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I realize comedy is subjective and I'd like to think I like a good comedy, but this was just absurd, and not in a good way. Admittedly Will Farrell flicks to me are real hit & miss, which should have been my first warning sign I guess.

You will realize within the first 2-5 minutes if you'll like this movie or not, and I should have listened to my gut, bailed out and watched something else. But I stuck with it thinking it would get better, in part based off all the good reviews, that was my mistake.

Main problem for me was the entire world that makes up this movie is just off. It's hard to explain, the movie doesn't take itself serious which is fine it being a comedy, but it's just too far off reality, almost like a cartoon in real life, which again is fine I guess. However the comical element is somewhat tailored to that and to me just wasn't funny at all. The only joke I snickered at was when the bad guy murmured "Hey must play GTA" and that was it. Every other comical aspect in the movie I thought was dumb, boring or simply not funny. I really hate to be so harsh of a movie and I guess I should have just turned it off but every now and then you gotta take a chance on something and this was it for me and it came up way short. Even after I was 30+ minutes in an knew it wasn't going to improve still I watched on hoping for something redeeming to happen, well it never did and the end was about like I expected.

So again best thing I can tell you is give it a watch if you want, and trust your gut regarding the first few minutes as it really doesn't change, and after 5 minutes you'll see whether this is something you can get into or not, just don't do what I did and sit through it feeling irritated the whole time...

All together great movie! I think the thing I loved the most was the uniquely gothic, noir look & feel. Similar to the Matrix or Jurassic Park, the cinematography and sets of this movie just seemed different and unique and really played into that off world vibe in a very real and visceral way to me vs. So many other Sci-Fi's movies including the Star Wars franchise which just remind you you're watching a Sci-Fi movie with good special effects. The other thing I liked a lot was the actor who played Paul. Sure there are some big name stars in this movie, but it's always nice to see a fresh face who does a great job. Although he was 25ish while filming this, he appeared much younger and innocent which I liked a lot as well and gives him room to grow

I went into this knowing very little, and I'm glad I did. I was intrigued to see it and watched it in a Dolby cinema which I highly recommend as you just get that more immersive feel to it. I've never read the books, but story wise it's similar in many ways to the original Lynch Dune movie. So if you've seen the original or the 2000 mini series (which I have not) then you won't be surprised by the story & plot, aside from some creative liberty differences. However if you have not seen any of the previous Dune movies or series, don't and just see this first. Granted if you're reading this review, chances of that are pretty slim.

Admittedly I didn't know going into this that it was only the first half, but I wasn't totally surprised either. I knew the movie was 2.5 hours long, and it got near the 2 hour mark I realize they wouldn't be able to wrap up the story in 30 more minutes. As I understand it part 2 wasn't even green lit prior to this coming out, but I sure hope they follow through with it as I really like this directors vision and found myself immersed, entertained and intrigued the entire way through.

So why only a 9 out of 10? Well for me I think I've given one or two 10's in my entire life. So while I thought this movie was awesome, very memorable, and am going to see it again in the theater (this time with my daughter instead of my friend), I felt the ending could have had a little more punch to it, and I do feel there were certain aspects that could be confusing if one isn't familiar with the story, but then some times a little mystery makes for a better movie rather than spoon feeding the audience everything

I'll be curious what my daughter thinks about it when we go to see it. I've told her not to view any spoilers and by all means DO NOT see the original or it will take any suspense away. Overall I highly recommend.

HBO typically puts out good stuff, and here they certainly didn't disappoint. I binged through all 5 episodes in a row as I just couldn't stop watching.

I've known about Chernobyl from a physics & nuclear point of view for years, and while this series does get into those details, it mainly focuses on the aftermath, the political and humanizing aspects, along with all the selfless sacrifice which I really wasn't aware of, and in that regard it is really a difficult watch.

My only real gripe was the putting of the animals down. Call me shallow but I had a hard time watching that and ended up fast forwarding through that segment. I guess I can understand why they did that and it was also to show the perspective of the young boy forced to participate but I really couldn't bear to watch it and would have preferred it never been put into the story and IMHO didn't really add anything to the story.

Overall I thought it was really well done. The acting was top notch, the story and flow was great and a real eye opener. It's very well done but is a harsh thing to sit through and stomach. Meaning for those who like watching uplifting or "feel good" movies / series, this isn't for you. I give it a 9/10.