Adolescence (2025) Review

It seems like Adolescence is the biggest thing in The UK right now and it took me longer then I would have liked but I have watched the 4 episodes of the show and here is my review. The premise of the show sees a 13 year old boy accused of murdering a girl, we see how this news affects everybody involved. 

Main Character

I feel like Stephen Graham is basically the hardest working actor around, you see him in so many things but this will be up there with his best work yet as he is incredible. You really feel a vulnerability towards him as he plays the father of the accused boy. Graham absolutely nails it and delivers a powerhouse performance that should be commended for sure. 

Supporting Characters

This show introduces Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, the boy who is accused of murder and this kid is fantastic. This is his first ever acting gig and if he wants to keep acting then he has huge potential to be a big star. You really feel the anger from him but a mix of youth that you want to care about and see him innocent. Cooper really delivers alongside these great actors and it sets him up well for the future. 

Ashley Walters plays the detective of the case and he is also really good. You can see the stress that he goes through. It was interesting seeing this experience from the polices point of view and Walters does a great job in his role. 

Erin Doherty is only in one episode but it is probably the best episode and she is fantastic as a psychiatrist. Her dynamic with Cooper is brilliant and it had me invested in the entire episode and she was a great addition. 

The rest of the cast are also fantastic, everybody understood how important it was to nail these roles and add depth to their characters and I credit everybody involved with the show. 

Story

The story is good, it really does an excellent job of showing how one major incident can affect so many people no matter their age or gender. It is a really moving piece of television and it looks at themes that are pretty tough and we just don't see this much. My only criticism, is the lack of finality and completion, it does this on purpose and I guess I just wanted to know slightly more about this whole situation but that is a minor criticism. 

Script 

The film is incredibly well written, it just feels real and that these people are just regular people that are going through a terrible thing and they are acting like regular people would. It doesn't feel over the top or Hollywood and that was absolutely necessary for this show. 

Style

One of the major things that people have been talking about is that this is a one shot show and that there are no camera cuts during the episodes and this makes everything feel alive and that we are in these closed locations that shows people go about their days. I think it did add something to this show and wasn't just here as a novelty. Its a slower paced show but the content here is so good that you won't mind. 

Overall

Overall, Adolescence is a fantastic show that seems like it is going to be really important in the short term. It can be a tough watch and I am not sure whether I will ever watch it again but I can't deny that it is a must see and I would highly recommend this show. 

Rating - 9/10

Black Bag (2025) Review

Recently, I saw the trailer for Black Bag and decided that I had to watch it. It has an all star cast and looked like a cool spy thriller so I went to the cinema today and watched the film and here is my review. The premise of the film sees a secret agent come under suspicion of betrayal, her husband who is also a secret agent must decide what is more important - his marriage or the world. 

Main Character

Michael Fassbender plays George and Cate Blanchett plays Kathryn and I think they were great together in the film. Fassbender in particular gets plenty of time to develop his character and I really like how they made him interesting. Their relationship is interesting and they have this really great subtle chemistry together that makes them great together on screen. 

Supporting Characters

As mentioned this film has a great cast including Marisa Abela who plays Clarissa, she is probably the one we spend the most time with and I think she was pretty fascinating to watch on screen and she had a real presence especially around these other bigger name actors. 

The issue is that this film doesn't really care too much about its supporting cast and wastes all this talent on screen. Tom Burke, Rege-Jean Page, Naomi Harris and Pierce Brosnan are all in this film and are all good in terms of their performances but I didn't care about any of their characters. They are incredibly generic and due to other issues with the film we never get enough with them to truly care. 

Story

The best parts of the story is when the film focuses on the intense talking situations such as a couple of group dinners and a polygraph sequence that I really liked and that is due to some good dialogue and acting. But the actual premise of the film is overly convoluted and had me not really caring. No spoilers but I found the ending really predictable and because of the short runtime I never grew to fully care and I felt like the film needed to be longer in order to tell its story fully. 

Script

This film was written by David Koepp who is a great writer and there is some great dialogue here and some really intense scenes that are the best parts of the film. However, the films plot is all over the place and it feels like it was an afterthought compared to the dialogue. 

Style

The film looks great and possibly my favourite part of the film is the music. It all really delivered on making this film feel like a spy thriller and something that you don't see very often these days. But as I have mentioned a few times, this film barely hits 90 mins and it is just too short to make you fully buy into the story that is being told here. Also, if you saw the trailer and thought this would be an action thriller you will be disappointed as this is a film all about dialogue and mystery. 

Overall

Overall, Black Bag is an above average spy film. Some great acting and dialogue rise this up but it falls below expectations due to some generic storytelling and short runtime. Probably one to watch when it ends up on a streaming service but I wouldn't rush to the cinema for it. 

Rating - 6/10

Star Wars: Episode 1 - Jedi Power Battles (2000/2025) Review

It seems in recent years that Star Wars games are getting remastered left, right and centre. The newest one is Star Wars: Episode 1 - Jedi Power Battles, I found the time to sit down and play this game and here is my review for it. The premise of the game sees iconic Star Wars characters going through the events of The Phantom Menace, taking down Battle Droids, Tusken Raiders & Mercenaries alike. 

Characters

Now, I won't deny that it is pretty entertaining playing as this roster of characters especially lesser used characters such as Ki-Adi Mundi and Plo Koon as it added something a bit more to this game. 

However, there isn't really any characterisation of these characters and it doesn't really matter who you are playing as, there is literally no real dialogue and no differentiation apart from a little bit of the combat.  

Story

As mentioned above, this game follows the story of The Phantom Menace, well kind of. It never really feels this way and it just feels like there is a background for these characters to go around and defeat enemies. The one thing to build to is the battle with Darth Maul but it sucks that this battle is underwhelming and incredibly cheap making it more frustrating then enjoyable. 

Side Content

There are some side activities that can be completed, like playing as a Droideka and capturing Jar Jar Binks. Yeah, these are awful and though I applaud them for trying with side content but it really feels like an afterthought and is dull. 

Gameplay

The gameplay is okay, I will give them credit that they gave all the characters unique combos and it did feel pretty unique depending on who you play as. But it felt like I was just hitting the bad guys with a stick and I just didn't feel like I was playing as a Jedi much. Also the blaster characters are pretty useless and you are never going to be able to complete the game with these characters. 

Graphics

The game has some okay graphics and most of the character models represent the characters well. The sound design is pretty good and takes most of it from the film. But some of the graphics are poor, especially for the villains and there is some annoying sounds such as Jar Jar screaming over and over again. 

Overall

Overall, Star Wars: Episode 1 - Jedi Power Battles is a bad game that is incredibly dull and boring in the modern day. It belongs to the past and I wouldn't bother spending your time and money on it. 

Rating - 3/10