Movie Review: Deadpool & Wolverine

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Despite a chaotic start, a feeling of multiverse burnout, and villains feeling like a bit of an afterthought, this film has plenty of fun moments and just enough heart to make it a solid ride. The basic story, despite some big plot holes, is relatively simple. (And it also has quite a few similarities to the first “Deadpool.”) The film’s greatest strengths of meta jokes and mulitversal references are also a bit of a weakness as they tend to distract from the more important themes. The heroes of the story have decent arcs, but they seem to be missing a few story beats that could really have helped nail the payoffs. This also applies to some of the side characters that end up straddling the line between glorified cameos and fleshed-out characters in their own right. The film is also hampered by the bad guys never really feeling like they’re important to the final act but are just shoehorned in to ramp-up the stakes for the climax. (It doesn’t help either that I wasn’t entirely sure what Deadpool and Wolverine’s end goal was supposed to be. It’s clear where they need to go, but I wasn’t entirely sure why.) There is a post-credit scene that’s all for fun.

***1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Twisters

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Advertised as a sequel, “Twisters” functions more of a modern redo that doesn’t really break new ground like the original film did. After a predictable opening sequence, the film follows similar story beats from “Twister.” While initially it takes an unexpected route, it eventually goes in the direction you would expect. (Not that it made that much of an impact in the story.) The characters are fine, and they do grow on you by the end and there’s a couple emotional moments that work for the most part. Despite the advancement in visual effects since the last film was made, not much stands out and it all stuff it feels like we’ve seen before. This movie as lacks much of the humor that the original had peppered throughout, and it lacks any real villain to root against while waiting for the next tornado to hit.

*** out of *****

TV Review: The Acolyte (Season 1)

**This review contains some SPOILERS**

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Featuring a story placed in an era only recently explored in Star Wars, some intriguing new characters, and a murder mystery plot, “The Acolyte” had potential to be a solid new entry to the franchise. But due in part to a poorly constructed story, uninteresting character arcs, and bland reveals, the series ultimately becomes a bit of a mess.

The “murder mystery” plot that drives the season fizzles immediately. The killer is revealed in the first episode, their targets in the second, and the reason why they’re doing it is (partially) revealed in the third episode. The big reveal of the person pulling the strings is predictable, even though it’s a solid moment. After that, the show suddenly runs out of steam and there doesn’t seem to be any real direction going into the finale. A big part of the problem is the way the show in structured. The first two episodes work well enough setting everything up, and they wisely released them both the same day. Making episode three entirely a flashback episode kills all the momentum. And while it becomes clear that the events are from Osha’s point-of-view, the fact that it’s not presented as her version of the story muddles up the story. A decent fourth episode is hurt by a terribly timed and abrupt ending. While the action-packed fifth episode almost makes up for this, things would’ve played better if they were both released the same day. The final flashback episode gives us the missing pieces of the puzzle, but once again by presenting it outside of the show’s main narrative cause it to lose its impact and gives no indication to where things are heading for the finale.

As far as the characters go, most end up either falling flat or exit the story too soon. Sol is likable as the wise and compassionate Jedi master, and while he seems to have his skeletons, he’s still someone you can root for…till he’s not. Osha starts off relatable and seems to have a story arc worth following, but halfway through her story loses all momentum and she’s kind of just there. And then they wrap her arc up with a bit of a 180 that doesn’t feel quite earned. Mae has a similar change of heart that comes out of nowhere, but her character is setup to be unlikable even though she’s presented as if we should care about her. Jecki and Yord are both solid characters and had a lot of potential as far as where their stories were heading, but they leave the show hallway through and leave us with characters that are either unlikable or uninteresting. (Vernestra is too much of a wild card throughout her appearances, so its too hard to gauge who’s side she’s on.) Ultimately, it’s the show’s mystery villain that may be its most interesting, but it all happens too late in the story, and it leaves the audience wanting more.

Despite the mixed-feeling I have about the Prequel films, I enjoy the era where there were hundreds of Jedi protecting the Republic. This show gives us plenty of that, with some cool new designs and characters. (However, the CG often looked mediocre.) The series biggest strength was its fight scenes. Some cool lightsaber battles infused with kung-fu and wirework created battles we’ve never seen in live-action. And while typically, once a Jedi lost his lightsaber the fights turn into boring street fights, here the hand-to-hand combat is often better than the sword fights.

Overall, “The Acolyte” had an interesting concept. Set in an era where the Jedi were in their prime and featuring some of the coolest fight scenes in the franchise, the uneven story structure and uninteresting character arcs made both the journey and the destination feel like a waste of time.

** out of *****