terrsgc

I've given this movie one more star than I might otherwise have because, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed this one a lot.

The only reason I saw this movie in the first place is because after watching Goodbye Charlie (1964) I wanted to see all the remakes for comparison. I found and watched three true remakes and eight similarly premised movies that I wouldn't call remakes. Of this dozen movies (including the original), I liked Sam the best by far. Natalie Knepp really sold the female version of the main character as a man suddenly in a woman's body. What's more she sold it while making the role likeable. And, she made her basically despicable character extremely amusing and likeable despite her flaws. It was easy to care how things turned out for her. Sein Kleier, Sara Scott, and Brock Harris were particularly good in their roles as well. And, none of the acting was bad. But, Natalie was the true stand-out.

That all being said, I can't help but find fault as well. The office environment, while played for laughs, is unbelievable in this day and age. Seymour and Lulu are just a bit too silly. While Brock Harris had his character pegged, he really needed to have the same hair and eye color as Natalie for one of the plot points to work.

The movie is unrated, but I would mostly call it PG13. Older kids should enjoy it safely. There is some profanity, but it's infrequent compared to a lot of movies.

I have watched this series since it first came on Netflix. Season 1 was brilliant. It captivated me, and when it was over I only wanted more. Season 2 gave me more, but to be honest it wasn't as good as the first season. It wasn't bad. It just didn't floor me like the first season did. Season 3 was better than season 2. The Mall nostalgia made it particularly interesting. However, it still didn't truly match the brilliance of season 1. Season 4 didn't match it either. Season 4 exceeded the brilliance of season 1. Season 4 introduced us to the story's antagonist, which up until now was simply a mysterious malevolence inhabiting a universe parallel to our own. Now, we know it for the evil it truly is. I was wondering if the show was slowly running out of steam. Now I know it isn't. I can hardly wait for the fifth and final season.

Okay, I just watched the movie. It started out quite interesting if a bit confusing, got more interesting, then it started to drag a bit for a while, then we finally learned the hidden background information, and finally it picked back up and got quite exciting to the end. The acting performances were ALL good. Being a Coulson fan, I'm a little disappointed we didn't see more of him. And, I'd like to have seen Mar-Vel a male if only as homage to the character in the comics. But, these are far from real criticism of the movie itself, just personal taste. In the past I would have given this 6 stars and wished I could have added a 1/2 star. But, I've since learned that 6 is considered the dividing line between good and bad (at least at Rotten Tomatoes). Silly me, I figured 5 was that dividing line. Anyway I gave it a 7 and wish for that half star. Also, now wish I'd given Alita a 9.

Now, as for all the hype. We've got 10-star reviews out there claiming the same things as the 1-star reviews, the difference being one side is in favor of it and the other is against it. I'm telling you now it is all something that bulls leave lying around the pasture. Aside from one short flashback to some military training hazing, there really wasn't much in the way of feminist propaganda. And, that scene lacked enough context to say for sure it wasn't just the standard military training hazing that is designed to push you to achieve if you possibly can. As for the supposed propaganda about "refugees", it is a total stretch to say that anything in the movie correlates to any current controversies in any way.

I don't believe I've given any real spoilers, so I won't check that box.