manuel-nascimento

After the original Episode 4-6 trilogy, it's been all downhill, let's face it.

I'm rewatching this at home many years after watching it in the cinema on original release. This is such a good movie with an excellent original story and characters and performances, that ALSO ties up directly with Episode IV beautifully - without any cheap fan-service and cringe.

You get to see hard boiled rebel fighters with no "hero-candy" on them, you get to see hard sacrifices for the Rebellion in the time of their desperate need, and you get to see all of this with heart and charisma and no cheap stuff.

The Stormtroopers are no meme here, they may not be the elite warriors out there, but they're not cartoonish either.

Another aspect is: even though there's little "Jedi" / Force stuff, it feels true Star Wars in a way other stuff doesn't.

Also, this movie just blends in so naturally into episode IV it's like you are watching security cam footage - no aggrandizing, just the bare stuff that in itself is good.

And if you like space battles with capital ships and fighters and crazy piloting maneuvers: you got the best here in spades.

Again, after this movie, I've felt it has all been downhill. I'm glad I came back to this, maybe one day one true Star Wars film will be great again.

After 8y and a new trilogy and many TV series I go back to this movie and yep: this is still the modern best, BY A MILE!

Ever since Rogue One I've been disappointed in the many Star Wars releases that followed.

This one has a decent overall story for the main characters and to be fair has an excellent casting for 10y old Leia that's adorable but not just the tear-jerking candy that "baby Yoda" is: this is how to show the makings of a great character such as we know Leia to be, with true heart and character to her, despite her young age.

Unfortunately, there's a multitude of repeating problems throughout the episodes: too many times the good guys are in dire straits, impossible odds, and the Empire with its overwhelming strength and resources, after pouring so much of them in many a chase, the next second just seemingly does nothing so the good guys can get away. Again and again.

It's "details" and "nit-picks", but they are constantly adding up, robbing a lot of the believability of the series. Seems like very rookie mistakes in what otherwise could be a good show.

It's totally inconsistent again and again how things are so dire one second only for the Empire seemingly to go "meh" and let the good guys away with it.

Even with one of the major antagonists, the Third Sister, over time her backstory is revealed beautifully, but then somehow she endures the impossible like it was nothing.

Not too bad of a show, but had lots of potential that was squandered imho by these seemingly "details" but they throw off a major part of the believability of all of it.

The saving grace is we get to see Obi-Wan and young Leia - we love these characters from what we've seen before so that saves it, but this alone wouldn't build it...

When you think you've seen just about everything a western has got to show you, think again.

This inspired me way more than all the tropes the genre has been serving me for decades. It features all you probably know, but it brings it about in a much more authentic way and with an original twist to the story - without spoiling it I'll just stay it subverts expectations.

Also I'm just glad the genre hasn't withered down to a cliché - there's still honest stuff being told, like the likes of this.

In particular the honest to the soul dialogue is so well done - heart-piercing even. 1884, that's when this how is set, that's 140y before I was born :) Yet I can feel something more than myself with this.

There's a lot of interesting and deep individual characters here to make worth your while. Heck at least some of them will make you relate. There is wisdom to be found here, a wisdom you can't get nowadays in the modern, safe age.

Excellent show and performances by pretty much every character and actor/actress. Cheers.

In an age where you're constantly bombarded left and right by a myriad of streaming services preying down upon you for every last cent of your money, you've grown accustomed to the notion that the very best stuff is probably not in it.

Boy, am I glad to be so wrong. I was born in 84 and have witnessed some anime that have been excellent in their own right and also have influenced taste and direction for many years/decades to come.

I even felt that the best stuff was past us already, but not anymore with this series.

It brings together impeccable and original new characters and also visual design and animation mastery. If you have any slight interest in "samurai" stuff or "animation" stuff you'd be hard press not to enjoy this. This is truly a great refresher of why animation is a great way to convey all the meaning of the message of the script, and why the visual presentation in the "animation" style can achieve this by being more than simply photo realistic. You can, and they DID present things so much more valuably with the painting and animation style - I keep being reminded why so many different artists and styles in human history kept to this day: they were impactful in their presentation.

I'm not doing it justice with the good taste of the presentation, it's very exciting and engaging whilst not falling down to the usual clichés - it overcomes them.

In conclusion I'm dazzled by this - it seems to come from an earlier time where classics were born and stayed as such for 20+ years. Nope, this one is fresh and up there with the best ever.

Most samurai flicks are about stoic characters, impregnable spirits, rigorous sword fighting training and flashy combat scenes.

What if it's like 200y after the Sengoku Jidai and you focus your attention on a particular character that is Samurai status on that social ladder, but has low income, two young daughters, his wife has died and also has an elder mother who most days cannot remember who he is?

This movie brings in to focus all that in the most natural, day-to-day perspective, bringing forth all that it matters most - the human struggle of it all. At first you may react as if it's "boring", but surely you connect to the authentic struggles of a family man, only that it's set in another time period and another culture.

It takes some effort to realize this and take people away from the cliché "samurai" movie, but the writing is very clever in setting it up, down to the detail of obviously the narrator is the youngest girl, around 5y old.

What ensues is a mix of a period drama set at the time, with all the social aspects clearly present, shown in a sensible way, but given the different time period it begs empathy and connection from the audience.

It's no wonder the main character portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada as since been present in so many movies - his range goes effortlessly between the competent and practical sword fighting "samurai" to the family man who has a good heart and appreciates the simple things in day-to-day life, like his family, doing his duty and being appreciative in the every day things.

This is a no fuss movie with great taste and sensibility that's hard to come by.

J-dramas in my experience always mean some sort of cliché-adhering, trope-involving affairs, mixing romantic themes and coming-of-age themes, etc., that moset of the time barely make it above the cut.

This show however really struck me as departing from all of that and honestly presenting a premise of: what if a 30y+ old girl got "stuck" in her relationship that seemed to not go nowhere and met someone who's 15y old and made all her life feelings in question? It's naive and dramatic on so many levels, starting with the age gap, but sadly if you're like me you can relate to the dimension of being older and seemingly all the sparks of life are diluted into nothingness and though you're not even 40 you feel like you're dead... SO... this one premise really moves you.

Together with all this, the cinematography on this show is WAY above average. In many of the multiple 25 min episodes I felt like I was watching a masterpiece movie from a respected cinematographer - this never happens on an american TV show. It's a TV series that feels like a succession of very good quality indie movies with great taste.

It may start as just another japanese romantic show but it's incredibly WAY more deeper than that. So many things nowadays purport to be "feminist", whatever that means. Besides all that I've written above, this show has got to be one of few times I felt something true about that. Highly recommended.

This is hard to review without spoiling, but watching it it's more than worth it. Ever been to high school in the USA and something fishy went on between boys and girls?

Probably no big deal, probably someone just got drunker than they should. I mean, I was a teen once, I remember it (even if in real life I don't say it to my friends...)

Now I'm 30 right, but I still remember what happened all those years ago. Everybody seems to have moved on, I wonder why...

This movie explores brilliantly this kind of setup that it builds. Also, shocker, the main character is a girl, which is a HUGE perspective in facts occurred.

This had me gripped after like 15 mins when a proper scene had proper time to develop I had to bring myself to address my proper attention to it.

By the end it improperly managed to surprise me beyond my expectations in a positive way. Though like this one I wonder if tragically my expectations are so low I need this one thing in my live to actually reset my values.

Very good movie with great performances all around.

Live action adaptations of anime usually are quite cheap - they feel like the producers just want to cash out with the franchise name, because it is a thing you can do since the original material has a place in a lot of people's hearts so they will go and see it.

And why is it that the original material has a place in people's hearts? Well, I'm happy to say if you watch this adaptation you will understand it.

I remember being a teen and there was a lot of anime around, like Pokemon or Dragon Ball, but personally I was drawn to Rurouni Kensin - the time period is so interesting: the Bakumatsu when the Tokugawa Shogunate was dying down. You can learn so much about Japan before and after this with this period.

The human drama of the various characters was also a strong pull, and this is all drawn out in the adaptation to a very high degree. From the idealistic and motherly figure of Kaoru, to the exploited turned hero Megumi, to the desperately young but heart in the right place Yahiko, etcetc - they bring the characters right on this movie.

It's a story about after you've gone to the depths of your human darker side, seemingly for the greater good, but now you wish you could abandon all that and live in peace - but then ghosts from your past keep coming. Yet, you realize you are not alone in your plight.

Features a constant epic feel, top of the line period drama settings, wardrobes, etc, excellent action pieces of various kinds.

I can scarcely believe a 90s anime could be brought forward so spectacularly to live action 20y after. Excellent job.

Summary: So I look back at this movie with higher than average regard as a movie that didn't make me cringe right from the start, was pretty engaging all the way, had some very nice action/fighting sequences, and a cool finale.

More detail: As with any existing franchise spanning multiple entries - like the Mortal Kombat videogames which go up to like 11 now? - it's hard to make the ONE movie that's encapsulates all the essence of it and still brings newcomers around.

Still, this movie I feel does a pretty damn good job for a first entry.

I've only dabbled in the franchise with MK2 when I was younger, it's not like I know that much. But I appreciated the story and felt like even not knowing that much about the games was not a deterrent to me enjoying the movie.

Then, you get multiple fighting sequences that are pretty cool and unique, including different characters with different powers.

It crescendos all the way up to the end with a pretty epic finale in a satisfying way. This was a pretty good time for a fighting movie.

Even the closest thing to "comic relief", the character Kano, is done with zero cringe, not like the overwhelming majority of MCU-like movies around. Honestly, this alone made me appreciate it a lot.

Yes, it's not innovative or original by any particular stretch, but it's damn pretty solid - nothing wrong about that.

Writing this, and having watched some other shows in the genre, I feel like this one is not spectacularly better than the best I've seen, but by the end of it I realize I was very invested and entertained that I just had the best time with this show.

Like any other dorama or anime show, the premise starts heavy within the trope-space allotted to these by kami-sama (or so it seems, for many a show follow this path). Then it's up to you to evaluate whether the build-up for the setting and the main characters are worth your time.

I'm happy to say this one has risen over the top for me. I will not spoil the stuff but let's just this is far from my first rodeo in this genre, whether it is anime or live-action - still this show had me genuinely going all the way. It also features a very interesting but down to live female main character together with a very interesting stricter male character, from which the main energy of the show stems from, and lots of events ensue.

If you are not looking for those over the top once in a lifetime hero-characters, but rather the sweet "what if?" in stuff akin to your real life - this is another great show for you. Even the intro and outro are sweet without being over the top performance-wise.

Quite a decent heartwarming that doesn't suck all your time to watch it but rather it provides the time for an interesting crossing of the main characters.

Cheers.

The original version of this - Rurouni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Royuman Tan- Tsuioku-hen - (1999) was a 4 episode anime spin-off of the original series "Samurai X" as it was known in the west. The original version was staggeringly good in visual presentation, drama and character building, bringing to life, in just 4 episodes, one of the most classical anime (japanese animation) ever - mixing historical importance together with personal drama in a touching way that is rarely seen. It's probably amongst the upper echelons of anime work ever done

Live-action adaptations of "anime" usually fall short, since the animated versions are so versatile and iconic in their design that putting them in live-action form usually makes for a lessened version.

This time around, I'm very satisfied with this interpretation. It keeps all of the drama and features some awesome action pieces whilst not forgetting the soul and visual design of it all. It's fateful and tasteful, which cannot be said of lots of live-action adaptations. The cinematography is great and imparts a heavy meaning in pretty much all the scenes, which propels the gravitas of this very high even whilst you don't notice it. It manages to realize an epic historic drama mixing the overall themes of the historic period with the minute particulars of singular people living at that time.

This is a no-brainer if you enjoy japanese "samurai" stuff and are ready for heavy human drama in that. The only caveat to enjoying this movie is if you don't know ANYTHING about the bakumatsu period of japanese history at all, you'll probably be a bit lost. Do yourself a favour and watch some documentary about it on YT or the like.

I've watched many a British period drama from the likes of BBC, etc., this one is of the first I ever watched and as the years go by it just grows more and more in my appreciation.

It's mostly a story about various family realities and the way people interact with each other, within the family and elsewhere, nothing apparently grand about it. But there are just so many excellent performances from the different characters and the scenes are so well made it's a constantly engaging.

Justine Waddel as a the main character Molly performs just so perfectly: Molly is a young, naïve and strong willed girl, but utterly good-hearted. She genuinely exudes the right aura for the character - you can feel her innocence and honesty and utter love for her father. It's truly heart warming to see that family of her and her father so "cosily" displayed in so many "casual" day to day interactions - I never found such a truthful display of family love such as in this series.

Many many other actors perform just as well bringing to life their characters' traits. I'm constantly struck at how in the majority of scenes every character gives off lots more than just the dialogue with small gestures, facial expressions, body movements, etc etc, enriching the painting in every scene. You can rewatch this again and again and get more nuances out of it. You truly get intimate with the realities of the characters.

I could write novels about how well just about every other character is acted out so well, in every moment of every scene - I can't begin to endeavour that.

And alongside all of this, you get lots of gleans into many different aspects of society at the time, which never really take the primary focus, but instead by not being directly addressed are naturally shown rather than told - making it, imho, more poignant. AND a glimpse of the scientific society of the time too, which I found very interesting.

And I need to acknowledge the soundtrack as well, very lovely and charming and expressive altogether.

In conclusion, I feel like even though "Wives and Daughters" may not boast as strong an impact as the likes of Austen's works, this rendition of the work is utterly charming and rich with subtle detail as making it one of the most genuine adaptations I've ever see.

TLDR: great Law show with high production AND two twists: set in Korea, main character is autistic. Also: truly heart warming stuff for the ages.

I've seen a few of different crime dramas over the years - I love a Law show that delves deep into the letter of the Law over each case whilst still bearing in mind the "politics" of attorneys, prosecutors, but last AND not least, the morality of everything involved.

This show in the first episode brings it all together INCLUDING a twist I've never seen before: the main character is autistic. I'm no expert in autism, but so far the actor has had an astounding performance whilst the pilot still establishes the history, the premise, features a good first case and introduces interesting characters and hints at past relationships between some.

It was a very strong first episode with flavours of positive energy towards everything in this situation, despite how harsh IRL situations analogous to this could expectably follow.

Last but not least, the extraordinary performance by the main actress is nothing short of that (true to the title) and also seeing such a good show produced and portrayed outside the US is also very nice. Nothing wrong about the US, to be clear, but as a Portuguese, I know there's a wide world out there, and seeing the Korean flavour in this is refreshing.

PS: after watching all of it, and as a 38y old who has watched so many different shows, I feel it's unavoidable that this is the absolute best. All the production elements are excellent but the characters and the performances from the actors make this a down to earth heart-punching love letter.

PPS: not just refreshing - some things here and there resonated for me to the way things happen or happened in my hometown - that familiar feeling across immensely distant cultures over the centuries can only mean one thing: we are all humans and we relate.

Where most of the sci-fi movies like this are really just scary action movies in a sci-fi setting, this unassuming title surprised me a lot in a good way by being deeper than that.

Without spoiling anything, the setup is pretty typical at first glance, where a team of people are sent on a rescue mission to the most remote mining outpost, where something as gone terribly wrong due to circumstances unknown, possibly a contaminant of some sort. Upon arrival, however, and after events unfold, what I found was that the movie explores the effects of what happens on said team, the effects on their minds and psyches, much better than I usually see.

Additionally, the background setting in the 23rd century is well established, even if the movie provides only the basics of it in order to leave most of the screen time to the main action, which is fine. Furthermore, the environments and props, etc, I found very well done, as were the visual effects.

I thought the ending left some questions to be thought about, which I feel is a good in sci-fi too. So, all in all, I found it very enjoyable and quite better than the average sci-fi movie.