Change Your Image
HalSpacejock
Reviews
Chessgame (1983)
Slow-paced, but deep and complex
I caught five episodes of this on first release, back in 1983, and it remains with me to this day.
I'm a huge fan of Terence Stamp, so that was a major plus, and I loved the complex machinations and layers of intrigue.
Until now I've had to rewatch the series in the three 'movie' versions, one of them on VHS, so it was great to be able to buy the DVD in the original 6-episode format.
Still one of my all-time favourites.
First Light (2018)
One for the thinkers
So many films are spoiled by the intrusion of MWG. This isn't one of them.
What is MWG, some of you are asking? Hark back to the original Stargate movie, where the first half was engrossing enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Then recall the second half, which was basically one long gunfight.
MWG = Men with Guns (or People with Guns, whatever.) When the plot runs dry, have everyone shoot at each other. Not that I have a problem with action movies, just films which start out appealing to one audience and then switch course mid-stream.
In At First Light doesn't fall into this trap. There aren't any daring escapes under a hail of bullets, and for that I'm adding an extra star.
As for the movie itself, it hits the target it was aiming for. It's a slow-burn, open-ended film which leaves several questions unanswered. The effects were good, the actors carried their roles well, and there's a gritty, down-trodden realism which evokes the X-Files and Stranger Things.
Well worth a watch.