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jessica-sousa1
Reviews
Damien (2016)
Disregards everything about the classics except when in need of exposition
Damien starts off with a nice premise, I have always wondered what would happen in the aftermath of the rise of the Antichrist. Now I would rather I had never known. Damien serves a sequel to The Omen (1976), using actual shots from the original in order to drive the plot forward. However, none of the subtlety or underlying horror of The Omen can be found in this TV Series. The pacing is abhorrent! Feels like they just couldn't be bothered with this part of the story and urgently wanted to get done with it. The majority of the action was badly-written expositional dialogue. The characters found out everything they had to know about Damien's "secret" in a matter of minutes. The audience is force-fed boring and useless information as if the writers thought that we wouldn't be able to understand the simplest of things. The Omen took its time and trusted its audience with subtle hints and beautiful visuals. Damien slaps you in the face with a contract of agreement, asking you to sign it to confirm you have understood everything, and maybe in the next episodes will actually trust you with some quality.
Hannibal: Mizumono (2014)
The Last Supper
"Mizumo" did not pay much attention to Hannibal's culinary talents, since the episode itself was the last dish served this season. All the flavours and exquisiteness condensed into a single course, served with the astonishing visuals of a surreal masterpiece and Mads Mikkelsen's superb acting. Every episode this season was executed with a graceful pace that led the storyline into the right direction, while taking its time to absorb and explore the immense complexity of Hannibal's views on life and death. The finale started with that same pacing until it transformed into an agonising count down to the end. Everything was done masterfully, from the usual stunning surreal visuals to the music that evoked the ticking of a clock, from which both the characters and the viewer could not escape. Until it happened and the surprises filled our palates with an explosion of surprises and bitter revelations. This breathtaking culmination of events was unexpected and shocking, but it was not on this that the real magnificence laid. The skill and unique sophistication of how each and every element was executed was unprecedented in television. The true surprise lies on how the show's art department continues to exceed itself, by honouring the world's most charismatic psychopath. Everything in the show (and specially in this episode) complements the idea of a harmonious balance in the beauty of life and death. Hannibal is more but a mere serial killer. He is the ultimate artist and the world is his canvas. His brush is death; and Bryan Fuller's is Hannibal. The credits served as pack of ice to soften the wound made by the slap that the rest of episode delivered. Such a peaceful, melodic conclusion to a traumatic, exhilarating episode. Just like a digestif after a strong, yet exquisite, meal. I must say, it did open my appetite for next season.