Ranked - A Quiet Place Films

Horror films have always been a sore spot for me as I just think they are quite lazy and repetitive. But a franchise over the last few years has peaked my interest which is A Quiet Place, we have had a few films in the franchise so I just about can justify making a rankings so here we are. 

3. A Quiet Place: Part 2 (2021)

This was a really tough position, as I sit here the films on this list are so close in quality and I enjoy them all thoroughly, I just enjoy this film slightly less. Emily Blunt & Cillian Murphy are fantastic in their roles and this film is really gripping. I had some issues with the splitting up of the main characters and the fact that it does slightly fall for those horror tropes such as jump scares. But this is a great film and a truly worthy sequel. 

2. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

The prequel to this franchise delivers on what is the best part of this franchise. The performances of Lupita Nyong'o & Joseph Quinn are fantastic and watching their journey is a really engaging and emotional time. The films pacing isn't that great and I just feel like this film doesn't fully maximise its potential but again it is a Great film and one that lives up to the franchise name. 

1. A Quiet Place (2018)

Again, it is really close but I do believe the first A Quiet Place is the best film of the franchise so far. Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds & Noah Jupe are great as the family and I really feel their connection here. The story and ending aren't perfect but there is no doubt that this is a tension filled film and one that really kept me on my toes and made me get invested in this film. 

Overall

Overall, A Quiet Place has been a great franchise for horror films and I think the franchise has more legs in it but I think they might have to change up the format and give some more context to exactly why The Aliens are on the planet and how and if the humans can finally stop them. 

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Review

I am not usually a huge fan of Horror films, but an exception are the two A Quiet Place films and now we have the prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, I managed to see it today and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees two people attempt to survive an alien invasion where they must be quiet in order to live. 

Main Character

Lupita Nyong'o plays Sam and I thought she was fantastic in this film. She absolutely nails this performance and is a fantastic protagonist that you want to support. Obviously, there isn't much dialogue here so she has to act through her body language and emotion and she totally nails it and hits the heights that Emily Blunt did in the other films. 

Supporting Characters

Joseph Quinn plays Eric and I really liked him in this film. He is a charming kind of nerdy character but he did a great job with it. The chemistry between him and Lupita was great here and I really liked how their characters progressed in this film and dealt with this situation that they are in, 

Alex Wolff plays Reuben and even though it is a smaller role he did a great job, the dialogue and witty banter between him and Lupita made it a great start to the film and did a really good job of establishing her character. 

Djimon Hounsou reprises his role from A Quiet Place Part 2 and he is really good when he is on screen. He doesn't do that much but I have to be honest I had forgotten he was even in a previous film in the franchise, once I remembered that his role actually works in this film. 

Before moving on though a big star of this film is the cat called Frodo. This cat is pretty adorable and a loyal companion to our protagonist, seeing the cat in danger made me really care about the film. 

Story

The story is decent, there is no doubt that the film really nails it with the dynamic between Sam & Eric and made you care about these people and hoping that they can escape this crazy situation. Also the ending of the film is handled really well and I am glad that they went the route that they did. Unfortunately, the film doesn't offer much new. With it being a prequel, I was hoping to learn more about these Aliens and there motivations or backstory but we get none of that and we just see these people try and escape, which we have already seen in previous films. 

Script

With the other A Quiet Place films, dialogue isn't very important but as this film takes place at the beginning of the invasion there is slightly more dialogue and it is really good. There is some on point humour which is then matched by some real emotion that made me care about the characters. 

Style

The film looks great and is shot fantastically. The tension is massive and I was at the edge of my seat for the majority of the film, waiting for someone to make a noise and draw the aliens in. The issue is with the pacing, the first act just didn't do that much for me and I think it overshows the Aliens and makes them feel less special. The 2nd and 3rd act are great, it is just the first act is a bit repetitive in its storytelling. 

Overall

Overall, A Quiet Place: Day One is a Great film that is worthy of being a part of this franchise. It doesn't revolutionise anything but it is a great watch and I think it is a film that everybody will like including people who aren't huge horror fans. 

Rating - 8/10

Gen V Season 1 (2023) Review

With The Boys Season 4 ongoing weekly it seemed appropriate to go back and watch Gen V for the first time, especially as characters from the spinoff are set to appear on the main show. I manage to watch the whole first season pretty quickly and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a group of students who are at superhero school deal with student life while attempting to expose a darker secret. 

Main Character

Jaz Sinclair plays Marie Moraeu and I really liked her character. We learn a lot about her during the show and how she differs from the other students that are kind of already in the system with Vought and used to the superhero culture. She definitely develops over the season and gives a strong performance, it also helps that her powers are some of the more unique ones in The Boys universe and adds some real creativity. 

Supporting Characters

Lizze Broadway plays Emma who is Marie's roommate and the two of them have really good chemistry together, at first I thought she was going to be a shallow character but no, they give her a fantastic character arc and I really did care about her as the season went on. 

Maddie Phillips plays Cate, who is kind of treated like the popular girl in school but ends up by chance as part of this group of friends. She delivers a really good performance and the majority of her development happened towards the back end of the season but I thought it was really effective. 

Jordan Li is an intetesting character and is a Bi-Gender Super Hero played by both London Thor & Derek Luh and the character really fits this universe. They are a determined individual and she was clearly the one who cared most about their hierarchy in the school but that is developed throughout the show. 

Unfortunately, earlier this year Chance Perdomo died in a Motorbike accident with Gen V being one of his last roles as Andre and it is a shame that we won't see any more of this character in the future. Perdomo is great as Andre and he is another really well written character that was charming throughout.  

This is a large cast and everybody does a fantastic job of delivering great performances that flesh out the universe of this spin off. 

Story 

The story is good. This show does have some teenage angst stories but in this environment, I didn't really mind and it flowed nicely. There is plenty of intrigue and mystery to the plot and I remained invested as the season went on. The only issue that I had was the very ending of the show, it feels like lazy writing and someone enters the show that feels like a lazy excuse to set up Boys Season 4 instead of giving Gen V a true fulfilling ending. 

Script

The script is good, it has that familiar feeling to The Boys. I did think at first that there was just too much profanity but the more I think about it, that is how kids at schools act so it isn't that crazy and the fact that all films in school don't act like this is more crazy. I also liked the drama and did care about plenty of the characters which is great. 

Style

The style of the show is great, if you are a fan of The Boys then you will be expecting an over the top style and it is here in abundance. The show was paced really well too, with episodes flying by and having me intrigued throughout. 

Overall

Overall, Gen V is a fantastic spin-off and easily does enough to stand out on its own and become a must watch. Similar, to The Boys it is an acquired taste but if you can handle it Gen V is definitely worth a watch. 

Rating - 9/10

Inside Out 2 (2024) Review

After 9 years and many films under their belt, Pixar and Disney have finally released the sequel to the fantastic Inside Out and today, I found the time to watch Inside Out 2 and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees Riley tuning into a teenager, this introduces new emotions to Riley's mind which causes a conflict between the older emotions and these new ones. 

Main Character

Amy Poehler reprises her role as Joy and she is really good in the role. She has her own story arc throughout the film and though I don't think it was quite as good as it was in the first film, by the end of the film I did appreciate it and think it was well done. I preferred her interactions with the other older emotions and think Joy was a better overall character here. 

Supporting Characters

Maya Hawke plays the main new emotion Anxiety. She is kind of an antagonist of the film and though it is kind of by the numbers, I did enjoy the character and her development. She is trying to do her best for Riley but struggles with how exactly to do that. 

Phyllis Smith reprises her role as Sadness and she is nowhere near as important in this film as she was the first but that is okay and I think it actually better for this film as Sadness worked in her slightly smaller role. But once again the MVP of the film is Anger played by Lewis Black and he was so much fun and his fits of anger are hilarious, they even give him a bit more depth and it worked for me. 

I was very surprised that both Fear and Disgust were recast for this film. Bill Hader & Mindy Kaling are gone and this time we get Tony Hale and Liza Lapira in their places and they just aren't as good. They are kind of given bigger roles here but they do very little with it and I think it would have been better had we had the original actors. 

I also didn't really care for the new emotions (except for Anxiety). We get Envy, Embarrassment & Ennui. They just don't offer that much and are completely overshined by Anxiety who owns every scene that involves this group which is a shame given the potential that all these new emotions have. 

Story

The story is good, it focuses way more on Riley and events that take place in her life and how hitting puberty and the lead up to high school really affects her. By the end of the film, I did like the story and the emotions story does have some real heart and care to it. But, a criticism I give this film is the fact that there is some re-treading from the previous films story just involving different emotions and though it was done well it did affect the overall quality of the story. 

Script

I am happy to report that the clever writing from the first film is back here and this is one of the major reasons that this film is accessible to adults. The comedy is still well written and there were laughs here and when the emotion is put into it, this film really nails it and does it really well. 

Style

The style of the film is very similar to the previous one and there is no problem with that. It is colourful and has great visuals for sure. The film is also 90 mins, just like the first film and it flows by really well and is a really easy watch. 

Overall

Overall, Inside Out 2 is a great sequel. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first film but this is a really great film and a worthy sequel that is once again a great family film. 

Rating - 8/10 

Inside Out (2015) Review

I am going to see Inside Out 2 tomorrow, so I decided to go back and rewatch the first film and here is my review for Inside Out. The premise of the film focuses on a young girl and the different emotions in her head, as she makes a move, the emotions must react and try to help her be happy. 

Main Character

Amy Poehler plays Joy and she is so full of energy in this film, at first I thought she might have been a bit annoying but the film really pulls it around and Joy is a great character. She really goes through a character arc and by the end of the film you really feel like it was earned and Poehler adds a lot here. 

Supporting Characters

The main characters here are the emotions and they are played by some big names, the main one being Phyllis Smith who plays Sadness. It was similar to Joy, that she is really annoying to begin with but once again the film brings it around with a good character arc throughout and by the end she was fun to watch. 

The other emotions include fear who is played by the brilliant Bill Hader and I really loved him in this film. He just has true comedic timing and he uses that to his best ability here to really shine. We also have Disgust played by Mindy Kaling and she was a lot of fun, I think she is probably the emotion that does the least here by Kaling is a talented actress and adds something to the character. But the standout for me was Anger played by Lewis Black. He is every grumpy old man and his rants are hilarious and some of my favourite bits of the film. 

Richard Kind plays Riley's imaginary friend Bing Bong and he is great, he is there as kind of a guide for Joy & Sadness and he felt like a great addition. He also has a pretty subtle story arc and it is handled expertly well and makes you really care about him. 

Story

The story is really great, it is a really creative idea and I love how they turn a young girls mind into this cartoony world but it all makes sense and though it is ridiculous it just feels right. I think the film is really relatable because every human feels these emotions and by giving the emotions arcs further adds to us caring about what is going on. 

Script

The film is really well written, it has some incredibly smart dialogue and was a pretty funny film that had me laughing quite a bit. There is also some real emotion here which is key considering the concept of the film and they really deliver with it. 

Style

The film is really great visually. Pixar has never struggled when it comes to the look of there films and this film is very exuberant and colourful showcasing the mind of a human being. Also the film is only 90 minutes long and is paced brilliantly, it never loses its pace and is fun throughout. 

Overall

Overall, Inside Out is an Epic Family Film that totally ticks all the boxes for the whole family and it really delivers. This is a must watch for everyone and I think anybody will enjoy it. 

Rating - 10/10

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) Review

While playing the newer Star Wars games, I realised that I actually hadn't reviewed Jedi: Fallen Order even though I have reviewed the Sequel Jedi: Survivor so it is time to review it after playing through the game. The premise of the games sees a young Jedi escape Order 66 and when he discovered he must find his true identity and a reason to fight. 

Characters

Cameron Monaghan plays Cal Kestis and I love this performance and it was a true pleasure to play as the character. Cal's development throughout the game is fantastic and we really see him develop and come to realise how important he can be to the galaxy. You see him gain more confidence and it feels like we are on a journey with him which is fantastic. 

Cal's main companion of the game is BD-1, a little droid who is full of character. I don't think it is an overreaction to put him on a similar level to R2-D2 & BB-8 and the development of their friendship is so charming and I love watching it on screen. 

Debra Wilson plays Cere Junda, a former Jedi who is helping Cal and she is a fascinating character. She is shrouded in mystery throughout the game and we learn little things throughout that makes things complicated between her and Cal and adds this layer of character. 

Greez played by Daniel Roebuck and Tina Ivlev plays Nightsister Merrin and they are great additions to the crew of The Mantis. Greez is the pilot and is charming and funny, clearly being the comedy relief but it really works. Merrin is a fascinating character, she gives a look at the Nightsisters that we have never seen before and I just wish we could have spent more time with her in the game. 

The villains are also really well written, there are spoilers involving one of the villains identity so I won't go into too much detail but they are well written and kept interesting throughout the game. 

Story

The story is really heavily emphasised here and I really enjoyed it. Cal is a fantastic lead character and I love how they handled his character development. The crew of The Mantis are great together and I love the banter and emotion between the three/four of them. The ending is also really rewarding and the last 10 mins of the game is just peak Star Wars. 

Side Content 

Now this game heavily focused on its story but that means there is literally no side content and that is not good enough. The game tries to trick you to go back to planets to find things but there is no point, sure there are collectibles but they aren't particularly interesting and it just feels like the amount of content here is not good enough and it makes the game feel a little empty and I completed it pretty quickly. 

Gameplay

The gameplay is a lot of fun, the lightsaber combat is fresh and exciting and there are plenty of enemies to face off with that feels unique. There are cool climbing sequences and the missions feel different throughout with some great locations. However, this game had an issue and that was the final boss, I am happy to have a challenge but the final boss is really cheap and it became more of a chore to complete then actually a fun challenge. 

Graphics

The game looks beautiful, the character models look life like and credit to these real performances that bring them to life. It was great revisiting some planets we already know and some new ones and every one was designed fantastically well.

Overall

Overall, Jedi: Survivor is a good game but I can't lie that I was a little disappointed playing it through. I just remember the game being better and I truly feel like the sequel Survivor is a huge improvement. But Jedi Fallen Order is a good game that focuses on its story and characters and if you are a fan of Star Wars and Single Player Games, then it should be played. 

Rating - 7/10

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2017) Review

Ahead of the upcoming Star Wars: Outlaws, I thought I would go back and play some other Star Wars games, especially those that have come out on the next gen consoles PS4 & PS5. Over the last few days I have been playing my way through the 2nd incarnation of Star Wars Battlefront 2 that was released in 2017 and here is my review for the game. The premise of the story sees an elite Imperial squad attempt to fulfil the will of The Emperor after the destruction of The Death Star. 

Characters

The main character of the game that you play as is Iden Versio played Janina Gavankar and unfortunately, she is a pretty boring lead character. There just isn't anything particularly interesting about Iden and her character development doesn't really make much sense and feels incredibly rushed which fits the theme of this game. I think Gavankar really cares about the role and really wanted to make it work but the writing truly lets her down. 

A slight issue is that her partner Del Meeko played by T.J. Ramini has a better story arc then she does. It still feels rushed but there is an event that happens to him at the beginning of the game's story where he is on his own that at least makes it make sense and he does a decent enough job with that. 

Shriv played by Dan Donohue is a Rebel soldier and the comic relief of the game. He is really funny and has the best one liners of the game, its a shame the rest of the characters didn't have the charisma that he had throughout. 

The Awesome Paul Blackthore plays Gideon Hask and even though his character is a pretty generic Imperial, he revels in it and owns the majority of his scenes with how over the top villainy he possesses. He knows the role he is given and plays it really well. 

Throughout the story mode you get the chance to play as heroes such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo and these are fun detours from the journey of Inferno Squad. Though not the film actors, these voice actors all do stellar jobs and it does feel like the characters you are playing as. 

Story

Quite controversially, the reboot of Star Wars: Battlefront had no campaign which was a terrible decision. This game has both a campaign and a DLC Campaign so that is a step in the right direction, however, the campaign isn't that great. The parts I enjoyed were the fact that you get to play as these heroes in fun missions and that you get to play at the Battle of Jakku and see how the DLC campaign links to the events of The Force Awakens & The Last Jedi. However, the story is really frustrating, we were promised that we would get an Empire story where we would see their point of view but that is just a lie and doesn't happen and you are frustratingly a good guy after like an hour in. The story is also too short, I finished the main campaign and Resurrection (The DLC Campaign) in around 5 hours and it rushed by without much substance. 

Side Content

So the single player campaign isn't great but the multiplayer is fantastic. It is so much fun playing on these iconic locations in huge battles both on the ground and in Space. The Starfighter Assault mode is really fun and Supremacy feels like this epic battles between two factions. Heroes vs Villains is here and it is always fun playing as these iconic Star Wars characters and even though some are better then others there is no denying that it is fun. 

There is other single player content with Arcade missions where you have to complete tasks as certain characters to earn rewards. These are satisfying enough and I like that the game bothered to include them but they won't be overly remembered. 

Gameplay

The actual gameplay is really good, using these iconic weapons from Star Wars and playing in these iconic locations is a lot of fun. Alongside the different abilities and classes it makes everybody's experience feel a little bit different and unique which is really fun to see. The battles feel really large in scale and that the game does a great job of showing that. 

However, in the campaign the AI is some of the worst I have seen. The partner AI are useless and they just don't help you at all and they might as well not be there. But the enemy AI is even worse, either they just run at you with no tactics or care for their lives or they spawn out of nowhere. The only reason  I ever died was due to the sheer amount of enemies that you face and not due to the AI actually being smart or well programmed. 

Graphics

The game looks fantastic, seeing such planets as Endor, Takodana & Naboo in all its glory is a sight to behold and that is continued with the brilliant visuals of the Starfighter missions which all feel slightly different and unique. The character models all look really great too with plenty of customisation alongside less but still worthwhile vehicle and Ship Design. 

But during the campaign I suffered from a lot of graphical glitches mainly involving the enemies moving through walls and magically floating in mid air after I killed them. It just took me out of the game and made the entire thing feel a bit cheap and weak. 

Overall

Overall, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is an above average game. If you only play games for the single player then give this one a miss as it doesn't offer enough. But if you are a Star Wars fan who loves multiplayer then this is a must play, it is so much fun playing these huge battles in multiplayer. If they make a Battlefront 3 I hope they focus a bit more on the campaign and keep the great multiplayer. 

Rating - 6/10

First Impressions - House of the Dragon Season 2 (2024)

After a few years of wait, we finally have the first episode of the second season of House of the Dragon and there was plenty to talk about so here are my first impressions of the season and where I think it may be going. Obviously, there will be spoilers from the first episode here, so if you haven't seen it then go watch the episode first before reading this. 

The characters are still reeling from the events of the first season finale 

In the season 1 Finale we saw Aemond Targaryen kill Lucerys Velaryon thus causing the two factions of the greens vs the blacks to have their personal issues raised even higher. The death of Lucerys has made the blacks seem vengeful and ready to try and destroy the hierarchy led by Daemon who is especially vengeful. It has led to the Greens being nervous about the response and this leads to some distrust brewing. 

Cristen Cole and Alicent Hightower have started hooking up 

We find out in this episode that Cristen Cole & Alicent Hightower have been more then just the Queen's Mother and Head of The King's Guard they have been having a sexual relationship. From Hightower's point of view it makes sense as during her relationship with Viserys she never had a good sexual experience. However, it is totally hypocritical from Cristen Cole and continues in making him the worst character in this show. In the previous show he said he didn't want to be a sidepiece for a woman with Rhaenyra but has just started doing it with Hightower, showing his weakness and true colours. 

Will we see The Targaryen's turn on The Hightowers 

Currently Aegon is the king of Westeros but this episode does a pretty good job of sowing the seeds of dissent amongst The Targaryen brothers and The Hightower Father & Daughter. We see Aegon & Aemond both have disagreements with Otto Hightower and it is even suggested to the king that Otto be removed from his position of Hand of the King. We also see The Hightowers discussing how they can sort out the situation to bring them out on top, with events that take place at the end of the episode, this could cause a big friction between the entities at the capital. 

Rhaeyra wants Aemond Targaryen  

After finding the remains of her son, Rhaenyra only has one line in the episode and that is that she wants Aemond Targaryen. It isn't particularly clear if she wants him killed or whether she wants him captured and brought to her to maybe do the deed herself. The ambiguity of the statement leads to what happens towards the end of the episode. 

Prince Jaehaerys is killed

Later in the episode we see Daemon hire two common folk to kill Aemond Targaryen, his interpretation of what his queen wanted. However, when the two assassins arrive they instead kill off the young child Jaehaerys who is the heir to the throne of King's Landing. This is going to be the event that really triggers the war between the two factions, The Greens will believe that Rhaenyra assassinated the heir to the throne. 

Did Daemon want Jaehaerys dead?

In the scene with the two assassins, they ask him what to do if they can't find Aemond, with the show then cutting away. The question is whether Daemon told them to go after Jaehaerys who is another son of a Targaryen, Daemon has done some pretty awful things on this show and this would be right up there if he did order the death of a young child. 

Overall

Overall, I thought this was a decent but slow episode of House of the Dragon. It is clearly trying to find its feet and after that insane ending it should lead to some insane things happening over the show and I hope this can rise it to really high levels. 

Hit Man (2024) Review

This film has been gaining plenty of traction on Netflix and has been the number 1 film this week and I have been a little late to the party but I have watched Hit Man and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a professor pretending to be a hitman in order to aid the police, he gets wrapped up in one of his cases which changes his life. 

Main Character

Glen Powell has been an actor on the rise and he plays the lead here and he is really good. He has such charisma on screen and he really does nail the duality of his role and the crazy situation that his character has been put in. He clearly has a bright future as a leading man and it will be interesting to see the projects he picks over the next few years. 

Supporting Characters

Adria Arjona plays Madison and does a really good job as Powell's love interest. The two of them have insane chemistry here and it does really feel like watching one of those crazy couples and her performance is a big part of that. 

Austin Amelio plays Jasper who is a colleague of Powell's character and I also liked his performance. He just plays the scumbag really well and I just really didn't like his character and Amelio nails it in this film. 

Unfortunately, the other members of the cast aren't that great. This film could have done with a few more interesting characters to add further intrigue to the story, especially some from his school life which seems to mostly be ignored. 

Story

The story is quite interesting, seeing how this man manages to manoeuvre himself between these multiple lives and identities is pretty fun. I must admit I was quite surprised that this is basically a romance film and the romantic story works really well. But this film is pretty cliché and isn't exactly doing anything that isn't seen before, it does squander its interesting premise and with a few tweaks could have been a really interesting story. Also the ending, while interesting is pretty abrupt with little explanation. 

Script

This film has some pretty quick dialogue and interaction between the performers, it also has some twists and turns that are pretty well written. But I heard this film was hilarious and I maybe chuckled once, it just isn't very funny and the drama doesn't really hit either. 

Style

Unfortunately, this is where the film really fails. The film is actually quite boring and that is due to the really slow pacing and the length of time it takes for the main plot to get going. There is just nothing really special about the way it is filmed and with a director like Richard Linklater I just expected more. 

Overall

Overall, Hit Man is an average film that falls way below the expectations that I had after some really good reviews. I would say give this one a miss unless you are a huge Glen Powell fan, though I am sure he will be involved with better in the future. 

Rating - 5/10

First Impressions - The Boys Season 4 (2024)

After a pretty long wait, today saw the first 3 episodes of Amazon's The Boys Season 4 come to Prime and I have found the time to watch the 3 episodes and here are my thoughts on the main elements. Obviously, there will be spoilers for all 3 of the episodes. 

Homelander is deemed not guilty

One of the big selling points from the end of last season was whether Homelander would be deemed guilty or not due to killing that protestor but I was slightly disappointed that we never actually get to see a Homelander trial and it is done withink the first 20 mins. This whole thing leads to the political rivalry between Homelander and Starlight and the show really leans into its political nature and real life things 

that are going on. 

Butcher is near death and having problems with The Boys

Last season, Butcher took compound V and we learned that it has poisoned him and that he is near death. This links to his story this season as he is being really reckless with his actions as the last thing he wants to do is save Ryan from Homelander. He is having problems with the new leader of The Boys, Mothers Milk and I do hope that he gets another run as the leader of the group before he inevitably dies. 

Is Victoria Neuman going to be the President?

We see Victoria Neuman making a deal with Homelander in an attempt to gain power, she has now become the Vice-Presidential candidate and it very much seems like the show is setting her up to become the President of the United States. If this happens, will se stay aligned with Homelander or will she serve her own interests. 

What are Sister Sage's motivations?

A new character we are introduced to is Sister Sage, she is the smartest person in the world and Homelander has recruited her to The Seven in order to help him with his mission and to make him loved again. She isn't particularly interested in the spotlight but I am curious as to what her end game is going to be. 

The Show is still full of Adult Content

The Boys has always been known for pushing the envelope when it comes to violence and sex and this show continues that here with some really violent play throughs and nudity which is in your face and fitting with the shows style. 

Every Character has a story arc

The Boys has a tonne of characters and credit to the writers that they pretty much give every one of them a story arc which means all of these characters have some reason to care about them and want to see what is going to happen. But it also makes the show quite jarring and that it doesn't develop some of the more interesting story arcs and try to focus on everything. 

Season 5 will be the final season

Technically, this has nothing to do with the episodes. But it was confirmed that Season 5 of the show will be the last and I am okay with this. If Season 4 continues with this quality and Season 5 is great too then The Boys might become a truly legendary show for the ages. 

Overall

Overall, I really enjoyed the first 3 episodes of The Boys Season 4 and I feel like it is more of the same that we have seen over the previous seasons. If you are a fan of the franchise then it is worth watching for sure and I am excited to see what happens to these characters. 

Ranked - Mass Effect Games

Over the last 17 years very few video game franchises have impacted people as much as the Sci-Fi juggernaut Mass Effect. This franchise has focused on player choice and allowing the players to make their own decisions and create a narrative that is second to none. Here are my rankings for all the video games in this franchise from Worst to Best. 

4. Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017)

The most recent game in the Mass Effect franchise Andromeda is easily the worst game in the franchise. The new protagonist Ryder is a super boring and dull character and the story offers nothing new and fresh. This was a chance to start fresh after the events of the trilogy but it doesn't do enough and falls really flat with a game that was clearly rushed out of the door and it is a shame that this project failed and it is probably the last time we visit the Andromeda Galaxy. 

3. Mass Effect (2007)

The game that started it all is a great adventure and a game that really felt like it pioneered the idea of a Science-Fiction RPG and Mass Effect is a great experience. It introduces us to the awesome protagonist that is Commander Shepard and the whole introduction to this new universe. The only reason it isn't higher on this list is due to its combat being weaker then the other games and the fact that some of the squad mates aren't as fleshed out as they would become in later games. 

2. Mass Effect 3 (2012)

I am pretty sure that deciding to put Mass Effect 3 above the original game on this list will get me some heat and I do understand why. But it is super cool to see this trilogy culminate into an amazing experience that enhances these characters and has some great action. It manages to settle galactic issues but there is no doubt that the ending truly lets it down, but all the stuff before that are fantastic and engaging to play. 

1. Mass Effect 2 (2010)

After the great first game, Bioware went out and created an Epic sequel that is genuinely one of my favourite games ever. The game introduces so many new characters such as The Illusive Man, Mordin & Grunt who would become iconic for this franchise and enhances characters like Garrus, Tali & Liara from the first game. The action is way crisper and the introduction of Loyalty missions gives time to flesh out these great characters. The final mission is the best final mission that I have ever played and has so much tension and consequences for the third game. 

Overall

Overall, The Mass Effect Trilogy is fantastic and is one of the best trilogies in any medium. But it is let down by a lacklustre fourth game and I feel like the franchise needs to get back on track when Mass Effect 5 eventually comes out. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) Review

After reviewing the original Mass Effect trilogy, I thought it would be appropriate to play the 4th game in the franchise Mass Effect: Andromeda and I have finally finished the game and here is my review. The premise of the game is set 600 years after the Mass Effect trilogy and sees a group of people travelling to a new galaxy in order to start over. 

Characters

Commander Shepard is gone and this time we play as Pathfinder Ryder, this time I decided to play as the female version of the character played by Fryda Wolff and wow this is a terrible main character. Ryder is a weak character and doesn't have that presence that Shepard had. The writing for her character is pretty terrible and I did not care about her at all. When the main character is bad, it doesn't stand well for the rest of the game. 

Luckily the majority of your squad mates are entertaining and good characters. My favourite characters are Nakmor Drack and Jaal Ama Darav. Drack is a really old Krogan and feels like a bit of a father figure to Ryder, he isn't as good as Wrex or Grunt but he is a great addition here. We are introduced to a new species called The Angaran and Jaal is our main view into them and is a really cool character. He is both charming and sensitive and is a great alien companion and something new for this game. 

Cora, Vetra and Peebee are also fun squad mates despite the fact that they aren't as good as the two already mentioned. They are different versions of Humans, Turians and Asari that we saw in the original trilogy so that was nice to see. Unfortunately, Liam is possibly the worst squad mate in all of Mass Effect and is so annoying throughout this game. 

We are also introduced to new villains in The Kett and they are really boring, this is encapsulated by the main villain The Archon. He is incredibly dull and his motivations are as generic and stereotypical and we have seen it done so much better. 

Story

The story has so much potential and with proper care and time it could have been amazing but the story sucks. The villain sucks, the main hero sucks and the missions suck. Nothing really matters and if you just do the main story missions you can rush through the main story and not care about anything. There isn't enough new here for a new galaxy and doesn't do enough to raise it above the basic feel here. It's so convoluted and I really don't like this story and the a lack of important decisions which is what the franchise has been built on. 

Side Content

This game has so much side content it is unreal but the best is easily the loyalty missions that you have to do for all of your squad mates and I really liked all of them. It helped flesh out your allies and make you care about them more. But this game goes for a quantity over quality approach and it fails, so many dull side missions and fetch quests that you will end up skipping the majority of them because they are an absolute chore. 

Gameplay

There is no doubt that the gameplay is fun and the combat has its moments. The fact that you can change between the different classes on the fly is a fantastic decision and allows people to play classes that they would never do in the original trilogy. However, the gunplay feels a bit of an afterthought and I just didn't feel like it really hit the way I wanted, also the return of the weapon weight is here and really restricts player with what weapons they can use which sucks. 

Graphics

This game sees Ryder and the crew go to many exotic planets and I will say that I liked the variety here and the beautiful time that had been taken on these. The rest of the graphics are poor, when this game was first released there was a load of controversy regarding the graphics and 7 years later they are still poor and peoples faces look so uneven. Also, I still come across plenty of bugs and glitches, some that were game crashing. 

Overall

Overall, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a Below Average Game that falls super flat and is pretty disrespectful to its licence. I am a huge fan of this franchise but I felt like it was a job to play this game and didn't particularly enjoy it. 

Rating - 4/10

Ranked - Bad Boys Films

As we now have quite a few films in this franchise, I feel it is time to ranking the films in The Bad Boys universe from the worst to the best. So here we go, here is the list of which films in this franchise is worth a watch and which ones are to miss. 

4. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Unfortunately, the newest film in the franchise is the one I enjoy the least. Will Smith & Martin Lawrence have great chemistry together but the writing for them isn't good and this just feels like a step too far for this franchise. The action is weirdly filmed and it doesn't quite work and I kind of hope this is the last film that we see in The Bad Boys franchise. 

3. Bad Boys 2 (2003)

After the success of the first film, Bad Boys 2 was released in 2003 and it was nowhere near the level of the original. Director Michael Bay has gained a reputation for being over exuberant with his filmmaking and this really holds this film back and make it feel too silly. Smith & Lawrence are great again but they are working with a lacklustre story and script which misses the mark. 

2. Bad Boys (1995)

The film that started it all is Bad Boys. A fun buddy cop film between two actors who have insane chemistry and know how to make this premise work. This was one of the many projects around here that launched Will Smith into super stardom and showed Martin Lawrence is a great comedic actor. But the film isn't exactly ground-breaking and it feels a bit generic but there is no denying that there is plenty of fun. 

1. Bad Boys: For Life (2020)

It is probably a bit controversial, but my favourite film in this franchise is actually the third film in the franchise Bad Boys: For Life. Lawrence and Smith are great in their roles and for me the thing that raises this film above the other is the writing. The other films are funny but this film also adds some real drama and has some emotional impact which slightly gives it the edge over the possibly more ridiculous and fun original film. 

Overall

Overall, I believe that there has never been a great Bad Boys Film. It ranges from good to pretty weak and I think this will just be remembered as a bog standard franchise that produced a few entertaining action films. 

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) Review

After the entertaining Bad Boys: For Life came out a few years ago it was guaranteed that we would be getting a fourth film in the franchise and here it is in Bad Boys: Ride or Die and I saw it today with this being my review. The premise of the film sees Mike & Marcus on the run after their former Captain is accused of working with the Cartels. 

Main Character

Will Smith as Mike Lowry and Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett are what carries this film and the chemistry that they have together. They both look like they are having a blast and their enthusiasm and energy is what I really enjoyed. Though, I can't deny that both characters have story arcs and they both come out of nowhere and are a bit bizarre and hold the movie and these characters back. 

Supporting Characters

Paola Nunez makes her return as Rita and I enjoyed her character, she is an old ally of Mike's and she has taken over the captains role and I thought she gave a pretty solid performance and I enjoyed watching her. 

But the rest of the cast aren't great, Jacob Scipio is back as Armando and this guy has very little charisma and intrigue about him. This comes after a bland performance in the previous film and it just seems this guy can't live up to the hype of taking over from Will Smith which this film possibly wants. 

Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly and Alexander Ludwig as Dorn return for this film in a clearly reduced role and they are pretty much given nothing to do except being some low level comic relief which doesn't really work when the main duo are way more entertaining. 

The film really wastes the talent of Ioan Gruffudd and Rhea Seehorn with these generic characters when they are capable of so much better. Seehorn in particular is an amazing actress with her work as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul being Emmy worthy, hopefully she gets better roles then this in the future. 

Story

The previous film tries to tell a more personal story and had some success but this film falls flat on its face. There is one scene at the beginning of the film that takes away the whole intrigue for the film and I wish it never happened as it would make the film much better. Both main characters story arcs are dumb and the villains motivation is basically money which is super dull and made me not really care about anything that happened to anybody in this film as it was incredibly predictable. 

Script

There is no denying that this film has some pretty chuckle worthy moments and I think I was doing this pretty consistently throughout the film which was nice to see. But some repetitive jokes fall a bit flat and really aren't as funny as the writers think they are. Also the drama is really not there, as I said I never really cared about any of the characters towards the end and the weaker script doesn't help. 

Style

The style of the film is pretty similar, there are some good high octane action scenes that are a lot of fun and in particular I love the sound of the guns and loud they are, it makes it feel like you are in the action scenes. However, there are other action scenes where the camera is shaking everywhere and I couldn't tell what was going on, there is also one scene where for some reason they try to make it look like a video game and it looks incredibly cheap and tacky. 

Overall

Overall, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a below average film that for me is the worst of the franchise. It can't follow up from the previous film and this is probably the end of this franchise and that is probably a good thing. If you are a fan of this franchise, maybe wait until it goes on streaming, if not then give it a miss. 

Rating - 4/10

First Impressions - The Acolyte (2024)

After a long build-up, today saw the first two episodes of The Acolyte makes its way to Disney+ and I have now watched the first two episodes and here are my first feelings on this show and the creative directions it takes. Obviously, there will be spoilers here so I wouldn't read this unless you have seen the episodes. 

The show wastes Carrie Ann-Moss 

I think everybody was excited when Carrie Ann-Moss was cast as an experienced Jedi Master as she is a great actress and has experience of Sci Fi through The Matrix & Mass Effect. But for some reason her character Indara is killed off in the first episode after a cool action scene. I understand that this was done to further the plot and by killing her off it provided shock to the audience but I can't help but feel like we were robbed of what could have been an amazing character. 

The action scenes are really well filmed

In the first two episodes, there is tonnes of action and I really enjoyed it all as it felt unique and different. There are no lightsabre duels and the show even encourages the lack of weaponry through the story and I thought it added to the drama of the show and I can't wait to see more really interesting action sequences. 

What is Mae's motivation?

We are introduced to Mae, someone who the Jedi perceived was killed 16 years ago in a fire that she started. However, Mae is back and has already killed two Jedi in the first two episodes and there is clearly a really personal reason for this. I think we're going to find out that The Jedi caused the fire or that her sister Osha was kidnapped and indoctrinated by them. 

The show is beautiful

This show just really feels like Star Wars. It is filmed like it is something from The Prequels or originals and I like the High Republic designs mixed with all the older technology. Its a beautiful watch and just the visuals are enough to keep me interested. 

Everybody is Great

All the actors do a fantastic job. Amandla Stenberg does a great job as both Mae & Osha and they really feel like different characters despite being twins and I like how she sells that duality. Lee Jung-jae as Sol is a really good Jedi, he just fits the role extremely well and I like his connection with Osha throughout the episodes. Everyone else is great and I am liking the characters so far. 

Are there too many characters?

Though I do worry that the previous positive might end up hurting the show. We have a lot of characters here and a lot of people to focus on. We are yet to meet Jodie Turner-Smith's character Mother Aniseya, barely spent time with Rebecca Henderson's Vernestra Rwoh and we still have the main villain to introduce and I hope the show can give plenty to these characters and keep the focus on the ones established in these episodes. 

Who is the Big Bad?

At the end of the first episode, we learn that there is a big bad who is giving Mae instructions and direction for her revenge. Now this individual seems to be a Male and has a red lightsabre, that could start tonnes of theories but I don't think we know enough to even theorise and previous Disney Star Wars shows seem to have led us to stop making these crazy theories. 

We don't really get any big bits of information

I was a little bit surprised by how little really happens in this episode in terms of big story reveals. We have plenty of questions set up for the rest of the season which is great but they don't provide much here and that is a little shame but I guess we will have to be patient over the next 6 episodes. 

Overall

Overall, I was really engaged in these first two episodes of The Acolyte and think it was a really positive start to the show and I really hope we have a real hit on our hands here.