Love, Death & Robots – A Netflix Animated Anthology

Banner — BEYOND THE AQUILA DRIFT, THREE ROBOTS, ALTERNATE HISTORIES, ZIMA BLUE

Love, Death & Robots is a collection of animated short stories that span various genres, whether it’d be Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Horror, or Comedy. This 18 episodes series with 18 different stories includes everything from funny robots, monster pitfights, Cyberpunk murder mystery, alternate history, and even sentient yogurt(?), it is a blast to binged through with every episodes making you wonder what will the next be like, it is without a doubt some of the best things to come out of Netflix in the last couple of years

With an array of beautiful animation styles and creative narratives, this experimental series is full of violent, comedic, and thought provoking themes that will sure to capture your attention. With strong action packed and frightening start of Sonnie’s Edge, and the comedic and lighthearted follow up in Three Robots, this series captured my attention immediately with it’s beautiful yet terrifying Cyberpunk world, and the desolate post apocalyptic world that’s become a tourist attraction for robots. This series kept me wanting more with each stories, and I’ve to admit that I binged watch all the episodes in one night and got lost in the different worlds it has to offer. But making me want more is shows both the pros and the cons of this animated collection.

Naturally with all kinds of short stories, sometimes these episodes struggle to wrap up everything in the short amount of time they’re given. And even some stories here are short and to the point, with a pretty good and satisfying ending. Some episodes end abruptly in a way that’s neither satisfying nor captivating. And some stronger episodes feel like missed opportunities because had they been a full length 50 mins to an hour animation, they would’ve been much better. Good Hunting is one of the best story in the collection and it can’t even escape this reality, with great theme and well-written character, I can’t help but wonder how great this story would be if it had been given more time to develop and fill in its incredible world of magic and technology. Much of the stories felt this way, but I guess that’s okay because in a way, this goes to show how good these stories are and how well written and beautifully animated the entire collection is. I just hope that with so much room to expand on the world of each episodes, Netflix won’t let these little gems go to waste. Overall, I highly recommend this animated anthology to anyone who are not afraid of a little violence, blood, and sexual themes, because this series is hilarious, terrifying, and very very thought provoking.

Alternate Histories — ALTERNATE HISTORIES

Captain Marvel – No Spoiler Review

“Higher. Further. Faster.”

So the long await Captain Marvel, one of the most powerful heroes/heroines in the Marvel Universe, has arrived on screen at last. Many Marvel fans, including myself have been looking forward to this movie for a while, with curiosity and expectation on how they’d portray such a powerful character on the big screen. But unfortunately, after seeing the movie for myself, I have quite a bit of negative thoughts to share with you today, but fret not because this doesn’t mean the movie bad by any means.

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on Captain Marvel, starting with the story.

The Story

The formula of “superhero origin story” MCU uses worked well for them in the past with great movies like Iron Man, Guardians of The Galaxy, or Doctor Strange. However, Captain Marvel is one of the few movies that show that the formula doesn’t always work, and that sometimes the fans want more, especially for a hero this powerful, someone who could go toe-to-toe the mad titan Thanos in the comics, but this movie failed to deliver on a lot of things. Captain Marvel, to put it bluntly, is kinda boring. The story is not bad, the good parts are there and some elements is very interesting, but the way the story was told didn’t do it justice. There was so much story to tell jam-packed into 2 hours that the movie’s pacing feels all over the place, with little time for characters to develop and for plot points to form. This really makes it hard for me to care for a lot of the characters and makes the big twist not as impactful as it could be. I was just like “oh, okay” and that’s not how audience should response to a plot twist. Even after the end of the movie, I find it hard to really get invested with the characters, especially the protagonist. Some of the few saving grace of this for me is Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and the cat Goose, with a little sprinkle of funny Marvel moments here and there. Overall the story is nothing to write home about, it’s fun to look at for about an hour, and it may be very enjoyable to an average movie goers but for a big Marvel fan like me things are starting to get stale.

The Character

Carol Danvers, Vers, Captain Marvel, whatever you wanna call her, is probably one of the most boring superheroes in the MCU, maybe even more than Captain America, simply because throughout the movie, there are no character development for her whatsoever. Save for her regaining her memory, there’s no substantial character progression at all, she’s strong and smart from the start and it felt like she could do anything and nothing is ever a challenge to her. She’s simply overpowered, even more so at the end of the movie, which I won’t spoil. Carol Danvers’ character development is almost nonexistent, making one of the most interesting heroes from the comic looks boring, and Brie Larson’s acting doesn’t help one bit. Brie Larson is not a bad actor by any stretch of the imagination but her performance as Carol Danvers somehow felt very stiff and dull, almost lifeless in some scenes. The way she delivered her lines and the way she reacts to certain things felt very unnatural and artificial.

The Verdict

Captain Marvel is not a bad movie at all, and may very well be enjoyable to a lot of people, and that’s great. But it’s not for me. I could give a pass to the uninspiring story because at the end of the day, I did enjoy it a bit but the boring and overpowered character of Carol Danvers makes me unable to ignore the flaws of the movie. A lot of the things I said so far might look very negative and harsh, because it is, but these are just my thoughts on the movie. I really think a lot of people will enjoy this movie for what it is, because it still contain that fun and exciting Marvel DNA that never fail to make you laugh and grin. It’d still be in theatre for a while so definitely give it a watch, because even though I didn’t left the theatre with a smile, but I didn’t leave it with a frown either.

Alita: Battle Angel – Spoiler Free Movie Review

“An Angel Falls. A Warrior Rises.”

Alita: Battle Angel is an action cyberpunk film based on the 1990s Japanese manga series Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) by Yukito Kishiro. It tells the story of a cyborg girl, Alita, after she wakes up with no memory of her past, in the future dystopian world of Iron City. Alita finds herself hunted as she discovers that she may be the last of a long lost advanced technology.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Written by James Cameron

Starring Rosa Salazar as Alita, Christoph Waltz as Dr.Dyson Ido, Mahershala Ali as Vector

This is a movie that I’ve been looking forward to for a while and I wasn’t disappointed, in fact it exceeds my expectations. In this blog, I will try to give you my opinion on this film as best I can without any spoilers. But keep in mind, the following is my personal opinion and my personal opinion only. But I’ll try to keep this professional and analyse it subjectively. Of course like always I’ll try to split this into parts, The Story, The Characters, and others. So without further ado, let’s start with the story.

The Story

The story of Alita is nothing special but that doesn’t mean it not good. It’s very enjoyable in fact. The theme of a protagonist with lost memory trying to find out who they are may be an overused cliché trope but Alita’s version put an interesting spin on it with great characters and an engaging world. To be honest, there isn’t a lot to say about the story without spoiling it. It’s great, it’s fun, it’s nothing new but it manage to still feel very fresh. And it exceeds my expectations, it’s definitely not your usual brainless fun action movie. The story is captivating and filled with many Cyberpunk tropes sci-fi fans know and love. The world building and character progression is great and done naturally as we, along with Alita, learn more about her past and the truth behind the beautiful Cyberpunk world of Iron City. The story is without flaws however, as the pacing could be a lot better. The story feels a bit too slow towards the beginning and wrapped up too fast towards the end. The story could definitely use another 10-20 mins which I don’t think would make it too long at all because I still want to see more of Alita. Another tiny bit of complain I have is the underdeveloped love story. I hate it when studios shoehorn stupid love story into an action movie. However the love story plot line in Alita is not shoehorned in at all. It’s actually very important to the overall growth of the characters, the thing is it’s very underdeveloped and doesn’t make a lot of sense in some parts. But overall, it’s a great action sci-fi film.

The Characters

Now we’re on to the best part of the film. The characters.

Alita (Rosa Salazar) is a great character with a lot of personality and motivation, she manages to be adorable and innocent but fearsome and strong at the same time and her character progression throughout the film is very natural as she discovers more about her past and her extraordinary abilities, how she fits in the world she doesn’t belong and how she learns to deal with people around her, but she’s still has a lot to learn. I really do fell in love with this character because of her adorable and complex personalities even though she’s a cyborg and isn’t a entirely human (she’s literally made of CGI), she feels very human. I think she’s a greatly written and I hope to see more of her.

Dr.Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) is another great character and this is thanks to none other than the legendary Christoph Waltz himself. This man can play any role and disappear into it. To see him as the caring and protective father figure and mentor to the young Alita is heartwarming and serves as a little spark of light in the dark world of the Iron City as he tries to protect her from the danger lurking around the city, and watch Alita grow up to be something extraordinary.

The Action

The action is Alita is a great fun spectacle. Every punches, and kicks feel impactful and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Again, there’s not a lot to say, actions is louder than words as they say so I this is something that you’d need to see for yourself. But as far as action movies go, this is definitely one of the better ones. There many not be a lot of action sequences in this film but that’s a good think because there is no throwaway fights. Every conflict serves a purpose, and provide growth to Alita as a character.

One last complaint I have with this film, like many other films recently, is the obvious setup for a sequel. What happened to doing a great one off original movie without a franchise in mind? That being said, I’m still excited and can’t wait to see more of Alita, because her story has just started.

Overall, this is a great film that sure to give fans of action and sci-fi a great time. But of course, that’s just my opinion. It’s still in theatre so I highly recommend you give it a watch.

Blade Runner (1982) – Movie Recommendations

“Man Has Made His Match… Now It’s His Problem”

Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. It is based on the classic book “Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?” (1969) written by Philip K. Dick.

The Story

Set in the dystopian future of the year 2019, in a world where technology and megacorporations reign over humanity. It tells the story of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) a “Blade Runner”, special police whose job is to hunt down rogue Replicants, a type of synthetic humans created by the Tyrell Corporation to serve as slaves to mankind. However, when a group of rogue Replicants led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) return to Earth on their quest to kill their maker Dr.Eldon Tyrell and extend their lives, Rick Deckard was called back into duty to deal with these threats. Blade Runner tells it story in the classic detective noir style where we follow Deckard as he investigates and attempts to track down Roy and the other Replicants in order to “retire” them. Just like Deckard, the audience will question what they learn. Who is right? Who is wrong? What does it mean to be human? Everything is grey, there is no black or white here.

The Visuals

Blade Runner uses a dark and moody film noir style that heavily emphasized its Cyberpunk Dystopian setting where technology has advanced, while society deteriorates. With the focus on practical effects instead of CGIs, every shots of every scenes not only looks incredible but also believable. The world of Blade Runner’s 2019 Los Angeles is very detailed, every little things tells a story, from something as little as a broken down bus, to the large Atari skyscraper billboard, everything hinting at the dark secrets of the world of Blade Runner.

The Characters

The characters in Blade Runner is to simply put, phenomenal.

Rutger Hauer performance as Roy Batty, the rogue Replicant, was simply amazing. Even though he is the antagonist of the story, Hauer performance will make the audience sympathise with this Replicant, who just wants to live.

Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard is not to be overlook either. This gritty and experience Blade Runner will stop at nothing to find the truth and do his job.

The Themes

Blade Runner‘s themes are as much about technology as it is about humanity, audiences are left to question what does it means to be human and what is the danger of technology left uncontrolled. To explain this further is to spoil the story, so I’ll will leave this with a statement “More Human Than Human.”

This film is a classic for a reason. With its stunning visuals, amazing storytelling, phenomenal characters, it is a must watch for every sci-fi fans.

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Written by Krongfah Mahankalarp, writer at Day X Productions