movieliker1's reviews

I thought it was good. I binged watched all the episodes. (They're only 6.) But it wasn't a 10 to me. My main problem was the characters. None were really appealing. More specifically, they argued and fought constantly. It was very annoying. This is not the group I would want to be stuck with, in an emergency.

Otherwise, the story was good. The special effects were good. And other than the constant fighting, the dialogue was good.

Minor criticisms and observations

• That Alfredo had some crazy eyes. He didn't look like someone I could trust to keep his head on straight in an emergency.

• That Omar stole the groups' only vehicle in the beginning just because he selfishly wanted to get out. And later on, when they find themselves together again, he accuses them of being untrustworthy? Another person I wouldn't want to be stuck with in an emergency.

• That young boy they rescued from the closet at the school was so disrespectful, insulting and offensive. Whatever happened to "respect your elders"? I would have left him to fend for himself.

• The female characters were so anti gun, it's illogical. You're stuck in a disaster where there are obvious deadly criminal threats. And no law and order. And you refuse to protect yourself and others in your group?

Pros ------- 1) Jessica Biel is terrific. Generally the acting is good. Elizabeth Banks does a good job. But Biel is on a level of her own.

(I personally have a hard time buying Elizabeth Banks as a drug addicted loser. Her real-life persona is always so upbeat, together, beautiful, successful, happy, etc.)

2) Good writing and dialogue.

3) Technically it's done well - cinematography, sound, music.

4) Beginning and ending episodes were good. (Slowed down in the middle.)

Cons -------- 1) For me, it really slowed down in the middle. Too much angst, individual problems, family problems, nothing was getting done, murder investigation was going nowhere.

The middle was all about dysfunction.

I felt like I was not the target audience for that part. I grew up in a good family. Are we perfect? Not in the least. But not as screwed up as this family and characters are.

I guess this appeals to much of America. With all its breakdown of the family, broken homes, single parents, etc. But I'm personally tired of it. Doesn't appeal to me.

The murder investigation was essentially put on hold in the middle episodes. The middle was mainly about dysfunction. Dysfunctional family, dysfunctional people, angst, dramatic music, etc.

Some viewers may like that. Seemed like a made for the Lifetime Channel series. But it picked up in the last 3/4 episodes as it got back to the murder investigation and trial.

6 out of 10 for me.

• Lots of nudity. Full frontal for the woman. Only rear for the man. Lots of sex. Soft porn.

• Exterior special effects and visuals look good. The music is good.

• The outside of the space ship looks good. But the inside only has three computer keyboards, three computer monitors, the android's charging station, and flashing lights.

The rest of the inside of the spaceship is just dark metal tunnels with no visible controls.

• Human man and female android never ever do any work. All time is spent on their relationship.

• Man is sent on a space mission alone. But with a female android. Who he falls in love with. Man has bad relationship history with (real) women.

• I assume the movie is supposed to say something about android emotional sentience. But I never got it.

• I can see why some reviews said they kept fast forwarding the movie ten minutes here, and ten minutes there. It took me about four sittings to finish the movie. It's really slow. Lots of scenes of the characters doing nothing. And the flashing lights on the ship seem to serve no practical purpose. Just there for melodramatic affect.

I guess it's okay. Good special effects, action, and acting. Except for the over used horror trope of the characters running around like frightened ninnies.

I understand a horror movie would not be as frightening if any character would act in a brave, calm, cool collected manner. But it is annoyingly redundant and lacking in originality and imagination to constantly throw stupid imbeciles at the screen and expect anyone except stupid imbeciles to relate.

To be honest, the main character (Rain played by Cailee Spaeny) is kind of smart and resourceful. But she ain't brave, calm, cool and collected. I quickly got tired of the constant look of panic on her face, and in her acting.

(I mean these characters are stealing a space ship, to raid a damaged ship, to escape to a planet they are not authorized to go to, that is supposed to take years to get to. Did they really think there would be no danger involved? I know they never expected to run into deadly aliens. But come on, danger is danger. And weenieing out into full panic mode --- these kids were never qualified for the original mission.)

And I know it's just silly entertainment. But the premise doesn't make sense. As often reported, the Nostromo was obliterated in the first movie Alien by three nuclear explosions. So to have any of it still intact makes no sense. And Ripley blew the first alien out of the escape shuttle. So how did it end up back in this movie?

And how illogically convenient Rain's companion is a pacifist android. Her father left it to take care of his daughter. Wouldn't an android armed with self defense abilities be better at taking care of his daughter, than a wimpy pacifist everybody beats up just for fun?

For me, nothing will compare to the first movie. Because I was much younger then, and no scifi horror movie had ever been made like this before. Until the first Alien movie, all previous scifi movies were campy B movies with silly special effects.

And I personally find suspense and mystery more frightening than action and easy to see monsters. The first Alien movie left a lot to the imagination. And I think what we don't know or understand is more scary than what we can easily see.

But once again, I know the target audience is teens and twenty year olds. Not anybody old enough to have seen the original when it first came out. And more likely not to be tired of horror movie tropes yet.

6 out of 10 for me.

Most of the negative reviews here don't seem to realize this is a comedy. They take it too seriously. With complaints about realism and probabilities.

I agree, it got a little too ridiculous for me at first. Mainly because of the Freddy character (brother of the main character Eddie played by Theo James). At first he was too exagerrated, ridiculous, and irresponsible for me. I actually turned it off in the beginning because of him. I only came back to it, because I couldn't find anything better. And I'm glad I did. Thankfully his character wised up a little as the series went on. And became a little more responsible, and less wreckless and foolish.

To me, the star of the show was the Susie Glass character played by Kaya Scodelario. As a guy, I just thought she was breathtaking. With her big beautiful blue eyes, gorgeous face, statuesque figure, and amazing wardrobe. Added to that, I thought her character was the most interesting, and intriguing. She was written well, and portrayed wonderfully by the actress. Opposed to the Freddy character, she was very serious, smart, composed, confident and practical.

Yes, all the acting was good from Theo James, to the Geoff character, to Lady Sabrina, to the sister, etc. Even the gangsters were written and played well. I did not find them cliche or undeveloped. Also the cinematography and music was good. I didn't like all the rap music. But I understand that is popular with the young people today. But I did like the classical and choir music.

Once again, I agree it got a little silly in the beginning. And I often found the Freddy character annoying. That is why I only gave it a 7/10. But it improved as it went on. And unlike a lot of reviewers here, I liked the ending.

In the first two episodes, Royal (Josh Brolin) decides to dump a dead body in a mysterious hole that has appeared on his property. Why?

His son got in a bar fight. His opponent died. No witnesses. And (as far as shown in first two episodes) no security cameras. The police (unless controlled by the family of the dead fighter) would never charge the victor of the fight with murder, since it was self defense.

But instead of calling the police, the Abbot family decides it's better to secretly dispose of the body. Definitely breaking the law and digging a deeper hole for themselves.

On top of that, every character in this show mumbles like a brain dead ignoramus.

Maybe if I continued, this show would explain why the characters are making such stupid decisions. But I personally don't find any character appealing or interesting.

Maybe Amazon found out through studies and surveys that most Americans are brain dead ignoramuses. And this would appeal to them.

Maybe ignorance is bliss.

Thumbs down for me.

• It's done well. Jodie Comer is good as Villanelle the assassin. But this is listed as a thriller. When it should be classified as a comedy. It's very unrealistic and illogical.

• I watched until episode three where the Sandra Oh character (Eve Polastri) realizes who Villanelle is based on a previous meeting. The highly dangerous, effective and efficient assassin she's looking for. Not only that, but it is apparent to everyone, including her, that Villanelle knows who she is.

• Eve supposedly works for MI6 one of the most effective spy agencies in the world. So what does Eve do? She travels to Berlin, gets out of a car while Villanelle is sitting right there staring at her. What kind of highly trained spy is Eve? Even a normal person would have noticed Villanelle sitting right there staring at her. Especially since Villanelle is supposed to be the highly dangerous, effective and efficient assassin Eve is looking for. And especially since everyone knows Villanelle knows Eve is looking for her.

Then Eve carelessly leaves her luggage on the street out of sight. Which Villanelle easily steals. Eve is an incompetent and clueless idiot.

• I don't find Sandra Oh attractive. I don't like looking at her. Some unattractive actors and actresses play attractive characters because of portrayed personality or intelligence. But this is not Eve. She's an idiot.

• I like to watch portrayed realism or smartness. This show is neither. I already know how to be an incompetent and clueless idiot. Nothing to learn here. And I don't find clueless idiots interesting in real life. Or in fiction. This show is not entertaining for me. If I continued, it would just be annoying.

My family grew up spending half our time in the country, hunting, fishing, and camping. My little sisters grew up hunting, fishing and skinning, gutting, and preparing wild game for consumption.

Yes, little kids and girls might cry and scream. But these little girls were flat out annoying. Absolutely no survival skills or common sense. Annoyingly whinning, screaming and crying all the time.

The youngest daughter was just plain dumb in a way most little girls would not be. When told to hide with her older sister, she disobeys her parents to retrieve her toy. After finding it in the danger zone, instead of running back to safety, she stays in harms way, crying.

Then when the family is trying to escape into the tunnels, when it's her turn, she stops half way between safety and the tunnel entrance to stare at the attacking space ship. Ends up getting her mother injured.

This is a good example of the horror movie cliche of "You need the characters to be stupid, or do stupid things, in order to advance the plot, or provide a scare."

• Bad acting. Especially Michael Pena and the little girls. (The little girls might have been just doing what the director told them to do, whinning, crying and screaming all the time.)
• Most of the movie takes place at night. Making it hard to see what's happening.

• But the big reveal/twist is cool.

I'll turn off a really bad movie. I watched this all the way to the end.

I thought it was boring and slow. They kept playing dramatic music like something horrible and shocking was going to happen. But nothing ever did.

I understand it's supposed to be about the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Indicating it was an unhealthy relationship. And how older women can take unfair advantage of younger men.

I thought technically it was done well. The acting was good. I like Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. And Charles Melton got a lot of raves on his performance.

But it seemed like this movie never went anywhere. I kept waiting for something to happen. But nothing ever did.

I think viewers will enjoy this movie more, if they know --- going in --- it's supposed to represent the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Otherwise like me, they may be left holding out their hands as if to ask, "What was that supposed to be?"