Lazy Octopus – Google

Just more of the same Netflix slop, sadly. When I read about the show, it already gave me familiar vibes (The Fugitive) but decided to give it a chance anyway. Derivative doesn't always mean worse. But four episodes in and I feel like I'm wasting my time. Unfortunately the show suffers from lazy writing. It's pushing the plot with no regard for logic, stretching out already thin material. And I understand that sometimes logic clashes with creativity however... this show is anything but creative. This is about as much as I can write without spoiling the story to those who still want to give it a try. I'm done with the show myself.

Rewatched recently and still found it relevant. I enjoyed different, more complex approach to human/alien relationship than is usually present in sci fi. Here it's more of a social commentary rather than an invasion and military conflict for the sake of it. Making the story relevant is what makes the movie stand out in a good way. The visuals are seamless, further grounding the setting and making it believable even when you see the aliens roaming around their district, with mothership hovering in the background. It's a relatively old movie but still holds up and is a proof that you don't need flashy special effects and a huge budget to make a good one.

Often I can tell when a movie is going to be a trainwreck after watching a trailer. For some reason sci fi movies just don't get a lot of love from high profile directors with good portfolio. From unoriginal and illogical plot to terrible acting and cheaply done music, Atlas has it all. It's yet another movie that wants to warn people about technology being evil. Such overdone and simplistic trope. And it's not even a solid take on the trope. I still wanted to watch it for the visual library. My mistake to assume it would deliver at least on that front. It's just artificial and ugly looking. I did myself a favour and stopped watching after an hour.

This went under my radar, so I wonder how much promotion the movie has received prior to its release. Anyway. Biopunk genre is so underrepresented in entertainment, this movie was a welcome discovery. It's quite gloomy and leaves viewers with only a seed of hope at the end. But Vesper's journey is so grounded it feels like you're there with her, making you root for her endeavours to recreate life. It was refreshing to see such smart, determined and loyal character, who hasn't lost sight of what's beautiful despite of living in such grim reality. I did enjoy most of the plot, but there's always room for improvement. Still if you want something unique, something different from the mainstream, I highly recommend giving this a chance. Just don't expect fast paced action or tons of CGI. This one is about a meaningful journey.