Manolo2001 Reviews

Prey (I) (2022)

Better but not by much - Pocahontas Kicks Vicious and Technologically Advanced Alien's Ass

[3/10 · 12 August 2022]

I am unable to understand the inability to produce an at least reasonably good Predator movie (not even going to get into the AVP debacle).

Clearly and it is by most people agreed that Predator (the original film) was an amazing sci-fi, horror, suspense movie. But at no point has there been a movie in this Predator universe that even closely matches the original. In my opinion the best yet has been Predators, which I thought was quite good, but neither Predator 2, The Predator nor Prey have what it takes to be a proper sequel or prequel to the original.

I hate giving spoilers. But in this case it is necessary. Lets start by a summary of the plot: A small and young native american girl, manages to kill a Predator. This already should raise eyebrows at least. How could this be even possible. The predator kills dozens of his tribesmen, many as in around a couple dozen french hunters. The Predator is wounded multiple times and in some cases quite badly but it never affects him in any way or form. But somehow she manage to outwit him and kill him.

Implausible at best, ridiculous actually.

Who hires the people that make these srcipts. They are killing the franchise, it is probably dead by now anyway, so many ridiculous movies.

Halo (2022– )

Pretty Bad Actually

[4/10 · 16 June 2022]

I never played Halo, but have seen all the cutscenes and walkthroughs on youtube, I have seen all other Halo movies or cartoons, and although I am not well versed in Halo lore, this series seems very out of place with the normal Halo universes i have seen, and very out of character for Master Chief. On what universe does Master Chief take off his helmet and disobey orders, what's with the rebel girl, halfway through the first season and her character really brings nothing to the show. I would have hoped for a lot more action, a lot more Master Chief being Master Chief not some emotional enhanced warrior, is he going to start crying next ?? C'mon !!!!!!!

The Cortana animation is pretty bad to be honest also.

I think this franchise has been ruined, this is not Halo, the same thing happened with Foundation, just can't believe these scripts get written and actually even get approved at all to make it to our screens.

Very disappointed.

Star Trek: Discovery: Coming Home (2022) Season 4, Episode 13

Change for the worse

[2/10 · 27 March 2022]

Star Trek Discovery had a really good start and every season it simply gets worse, this 4th season there was little to no real action, it was all about emotions, basically an interstellar soap opera, it is disgraceful what they have done to one of the best sci-fi franchises ever.

I hope they go back to the initial concept, otherwise they will end up having to close the franchise.

This was bad, very bad, way too much talk, way too little common sense, waaaay too many emotions.

Please make the next season better.

Manuel.

Immanence (2022)

This movie was surprisingly good

[8/10 · 5 February 2022]

I am generally very critical, and after reading some of the reviews I was not going to watch it. Nevertheless I have to say it is truly a great movie, it is a thought provoking piece that although does get a bit slow at times is sufficiently strong to push ahead and deliver a very interesting and provocative movie.

In detail, effects are B, acting is decent, script is good, plot does have some holes but it works very well overall, and manages to put forward a lot of intriguing and provocative points and issues around religion and science, good and evil, freewill and predetermination, ethics etc. It is definitely not a traditional movie, but that is what makes it so good, it definitely comes out of left field and you will probably be left with the feeling that it was time well spent.

Seal Team (2021)

Various Flaws and Virtues

[5/10 · 5 January 2022]

It is quite watchable, my 6 y/o had fun, but it is not either memorable or repeatable.

As to flaws, well it has a few, animation is sort of off, it is not fluid and character movement is often very stop-motion like. Everything is a bit cliché, not that a 6 y/o would notice or care, but and adult will care and eventually find the movie boring. Predictable, it is very predictable, again for an adult. Dialogue is, well, not the best, but good enough for a 6 y/o.

As to virtues, I would have to say that for children it will be entertaining, one watch though, probably no repeats. It is a good natured family movie, all in all the movie has good values, no blood or gore at all. It is very safe, and an overall good movie for children.

I have no idea who the company that made it is, seems like a new film company, it is definitely a good effort, but it might take a bit more than this for a Seal Team 2 if it is made at any point.

In my opinion it is a good film for a family to watch.

Another Life (2019–2021)

Lots of potential, but turns into soap opera in space

[3/10 · 15 November 2021]

I thought this was going to be a really good show, but as it turns out although parts of the plot had a lot of potential, the writers turned it into a neurotic soap opera.

It is hard to understand why this happens so often, when a crew is put together to save earth, they are supposed to be the best of the best of the best of the best. But it turns out these are morons, emotionally immature or challenged individuals I would not trust to mow my lawn properly.

Once again, morons step on other planets with no masks or protection, taking little or no safeguards. It is simply unbelievable, the show flops and it's just pointless to watch. They could've just as well been walking around on a s beach in Mexico, rather than on a new unexplored planet in the galaxy.

The crew is so out of their minds, that as soon as they are in space mutiny ensues and deaths follow. Really, like this would happen on a space ship crewed by elite individuals. Drama permeates this show so much, that even AI characters are neurotic, stressed, insecure, and emotionally broken.

Writers should honestly try to take cues from shows that actually work, even a very low budget show like Firefly was incredibly superior to this BS. Expanse as well, just to name a couple more recent shows. Let's not even go in the direction of Star Trek(all it's versions), Star Gate (al its versions as well) etc.

It's a waste of time, and I just can't believe shows like this pass scrutiny and get shot. It did have interesting bits and pieces, but the drama just kills it.

Foundation (2021– )

MIssed Opportunity

[4/10 · 24 October 2021]

I was very surprised to see how good the visuals were, but how far from the books this show is. This is similar to what I felt with the last Dune movie, it is a huge missed opportunity.

Trying to think this through only convinces me that it just does not make any sense to take the plot so far away from the books. I mean, if the Foundation Series is one of the best selling sci fi book/s of all time, if it also is the most influential sci fi series of books of all time, etc etc.etc. Why would you want to change them ?? What sort of reasoning makes one change these, and for the worst, why would you try to change something that has been acclaimed and praised for decades ??

I simply fail to understand this.

Now, in all honesty, had these books never been written, and this show been a brand new creation, it would actually be a really good show. But, this is Foundation, not just any series, and it falls both short and very far away from the material on which it is based.

I can also understand creative liberties, interpretation, adaptation, and a whole lot of artistic justifications to change something. But these books are not broken in any way, they clearly are and will be some of the best sci fi reading ever written, and do not need to messed with.

So far, no cinematic or television portrayal of Asimov's work has been accurate to any degree, this also happened with iRobot, the movie was simply horrible, and not even closely related to the book it was based on.

Why can't a director simply do what Peter Jackson did with TLOTR ?? It is clearly not easy, it requires a large budget, etc. Things they have for Foundation. But they lack the one thing Peter Jackson had or felt for the LOTR books, and the people that are writing and authorizing this TV series definitely lack, and that is RESPECT for the original material.

This last point, for me at least, is simply too critical. This show lacks any sort of respect for the original material.

Who do these people think they are ?? They think they can tell a better story than Asimov ?? Hell no !!!! Do they think they are more creative than Asimov ?? Hell no !!!! Do they think they can create a better Foundation series ?? Hell No !!!!!! I mean, what on earth are they thinking ?? Who can have such a huge ego that thinks they can just take bits of pieces of Asimov's work and make something better ?? I simply can't understand this.

If they had called it any other name and changed the characters names it, and actually created a different plot, it would have been much better, as this is NOT FOUNDATION, it is an Apple original show that takes names of people and places from the books, and a slight sliver of the plot, nothing more.

Bottom line It is a good watch, but it is also a disgrace for it to be called Foundation. As Foundation it is not.

Dune (2021)

Mixed feelings but overall very positive

[8/10 · 18 October 2021]

I am generally very critical of movies based on books, and definitely did not like Villeneuve's Arrival at all. In this case, as has been said frequently, it is a tad slow paced, but the cinematics, the cgi, is flawless. So many takes are works of art, it is a beautiful movie, there is no doubt about that. The plot does stick mostly to the books, it is enough and sufficient for it to be called Dune, not for example what has sadly happened to The Foundation. This is a take on Dune, there is no doubt about it, but it is a subdued take in terms of plot and the strangenesses (new word) the book has. There are a few missed opportunities, with the Harkonnen, the Sardaukar, Navigators, etc. By this I mean that although the uniforms, the visuals etc. Are amazing, the 1984 movie was much more weird and intense in terms of portraying a foreign or future universe. This is much more mainstream, the plot could take place in any average sci fi world filmed before. As amazingly grandiose as it is, it lacks Duneness (new word again), I would have hoped for a bit more spice in the movie.

I will watch it again, as it is a very good movie, and would be quite awesome were it not for the book it is based on. But, having read the books (all of them) multiple times, it does fall short when compared to them. I would place it between the TV series and the 1984 Dune, closer to the original movie than the series, as it is stunning, but not as gruesome and intense as it could have been. The fremen also lack a bit of punch, I will not go on, as I think the point is made. Looks amazing, but lacks a bit of spice.

Point Break (2015)

Point-less

[3/10 · 17 September 2021]

I musty say I really liked the first one, and although I did not have high expectations for this remake, as most remakes are not better than the original, this is hands down a disgrace to the first Point Break movie.

Trying to be objective, I must say the action scenes are pretty good, and intense, but that is all i can say for this movie.

They killed the plot, acting is pretty mediocre at best, music is crap compared to the original. It seems more like a mish mah of action scenes dotted with smei naked dancers on a yacht dancing to bad music, and no real plot to tie it all together.

First one is a pretty good story, well acted and everything fits in nicely, this version on the other hand does not work at all. I have to wonder how do these movies get made, I'm sure there are many other much better movies that have never been given a chance, and I would much rather see something new than a really bad remake of a movie I actually liked quite a lot.

The Expanse (2015–2022)

Not given Lightly

[9/10 · 26 August 2021]

I must make it very clear that the show grows in every respect as it progresses, the first season is very clearly the weakest, so please see, get past it and go for the rest of the show.

The first season is more rustic, acting is not quite there yet and special effects are not the best the show has, but it is interesting, entertaining and gives a new perspective on sci-fi and a futuristic plot.

The other four seasons, so far, grow in every way, effects, acting, and the plot gets really engaging and entertaining.

Can't really tell if it is the best I have seen in sci-fi but it is definitely in my top 5.

Having finished all 5 seasons, I have acute withdrawal syndrome, and really need my expanse fix. :)

this is a truly excellent show,

See (2019–2022)

Don't SEE the point

[3/10 · 26 August 2021]

I have to give it to them, it is a great cast, huge budget, decent action, but it has no direction.

It is sadly obvious the writers don't have a clear picture of where they need to take the series.

I have so far liked pretty much most of what Momoa has done, but this really is rock bottom bad. The plot is just so predictable, while at the same time being so full of holes and inconsistencies that it just brings everything down.

I really wanted to like it, really, but although it is very well made it lacks direction. It is not entertaining, honestly.

I am really sorry to have to rate it this bad but it is very frankly not worth watching.

I can't see why people have given it 10 stars, I wonder if they get paid to raise the rating average.-

Anyway, more than two episodes is just wasting your time.

Black Widow (2021)

Far better than Expected

[8/10 · 12 July 2021]

I am generally not too fond of follow up movies, and did not expect much at all, maybe that is why I liked it.

It is not a typical Avenger movie, it is very tongue in cheek, it has lots of action, Yelena is pretty awesome. Not much in terms of plot, character development, etc etc. It's just a fun movie, plenty action, excellent CGI, humor, a light plot, explains a lot of things in a very peculiar way. Don't expect much, and you'll really enjoy it.

BTW

More Yelena please, Natasha is a poser !!!!!! :)

Tenet (2020)

Not given lightly

[10/10 · 9 July 2021]

I think this movie may not eventually come to be a sci fi classic, as I get it does not appeal to everyones taste, not that any movie actually does, but I think this is a love or hate deal.

I'll try not to get into plot details, as they are hard enough to understand watching the movie. So as a general comment the movie is really well made, the plot is entertaining, involving, challenging and very unique.

Just trying to follow what is going on, what is present, past or what is reversed and what is not, and how everything fits together is an awesome challenge. I love this about the movie, I personally find the plot extremely eterntaining as you actually have to think and use your brain in order to understand it.

I have never seen a time travel movie like this, it is truly unique. A masterpiece, maybe, for some. I personally lvoed it.

It is not a trivial movie to understand. But it is engaging, entertaining and challenging.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Could've been so much better

[5/10 · 9 July 2021]

Where do I start ??

I think the movie went from sci-fi to sci-joke when the future people showed up.

Look, spoilers !!!, people came to the past, from the future to get help killing some aliens that were overrunning them. OK, fair enough, they pick and choose who goes etc. But at some point we are told that these aliens were already on earth at the point in time when they go back. Soooooo, why would you even bother taking people to the future when you could just hunt for those aliens before they make a mess of things. To be clear, logic simply jumps out the window.

After this, to me at least, the movie was just a well made joke.

It is entertaining, has a lot of actiong, CGI is really good, in general this makes for the 5 stars, otherwise it would have been just 1 or 2.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

DO NOT WATCH !!!

[1/10 · 9 March 2021]

You have been warned it is possibly one of the worst movies ever made

Star Trek: Discovery: There Is a Tide... (2020) Season 3, Episode 12

Finally going somewhere

[8/10 · 2 January 2021]

Still badly missing georgiou, but definitely much much better, please stay on this line, keep this up the series might be saved.

Star Trek: Discovery: Terra Firma, Part 2 (2020) Season 3, Episode 10

Not bad but not good either

[5/10 · 22 December 2020]

I am a die hard fan of sci-fi and of course Star Trek. So far this show has had a lot of ups and downs. To me getting rid of georgiou is the downest down. Her character always delivered and was refreshing, blunt, brutal and fun.

Star Trek initially was a directionless adventure after adventure that while fun, never felt like it was going somewhere. Star Trek Discovery has a bigger plot, a destination of sorts, and although some bits have been exceptionally good, it suffers from overly complicated emotionality, dialogues and at times seems stuck in the mud and not going anywhere.

The Star Trek movies by JJ Abrahams were very intense quick, sharp and overall extremely good. Although each one was like an episode of the original. Not entirely related or going anywhere as a whole. But extremely likable and very watchable.

I think Star Trek discovery needs to get some of that immediacy, speed, relentless action the movies have. Too much talk feels like a two season plot is being stretched out to 6 seasons. If this continues it'll not get past 4.

Definitely need to pick up the pace and bring back Giorgiou. Best character so far.

A pity overall as they clearly have a good plot and budget. Need to cull the script.

I, Robot (2004)

One Very Bad Movie

[2/10 · 2 December 2020]

To sum things up, this movie is related to Isaac Asimov only through the use of character names and the concept of the three laws of robotics. Nothing more. The plot has nothing to do with anything Asimov wrote, not even remotely similar to the book, nor to any of the stories in the book "I Robot". The movie as a standalone is quite bad, and does not manage to engage the viewer at any moment. Blurs of unbelievable action, a thin plot. Total waste of time, specially if you have ever read anything by Asimov. To be honest it feels like I was scammed and misled into buying a ticket more than anything else.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Very Disappointed

[5/10 · 29 November 2020]

I have been a long time fan of star Trek and have basically liked all the series related to the original franchise, but Picard is unfortunately, in my opinion, bit worthy of being in the Star Trek family.

I had a lot of expectations, Picard is arguably the best captain in any of the series, and with him and part of the original crew involved this could have been a hit.

The first problem is that it is extremely slow. The 10 episodes in season 1 could have been very adequately been done in 3. The rest is simply forgettable filling. The second problem is that it somehow feels disconnected from classical star trek narrative, in terms of the way the episodes are set up. Third there are a couple of opportunities for intense action, but they are simply not used. The most iconic one is the final confrontation with the Romulans, Nearly 400 ships ready to fire, no shots taken, completely missed opportunity for an amazing battle scene. While at the same time they show these awkward, unimaginative looking, robotic tentacles starting to emerge from a space time hole that was created, very a la Avengers. They did not look good, at all, and the scene could have gone elsewhere, with more action and getting you much more involved. Classic Picard characters are not bad, new characters are good too, but the feeling I had after watching the whole season was that it was an opportunity not fully taken.

If there is a second season hopefully they will change the shows direction, and make it more involving and use the opportunities it presents to engage the viewer in more intense action. If it does not get better, there surely will be no third season and Picard, one of the greatest names in Star Trek legacy will have a bad ending to it.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Mr. Scott what have you done to the Franchise !!!!!!!???????

[2/10 · 8 July 2019]

I can´t understand what would make a truly remarkable and experienced director make a movie as bad as this, considering his extensive, first hand and thorough knowledge of the franchise, his access to good screenwriters, access to a large budget, and most important of all, his access to great actors. To sum things up, the plot has two relevant points, first when they have the accident and are forced to land, and then the last bit where David is in control. After those initial 15 minutes and before the final 15 minutes, this movie is probably some of the worst story-telling I've seen in a while, it's not just full of holes, ridiculously irrational, illogical and bizarre. It is quite frankly disrespectful to the audience. This is mainly due to the moronic stupidity of a crew that is charged to fly hundreds if not thousands of colonists to a new planet, you would tend to think that the screening for these positions would have been a bit better, at least requiring a minimum of IQ, a personality test if some kind. Seriously, I mean it simply makes no sense that for the sake of effect a group like this is presented, to be honest, after watching this movie, you are left with the lingering idea that Ridley Scott's 10 year old grandchild wrote the story and they just went with that, no questions asked. Another lost chance to make this franchise great again. This movie feels like the plot/story belongs to a SciFi channel B movie (or rather D movie) but with A grade special effects. I know it sounds weird that I would watch this movie again, but I saw it again on cable last night, hoping something that could redeem it for me, but it was a total and complete waste of time. Shame on you Ridley Scott !!!! Shame on you !!!!!

Aquaman (2018)

It's Actually Quite Good

[8/10 · 17 December 2018]

I saw this film as I had to take my mother to watch because she is a huge Jason Momoa fan, she first saw him as Ronon in Stargate Atlantis, and well I guess my mom likes Fantasy and Sci-Fi, go figure. Anyway, I did not have great expectations, but as it turns out it was actually quite good.

Momoa basically steals the show, he's pretty awesome as Aquaman, his portrayal as a tough but tongue in cheek super hero is really good, basically he nails it, a bit like an underwater ass kicking Ronon.

Regarding Mera, all I can say is that Amber Heard's acting is at best bland, I would have loved to see Emily Blunt as Mera, she is a much, much, much, much better actress and could have easily pulled this character out of the mediocrity Heard gave it. In all honesty, has Heard managed to actually act in any movie she has had a role in ?? I think she is by far the lowest point in the movie, unfortunately it is a leading role and it does hurt the movie.

Another low is, in my opinion, excessive violence. It is gratuitous, unnecessary, pointless and does not add anything to the movie. I will not let my son see it, he's 5 and way too young for this kind of violence. If there's a Lego version I will certainly let him see that.

The rest of the actors do a really great job.

Visuals are a mixed bag though, as they are at times quite amazing (almost on an Avatar, LOTR level), but at other moments they are not that good, specially when they modify some of the characters faces (Nicole Kidman, Willem Defoe, Temuera Morrison, etc.), as they try to make them younger and it does not work at all, but overall the visuals are really good, except for these aforementioned, lets call them minor, let downs.

All in all it is a very good movie, it also leaves the door very widely open for Aquaman 2, which I will definitely watch.

Go watch it, it's good fun. Don't take young kids though.

The Predator (2018)

The lid on the franchise's coffin

[1/10 · 18 October 2018]

This movie is truly disappointing, completely heartbreaking, and basically kills hte franchise. To sum it up, it simply goes against everything that Predator brought as a movie, and stands for. The suspense, the dread, the dark humor, the fighting, the instinct, the hunt, the chase, the stalking none of this is present here. The mega predator is quite ridiculous, the explanation for it all is silly, the plot is extremely simple and predictable. Quite frankly they should have carried on from where Predators left off instead, that movie was much more in line with the original than this one, in fact this movie breaks away from the true Predator lineage so much that AvP movies are much closer to the original than this one, that should give you a clue as to how bad this really is.

I'm not going to go into cinematic comments, editing etc. To me this deviates as much from the original as Episode I did from the original Star Wars movie.

If you are a long time fan of Predator, as I am, give this a miss. Hopefully someone will eventually make a movie worthy of the original. If not, well this is the end.

Don't watch this !!!!!

Arrival (II) (2016)

This is one very bad movie

[3/10 · 13 November 2016]

Granted: 1. Not all Sci-Fi is amazing CGI, although it does have some and is well done, 2. Not all Sci-Fi is not about amazing action scenes, intense shooting, evil aliens and such, 3. Not all Sci-Fi is about humans outsmarting creatures who possess and have mastered incredibly advanced technologies, with basically sticks and stones. 4. It is refreshing to see someone try to make a different movie.

Nevertheless, this movie fails at everything it intends to do, it is ridiculously predictable. The only unpredictable bits were when the timing of scenes was changed in the overall flow of the movie, yes, there is some hopscotching of a few scenes, that in the end does add some to the thought provoking question of whether or not a couple should go on to have a baby, knowing beforehand the baby's future. Being a father it is not an easy question, and in particular if you have hints or knowledge of your child's future. But, this adds nothing to a Sci-Fi movie, it would have been better used in another, much more existential, movie context.

Almost 2/3 of the way through, the movie is already resolved and becomes utterly, helplessly, hopelessly and desperately boring. Honestly, let's look at the plot proposals and the outcomes: did anyone think they would not be able to communicate with the aliens ?? Did anyone really think the scientist character was not going to end up hooking up with the translator character ?? Did anyone really think that having alien ships spread across the globe was not going to either bring mankind to the brink of war or force humans to cooperate ??? (this movie actually does both), Did anyone really think that the bomb was not predictable, and worst of all, it was not even properly justified in the plot, I mean, two soldiers, that I assume are chosen from elite teams (the best of the best of the best MIB I :) ) that re guarding an alien spacecraft, after they see a video of a guy ranting about the aliens on TV, go on to become motivated to plant a bomb and consequently endanger all mankind, just by seeing this video ??? Absolutely and completely not believable, furthermore, did they think they could destroy a ship or do much damage at all, we are talking intergalactic aliens here, high tech, human bombs really should not do much damage, or would they, anyway. Finally, did anyone really think she would change the future ???

Truthfully, this movie has a good starting concept, but all of its implementation, development, which there is little of it, is rustic, basic and downright bad.

Watch the trailer, has the best bits, don't waste your money.

Really, I'm still wondering what was the point of this movie, I can't believe there are people calling it a masterpiece, it's really really bad !!!!!!! Actually it's worse than that.