Once Upon A Time Review: A Land Without Magic

Episode rating:

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Emma and Regina must team up to find a way to save Henry.

Best Moment: I gotta say I did like Emma’s expression just before she decides to go pummel Regina.

Verdict: This episode was a decent but far too rushed episode. I know the writer’s are following the Lost formula of a few interesting episodes at the beginning and end of the season and filler in the middle, but this was just silly.

Emma finally believes, and that’s great but the result of that was very quick. We don’t get to see her realisation that everybody she’s been interacting with is a fairy story. Nope, she has to rush off and save Henry. That sequence with Maleficent the dragon was a tad convoluted. I love dragons, but none of it seemed particularly necessary. Instead, it felt like something they decided to throw in there at the last minute.

Well, let’s face it, the whole smoke monster, ahem, magic unleashed storyline was clearly another moment of making something up out of thin air. When I watch a show, I like to be able to look back and see the through line. There simply wasn’t one with this. Sure, Rumpel’s diabolic nature was hinted at, but there was nothing to indicate that he had magic secretly hidden for a rainy day. Why’d he pick that day? It wasn’t because of Belle, because he’d already sent Emma off for the magic vial before Belle returned.

Speaking of, there goes Emma’s crappy superpower again. Lied to yet again and still she believes him. She really needs to stop thinking she has a superpower. So anyway, she wastes all this time fighting a dragon when all along all she had to do was kiss Henry. Well, duh, we all saw that coming…. Why did neither she nor Regina think of that? Even if it were possible that it didn’t occur to them, how is it that she left her dying son to go find a potion that might save him, without so much as a kiss? I just find that hard to believe.

I did like that her kiss didn’t just wake up Henry, but essentially work up everyone else too. What was a shame, and a real let down to the series as a whole was the way there was no time to adjust to this new Storybrooke. Instead, they rushed off to the next plot point” Rrumpel unleashing magic. We had some truly great scenes from Lana Parilla that almost made you pity her. The return of magic should feel like a return to the status quo. It doesn’t. The writers have spent so little time with the pitiable Regina that when she sees the magic and grins, I don’t think “the bitch is back” I think, “oh, Regina is evil and has power, must be Sunday.” It doesn’t matter that her power now comes from actual magic versus her status as mayor. It’s the same result. She wasn’t out of power long enough to appreciate the moment she gets it back.

I could go on about the sloppy storytelling between David and Mary Margaret. Or the fact that I still don’t believe that Rumpel should be the Beast (he chooses evil and magic all the time!). But I won’t. I think as I’ve said for a while, this series is problematic, and one of the biggest problems is the way it tries to be like Lost. This episode, had it been told over two or three episodes (instead of the dreck we’ve been dealing with) should have been great. It wasn’t. It was rushed and poorly told. This is why I decided to include a star rating for the season.

A shorter season with leaner storytelling might make this a good series. But that’s not what Horowitz and Kitsis have created. It appears that ABC has renewed the series for a second season. However, this is going to be the last review of Once Upon A Time that I write. I’m certainly open to returning to the series if they get it together in season two, but if the writers continue to drag their heels, including unnecessary mysteries and nonsensical plots I just don’t see the point. Personally, I’d rather sit down and re-watch The 10th Kingdom. Thanks for following the reviews for Wince Upon A Time. Hopefully by September I’ll have found a better show to review.

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Avengers Review

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Wow. I’m not sure what to say about The Avengers movie that hasn’t already been said before. I will say this, Joss Whedon has done it. He has successfully made a kick ass blockbuster, thus proving to Hollywood that he is the A-list material we fans always knew he was. Which also makes me sad, because the guy may never return to television after this!

Some have complained that the first half of the movie is slow. Personally, I have to disagree. I will say, I wasn’t crazy about the opening sequence, it just didn’t feel as well put together as subsequent action scenes. From that point on, however, the movie shines.

The first half of the film shows off Whedon’s talent in particular with a large cast, allowing each character to have their moment- moments which are often peppered with Whedon’s trademark witty dialogue. Lets face it, when you get that many superhero egos in one room, there’s bound to be some feathers ruffled and Whedon gets it just right, as does his cast. Robert Downey Jr. was born to speak Whedonesque, and the barbs shared between him, Captain America and Thor are absolutely hilarious. Equally, there’s some nice scenes between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as the two genius’ in the room.

There’s plenty of division amongst the Avengers, some natural, and some not so much. Buffy fans will recognize that Loki’s plan to distract the Avengers is simply to pull a Yoko. He does it fairly successfully up until the point at which they decide they need to pull together. I do think it ought to have been clearer that Loki was manipulating them into arguing. It was hinted at, but not explicit.

For those that complained about the first half, they must have loved the second part of the movie. There is plenty of action to keep the superhero team busy. In fact, much of NYC is decimated due to Loki and his alien invasion plans. The stakes are high for the team. I won’t go into the reasons why except to remind people that there’s something else that Joss Whedon is known for.

Which isn’t to say that the second half is without Whedon humour. In fact, the movie’s biggest laugh comes towards the end of the film and will no doubt spawn t-shirts and other merchandise based on just one line of dialogue. Of course, my absolute favourite scene turned out to be the secret one that was filmed right around the première. You can find it at the end-end credits. Is it necessary? No. But it is funny!

The cast as a whole gelled together really well, they played well off each other. Even the normally scenery chewing Downey Jr. didn’t steal the show entirely. As I said, thanks to Whedon, they all had their own moments in the spotlight. One character which hasn’t done so well in the movies really stood out this time and that was the Hulk. I can’t say that it would make me want to watch another Hulk movie, but I do think he had more personality in this.

I think, for me, it’s really hard to get past the general conceit of the giant green guy. In fact, in the first scene the Hulk appears in, I still couldn’t get past it. But once the Hulk actually got to do stuff aside from just “smash” he became an actual living, breathing character for me, and not just semi-decent animation.

As for Mark Ruffalo, the guy was clearly born to play Bruce Banner. He brings a great deal of depth to his performance. Even so, I still think there needed to be more sense of why he returned for the big fight in NYC. Yes, you can say it’s because in the end he’s a hero, but that seems a little too heavy handed for the complicated performance we’d seen earlier.

Every time I watch and review one of these Marvel movies, I have to ask myself was it better than Iron Man? Ultimately, I have to say no. I don’t know that it will have the same amount of re-watchability as the first Iron Man movie. However, since I haven’t exactly been a fan of the later Marvel movies, not only is The Avengers better than the others, it’s streets ahead!

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Once Upon A Time Review: An Apple Red as Blood

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Emma’s attempt to steal Henry away in the night goes awry. Regina tries to get rid of Emma in such a way that doesn’t break the curse. Meanwhile, in FTL we learn how Snow bites into that famed red apple.

Best Moment: Fairies, attack! (Please note this is both the best and worst moment of a very dire episode)

Verdict: Well, I was right, something big has to happen and it does. Although my prediction is that Emma won’t be fully on-board until she gives Henry a mother’s true love kiss and wakes him up, and then roll on season two…

However, I am getting ahead of myself. Honestly, I thought this episode was pretty terrible. Yes, stuff happens but given how much filler there’s been, things suddenly felt awfully rushed. First, there’s Snow’s full-on assault to rescue Charming. Erm, am I missing something? When did the army of fairies sign up? It’s not that I don’t see how that could happen, Grumpy did have a history with the fairies, but it felt awfully rushed. Not to mention hokey, campy and terrible in the special effects department. Which isn’t to say that kids might not enjoy this scene, I just couldn’t buy into it.

Another thing that was rushed and confusing: Jefferson. I thought he made it back to Wonderland. If he didn’t, how in the world did he manage to just run away after jumping out of a two story building? Moreover, how did he evade arrest? We all know that Emma is the world’s worst police officer but this is just poor writing!

Also, was I the only one bothered by the sudden memory problems of the characters. Why would Jefferson trust Regina? He has no reason to, she’s already tricked him before. Why does Regina pout when Gold says that she has nothing he wants. She has Belle for crying out loud!! And then there’s Emma… she says to Henry that Regina has done nothing except fight for him…. erm, are we conveniently forgetting the whole trying to pin a murder on Emma’s roommate/mother?? Which actually turned out to be a kidnapping which she pinned on Sidney.

Speaking of Henry…. who didn’t see that ending coming? Of course he was going to bite into it, but I think we were actually supposed to be surprised by it. And what’s with Emma not being the slightest bit suspicious about the turnover? You don’t drop by somebody’s house un-announced and not think it’s weird that they give you the ONLY apple turnover they baked. Now if Regina had made a small pile of turnovers, I could believe it, but she baked ONE turnover. Nobody bakes one turnover…

The end is almost nigh for this season of Once Upon A Time. Will they be able to turn it around at the end of the season? Doubtful. Frankly, judging by the acting and writing in this episode, I think most of the people involved in the show have given up already. But I’ll be there to let you know just what I thought of it.

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Once Upon A Time Review: The Stranger

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

When Emma goes to Mr. Gold to help her fight Regina for custody of Henry, August makes a last ditch attempt to convince Emma of the truth. Meanwhile, we learn who August really is.

Best Moment: Young August looking up to see an Oceanic Airlines plane go by. Also 8.15. Loving the headnods!

Verdict: My prediction for the season finale is that Emma finally BELIEVES…. finally. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In truth, I’m not sure what to say about this episode. I suppose we did get to learn that August is really Pinocchio. It would’ve been cool if people hadn’t already been predicting it for the past few weeks. Still, at least the truth is out in the open, and we know that August was with Emma when she first arrived. Not that he stuck around, mind you. Niiccee abandonment there August!

Speaking of nice, there was some nice scheming going on with Regina as she tries and fails to hit on David. Prompted by an interesting exchange in which Mary Margaret forgives Regina. Forgives? Really? Eh, not buying. I don’t think Snow would have forgiven quite so quickly. Not the way she’s been portrayed so far. Still it was an interesting diversion that didn’t really go anywhere, nor should it. Actually, as far as Regina goes, it screams of desperation- desperate for vengeance, not to get together with David mind you!

Gosh, I’m not really sure what else to say. August tries and fails to convince Emma to see what’s really going on. I mean, seriously, a guy disappeared almost right in front of her eyes, and she still didn’t figure it out. I think that’s one of the big problems of the series. By the time season one ends, something will happen to make her believe, but that means that we as an audience are kinda right back where we were at the beginning with the only difference being that she’s willing to acknowledge it. It’s such a foolish way to tell a story, and is something that also plagued Lost to a lesser degree.

Of course another problem with the series is it’s overall blandness. Take the look of Pinocchio. Heaven forbid they should actually create an interesting look for him. Aside from the slutty Blue Fairy (seriously, what’s up with her outfit?) everyone either looks like a boring Disney creation or like someone that just left a renaissance faire. With the possible exception of Rumpel…

Well, two more episodes left. Let’s see if my prediction is right.

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Deadline are reporting that Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) is attached to direct a Disney adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s popular children’s novel, The Graveyard Book. Selick is currently at work on a top secret project for Disney Pixar, but it’s said that The Graveyard Book will be his next movie.

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a Newberry medal winning book. It is Gaiman’s own ghostly take on Kipling’s The Jungle Book, except this version features a boy named Npbody who is raised in a cemetery.

Personally, I’d rather see a version done in the same manner as Coraline, but I guess if Selick is helming, I’m okay with a Disney version.

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A little late on reporting this, but all you Fringe fans will be excited to learn that Fox has decided to greenlight a fifth and final season of the troubled show. It will only be a 13 episode season, however that should be plenty of time to wrap up the show properly.

Check out SFX to see what creator J.J. Abrams had to say about this renewal!

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Check out the new international trailer for Prometheus with new images of the aliens.

Prometheus premieres 8th June 2012

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Another Earth Review

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

I wasn’t sure I was going to write a review of Another Earth. It’s an odd kind of movie, and not one that I would say has a wide geek appeal. Yet I’m still left thinking about it, and not just because of the twist ending, which I will talk about in the spoiler section! Add to that, the fact that the writers have a new movie released today, Sound of My Voice (which was screened at Sundance at the same time as Another Earth), it actually does make sense to talk about this indie scifi movie.

The story is based on the very simple premise: what if you had the opportunity to meet yourself? Such an opportunity arises for the characters of Another Earth, when a planet that is the mirror image of Earth is discovered.

It’s actually rather a big story when you think about it. What would happen if we really did discover another Earth with duplicates of ourselves? It’s a fantastical idea that would certainly raise some philosophical questions. Science fiction is littered with stories about duplicate Earth’s- just about any episode of Fringe, for one thing.

Yet at the same time, this is a very personal story for two characters whose worlds literally collide just as scientists discover this other planet. After Rhoda (brilliant portrayed by Brit Marling who also co-wrote the script), a highschool student goes out celebrating her acceptance to MIT a lapse in judgement causes her to run into another car, killing a mother and child, and leaving the driver (William Mapother from Lost) devastated.

The story picks up four years later when Rhoda is released from prison. Yet despite her release, she she is unable to free herself from her mental prison. When she plucks up the courage to approach John, the only surviving victim of the car accident, the two find themselves in a relationship in which they seem to need each other in order to heal. I should point out however, that John has no idea who she is, which makes for some very tense scenes throughout the movie. I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. At times I felt badly for her, and at other times it’s clear that what she is doing is so wrong and will not end well.

So you see, Another Earth isn’t science fiction, not in the obvious way. There are lots of lovely nods to science and scifi throughout the movie. It’s clear the writers thought a lot about would happen if something like this were to occur although they lacked the budget to explore on screen the kind of chaos and devastation such an event would create. So they told the best story they could. It’s a very slow story, and I can honestly see why some people would hate it. Then again, speeding up the plot would make it lack credibility.

However, if you’re tired of seeing superhero movies or films where the White House gets blown up, you might want to give Another Earth a try. Personally, I welcome the return to small scifi movies that make you think, and I can’t wait to see what they do with Sound of My Voice.

As for that ending Show ▼

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Can’t wait for Prometheus to come out? Check out this new featurette for the upcoming movie.

Prometheus premieres 8th June 2012

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Check out this first official image from the upcoming new Red Dwarf X series. The series is six episodes long and will be a return to form, shot in front of a live studio audience. The story is being kept under wraps, although according to the UKPA Chris Barrie has tweeted “I think we’ve done some of the best Red Dwarf scenes ever. Really looking forward to seeing what the fans think”.

Red Dwarf X is set to air some time in the autumn.

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