Star Wars Rebels mostly escaped my radar during its 2014-2018 run, but it was a positive surprise to explore now. Despite feeling like this franchise is now racing towards oversaturation (if it has not already reached it), Star Wars television shows have—for apparently a long time—been mostly solid little pieces of media.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a show hard to review as its own thing. While lately a good chunk of Star Wars is an act of accounting for missing parts in the timeline and universe, Kenobi has especially little space to experiment—its plot is so heavily stuck by continuity that there are practically no surprises to be had. We know who can and cannot die in any scene; even people who don’t know Star Wars well will have a general idea of what will happen in this plot.
To review Foundation, I must reveal my lack of foreknowledge. I’ve not read the books; I’ve heard amazing things and that they’re a seminal work of science fiction, but never ventured there myself. I probably should now: if they’re better than this show, they’re probably incredible.
Perhaps the most notable thing about Andor is how immediately it establishes itself as different from the usual Star Wars fare. What little I’ve seen of more recent Mandalorian projects suggests this isn’t an isolated affair, but it is to me.
It’s been a long time since the first season of The Mandalorian came out. And, while I finish tackling reviewing some of the newer Disney+ Star Wars entries, let’s look back at what worked in the first three episodes and how much the series has (or hasn’t) changed.
Tantalus Depths is the kind of book that the right audience will love. It’s a solid combination of cosmic horror, somewhat-hard science fiction, and has sprinkles of space epic. And perhaps its biggest triumph is how it balances those three things in an organic, unfolding way that never feels like a hard genre shift.
I dismissed Lockwood & Co. during my first exposure to it. A random segment of the show I walked past didn’t impress me. But now, having seen the first three episodes, I must admit how wrong I was. This is not only one of the best recent paranormal thrillers/horror urban fantasies, but it’s a good show in any context.
I try my best to avoid spoilers or discourse about a piece of media before I review it. But I already know that I’m the odd one out. Because I have no particularly strong issues with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—and the internet seems to have quite a simmering hatred.
I’m late to the party to review Thor: Love and Thunder. So late that I’ve been spoiled somewhat by consensus. Going in, I knew people didn’t like the goats and that the comedy was apparently overbearing.
The most impressive thing about Solitary is how few resources were used to make it. It’s microbudget, finished remotely due to the pandemic, and still a good film.
I wish I had more nice things to say about The Twisted Ones. Given how impressed I was with The Hollow Places, I expected another creative cosmic horror with a breezy pace. And while I will ultimately have several nice things to say about the book, it’s a step down in quality.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has no business being as good as it is. The movie was barely on my radar until I heard it had an Oscar nomination.
