kastellos

This movie benefited by the "halo effect" of "Game of Thrones" (Clarke) and "Hunger Games" (Clafin) because it is not really a good movie. IMDb readers rated it a 7.5 but I don't understand why, so I assume it is because everyone loves "Game of Thrones" and "Hunger Games" and the actors in them (except for me). Ms Clarke is annoying; the movie is overly long, it is predictable, and I have little sympathy for any of the characters. Clarke does not stand up to her unemployed father and sister who wants Clarke to work to support the family so the sister can escape. And although Clafin is horribly injured and one should empathize with his plight, it is not easy to forget that he got injured soon after leaving his girl friend's bed and was hit by a motorcycle while absorbed by his smart phone while crossing the street. Moreover, he and his family have more money than Trump.

The story is an old one. Quirky young woman cares for person with physical problems. It was done much better in "Dying Young," "You're Not You" and "Passion Fish." I recommend these three, especially the latter two and forget "Me Before You."

I was anxious to see Jessica Jones when it was announced, but after four episodes I took it off my Watch List. Jessica is a mess. It is good to see, and I liked the idea of, a "super hero" having flaws. However, flaws is one thing, but being an irrational, overbearing, unintelligent, promiscuous drunk, is a bit too much. She is so obnoxious it is difficult to believe that Pam (her friend) and Jeri (her lawyer-employer) would put up with her and continue to help her. This show is simply annoying - I found myself fast-forwarding through most of it.

David Tennant, whom I enjoyed in Broadchurch, is wasted. Carrie Moss, as usual, is very good. The lead, Krysten Ritter, is not that good, she seems to think screaming and moaning are acting. I have seen her do better work, so the fault may lie with the writing or the direction. Regardless, it is very disappointing and not worth the time to watch.

I liked very much the first 4 or 5 episodes, but then............. In the beginning the premise is interesting, unrealistic of course, but it is, after all, fiction. Once Claire is in Scotland, I liked it very much. The Scottish country-side, the costumes, the customs (I liked in particular the pomp surrounding the Laird and the wedding of Claire and Jamie, and I especially loved the Scottish Gaelic. How Claire copes with her new environment kept my interest as did the introduction of the Jacobite movement.

After Claire's marriage the series goes downhill. While the wedding night sex scene was well done and added to the story, the continuous showing of Claire's breasts and her and Jamie's love-making became voyeuristic and added absolutely nothing to the story-line - it is there simply to titillate sex starved women and 14 year-old boys. This type of "Shades of Grey" and "romance novel" exhibitionism is really not interesting. When will the entertainment industry learn that most of us are far too mature to be excited by this stuff. We want a good story.

Furthermore, as an ex-runway model, Ms. Balfe is far, far more attractive with her clothes on, than with them off - she is simply too runway model skinny to look good naked. With clothes on, she is very attractive, some may say beautiful.

I would have rated this a 9 for the first 5 episodes, but then a 3 afterwards. The latter episodes are like the Perils of Pauline (the attack/rape by blackjack Randall, the near attack in the tunnel, the near rape by the deserters, the trial for witchcraft, etc. interspersed with softcore bed scenes. Nothing is added to the story in Episodes 6 on. What started out as very interesting has become mundane.