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Napoleon (2023)
So, so underwhelming
So that was a first.
Just got back from watching the new film, Napoleon, starring Joaquim Phoenix and for the first time, I find myself actually hating a film.
I so wanted to love this one. The trailers have made it look really good, and the story just lends itself to it being spectacular (just think back to the 1970 film, Waterloo).
But this has to be Ridley Scott's worse opus to date.
First, language. This is a film about a French leader, most set in France. Why have we got to endure it in English, with a grating American accented English in the main character (especially as the vast majority of the other actors employ British accents)? Surely the world has moved on in the 21st Century to cope with subtitles? The international angle of the subject matter is made for languages, so it is a waste for this to be in English only (we even lost the authentic "Vive l'Empereur" calls that still resound in France if you know where to go).
Second, the script. It is clear that the scriptwriter wanted to convey the language used in Napoleon's and Josephine's well-known letter. Sadly, the way this was done felt like jimmying them into a very artificially episodic script, often with scenes seemingly there simply for the statement of one or two known sentences. The result jarred and didn't flow. Then there is the absence of so much strategically important stuff to this story. To be sure, the film is already 2 1/2 hours long, but to not even mention the naval battles, especially the Battle of the Nile and Trafalgar, and to completely omit mention of the Portuguese and Spanish campaigns is unforgivable. To then artificially and needlessly introduce an it-simply-didn't-happen meeting between Napoleon and Wellington was taking artistic license so far over the line, the line was a dot to it.
Third, the scenery. Much use of Malta and the amusing use of Greenwich and HMS Warrior/Victory for backdrops and scenes (including some deft camera work in the Painted Hall at Greenwich to not show King William and Queen Mary in the painting in the back of that splendid location). Surely there are halls, palaces and chateau in France that could have been used?
Of course this is a film, not a documentary. Of course not all of Napoleon's life can be accurately and properly conveyed in a 2 1/2 hour film. To be sure, the story is fascinating and, in the age of megalomaniacs from Putin, Trump and Musk, it can quite easily be relevant. But do the film justice, rather than dumbing down.
There are good things about it: the make-up department has done a great job making Phoenix look the part. The costumes are all excellent and, from what I could tell, accurate. The cinematography and direction in key scenes mirrors well-know paintings, particularly his coronation and flight from Russia. Sadly, those are the only saving graces.
Back to watching Waterloo for something more authentic and Sharpe for more fun.
COBRA: Cyberwar 1 (2021)
Utter nonsense
This programme seems to have been written by someone with zero idea about technical matters. From erroneous uniforms, misunderstanding the different between "armed" and "armoured", to laughable depiction of the effects of explosions at sea, this episode is strewn with nonsensical things, detracting from the plot and acting.
Picking up in the aftermath of the events in Series 1, Series 2 lands on new storylines, while preserving some of the plotlines concerning political plotting. The acting from Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton just about manages to rescue a pretty awful script, while the emotional angles are frankly ridiculous.
Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
A complete disservice to Luther
This is quite simply an awful film. The writing is atrocious, and the storyline is preposterous, with a series of leaps of imagination. The police work is laughable. There are more holes in the plot than a Swiss cheese has them. The needlessly gratuitous violence doesn't add anything to the end result.
Sure, the filming and production are fine, unsurprising given the backing production companies, but otherwise this travesty of a movie is simply a waste of time.
If you like Luther, avoid this.
If you like police films and whodunnits, don't bother.
If you like Idris Elba, forgive him this trespass.
Treason (2022)
Simply awful writing
It is clear that the writer of this atrocious spy programme didn't care about what they were writing. There isn't even a nod to the reality of spy craft and security, with infantile errors, bad planning and character interactions. Why on Earth the actors of the calibre of this cast would undertake such a terrible series is beyond me. It is as if the writer wanted to emulate series like 24, Spooks or Homeland but never actually watched any of those. The dynamics of the main character and his family was frankly farcical.
Overall, this series is unwatchable for being so poor. Don't waste your time.
Dune (2021)
Overhyped and endless tedium
I really wanted this to be a good film. I wanted to enjoy the story. After all, I'm a sci-fi buff and love the saga type of tale. What we have here is simply boring. To be sure, the visuals are amazing and designed for cinematic viewing. However, that's all this film has going for it. After 2 1/2 hours, there isn't one character to care about. There is no chemistry between any two characters and the story is glacial in its development. What makes the disappointment all the more is that the quality of the cast is right up there. Sadly, the script and development of the story is awful (when one can understand what is being said). Halfway through and I just didn't care for any of the characters. By the end of the film, I don't care if there is a Part Two.
The Fear Index (2022)
A missed opportunity
Based on Robert Harris' book, The Fear Index is an attempt at a warning about artificial intelligence. The original book was published in 2011, and the world has moved on.
This series starts off with good tension but quickly descends into a "technology runs amok" dystopia, but it falls foul of technological advances in the last 10 years. Instead of being set in 2011, the series is set in the 2021 timeframe and that results in huge holes in the plot.
The acting is steady and look and feel is pretty sick. Sadly, the plot holes - and clichés - are too great to ignore and spoil the story.
The Lost Symbol (2021)
Kills the very thing that makes Dan Brown readable
Dan Brown's books are a literary Class A drug: they're not good for you but you cannot put them down once you start because they have pace and tension in the writing. This adaptation of one of his books is tedious. The writing is unnecessarily slow, the acting generally good, but the pace of it all just makes us not care. The source material would have been served by turning it into a film rather than a 10-part series.
La casa de papel (2017)
Simply excellent
Superb storytelling, which grabs you and pulls you in. The acting is first class, the visuals exceptional and the twists are sublime. I cannot recommend this enough!