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3/10
Needed a "Next time on Rebel Moon" at the end
25 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
So 3 stars...one for the visuals, one for the score, and last one for not being a reboot.

Biggest issue I have with Rebel Moon is the reasoning of "it'll make sense when you watch part 2" is only a good way to do things if the next episode drops next week, not next year or more likely in 2 years when you finished making it. That makes me think this was going to be a TV series until someone threw enough money at it to make it a 2 part movie.

There were a few times I couldn't help but think "so this is a cut scene in a game, right?" Most of the story is going from one quest to the next growing you "party" and unlocking new "perks" on the way gearing up to face the big bad. There's even a part right at the start with someone telling our main character "you must go on a quest to find great warriors" Hallo, what now? Can I get a tutorial level first like mate? You haven't told me what the controls are or the skill tree. Like which perk is causing the bullet time to trigger? Can I set that to manual?

The characters are...well they're there(ish). Our bad guys are very bad guys and the majority of our good guys are on some redemption arc or quest for vengeance or, just to be original, both. Two of the more interesting characters(good bad private soldier dude and kind android) are there right at the start never to be heard from again..except for kind android dude that shows up right before the end credits with antlars on his head? I dunno, I must have missed a side quest to unlock him or maybe he'll be released next patch. And Charlie Hunnam, I appreciate the effort you put in to bring a Belfast accent to the screen. I just wish they hadn't decided to have you tone it down and end up with this middle ground of "ma dude, pick an accent already! You're all over the place". It was only after searching to get a better idea of what was going on with that I found you did actually learn a proper Belfast accent and it's apparently really good. The film makers have been shouting "but wait till part 2" when faced with the criticism of this movie makes no sense. Surely they could have said "you know subtitles are a thing, right?" to an American audience struggling with Belfast accent. Ooo, next time tackle Glaswegian. Really screw with their heads on that one. (btw, I'm Scottish and live in N Ireland so yeah, the accent thing was a struggle to put up with.lol)

Then there's the slow motion and SUPER SLOW MOTION with more SUPER SLOW MOTION sounds to really emphasise we're doing slowmo action stuffs! I actually imagine the editors just set up an Elgato Stream Deck with hot keys to insert each slowmo type to save time. Just mash button every few minutes and sorted.

TLDR: Imo if you haven't seen this yet, hold off and wait for part 2 to be finished especially if not having an actual fulfilling conclusion is likely to wind you up. Wait for part 2 and watch them both. Hopefully we get a story that goes somewhere and doesn't feel like an incomplete game desperately needing patches and DLC to fix its issues.
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Mars (2016–2018)
3/10
Docudrama or dramadoc?!
18 August 2023
I can't help but think it might have been not to bad if they'd either picked doing a documentary OR a scifi drama and aim for the success of For all Mankind. What they've got here is a mash up of both genres and it's either the meh drama getting in the way of the documentary facts or the doc disrupting the pacing of the story.

Didn't help that as soon as I first heard the computer voice on the ship I thought of Holly on BBC's Red Dwarf... And now I can't unhear it. At least Holly was funny too.

I get what they tried to do but they're never going to get an entertaining scifi drama going if they're slamming the breaks on for the documentary segment and the option of dramatising or spicing up the doc part to keep the pace going defeats the purpose of a documentary in the first place. No offence to the creators but how they thought it'd meld well is beyond me tbh.
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The Command (2018)
6/10
Stretches the definition of "based on"
8 July 2023
I get the objective of the writer and director to tell the human story but can't help but think they skimmed over, left out details and straight up changed way to much to dedicate time to that objective. The vfx were extremely good though as were the performances.

I also can't help but think did we really need another "look, Russian military and government fail and are corrupt" movie? How about a movie about the Royal Navy HMS Trenchant Trafalgar-class involvement in the Antares disaster in November 1990? The failings of that crew to realize they'd snagged the nets of a trawler and dragged her under? The idiocy of running the Perisher exercise with a submerged submarine in those waters in the first place? The fact there had been a number of similar incidents in the past that were very close calls with boats losing their gear but also raised questions about other boats disappearances over the years? The actions of the Royal Navy in the aftermath stalling the investigation and even seemingly attempting to downplay it? But then FV Antares was only a boring old fishing trawler out of Carradale, Argyll and only cost 4 lives so where's the drama in that, right? Russian military and government aren't the only ones that screw up, cost lives and try to dodge accountability.
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Star Trek: Picard: The Last Generation (2023)
Season 3, Episode 10
9/10
What a season!
21 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The entire season has been amazing imo. I do get the feeling they squeezed a bit to much into this standard length final episode though. There was a lot to wrap up in not a lot of time left at the end so I think a slightly longer episode to alow for better pacing and time to tie up the loose ends. It was still an amazing specticale though and that score! The score was extremely well done.

Like ep9 there was a lot of fan service and like ep9 I spent a lot of the time geeking out with a silly grin on my face. To see Enterprise D go absolutely ham on what is admittedly the second Death Star run star trek edition was silly fun.

Imo fitting send off for the TNG crew and the ship. And they said she wouldn't look good in wide-screen too 🤗
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JCS - Criminal Psychology (2019– )
10/10
A victim of their own success
30 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
TLDR: JCS Criminal Psychology and their 2nd channel JCS have some fascinating videos. Just be aware, don't get to attached. This is like that amazing TV show that got cancelled half way through season one for no good reason and while there's no story left hanging to worry about, you'll still wish there was more.

JCS - Criminal Psychology wasn't the first true crime channel to show up on YouTube but they were the forerunners to focus on the interrogation and psychology not only of the perpetrator but of the interrogator. Instead of building up suspense and drama through telling the story of the act they looked at the why and how through interrogation investigators are able to build their case. Sadly that was at least in part why the channel was practically snuffed out.

YouTube reasons that the JCS channel continually breaks their community guidelines and yet there are so many "JCS Inspired" channels producing far more graphic content seemingly perfectly fine under the same guidelines. The one aspect that no other channel has been able to match JCS on is the interrogation process, tactics used to trip suspects up, techniques employed to keep suspects talking.

Two of the channels most well known videos is "The Legend of Jeff", a video about a drug addict suspected of armed robbery who refused to answer questions and was later released as they had no evidence he was involved and "Guilty until proven innocent", a video about two innocent men who were very nearly wrongly convicted for what they were being accused of due to police being to focused on the people in front of them and to quick to have their suspect fit their evidence.

In my opinion it's either YouTube have something or someone very rotten going on in the policy team that have taken an unfair disliking to the JCS channel or it is this insight into the good AND the bad side of law enforcement and interrogation(in particular with regards to your rights) that isn't "allowed" for some curious reason. To be honest it's probably both. JCS channel is far from the only one that shows signs of having to play to a different set of rules.
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8/10
Fun family movie with amazing soundtrack
15 March 2022
It's a time travel flick but for the more science minded among you, don't over think it and you'll still enjoy. You also get to see a kid give almost as good as Reynolds can dish out which was oddly satisfying. Then there's the soundtrack by Rob Simonsen to top it all off. I watched this last night and STILL have the theme from the end credits bouncing around in my head and I'll be honest, while listening to it and reflecting on my own memories of my Father... One hell of a lump in my throat for sure.
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Star Trek: Discovery: Choose to Live (2021)
Season 4, Episode 3
5/10
Huh, didn't see that coming(NOTE: Lots of sarcasm there)
4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
So yeah, another "character did something real bad BUT for real good reasons" story...because that hasn't been done before, right? Right?! At least the male Starfleet officer wasn't a drooling, misogynistic idiot and only a bit of stubborn a moron. She disarmed you of your phaser with a sword my dude. What did you think would happen if you went for her with a handy, dandy pipe thing in the handy, dandy pipe rack that was for erm...plumbing department maybe? Did the writers not think "mmm, if he already takes one of them down maybe he grab their sword?" Just a thought...

Imo this is another episode carried by the SFX team, set designers/builders(at least we didn't have rando flame throwers this week), some of the actors, the Director and Editors. Seriously, good job stitching the mess that was the script together into something that actually had a heart without it being forced to much. Could we maybe send the writers back to school though? Or even better, someone PLEASE show them Babylon 5 to get some lessons on how to not only write some amazing stories but also amazing characters(male and female) that don't involve dumbing everyone in the room down or making them incompetent morons just to make your focus character look good? B5 btw was over 20yrs ago and quite frankly they nailed it when it comes to strong female characters right at the centre of everything.

The character development with Booker and his journey dealing with his trauma for instance. I really appreciated the reminder that Vulcan's aren't emotionless automatons and probably understand emotion better than anyone. And credit where it's due, they did write a plausible reason for the mind meld beyond "yeah sure, why not just for fun". The friendship developing between him and Stamets too has actually been well done. Booker, Stamets and Hugh are by far my favourite characters but then all 3 are played by amazing actors so shouldn't be a surprise they bring the most natural performances to the show.

The 3rd storyline on the go, well here's the problem writers. You didn't really give us much time to get to know them so really shouldn't be a surprise that we don't really feel anything for them beyond maybe pity? I'm sorry but you could literally write them off next episode and I'd just be "ok bye now. Have a nice day". Also when did Trill's become empathic? A holographic Trill at that. Hell of a party trick. Not even Deanna Troi's Mother could do that.

Lastly, I mentioned show the writers B5. Please still do that but maybe start with showing them Seasons 1-3 of ST:Discovery first? The "she's finding her place and confidence" with Tilly was done... and then done again but now she's back to square one? Does she have memory issues we don't know about? You's shot your bolt on that one I'm afraid and now it's just annoying to go back over it all over again. Just let Tilly be Tilly already.
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The Rookie: La Fiera (2021)
Season 3, Episode 3
4/10
Laying it on a bit thick
22 January 2021
Start of this season is really disappointing. While I appreciate the writers taking on what is a very tough subject that really does need to be discussed and explored, I personally think a single story arc exploring issues of racism would have been far more powerful than shoe horning as many in as possible in every episode.

We watch to be entertained. Not to be preached to and I'm sorry, but that's the way it's coming across. I just hope it calms down because if it keeps going like this their preaching will destroy what is a very good show.
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Star Trek: Discovery: Su'Kal (2020)
Season 3, Episode 11
3/10
Erm... What now?!
12 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
So the cause of the burn was a toddler throwing a temper? Well if the intention was to make this a comedy, credit to the writers, I surely laughed out loud at the "twist".
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2/10
Socially awkward = idiot... But of course it does
22 October 2020
TNG tackled a similar sort of story line except they took the idea that maybe you learn how to work with the socially awkward person instead of shoving them aside and sniggering at them. They even tackled the idea that simply transferring the "problem" somewhere else was a failure on the bosses side as much as it is the member of crew.

But hey, let's not let that get in the way of encouraging laughter at the socially awkwards expense.
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7/10
Where and when ST:Discovery should have been
17 October 2020
It's Discovery meets Andromeda Ascendant and if they'd just started this way instead of trying to shoe horn their stories into what had already been done I think Discovery could have been far better received.

Apart from a couple of "what were they on when they wrote this?" moments I really enjoyed this episode. Hopefully they will tone the trying a bit to hard be lightheatered and funny down a bit in the other episodes.

As a show I do actually like Discovery. As Star Trek? Erm, yeah... Not so much. And don't be stupid enough to dismiss my opinion as "hate". That is really getting old.
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Drain the Ocean: WWII (2016 TV Movie)
2/10
We heard you the first time! xD
13 October 2020
Could documentary makers please get back to the time when there was substance in the thing they create? By all means make it entertaining but to repeat the same cheesy line over and over and over and over...seriously, we got it the first time. You used computer to drain the sodding ocean! 😂

Also maybe next time give someone like Wargaming a shout if you want accurate ship models. They could have provided a computer model of Bismarck straight out of World of Warships and NOT have the turrets on upside down. Hell, slap the ugly Frosty Fir Tree camo on it and you can distract the viewer from hearing "if we could drain the ocean" for the 900th time 😂
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Star Trek: Discovery: Point of Light (2019)
Season 2, Episode 3
4/10
3 incomplete stories in 1?
14 February 2019
Jonathan Frakes showed what could be salvaged from this production in episode 2 but this?! The only thing that makes sense is they had 3 seperate stories that they couldn't polish off to get an episode together so just slapped them all together to pad the time out. It's not made any better that the way it's shot and some of the camera work stinks of someone going "Ooo, look what I can do. Ain't I clever?"
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