A Harvey

I’m halfway through this movie and have already paused it several times so I can leave my seat and wash dishes and hang washing… I think that says it all. I’m determined to finish it purely because I paid £1.99 to rent it. Gosh, it’s bad.

I really, really wanted to like it, but I’m giving up after getting… what, 4 episodes in? I don’t even know how many I’ve watched, but it’s been too many. Script and story are, to be honest, terrible. The best element of this series is the cultural representation, and a new spin on the predominantly stereotypical super hero stuff - but my personal perception of this is that it’s written for 5 years olds, by 5 year olds. I gave it a chance, but it’s dull, disjointed, and doesn’t make any believable sense (not that superhero’s are real). And I thought The Falcon and Winter Soldier was bad… this has taken marvel to a new low. They are becoming a factory of poorly executed, boring shows to keep the dollars flowing. Marvel (let’s be honest, Disney) you’re losing a big fan.

After just watching Spiderman - No Way Home, I’ve complete empathy with MJ’s depressing world view of ‘always expect disappointment, and you’ll never be disappointed’. She’s clearly wise beyond her years. I’ve read the books, and they are absolutely incredible. It was a tragedy that Robert Jordan passed away before he could complete the story (later completed by his wife and friend). I really struggle with this show - of course because I’ve read the books, and an adaptation such as this could never hope to match the vibrancy and detail of the books - but there’s something about this show that I cannot stand. It’s the fact it’s too ‘clean’ and ‘shiny’. It completely lacks any sense of being an epic, and does not do the story justice. The representation of the One Source and use of magic is dismal and ‘tiny’. Too much has been crammed in without the relevant context you get from the books. The other persisten issue I have is that many of the scenes feel like glorified amateur dramatics show-reels. The acting is often painfully obvious and often reminds me of a BBC child’s show packed with painfully delivered exposition and pantomime style acting (oooh yes it does). They tried and I give them credit for that - but I would strongly urge anyone who is enjoying this to read the books - they are quite literally epic in the truest sense the word, and the lead characters will shine in their full glory. Some of the characters are excellently portrayed (Nynaeve / Moiraine) - the rest are animatronic in nature. They are not the seemingly real people I grew up with in the books. For such a big budget, it doesn’t hold a torch up to the likes of Netflix’s The Witcher, for instance. The way that is directed and filmed - makes you feel like you are THERE! This makes you feel like you’re literally on the set watching actors perform - I just can’t fall into it and believe it. A shame - such missed opportunity, and even worse that it could have been properly and respectfully executed by the right talent. I’m truly shocked by the number of 5 star reviews this had received. We truly should expect more, and the fact this is perceived as being brilliant, is a sad testament to the little we’ve come to expect from culture and talent. Let’s blame the Kardashians.

I think I watched this, but my brain may have filed it under ‘trauma’ and I can’t remember if it was good or not.