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The Batman (2022)
The Bat-Dressed-Man In Need Of A Support Worker
A touching film centring around an intellectually disabled man living under the loving care of two father figures as he struggles with his boundless anger and discovering the new complexities that comes with a first crush.
Pros:
- Occasionally a very visually striking film. Some of the sets really fit the setting of Gotham.
- An interesting version of a prototype Batmoblie.
- An excellent portrayal of Jim Gordon. Jeffrey Wright is always fabulous.
- A really good villain that is a fantastic use of current issues surrounding malicious internet bubbles and cults.
- It ends.
Cons:
- I have never seen The World's Greatest Detective quite so moronic. I would use stronger terms but I am unsure of the strictness of this website's user review guidelines. His baffling inability to do anything proliferates the entire plot. This is the sole reason I hate this film. I do not know what the writers were thinking.
- A real waste of Andy Serkis. He's pretty much there for Batman to shout "You're not my dad!". This actually happens. He could've been a great Alfred.
- A disappointing rendition of The Penguin. He could have just been Generic Mob Boss #5. A waste of Colin Farrell's talents.
- That villain I praised before? The Riddler. A terrible one at that. This version completely misses the point of the character and essentially just uses the name for recognition purposes, which is odd because there's Batman villains that would have been a perfect fit (e.g. Hush).
Verdict: Do not watch, even at gunpoint.
Devilman: Crybaby (2018)
Brilliantly Animated, Fast Paced, Yet Shallow
The Good:
Devilman Crybaby is certainly worth a watch if any of the promotional imagery or description tickles your fancy, and was my first delve into the franchise. It's filled with aggressive sex (that's only a short walk away from being hentai), visceral gore, superb synthwave style music that gives a real "underground" vibe and explosive animation. The character designs of the demons are also quite aesthetically pleasing/intriguing, particularly of Devilman himself. The fantastic action scenes, intense soundtrack and fast pacing of the show make it so that you'll never become bored, which is a blessing as the show probably wouldn't hold up without them. The very ending was also unexpected and somewhat refreshing, with an interesting moral and a conclusion that makes it possible to tie in Devilman Crybaby as a sequel/prequl to every other previous/future Devilman story respectively. The show is also apparently very faithful to the original manga.
The Average:
The (dub) voice acting is not exceptional but still perfectly acceptable by anime standards so there are no real issues there. There are also certain moments where the animation quality seems to take a bit of a nose dive, but whether this is the result of the director's (Masaaki Yuasa) fairly unique style is up for debate.
The Bad & The Ugly:
Where the problems really begin is with the story. The story's basic plot points are interesting enough, although they never really have a chance to develop properly and there are plenty of moments that bring up questions that are never actually answered. This ranges from "world building" related questions to characters that just turn up, act like we know that they're a big deal and then vanish, never to be spoken of again. These instances are fairly unimportant and can be glossed over quite easily but as a Devilman first-timer it's very confusing. Some people may take more issue than me with the logistics of the story not making much sense at times but... eh, it's an action anime so y'know.
The characterisation is also pretty flat. Almost all of the characters stay exactly as they start off as which makes any twists or revelations either entirely predictable from the start or just dull, not because the twist is bad, but because you just don't really care. The only characters that I kind of felt for by the end were the rapper guys (who can basically be treated as one singular character for the most part), Miki "Miko" Kuroda, Akira Fudo (Devilman) and Ryo Asuka (within the show's closing seconds). That's not to say that they're bad character templates, but that's all they ever are, templates.
Conclusion:
If it looks cool to you just watch it. You'll have a fun time and at worst you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. If it gets a sequel I'll certainly be watching it if you want to put it that way. If you're looking for something more emotional, in-depth and that is a bit more intellectually stimulating however, this probably isn't it.
Limitless (2015)
Light-Hearted & Engaging
Introduction:
Limitless is a direct sequel to the 2011 film of the same name. The film is not in any way required viewing to start this series, but those that have will recognise some of the reoccurring visual flairs from the film and the occasional return of Bradley Cooper's character (now seen as one of the show's looming antagonists). Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before it got a second series but thankfully all of its plotlines are tied up by the final episode (bar a relatively small sequel tease), meaning it can still be easily enjoyed as a standalone series.
Story Setup:
The show follows Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), a well-intentioned but failing musician who stumbles across a new illegal drug called NZT. NZT gives its users 12 hours of complete clarity of thought, allowing them to learn information & skills ludicrously fast and utilise perfect memory recall, giving them the potential become a world class genius at anything they desire (providing they have the experience). After this 12 hour "high" ends though this all fades away and will only return with another dose of the drug, rendering the user with the same abilities they had before the drug. NZT also comes with a heavy "hangover" and increasingly severe side-effects that worsen the longer that it's taken, starting with memory loss & hallucinations and ending in dementia, organ failure and death. However, after Brian's first dose he is quickly arrested by the FBI, who make a deal with him to act as their joint NZT guinea pig/case consultant while on the drug in exchange for not putting him to trial. Unbeknownst to the FBI however, Brian has been given secret "immunity shots" that keep the life-threatening side-effects at bay by Bradley Cooper's character in exchange for being his own personal FBI mole. This sets up Brian's conflict for the rest of the series as he must decide between his own safety and his moral commitment to his new FBI colleagues.
Tone, Genre & Execution:
The show itself is light and breezy in tone and pace despite some of the show's darker themes which makes it very easy to watch. This is mostly due to the main character's silly and fun-loving personality, which McDorman does a tremendous job at playing without coming across as immature, irritating or idiotic to the audience. It's also due to the show's humorous use of "dream sequences", reminiscent of those used in the TV series "Scrubs". The supporting cast also do a solid job but no more so than any other decent TV comedy/drama. The only glaring thing about the show's tone/comedy style is the occasional use of then-current cultural references (e.g. mentioning "Vines" and other fads at the time of production). This doesn't really impact the effectiveness of the jokes, but does mildly date the show in a way that makes you think "Yeah... I remember 2015...", which can occasionally pull your attention away from the program itself. Admittedly this may come as an unwanted surprise for fans of the film's more serious tone but it goes a long way to boost the series' watchability.
The first half of the series falls comfortably into the police/crime scene investigation serial format and does it well but not exceptionally so, with the double agent storyline taking somewhat of a backseat in the story. This flips in the second half of the series and is definitely where the show shines narratively. Despite saying this, don't go in expecting a complex spy/political thriller as this show does not intend to provide that kind of experience.
Conclusion:
This show aims to offer a simple, fun by-the-numbers comedy-crime drama with some twist sprinkled throughout. It definitely delivers on that front and is worth watching if that's what you're looking for, although admittedly it won't provide much for those looking for something with a bit more to chew on narratively or thematically.