Anthony Bird – Google

[No Spoilers Here] I don't know why this movie is getting trashed, it's actually pretty good. Ignore the critics, give it a watch yourself and make up your own mind. Me and my teenage boys watched it on Netflix last night and thought it was a good movie that is clearly gearing up for the second part in April 2024. The film wears its influences on its sleeve but the darker tone, fighting/killing and language give it some real edge which we appreciated. The story is simple but workable. Something's could have done with more explaining and the characters could have been explored more to give them some extra depth but it's fine. It's two hours instead of three probably as a result. Special effects are nice, possibly a bit too much slow mo. Music is good and stirring too. Enjoyable. I preferred this over The Creator for example.

First two episodes are quite slowly paced but good. The show does assumes a lot of prior knowledge though. If you've not watched the Rebels cartoon series you're really going to struggle to understand who's who and why they're doing what they are doing. Similarly, to understand Ahsoka Tano's motivations, you'd have had to have watched the Clone Wars cartoon series too. Great for the invested fans, not so much for those who just dip in and out. Ray Stevenson is very good as Baylan Skoll.

Underneath some bugs, an overly aggressive main character (for the first few hours at least) and an overly sexualised maintenance robot, this is an enjoyable shooter. It clearly borrows heavily from Half-Life, Fallout and Control but mixes in some of its own fun elements and an interesting story with a buddy in the shape of your power glove. Mild RPG elements allow you to strengthen and customise your characters abilities as well as a craft and upgrade menu to build and service your weapons. Graphics are nice, as is performance on my Xbox Series S. I'd say ignore the poorer reviews from the main press as they expect way too much these days. Give it a go yourself, especially if you have Xbox GamePass.