Ian Kline

Army of the dead is a perfect example of a huge movie budget killed with terrible editing, bad story telling and horrible acting. The movie is a tad long as far as normal movies go and definitely longer than your typical zombie blockbuster. The acting for the most part is average at best and there are no stars that stand out. The trailer added scenes that weren’t even in the movie that frankly made it look better than the product we got. The entire good vs evil plot while interesting had long lulls that made the movie at times feel like a chore to get through. Below I’ll explore some of the laziness of a movie that promises to be better than it actually was. ****Spoilers ahead**** Alright so to start it looks like the pandemic hurt the overall product, there were plenty of plot holes and parts in the movie that made little to no sense and during editing it looks like they killed all character development in order to cram more action into the “A story” which was favored over everything else I just mentioned. My favorite example of this is the random brother hood the safe picker and his guard develops during the safe cracking while not really going into what made them go from strangers to buddies. Dave Bautista while being a fun guy to watch was kept from showing any of his skills until the end of the movie and was topped with having to have the same emotional response to his daughter and lover? Who knows that part wasn’t clear but his reaction was the same, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize that” all while doing his best impersonation of a statue. His daughters ploy to save her friends ultimately ruined the movie and any stake viewers had left in the movie, to cut it short she left the group to save a friend which was mentioned 3 times in the movie just to get everyone (that wasn’t killed off dead) except for her. The stakes never felt high and the suspense only felt real a couple of times but even still the movie became predictable and confusing snd it was pretty hard to suspend belief when a zombie at the top of one building can climb down it and get to the top of another with his brood all while on horseback and some how beating a helicopter to another skyscraper. If you’re looking for a new random action/ zombie movie to watch Army of the dead isn’t the worst way to spend your time, but at 2 1/2 hours of runtime you may want to ask yourself if you’re ready to feel disappointed after that time investment. While it is also nice to see Dave doing work outside of the marvel universe his character which should have been an interesting one was weighed down and smothered with a wet blanket of lack of action and somehow the same emotional plot development happening twice. Overall it’s a fun movie to watch but one you’ll forget about and probably never re-watch again

Before I say anything about the show I need to get these initial thoughts out of the way. Everyone wants this to be the next “The Office”, it can’t, I’m sure time will tell how the show actually does but it’s a different cast, it’s a different setting and set of circumstances. That being said don’t try to compare it to the office and don’t start watching it expecting it to be like the office, in fact go into it with no expectations and I think you may be pleasantly surprised. The show finds the ever so likable Steve Carell suddenly or finally in charge of his own branch of the United States military. This branch just so happens to be the brand new Space Force. The relationship between Carell and co-star John Malkovich is actually a compelling one that ages well as the first season goes on and as I’m sure the series will go on. The series has a couple other big names like Jane lynch, Diedrich Bader and Patrick Warburton to name a few which I expect to see more of in future seasons and episodes. The show is about the workplace struggles/ problems of a surprising likable and diverse cast as they navigate the day to day operations of running the new Space Force branch. The show isn’t needlessly political but doesn’t mind taking small jabs at politics. While the humor is a little stiff it manages to get a few laughs later in the season but ultimately leaves you feeling like the writers aren’t sure where to go with the direction of the show. If you can make it past the first couple episodes I think you’ll be surprised and hooked at how relatable and down to earth the characters are. The cast seems a little uneasy early on but they manage to get comfortable and find a good rhythm that works for them. In my opinion “Space Force” is a likable but almost forgettable series that has the potential to go the distance. It’s nice to see Carell once again at the helm of a workplace and this time with more resources than his Scranton counterpart. I can’t stress enough how important it is not to compare this series to “The Office”. “Space Force” is heartwarming, entertaining and something different that viewers haven’t seen before. It’s likable cast and compelling story with multiple avenues to explore could prove to be a major success. I can’t wait to watch more!