michael needs to get someone out because someone will die unless he does. I gotta admit, I'm not into it that much. The second thing that dissapointed me was the Sona itself. It looks okay, but I see lack of the dark, hopeless atmosphere from s2 finale. The general idea of dealing with conflicts by having one-on-one fights with only one survivor makes perfect sense. I guess, it can be considered as another good moment from the episode. The more dead people you have, the more supplies you have for the others. But... I didn't really liked the execution that much. I can't point my finger on what exactly feels off, but it all was a bit undewhelming. Same actually goes for framing Michael thing to get him killed. It makes sense from characters' perspective, but it was executed kinda poorly. The writers seemingly tried to have the same slow pace and introduction to this prison, as they had with Fox River, but it's not even half as good, beginning with setting, ending with prisoners. There were too many scenes in there, it would've been much better if they had given it to other stories, such as Sucre's one, or LJ getting kidnapped. Speaking of the latter.
Third thing, that I disliked, is LJ being in Panama and kidnapped. I just don't really get it how they got to him. The boy was under protection, and I thought that only Linc had a way to contact him. Others just didn't need to. And then, suddenly, without Linc knowing anything, LJ is easily found. The only hope I have is that it'll be explained, but I doubt it. Next, intro. I have nothing against the way it's done, only with the fact that Sara's absence there is too obvious and gives away everything immediately. I just wish they could've kept the one from season 2 for at least 1 episode or so. I also find new characters unintresting and not at least a little intriguing. They were just there, I guess. For some reason, when new characters, especially new main ones, were introduced in earlier seasons, I wanted to know more about them. Here, I'm just indifferent. Hope those new characters will grow on me, only time will tell.
Overall, it was an episode that didn't make me look forward the moment I see the continuation of the story. It's pretty sad, considering how first two seasons' premiers were managed to do it without even trying.
Prison Break: Manhunt (2006)
Break that only started with prison
Overall, it was an enjoyable premiere of the season that has a needed set up. At least it gives an overview of where characters go from here. And I liked that FBI agent guy that was smart enough to dig deeper and pay attention to the tattoo. I don't know (it's my first time watching) and frankly don't care if he's a part of conspiracy plot, I'm just so glad to see someone doing his job right. But I gotta say that I'm a bit disappointed. There're just some things (and some of them go from season 1) that I really can't ignore and don't like at all. I really feel the need to point them out.
1) Veronica's death. Extremely underwhelming and made me feel absolutely nothing because of how incautious and naive she was. Her death is fully on her. Was it really that hard for her to buy a gun? Didn't she realize by that moment what kind of people were behind it all and how dangerous it might be to even call to a police? Also don't understand her words to Linc about turning himself in. Too optimistic
2) Sara. At the end of season one it seemed to me that her main motive to help Michael with his plan was the fact that she realized that it was the only way for an innocent man like Linc to stay alive because her father let it happen so he could move up the career ladder. I thought that she was really disappointed in her father, this whole case kinda turned things on their heads for her and that's why she risked, that's why she broke down. And I liked it. But the writers just had to reduce it to a banal soap opera.
3) How come it took some time from FBI to get to Michael's apartment? Wasn't it like the first thing to do when you try to find anything related? Talk to everyone he knows, visit his place, his work. But I guess it's just me and I consider it as a little nitpick cause they've done it fast enough.
With that being said, I'm just upset I wasn't able to like this episode as much as I could've but I still think it was a good one.
Prison Break: Pilot (2005)
I can't watch him die. I won't do it
It really took me long enough to finally start watching the show but better late than never. What a great pilot episode! It starts out extremely strong, then slows down its pace a little near the end and gets really exciting againg at the very end.
It was one of the best set ups I've seen in a long time. It really intruiged me a lot cause it has everything what's needed. First, the main character that somehow manages to get what we wants one way or another and has an extremely risky plan that even perfectly thought out can go wrong any minute. He makes you wonder if he is a genius or just desperate enough. Pretty compelling and charismatic character with clear motivation that I can easily sympathize with. Wentworth Miller makes a really good job portraying him. Second thing that made the pilot work is the story itself. To not give away any spoilers (though there's probably nothing to spoil so far), I'll just say that it rises so many questions about what really happened that lead characters to the starting point of the show that I'm definitely already feel involved. The case itself, the thoughts about how Michael is going to implement a plan and how his interactions with other characters will play out are what keeps me really interested. Most of the actors aside from main lead are also not bad at their performances that can be considered as a plus.
In a word, it was a pretty good set up for further events. Strong 8/10 from me. Hope the show can keep it up.
Dark City (1998)
What it was about us that made us human?
This should be the title of this amazing movie. Though I don't really like it when I'm given more or less particular answer for a question, and prefer to be left with my own thoughts on a subject, for some reason Dark City works for me.
It explores an extremely interesting aspect of that question. Are we defined by our memories? All the characters had twisted memories and could've waken up as a completely different person remembering the things they've never done. John is the best example to understand that our soul is what makes us unique, special, and no false memories can make us do things that are not right for us. And by providing us with such an answer it still leaves you wondering what exactly our soul is. Is it a combination of so-called morality and feelings? Is it our will what can be called a driving force? Every person can answer it in a unique way. That's why Dark City's philosophy is so straightforward and good at the same time.
Same goes for the story in general. There're no real twists the movie has, we've given a linear and quite simple narrative where you can easily say what happens next. Nevertheless, the story is interesting and it was truly an exciting journey with John that we figured out things more and more each minute with.
Another strong side of the movie is its atmosphere. Dark, with noir elements where people are helpless and like rats are just a part of an experiment they've never agreed on. Alex Proyas made a fantastic work at this point. Some of the scenes like Bumstead chasing John on stairs, or Mr. Murdoch talking with his wife, or the one when conversation between John and Dr. Shreber takes place near the swimming pool, are extremely remarkable. Details, shooting angles, actors' performances, settings are just great. Speaking of details. I really liked it how maze in the room where Dr. Schreber were talking to Emma is so forshadowing and represents the way the whole city used to be like. And that spiral symbol that stayed with the viewer during the whole movie was a really great detail and representation as well.
Though I really enjoyed Dark City, it has some imperfections like pretty clumsy action scenes that weren't saved by editing, or some bad visual effects, or that unspeakable conventions we need to take as granted (not immediate death of Frank in space, characters ability to stand on their feet without any problems with gravity in the same scene). Though the first two points of mine are understandable considering the low budget. With the money they've been given they made it the best they could. But thinking about the plot I kept wondering what if John would've just broken the syringe that he had taken from Schreber? Would've the story ended the same? Not sure.
All in all, Dark City is a really strong work with simple yet nice phyloshopy and story that gets 7.5/10 from me.
Upload: Welcome to Upload (2020)
So far not bad. Promising start that intruiges and rises questions
In general it is a pretty amazing idea. Hope it'll be executed right in later episodes. Characters are not really very compelling to me but there's plenty of time to develop them so I'll just be waiting. Though liking episode and getting the fact that it's also a comedy (so it has few conventions), the way people are being uploaded seems a bit off. But maybe it's just me. Same goes for soundtrack that I liked only partially. As for the technical aspects, there're some not great visual effects but it's all understandable.
All in all, it's a pretty solid premier and I'm interested to know where the story goes from here.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
We had grace. We had style. We had conversation. Not this...
The only question I have is what was that? A movie? Definitely not. Part of Matrix franshase? Twice no. When what was that? It really pissed me off more than I aspected and I knew it was meant to be bad. I don't even know where to start.
I guess I should say what was good. The only one really amazing thing Ressurrctions has is shots from the original trilogy. That's it. There are also a few not bad concepts that could've worked but didn't. The first one of them is that Matrix Trilogy was a computer game (should've made it movies though) and Thomas was just a developer all along that was too involved in his creation. It would've been a massive game changer but no, creators hadn't been that brave. The second one is war between machines but Resurrections had such a lame and underwhelming execution that made things even worse. I mean... Machines that were inspired by Neo's actions? Those are machines we're talking about, right? Doesn't seem so. Such idea would've worked if machines, for instance, had had some decisions making process due to problems with energy and had had calculations that had been approximately the same for two solutions. One of them could've been to start using other available sources of energy and the other one could've been to break that fragile peace. This is what I would've been happy to see. But once again we had just a concept without proper execution.
Now I finally can move to what went wrong with Ressurections. Well, basically, all the rest. I was rolling my eyes and finding plot holes almost every single minute of my watching process so I'm gonna try to put these thoughts together into some sort of points. Matrix was so special, so unique and truly ahead of its time due to a lot of things but its interesting phylosphohy, fantastic soundtrack and badass and breathtaking action scenes were definitely on top of that. Ressurections has none of it. Meta stuff wasn't bad but making fun of themselves didn't make things better. Besides, scene, where trilogy and ideas for fourth part were discussed, took too much time and eventually became boring and irritating (so were the characters that took part in it). And, anyway, it still wasn't a philosophical questions you wait from Matrix. Choice, free will, destiny or fate? What a nonsense? Resurrections answers. I mean that blue haired lady got straight to business and said there weren't any choice. Not leaving it to the viewer, no, why even bother? As for the music then I can't even remember anything truly remarkable or cool. I still remember how excellent and always fitting soundtrack used to be. Not anymore. All the action scenes were a total disaster as well. Awful choreography, bad shooting angle, frequent changes in shots thanks to terrible editing made those scenes so painful to watch. And I get it, Keanu Reeves is not young and is physically unable to do things he was able to 20 years ago but they really could came up with something better like using stunt doubles for beginning. It also doesn't justify action scenes that Keanu or Carrie-Anne weren't a part of.
The story itself was so bad as well and fulfilled with major plot holes which I'd like to point out.
1) It was never just Neo, but him and Trinity that were The One thing doesn't make any sense. Neo was basically an anomaly required for Matrix reloading proccess. There were anomalies before him. He wasn't special, he was supposed to be like all the rest. His love for Trinity was a real game changer, yes, but it was just something The Oracle partially made possible to be. Also Trinity can see the future now? Nice...
2) Together Trinity and Neo are like nuclear power plant now. May I ask, since when? Reloaded and Revolutions had questinale decisions such as making Neo have powers in real life but it only applied to machines and his connection with them, not to being a super cool battery. What do we have now? A power of love? What a melodrama was it, again?
3) 'Resurrecting you both was crazy expensive' this is not how you explain brining back to life someone who was basically dead. If in Neo's case it can be explained more or less, in Trinity's one it was basically the end, she was dead. And why even bother to make their bodies so good looking when they only needed these two in the Matrix? It's irrational and machines should've known it better.
4) A lot of people have witnessed Neo trying to jump off the roof but only one girl was affected by it and had her memories unchanged? Modal as Neo's experiment washes in the morning and comes to realization that he lives in Matrix? Basically a program. Also programs need to take pills to free themselves from the Matrix. I don't think I need to comment it.
5) Backdoors, portals, ways out or whatever was that are now available through mirrors that absolutely anyone can use and walk through them unnoticed alongside with the characters? Also this bots thing is actually kinda weird. There're so much of them, don't they require a lot of computer proccessing power? Definitely more than original agents needed. Besides, we've seen in Reloaded that Architector had known pretty much everything about Neo without such a massive amount of programs involved.
6) Analyst was able to freeze time but suddenly forgot about it when Trinity decided to beat him?
7) What was that evacuation scene even about? Weren't agents supposed to make sure Neo was safe and left the building? Doesn't make sense.
These are just the first ones that crossed my mind. There are so much more but this review is already too long. Few words about characters and I'm basically done.
Neo. Why is he even here other than the fact that his fans wanted to have a meeting with him? The war between the machines wasn't that much of a problem as I can see cause Neo and Trinity were pretty much enough as an energy source. He looked so tired that I really wished the man just jumped off that roof for good. It's great that he played his major role but he didn't feel like Neo to me. He risked basically all the human kind for Trinity in Reloaded but it was rational thing to do anyway to break realoading cycle and also he proved himself to be the real savior later in Revolutions by literally risking his life for the sake of peace. Here he doesn't care about anyone and anything except for Trinity. Pretty questionable.
Morpheus 2.0. He doesn't get any respect from me. Not even close to the original Morpheus, just a cheap parody that is also pretty irritating.
Smith 2.0. The actor may tried to bring something into the character but it just didn't work out at all. It's inevitable to compare him with Hugo Weaving's outstanding performance and the one in Resurrections wasn't even partially that good.
Analyst. I can't believe he could've ever replaced Architect. This character just wasn't compelling at any point for me. And how is it possible for him to control humans through feelings when pretty often people actually can't tell what they really feel. Emotions are unstable and hard to predict sometimes so it's all is just so debatable.
Trinity. She was alright, I guess. I truly loved her during the whole trilogy because she was such a badass and at the same time she had to make hard decisions, it was interesting to understand her and what she believed in. She was a really loyal as a friend and Neo's loved one, brave and selfless. Here she was just a tool for the story to go on.
Niobe. She wasn't the same as well. And her motivation is pretty questinable here.
Merovingian. I can't believe what they've done to him. It was hard and disgusting seeing him like that. His speech is pretty much all you need to know about Resurrections in general.
Can't say anything about other characters as they were so forgettable that I find it hard to even remember some of their names.
All in all, Resurrections is so bad that I wish I could've just taken a blue pill and forget it for good.
2/10 only for couple of ideas that could've been interesting.
Blade Runner (1982)
All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want
I have to admit that it took me quite a time after watching this piece of art to come up with some kind of rating and review. It's just type of a movie you need to really think about. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is undoubtedly remarkable and extraordinary work in so many ways.
First of all, it's dark, oppressive noir atmosphere that doesn't leave the viewer even for a second created by setting, always fitting soundtrack, Harrison Ford's charismatic voiceover, impressive amount of attention to details in showing decaying world where 'if you're not cop, you're little people', where you're promised to have a great life somewhere else, far away from here and where it's always rainy and moody. This movie has a style that's for sure. I also love its unhurried, thoughtful narrative. Everyone involved in creating Blade Runner made a magnificent work.
Another important thing to point out is definitely movie's phyloshopy that never gives you an easy answers, but make you think about so much. What makes us who we are? Can we be defined by our life experience and memories? Can we be sure those are real? How long do we have before our time is up? What a person think about when dying and how does being close to death affect our values? And so much more eternal questions that we all can have different answers for. Film just gives you a perspective, that's all.
Story, characters and the way they are portrayed are also what makes Blade Runner so amazing. The story itself is quite simple but yet good enough. The combination of different genres makes it work. Blade Runner doesn't have characters that are good or bad, it's up to vievew to decide. Because if I personally really dive into the narrative I keep asking myself: are replicants that bad? They were surely desperate, their time was running out and all they wanted was to make it last. It's pretty relatable. And when they were killing, they kept trying to make others feel the way they've been made to feel by being slaves. They may not be humans but they weren't emotionless robots. And the main character? Is he one of the good guys? Blade runners were not supposed to have emotions, basically they were just machines for killing. Rick Deckard is not one of those but is he even human? Film have some hints that leave you uncertain.
All that being said, the film has some questionable moments like how didn't they even try to search Leon to make sure he had no guns? Also knowing how good Deckard is at his job, I was expecting him to have some strategy against replicants but, in fact, he was just lucky to stay alive all the time thanks to some cliches. So yes, Blade Runner is not perfect but what movie ever is?
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
There's no fate, but what we make for ourselves
This movie is brilliant at every possible way I can think of. The setting, the story, the world buildup, the characters and their relationships, music and each and every scene are just so memorable and compelling.
I may be in minority here but I didn't actually liked the first movie of the series that much. There's nothing actually bad I can say about that one, it was a good and nowadays legendary work, it just wasn't for me, I guess. But Judgment Day got me since the beginning and John is the main reason why. Beautifully written by James Cameron and William Wisher and marvelously acted by Edward Furlong, he carried out this movie for me and was definitely the heart and the soul of it. And his interactions with The Terminator and Sarah were ones of the most believable I've ever seen. The Terminator that learns humans, tries so hard to understand them and eventually gets the meaning of life is something really deep. Scene where he sacrifices himself definitely hits pretty hard and makes feel so sincerely sorry for him, and John. And the idea itself, the one about war between not only humans and machines but also between humans that kill each other by our nature. But if machines can understand how important life is, maybe we can, too? I guess, it makes this movie even more meaningful now.
The film also has an interesting concept of time travelling and since it isn't possible in reality so far, this one is not that bad. And philosophy that lies beneath it telling us that we are making our own future because no fate defines us is so simple and yet powerful.
Also feel the need to point out that T-1000 portayed by Robert Patrick was extremely good, so terrifying, so ruthless and intimidating.
And even though there are so much more words that can be said about the movie, the fact that it's already inscribed in the history of cinematography speaks for itself. All in all, I really love this movie and consider it to be one of the best action films.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
'Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo'. And what an ending it was
I'll start it a little from afar. It so happened that I first watched all three movies (still kinda preparing myself for 4th one) only this week. I've seen so much hate on this and 2nd parts of the story and I don't really get it that much. Even more, I think that Revolutions is far better than Reloaded.
First things first, this movie isn't the best, definitely not 10/10 or even 9/10. It has its flaws and bunch of questionable decisions like Neo's abilities to see machines while being blind and to use his powers outside the Matrix that lies beyond machine world. There are may be speculations about Zion being a part of a Matrix or whatsoever, but I don't think we as viewers need to dig that deep. Also the world between and its portraying was actually underwhelming, programs that have kids, feelings thing is confusing as well. And Smith coming to a real world is also something that definitely feels off. It's also possible to find less major downsides such as why Zee and that woman were basically the only ones trying to get that close to that machine and so on so forth but I'm not really gonna, too.
As I said, the film has problems. At the same time, it has a lot of good sides and I was really extremely enjoying watching the whole thing without getting bored as it happened to be when I was watching the second movie. The stakes here were extremely high and I found myself caring quite a lot for some of the characters. It's good that atmosphere managed to stay dark. Fight scenes, including the final one with Smith and the ones between Zion' people and machines together with amazing and always suitable soundtrack were made really cool. And I loved the idea of Neo sacrificing himself for the sake of humanity. I also really appreciate the fact that creators managed to keep balance between him being extremely powerful, God like in the Matrix and still pretty much human in real life.
I think it's time to say a few words about characters as well. They were compelling enough to me. Doubtful, without faith in prophecy or Neo, and full of desire to keep as many ships safe as possible Captain Roland, always on her mind Oracle, boy that had to overcome his fears so he could do at the war what's necessary got my attention. Film also has incredibly badass and truly strong female characters and here I'm implying to Trinity and Niobe. I just really like them and the death of the first one was actually touching. And though the whole love story between Trinity and Neo was a little underwhelming in general (I just took it as it is I guess), Trinity on her on is a good character. And Neo himself... Well, what can I say, I love this guy. Not a smooth transition in his powers between 1 and 2 movies, but he's still cool, interesting and compelling character of the trilogy. A real hero, The One.
And a few word about the ending itself. Peace. I think it's not that someone expected but at least it makes sense. People would've never been able to defeat the machines and did they really need to? I don't see living in Matrix thing as something that bad. People think of their lives there as those were real and those are actually better at some point than real ones in pretty much destroyed world. It's good to know that the ones who want can leave. Seems to me perfectly fitting.
All in all, I guess I'm too tired of cinematography nowadays that is filled with empty stories and I want to hold on to the world creaded by Matrix trilogy with its not perfect and flawed, but still good philosophy and rules that you can dive into. I'm definitely gonna watch it someday again and not once and I highly recommend this movie alongside with other two to see a complete story.
8/10.