POWER OF GREYSKULL

2 1/2 stars. So here's the thing with this show. I WANT to love it. But I can't. I can only like it, though I'm admittedly halfway through it and the ending COULD blow my mind, but based on what I've seen already, my reaction will be, "Eh..." Allow me to elaborate. It starts off very strong. The first 2 episodes are very good, lots of intrugue about a young woman looking for her father who disappeared the day after Godzillas battle with the Mutos in 2014. She flies to Japan to find he has another family (a wife and son) there and they find out he works for Monarch and try to piece together where he could've gone, if he's alive or not and all that. All very nice, though there is a lot of nonsensical angst between the secret siblings that takes the shape of "I sure want to find out what's happening with dad, but dang it, I'm so mad that I'm just gonna quit and run away, rather than sit down and talk with these people who may have some of the answers I want and that makes sense and is defintly what a person with 1000 questions would do." Then, it gets better by looking to the past, in the 1940's and 50's with the founders of Monarch and discovery of Godzilla and that's all just gold. GOLD, I tell ya! Then Kurt Russell shows up and it's still good!! BUT... as so often happens, the show runner or writers or some exec somewhere makes a note that the show about a secret monster hunting/monitoring organization with interesting characters spanning decades, filled with intriguing mystery and possible danger, involving monsters ( you know, the thing the ENTIRE Monarch organization is supposed to be about) DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH BORING, POINTLESS RELATIONSHIP DRAMA THAT NOT A SINGLE PERSON WATCHING WOULD EVER CARE ABOUT OR ASK FOR IN A SHOW ABOUT MONSTERS AND SECRET ORGANIZATIONS, so naturally, episodes 4 and 5 are just... so full of that. Because it's important, you see, to know who dated who and why they broke up, and go to super cool underground bars no one cares about to drink expensive whiskey no one wants to see, and then they have sex a little, which no one wanted because it has nothing to do with monsters and they bicker a lot. And then we get to see who's gay and who's not and why some characters are bad at relationships, rather than sticking to the monster and spy stuff we all came to see. In a less nude way, it reminds me of why I hated game of thrones. There wasn't even ANY flashbacks to the 50's stuff in episode 5 at all (heaving sigh...). It all breaks down to... 1.) Stuff set in the past is good 2.) When Kurt Russell is in it, it's good 3.) When they focus on the actual plot it's good 4.) When monsters are in it it's good 5.) Anytime the 1st 4 things are supplanted by bickering relationship nonsense and unnecessarily forced sexuality virtue signals, it's so boring and stupid it's barely watchable. 3 out of 5 episodes so far have been great or good. Episodes 4 and 5 are just awful. I really REALLY hope the rest of the show focuses on the main plot points and gets back to the monsters and intrigue.

Technically 4 1/2 stars. This is an amazingly moving film. Everything just worked so well. The only mini-gripe is that the cgi can sometimes be a little wonky, but thats it. The acting is top notch and the score may be the best score in a monster film. No spoilers here, just go see it. It's set just post WW2 and the crew did a fantastic job on making it look that way. I can't recommend it enough. Well done!

Well, my full, long form review just got corrupted (thanks, Google and Samsung) so here's the short version... It's a very good, family friendly film with the right mix of heart, nostalgia and spookiness. Fan service is not a slur, it's a good thing, in the right dosage. It's giving the fans what they want and that's almost never a bad thing. Afterlife is just the right amount of new and classic for everyone. The main cast does a great job, with McKenna Grace and Carrie Coon being the stand outs. The "supporting" cast (we all know who I mean) was a great addition too. No complaints there. The only thing I may have changed would be the location of the final showdown, but thats so minor it barely matters. Finally, it gives a great send-off to both the character of Egon and the late, great Harold Ramis, much the same way Star Wars did with the untimely passing of Carrie Fisher. I found it to be very respectful and heartfelt. You could almost see tears in down the "supporting" cast's cheeks. All in all, it's very worth your time. And make sure to stay to the very end for the 2 credits scenes. Overview - though it is a slow build up, no moment feels like wasted filler, when it gets going, it's just great. Just that we needed. 4 out of 5 stars.