A pitch-perfect adaptation of the beloved graphic novel series.
Immaculately cast, beautifully shot. I’d have personally liked it to skew just a bit darker and stranger, but really there’s not much to pick at.
If you’ve read the series, you’ll be delighted to find how faithful it is. If you never read it, this is the perfect introduction.
Fingers and toes crossed that WB/Netflix greenlights the rest of the adaptation, this one really deserves it.
Highly recommended.
What’s this 90s vampire movie doing, being released in 2022?
Genuinely, I thought this was some kind of relic that had just gotten a wide release.
It’s fine. The humour’s hit and miss, the action is hilariously well done, the story is serviceable.
It’s kind of inconsistent its worldbuilding, in that it explains a lot of what things are but then forgets to ask why or to connect them together or pay things off fully.
Still, it’s silly fun that never takes itself seriously at all, so it’s mostly forgivable.
Not going to shake the world, but it’s worth a watch.
When Breaking Bad finally wrapped, it seemed unlikely that we were going to see a show as good again for a long time.
And then, here comes a prequel/spinoff which somehow manages to not only surpass it, but to actively improve and build on the original series.
It’s remarkable. Even knowing full-well where things are going, BCS manages to wring an incredible amount of tension and character growth out of every moment of screen time.
It’s superbly shot, brilliantly acted, and up there among the best written and directed shows of all time.
Even if you’ve never seen Breaking Bad, this is an absolute must watch.
Highly, highly recommended.
Excellent seafaring adventure, kind of in the same tonal vein as How To Train Your Dragon.
Animation, performances and production design are all top-class, with great action and colourful creatures for the kids, and elements of historical revisionism and imperialist undertones for the adults.
Would be genuinely surprised if this didn’t turn into Netflix’s flagship animated film franchise, since there’s plenty of room to grow from here.
Recommended.
Finding this post-cancellation was a damn shame, since it fairly abruptly comes to an end while it has so many balls still up in the air.
As a comedy, it’s perfectly written. There’s an expert balance with saccharine tone and dark subject matter that really works here — it’s a champion of the “yes, and” ethos in that it’s continually building off itself and reintegrating throwaway gags into the overall plot.
But, as mentioned, it died an unceremonious Netflix death while it still had a comfortable season or two worth of steam left in it, which is a damn shame. Not a lot of shows manage this level of sharp dialogue without feeling overwritten or trying too hard.
The practical effects are horrifyingly over the top, but it’s all anchored by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant’s brilliant comedic timing (the whole remainder of the cast is pitch perfect too).
If you can handle the fact that it doesn’t have a satisfying conclusion, this is a really fun one and well worth your time.
Two severed thumbs up.
The best the show has ever been.
Everything on show is bigger, wilder, more ambitious… and dammit if they didn’t manage to pull it off. It’s crazy that they can put together what is essentially an entire season of mid-budget movies and not have the thing collapse into itself like a dead star.
Of course, the performances and production design do a lot of heavy lifting, along with some incredible VFX and makeup work.
It’s always worn its influences on its sleeve, but more than any other point in its run, it really feels like its cohering into something more than just slick aesthetics and a stack of well-executed homages. Finally, it’s leaning confidently into itself, and is all the better for it.
If you like the show but thought the last two seasons were lacking somewhat in direction and growth: good news! It’s great.
Highly recommended.
Keeps going from strength to strength, and this was the season that finally tipped me over from just really liking the characters to loving them.
Yet again there’s an apocalypse to avert, so yet again the Academy has to work together to save the world. Only this time, they’ve managed to erase themselves from the timeline so there’s another family of dysfunctional heroes with weird powers to contend with as well.
Everyone’s grown and changed in some way, and so having the season remain relatively static in terms of locations allowed for more focused character work, dressed up in probably the best that the already-great production design has been for the show.
Casting and performances are pitch perfect, VFX are fun and creative, story’s weird and fun.
This is up there with Stranger Things and Dark as the more consistent Netflix fare, so hopefully we’re getting at least one more season, since it really feels like it’s moving towards another big shakeup going forwards.
Recommended.
Unfocused but nonetheless enjoyable followup to a stellar first season.
Natasha Lyonne puts in an absolutely killer effort to a strange, meandering season of an overall great show. She’s a treasure.
The emotional through-line resolves itself much later and less clearly than the first season, choosing instead to reach for a broader scope and losing some of it’s razor edge as a result.
Still, it’s quick and punchy and all the performances are excellent at holding up a messy time-travel concept.
Loved it, even if it didn’t have the same kick of the first season. Third season welcome.
Recommended.
Above average family action film, but never quite rises to truly exceptional.
All the individual elements are well done: the cast is charismatic, the VFX are top notch. But there’s something in Shawn Levy’s execution, same as with Free Guy… they’re kinda flat?
A bit too polished and clean, so that all the real quirk and personality has been buffed out of them. They feel like products. Products with heart and charm, sure, but never truly unique enough in their own rights to elevate them above pretty good.
My hope is that having the Molyneux sisters (Bob’s Burgers) handling the script and Kevin Feige doing his Marvel overlord thing, the next Levy/Reynolds collab on Deadpool 3 will really click.
As for The Adam Project, it won’t stick with me longer than the next big action film I see.
Solid fantasy/action, benefitting from a more coherend (read: linear) arrangement of timelines than the first season.
Interesting spins on all sorts of legendary monsters give it a distinct and grounded flavour of high fantasy.
Cavill proves again he’s the perfect casting, and the love he has for the role oozes off the screen.
Nice to revisit painting the charater too, since the illustration I did for the first season kicked off the habit of adding them to reviews.
If you enjoyed the first season, you’ll enjoy this one. If you weren’t totally sold but thought it had potential, this season might change your mind.
Recommended.
NERVE.SQUID.PILOT 