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jessie-9109
Reviews
Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugh.
The Good:
Helena Bonham Carter, you sassy minx. What an absolute delight. I genuinely laughed at every line she uttered.
Moriarty Reveal: Unexpected and intriguing. I thought this was extremely clever. Though, sadly, I don't hold high hopes for this character going forward. Sigh.
Matchgirls story: Interesting. Okay execution but the writers expect the audience to be beyond clever in putting these clues together and then leave strands (Fossy Jaw) hanging with no resolution.
The Bad:
Literally, everything else. The first movie I was mostly able to suspend my disbelief. Not so here!
1. Enola, as a 14-year-old girl, would not be able to open a business. Hell, she can't even open her own bank account. Why show her business failing? Why couldn't she use the Leslie T. Ragostin ruse like in the books?
2. WHERE IS SHERLOCK'S EMOTIONAL GROWTH? In the books, Sherlock is desperately worried for his sister. Enola spends the better part of the books evading her brothers. She proves to Sherlock that she is just as clever and capable as he is. She is very weary of her brothers even after she reconciles with them (after 6 books) because they (Mycroft) still hold charge over her as far as the law (and society) is concerned. In the movie, Sherlock's like, sure 14 year old sister, go live in London all by yourself! No sweat. Ring me if there's any problems!
The Ugh:
Tewksbury. I knew it! I hate it. Why? Why does Enola need a romantic foil? Because all women secretly want romance? I'd love for Netflix to show me the data that drove that decision.
What was so wrong with the books that you had to resort to a wish fulfillment fanfiction plot?
Enola Holmes (2020)
Just read the books.
I wanted to like this. I watched the movie and it piqued my interest.
Then I dove into the books and STARS AND GARTERS was it beyond this pile.
The movie completely misses the messaging of the book, full stop. The book balances Enola escaping from Mycroft and Sherlock (both being raging chauvinists) and finding her place in a world while not drawing attention to herself. Victorian London sees women as pretty baubles for men to collect and any (upper class) woman wanting to study, not wear a dress, or do anything but be a housewife and pop out babies is foolish or crazy.
This movie infuriates me by picking the very actions the character decries in the book and plowing foolhardily forward. For example: In the book, Enola bikes away from her life as a squire's daughter in a traveling suit. She changes into her mother's mourning clothing as a disguise to make her way to London, via train. Enola specifically calls out to the reader that her brothers would expect her to disguise herself as a young lad. So what do the writers do? Yup! Poor Millie Bobby Brown is shunted into trousers and waistcoat.
I did like the terrorism aspect of Lady Eudoria Holmes. Helena Bonham Carter steals every scene she's in and I'm totally okay with that. She is an absolute delight.
I don't appreciate Tewksbury cast as a romantic foil for Enola. Make no mistake, that's what the writers set him as here. He was 12 in the books. They meet again after being kidnapped by the same cutthroats. Tewksy runs home because life is really hard for the not rich. (Okay, he's a little more sympathetic than that but that's the gist.) The point being, Enola is not even remotely interested in Tewksy because she's got a lot of other things on at the moment.
Anyway, this movie makes a mockery of the books and completely swallows the "Not like other girls" trope hook, line and sinker.
Just read the books instead.
100 Humans: Pain vs. Pleasure (2020)
What did I just watch Netflix?
It's like a train wreck. You can't stop watching if only to see how bad it actually gets.
What's light torture between a scientist (or host) and their subjects? CENSURE! At least, if not expulsion from their academic communities.
Good freaking Lord Netflix? HOW IN THE ACTUAL HELL DID THIS GET PAST YOUR LAWYERS??
Not graphic mind you but I had half a mind to report Netflix to the Hague myself. Even if they volunteered, those five people should not have been subjected to that treatment. At all.
And making light of torture throughout the whole episode doesn't help your case here.
I am just flabbergasted this even made it the platform. Check yourself Netflix, your desperation is showing.
The Orville: Domino (2022)
Ugh! Plot shouldn't drive logic!!
I want to love the Orville. I really do.
I love that it allowed humans to human. Star Trek's no arguing rule drove me up one wall and down another. That's why I fell in love with DS9.
I just can't get over the clunky writing. As the Kaylon say: This is illogical.
Sometimes episodes are so bloody fantastic and sometimes you get a steaming pile of excerment like today's episode.
WHY IN GOD'S NAME WOULD YOU PUT YOUR ENTIRE FLEET AGAINST A KRILL/MOCLAN ARMADA?
Then try and shuffle a shuttle through and have the crew of said shuttle make it to the surface in one piece?
A million to one odds. I'm reminded of John Scalzi's Red Shirts, where off the wall plans only worked because of the narrative. Plot driven logic sucks and the writers relied heavily on it in this episode. Logic should drive the plot, not the other way around.
I get what you tried to do with Charlie but her loss didn't hit the way it needed to. You lost how many ships, how many crew on those ships and how many fighter pilots? And you want one person's death to stand out among that?
And the sudden change of heart of the Kaylon? If you can even call it that, misses on all marks. Also...stop giving Adrienne action movie lines. She tries really hard, and I do like her, but she cannot pull those off.
The visuals were absolutely stunning. Hats off to the SFX and CGI teams. The make-up and costumes are also on point, as always.