James T

Apparently the toxic fanbase is to blame for the show flopping, statements like this are insane, profoundly authoritarian and self-absorbed. You shouldn’t blame a franchise and its fans for you being in the wrong, what a weird stance to take. Read the room. The show is bad because it’s bad. It’s bad because Kathleen Kennedy has no depth when it comes understanding Star Wars temperament, vision, characters or lore. She just doesn’t “get” Star Wars at all. It’s just a money-making chew toy for kids at this point. Feel free to butcher all the rules, concepts, symbolism and ideas that the original universe created. What came before isn’t necessary anymore, let’s disrespect it and place something cheap in its place. It’s like destroying a sacred temple and putting a barber shop in its place because you can and you feel like some kind of unique trend breaker doing so. Stop convincing yourself that you are breaking the mould, do some research, understand your franchise better so you can connect with fans. Most of the fans are done anyway from what I can see. “If I think it’s good then it must be good, throw more money at it” — this is basically how Disney execs fast track destroying anything that requires deep understanding, passion and thought. The writers are the wrong people for the job. It’s clearly the writing that has been the key problem, the main culprit. If you actually had Star Wars fans for writers who lived and breathed it, you’d probably have a good start or a chance at least. Breaking Star Wars “rules” is the first big mistake as it takes people out of universe into something they don’t recognise. The lore is the fundamental foundation for the very thing Star Wars is. It’s the DNA of Star Wars. Things have to make sense.

100% spoiler free: dazzling end to end visceral action and stunning visuals as you come to expect now from george miller’s mad max, great casting in anya and chris — both really nailed their characters, incredible sound work too, plot is great, one of the most entertaining action sequences so far this year and will have you gripped entirely throughout.

SPOILER FREE: From the start I was absolutely hooked, I finished the show in 2 days. I’ve played the Fallout games since Fallout 3 on the Xbox 360 when I was a kid and I can honestly say I’m happy as I knew the potential was there. I did hold some reluctant cynicism due to game adaptations being generally bad and far from the material and lore but this show really ticks boxes. The design work is stellar, from the sets, to the costumes, the tech and the characters. The old-fashioned song choices are also another part of what makes Fallout great and original. I absolutely loved seeing the characters come to life in this dynamic and immersive series. If you’re a Fallout fan, you won’t be disappointed. I loved that they didn’t play it safe either with the plot curves, they really kept it watertight and close to the source material. So to see it play out, with a great cast and lots of world detailing, fills me with a lot of optimism for the second season. Amazon has been on a good run recently so long may it continue. I saw one strange yet popular 1-star review which addressed some poorly constructed criticisms and niche overreaching ambition. I mean, come on, they said no Ron Perlman was a bad thing? Really? They also complained about the design of a single pen, mistaken an actor’s name, and other trivial things. You’ll never please everyone it seems. Let’s be honest, the show is punchy and straight to the point. From the Pip-Boys to the drones and the Brotherhood suits, a huge credit to the production. Even the tapes and TVs have been designed with such great detail. I’m expecting more in upcoming seasons like more exploration of new locations or featuring more feral creatures but it’s definitely a densely packed and entertaining introductory season. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s clear to me, the makers of the show are fans of the game. The show really nailed the aesthetics and it’s really gotten off to a good start so far. if you dig deeper, you can see they really had great keynotes and references as the collaboration was a long time in the making. The revered screenwriter and producer Jonathan Nolan was finally endorsed by Bethesda's Todd Howard afer years of rejection from approaches from others and you can see the ambition and passion come to life in the production. I saw a shot of Namibia including the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen, and Kolmanskop where the wasteland shots were done, and it's pleasing to see the efforts to get close to an authentic Fallout world. The effort has been pushed as much as Bethesda push their standards in-game.

[spoiler free] -- I didn't know it was translating into great reviews online, I randomly found it and started watching on Netflix with a fresh curiosity... became almost instantly hooked and watched it within 2 days. This series is beautiful to look at with memorable scenes and visual artistic detail. The narrative is original and the storyline is gripping. It had that 'kill bill' edge running through it, with Japanese soul. Each episode is a gem and has its own densely packed story and leaves you waiting for the next episode. Exceeded my expectations, and I genuinely had none going into it. It was so engaging to see stylised fight scenes, backdrops and beautifully woven scenes with incredible sound work too. It was like a curveball from what I was expecting in all of its production value and attention to detail. You will feel every emotion connected with the characters.

Finished this show in 2015. Still always ranks as the greatest drama series of all time for me, there's been nothing like it since apart from Better Call Saul which was a return to form and is equally as great. Always have excitement for whatever Vince Gilligan does next. This show will floor you if it's your first time watching it.