nick-watson Reviews

Vigil (2021– )

Columbo for the 21st Century

[6/10 · 22 December 2023]

I know that the whole idea of crime drama series such as Vigil is to be a "whodunnit", but it is rather ruined by the fact that they make it blindingly obvious in Episode 1 (in BOTH seasons) who the villain is, and you are then left watching the detectives stumbling about, being fed red herring after red herring, before finally realising who the perpetrator is.

It is all rather reminiscent of the old Columbo detective series where you saw the crime being committed, and by whom, and then watched the detective stumble about, being fed red herring after ... oh wait, am I repeating myself ? :)

All in all, Vigil is a good way to pass an hour until a decent programme comes on the telly.

Mammals (2022)

Corden Bleh

[2/10 · 11 November 2022]

Most of us know that you can sell just about old thing as "comedy" if you put a.popular comedic actor in the leading role.

Sadly, there did not appear to be one available, so James Corden got the gig and so it became a dramedy ... which is industry slang for "not at all funny, but lacks the necessary plot, script and character depth to be considered an actual Drama" If you liked Gavin and Stacey (and your Doctor is prepared to increase your prescription dosage) then you might enjoy this .. in the same way that old people "enjoy" staring out of the window for 8 hours a day.

One has to assume that Corden got a lot of money for this, but his co-stars probably got paid a lot more knowing they had to share screen-time with him.

Deus (2022)

This movie is a joke ... literally

[5/10 · 23 September 2022]

The story takes place on an a spacecraft from an impoverished Earth, which explains why the ship is far too large for the number of crew members .. you simply use what is available ... and why it took so long to get there .. the ship was too big to travel particularly given the limited fuel available .

There are a couple of things that are not explained, however, so the movie feels incomplete ... unless there was another purpose behind the storyline.

I can't help but feel that this movie was actually a 90-minute setup for the final line of dialogue in the move, making it, perhaps, the longest joke ever told (if you ignore the Bible, of course)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Would have been better if they cut the sloppy bits

[8/10 · 17 August 2022]

Adrenaline-fuelled Hollywood nonsense .. and all the better for it.

If you overlook the insultingly blatant foreshadowing at the beginning and yet another display of America's willingness to violate the sovereignty of foreign nations under the guise of "saving the world", and the review title ... it's worth spending a couple of hours watching.

The Terminal List (2022– )

Entertaining

[9/10 · 12 July 2022]

Interesting and exciting series that will make you think.

Just don't think too much, as it will spoil the ending which was, disappointingly, gift-wrapped and handed to you in Episode 1.

Interceptor (2022)

It Is What It Is

[7/10 · 4 June 2022]

Firstly, it is a Netflix movie, so do not expect Hollywood polish.

Next, it is a Directorial Debut for a guy that makes his money writing and selling books, so you have to make allowances for that.

I gave it 7 stars because it is generally, fast-paced, the action sequences are reasonable and the premise is, actually, believable.

Some are complaining that the movie is anti-MAGA, but it's actually PRO-MAGA (and irritatingly so) It is also far too "American" which, I imagine, is once again a result of Netflix's influence and an appeal to their preferred target audience at the expense of the story.

It won't win any awards, and I doubt it ever thought it would.

What few "surprises" there are are often telegraphed too far in advance, but we do live in a world where we've already seen/read just about every plot twist imaginable, and we know what to look out for.

There were a couple of opportunities for gratuitous nudity that were, thankfully, not taken.

The star of the show is "TV Guy" and I'm glad his name/presence were not over-used

The "weak back-story" as some call it, is necessary in order to set the right tone for later events and plot twists, although most people (wrongly) see it as a "woke" message.

I hope there is a book version of this story in the future, as it will be a lot better with all of the "Netflixisms" taken out of it.

I'm also looking forward to see who posts "goofs" they think they spotted. There are a couple of 'obvious' ones .,.. that are not goofs, they are deliberate story elements ... so if they, get posted, we'll know that the person was not paying attention :)

Batwoman (2019–2022)

As subtle as a baseball bat

[1/10 · 21 October 2021]

Batwoman Season 2 creative team: OK, so you want a female heroine: check. Let's make her a lesbian: check.

Let's make her devoid of any charisma or acting ability .... oh wait, no, we did that in Season 1. Yes, Pete, your hand is up ... what ya got?

Make her a black woman and use the tagline "Find your power", and a Black Panther-esque image .. hmm, but .. oh, not THAT Black Panther ... the other ones. OK, but then we have a problem ... no one is going to want to watch it. But ... we still get paid, so YAY.

Squid Game (2021– )

Damp Squib

[3/10 · 14 October 2021]

It is hard to understand how or why a show like this got the Green Light (pun intended). The only characters that seem believable, or even remotely interesting, are the ones that are NOT involved with the "game".

If this is the #1 show on Netflix at the moment then I strongly suggest that someone test the water supply.

Airliner Sky Battle (2020)

Honest review

[6/10 · 4 August 2021]

If you take the time to sit down and watch a low-budget movie, then you know you're going to get poor dialogue, laughable special effects and high-school level acting ... If it meets your expectations then how can you mark it down?

It is not the best movie ever made, nor is it the worst. There is nothing in this movie that you haven't seen before a hundred times ... which means you enjoyed the genre enough to watch a hundred of them, so why complain about this one?

It is entertaining enough to see through to the end, but you are unlikely to watch it more than twice. It is a little "over patriotic", as many US movies are, but you can forgive that as it is not as "in your face" as it is in many blockbuster titles.

Aviation enthusiasts may have issues with some of the scenes and dialogue, but this is low-budget and was made to entertain, not to inform.

5/10 is a good score for this movie, and it would have been a 6/10 if not for the patriotism.

Meander (2020)

Crawl for your life

[7/10 · 8 July 2021]

It's funny to see people review a movie and complain that "there's only two people in it" (there's at least 7 identifiable actors) or "it's part English part French" ... on the very website that tells you the Cast List and has a poster in French and a bi-lingual trailer. So, don't give their reviews much respect.

This is a movie that, in time-honoured fashion, tells you exactly what is going on but still makes you want to watch until the end.

There is one scene where you really want to slap her for being dumb, but the movie is almost over at the at point so you will let it slide.

It's "horror" but it's not scary. It's generic but original enough to stand alone. It's Tube rather than Cube (which was a really awful movie, btw) that has the element of claustrophobia that will drive some viewers insane, but it is a good waste of 90 minutes.

I wouldn't watch it again, but it is memorable enough that I won't need to.

400 Bullets (2021)

A low budget runaround that passes the time.

[8/10 · 23 June 2021]

The reviews are mixed and, to be honest, some contain details that do not appear in the movie .. so their origin and purpose are suspect.

Let's be brutally honest, for a moment .. if you are the type of person that judges a movie based on other movies, then your opinion means nothing. It's a low budget action movie and, therefore, you know it's not going to be up to "Hollywood standard".

There are a few glaring plot holes, and the "military porn" types may have issues with some of the equipment featured ... but I give it an 8 simply because I wanted a movie to watch ... this was only 90-mins long and it obviously wasn't going to require my 100% attention ... there is nothing "woke" about the movie (which is a refreshing change)

All in all it is a human movie where the actors deliver their lines as if they are actually sentient beings, unlike the trashy wise-cracking witty-comeback-orientated movies that the less intelligent audiences thrive upon. It doesn't try to be too serious, but it doesn't try to be funny either.

It is, essentially, a modern version of the old war movies some of us grew up on.

It's more John Mills than John Cena, and I'm glad for that.

A Perfect Enemy (2020)

Are you one step ahead, or one step behind.

[9/10 · 12 June 2021]

Although the viewer will quickly catch on, the value is in watching how long it takes the protagonist to do so.

The twists and turns will make you doubt your conclusion, right until the end.

If you say "I figured it out before the end" you are being truthful, and yet not honest.

In the Footsteps of Killers (2021– )

Don't be put off by attention seekers

[3/10 · 10 June 2021]

Some would have you believe that the British people do not know how to make documentaries (despite consistently being voted the best in the world) and should look to America for hints.

Well, this series is ... not good.

Why?

Because they decided to do it in an American style :/

Come on, go back to proper, gritty British Documentary style and forget about pandering to the short attention-span US audience.

The Virtuoso (2021)

Slow Burner

[8/10 · 2 May 2021]

Although it is almost entirely predictable, with the entire plot is laid out for you in the first 30 minutes, it is not as bad as most reviewers would lead you to believe. The fact that the plot is again laid out at the end of the film shows how dumb they expect the average audience to be.

Most viewers today want/expect witty one-liners, big explosions and long, drawn-out car chases ... but that is not what happens in the real world, so it does not happen in the movie. This movie tells it like it is; cold, dark and lonely.

In short, if you did not enjoy it, it was not made for you, and you are the one that made the choice to waste your time.

Intergalactic (2021)

Intergalactic Tragedy

[3/10 · 1 May 2021]

It is hard to describe exactly how bad this show is.

It seems that the producers wished to portray women in dominant positions, showcase women of colour and flesh it out with some dubious-gender roles. An ability to act, it would seem, was not a requirement and may even have hindered hopeful applicants.

Stereotypes, cliches, emotion-driven actions .. everything that a Female-centric platform would want to eliminate ..., they're all here, and they're in your face.

The only impressive feature is that someone has actually managed to produce a show that gives the exact opposite meaning to the one they intended .. and they did it so well.

The "Woke" and the "Feminists" are going to have a hard time with this one, because they won't know whether they should be supporting it or protesting against it.

Stowaway (I) (2021)

The Cold Equations

[8/10 · 23 April 2021]

This is a movie that not everyone will enjoy. That makes it the same as every other movie ever made.

Some talk of plot holes ... but there really aren't any. There are a lot of things missing from this movie for the simple fact they are not necessary. There is even a line of dialog in the movie that explicitly tells you this !!!

You may think it ends abruptly, but it doesn't; the movie ended once the story ended; A simple concept that seems lost on many.

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

If you have an hour to waste, watch an episode, but never more than one. Ever.

[1/10 · 25 October 2020]

It is difficult to understand how anyone can give this more than 1 star (sadly, I cannot give it 0) Fans of CGI will like parts of it, but anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi, storylines, interesting characters and/or good old common sense will be reaching for the razor blades if forced to watch 2 or more episodes.

Stalker (1979)

If you have read or heard a review of this film, do not watch it.

[2/10 · 29 December 2019]

This really is a film you need to watch by accident. If you stumbled across it you would be intrigued, perhaps even mesmerised. However, if you have ever read a review of Stalker (and most are screamingly positive) you are going to be disappointed. Having first heard about the film, I waited 4 years before watching it. I wish I hadn't.