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Reviews
Stargate: Atlantis (2004)
The problem with the show is its arrogance
The show is exciting, and fun, and has interesting characters (although they were a little shallow in the beginning.) Occasionally the show becomes overly melo-dramatic (almost uncomfortably so), but its not very often, so that's a problem any show can make.
My real objection to the show is the unbelievable arrogance of the whole concept. Earth humans reach a foreign galaxy where the outrageously powerful ancient race of the Milky Way (the Ancients, named with originality) was defeated and routed by the dominant native species. The show proceeds, and in every episode we prevail over the Wraith in tactical situations, and occasionally in strategic situations, which provides the audience with the hopeful belief that a limited number of earth humans can beat a populous race which kicked the bejeezus out of another populous race infinitely more advanced than we are.
How can a few, poorly armed and much less technically savvy descendants of the Ancients (us), hope to succeed where an entire advanced population of Ancients failed? Are we the most resourceful race in the entire UNIVERSE? Is it not possible that there could be more powerful species in the UNIVERSE, than humans? This is the ultimate expression of the US principle of the underdog winning out in the end despite overwhelming odds. The fact is, the Wraith should be able to crush the beachhead of earth forces like squashing a bug.
Stargate Atlantis has the potential to be so much more sophisticated, but this unreality does not sit well, always in the background, and really hurts the enjoyment of the show.
Girl Fever (2002)
The movie was good, but not great.
The dialogue in this movie was excellent, and the story was told exceptionally well. The director/writer is at the top of his game, to be sure. But I cannot agree with the conclusion of the story, and think that this movie is a poor example of one that will positively influence it's youthful audience.
What level of respect can either of the two girls in the movie have for this boy, both of whom developed relationships with him that were duplicitous and fictitious? Yet he jumps into each relationship with both feet and no reservations. He has no sense of betrayal, no sense of having been wronged by these two girls, even after they have the gall to implicitly expect him not to be upset by their behaviour.
This leads to the story running onto the rocks of unbelievability, which is a big disappointment at the close of the film. Had there been some acknowledgment of the way that their respective relationships had developed badly, had the girls acknowledged their poor behaviour and somehow learned from it, only then would they be worthy of his unremitting attention and friendship. Had he shown that he understood the nature of the development of his relationships with the two girls, but forgave them, that also would have indicated character growth. His character is diminished by being a loyal puppy dog, blind to the nature of the relationships he is in and at the mercy of his adoration. The girls' characters are diminished by their inability to recognize how they have mistreated him, and seek to better themselves.
One could argue, perhaps, that the moral of the story is that love is worth pursuing no matter the obstacles that are placed in the way, and that the main character did not let anything prevent his quest from reaching fruition. However, the longevity of a relationship based on deception and that has not developed trust cannot survive without an airing out of the deceit and the rebuilding of trust. There is no closure to this issue within this film.
Thus, despite the dialogue, the acting, the story telling, and everything else that makes this an intriguing and entertaining film to watch, an inspiring "coming of age" movie should have characters that learn lessons about life and come out the other side stronger and more mature. In this vein, the film fails to deliver.