Brittany Collingridge

I have to preface this by first saying I have never read the novel, nor have I seen the other film adaptation. I’d never even heard of the story before, until I started watching it with a friend--and that friend was the only reason I got past episode 3. On my own, I definitely would not have finished it. So just keep in mind that my opinion is based solely on the content in the episodes as I have no other versions of this story to compare it too. First off, I disliked every single character. Mr. Fogg was dramatic and useless. Yet for some reason, everyone kept saying, “Oh Mr. Fogg, we simple cannot go on without you!” and “Oh what will we ever do without Mr. Fogg by our side!” I’ll tell you what you’ll do. You’ll get a heck of a lot more accomplished because he wouldn’t be there, slowing you down with his whining and snotty attitude. Miss Fix bothered me so much. She seemed so dense. “I’ll expose Mr. Fogg’s innermost secret to the entire world through the newspaper, whatever could go wrong?”. Oh please. She often stuck her nose in places she didn’t belong. Leave her alone for 45 minutes and she’s already gotten herself into trouble. Not a female character I would ever mirror myself after. Passepartout was the only one with common sense and any potential. But of course, they flushed it all down the drain when they tried to dive into his internal struggles, but did so in such a fake and cheesy manner that I literally cringed while watching it. The romance (if you can call it that…?) between Fix and Passepartout was so forced. No natural chemistry at all. I felt like the show was constantly trying to convince me that whatever was going on was a big deal. Like for example, they are about to miss their train. It felt like the show was trying to make me feel like the whole world was going to end if they didn’t make it to their train. The characters would try to act frantic and the music would speed up. But I just couldn’t find myself caring at all if they made their train or not. Who cares? Is it really that big a deal if you have to sit around for a couple hours and wait for the next one? You spent several days in one location, spending time with locals and etc., but you didn’t seem like you were in a rush then, so why now? Or Fix and Passepartout would be having a conversation, and somehow, they would find something stupid to argue about. Then one of them would storm off. But it felt so forced, and frankly I didn’t care. The show just kept trying to convince me that I should be on the edge of my seat, but instead I was on the edge of falling asleep. I’m not even sure if it deserves two stars, but I feel bad giving it just one, so here we are.

I was super excited to see this film, especially after how much I loved the other Thor movies. But oh man, was I ever disappointed. First, the good: . . . Genuinely can't think of anything, so let's cut straight to the bad: There was so much humor. Like, too much. EVERYTHING was lighthearted. Every scene had a joke. The narration was kind of funny at the beginning, but combine that with all the rest of the humor and it got old pretty fast. This is what I refer to as the "Marvel Curse", when they just totally go overboard with the jokes, and unfortunately there's been quite a bit of that in the last several movies they have produced. I personally love humor, but when every single scene feels like just humor, I can't take a movie seriously. It prevents me from connecting with the characters. And then when something horrible happens to a character, I don't feel anything. This movie had so much potential to make me feel something. And it failed. The story line felt more like a fanfiction that a Marvel movie plot. If you've seen it, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. The villain's downfall felt waaay too rushed. I could see that change happening to someone over the course of a couple years. But in a matter of minutes? Naw. Also, you'd think he'd have a soft spot for kids after what happened to him. But nope, apparently not. It couldn't keep my attention. I found myself glancing at my watch, or pausing it to go do something else. If a movie can't even hold my undivided attention for 30 minutes, then something isn't right. Also, the partial nudity scene. Like, really? Was that really necessary? No. No one wants to see that. Definitely not my favorite. I don't recommend this movie. It's just not worth your time.

This movie was way better than I expected it to be. Bobby Coleman's (Jonah) acting skills completely blew me away. I have never seen a child who was so great at acting. When he cried, so did I. That's how good it was. The dad was also such a lovable character. Ronnie's character development was on point. Her emotions and actions were super relatable. The only thing I wish was different was Ronnie and Will's relationship development. It seemed pretty cliché, and there wasn't a whole lot of depth behind it. But it's kind of justified because the movie really focuses on Ronnie growing and changing rather than her and Will's relationship. But still, the relationship development could have been better. It had a great balance of lightheartedness to seriousness to getting your heartstrings pulled. You will probably need a tissue at some point. Definitely recommend.

EDIT: They definitely redeemed themselves with the 3rd episode. Had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. We got to see much more of Obi-Wan's internal conflict. It was the episode I was waiting for! -Referring to the first two episodes. No spoilers- Came here to write a review, but everyone has already said what I was going to say. I was so excited for this, and oh man, I was so disappointed. Acting, apart from Ewan McGregor, is sub-par. The way Obi-Wan is depicted (not due to acting, but due to script-writing and plot) is frustrating because much of who he was before the Jedi Purge is gone. He lacks motivation. He seems to have given up. Which yeah, I get that is part of the plot, but I still feel disappointed because it felt like the character I loved and was so excited to see was gone. The antagonists don't instill fear in the audience, nor are we emotionally attached to them. The script is quite bland. There are pointless and cheesy scenes, and despite almost two hours of screen time, the plot has gotten almost nowhere. The best parts of the episodes so far are the flashbacks, all of which have come from the prequels. It seems like getting the story across was more important than getting immersed in the characters. It feels cheap and thrown together. Not what the Obi-Wan character deserved. I wanted a story about Obi-Wan. I wanted to see his emotions and feel his inner conflict. I wanted the show to be focused on him, but he seems like a side character in his own series. If this is also what you wanted, I'm sorry. Disney did not deliver it.