polednick-02290's reviews

The film probably inspired many imitators to emulate it. But hardly any succeeded. What you really have to give it credit for is the ingenious combination of CGI with real characters.

The story, on the other hand, is rather neglected. An amusement park with dinosaurs would certainly bring in a ton of money at the beginning. But at the same time, it would also cost a ton of money to maintain...just the food for the animals, because on such a small island, only a handful of dinosaurs could sustain themselves.

Overall, it's a successful mix of action and comedy.

The only thing I would have liked was for the children to be eaten by the T-Rex right at the beginning!!!

I can't give it a higher rating, as I'm not looking to evaluate the historical value here, but rather the current enjoyment of watching it.

Sold by her father, Maria is bought as a gift to deflower a son. Afterwards, her new owner sends her to his brothel in the Brazilian jungle.

The film impressively shows how women and girls are viewed as commodities in a male-dominated world. It doesn't shy away from showing us this harsh world in small bites.

Even if, of course, these only glimpses of the true harshness.

The main actress and the brothel owner deserve special credit here, for they play their roles very convincingly.

It's also good that Maria's subsequent fate isn't presented through rose-colored glasses. Because in this world where nothing is free, she can only pay with her body.

This is a good example of how such an important topic as sex trafficking is rarely properly addressed in any film.

Sure, the film is several years old, but the problem has persisted and even grown.

But in this film, nothing matches reality.

There are the traffickers who specialize in sexually exploiting young girls (children).

The main actress doesn't fit this pattern simply because of her age. Even worse, however, is how unprofessional the whole thing is. The girls are sometimes driven for hours to customers for a few hundred dollars. Or the girls' old things are stored there... what's the point of that? To secure evidence against themselves?

It's also nonsense that the girls are regularly checked to see if they've become pregnant, only to be separated and then these babies sold. A simple calculation proves that this is nonsense and that the girls would earn more if they *DON'T* get pregnant. Even worse is that girls seem to be randomly killed by the traffickers.

Overall, one could say there's a lot of action (although it's not well executed) and little meaningful plot.

The entire plot of this episode is so completely absurd...did the creators of this series really run out of ideas by the second episode?

Not only is the motive ridiculous...I mean, someone is really waiting 100 years to avenge their great-great-great...something? Were all their ancestors more intelligent than that, or did they not care?

But even worse is the behavior of the so-called police officers.

They wouldn't even stay in their jobs for a week, even as rookie characters. Not to mention that their mortality rate must be enormous.

Overall, I can only warn you about this episode; don't waste a minute on it.

In all Jurassic movies, the special effects were, of course, the star of the show. Logic is best left at the box office. But here, even the most inexperienced viewer is put to the test.

It starts with the choice of location. A relatively small volcanic island. So many dinosaurs live on this small island that you have to wonder how they manage. And especially the idea that there are so many predatory dinosaurs is absolute nonsense. Let's take one of the largest predators on Earth... a lion pride has a territory of 15-400 square kilometers... But it gets worse. When a volcano erupts, it's not just the lava that's dangerous. Long before that, even going near it is fatal... the gases.

Then come the amazing qualities of humans... a tranquilizer dart that kills a dinosaur should actually be fatal to a human, right?

The acting... well, there's a lot of running around, screaming, and otherwise acting in front of blue-green screens.

Well, it's good enough for popcorn. Otherwise, it's a total flop.

I actually wanted to give it 8 points, but because of the terrible film, I deducted the other 4.

I don't know, maybe I've just watched too many crime dramas. But after just a few minutes of this one, I knew how the plot would unfold.

It's as if someone had put the ingredients together using a crime-themed building block system.

Unfortunately, however, the suspense was neglected. Even the beautiful scenery can't disguise that.

Apart from that, of course, there are the main character's problems. As is almost usual with today's crime dramas, a good portion of the time is spent on these...probably as a means of stretching out the time and concealing the fact that the murder mystery and its resolution are so full of plot holes that no court in the world would accept it.

Starts off interesting...declines quickly.

This TV series is obviously meant to be reminiscent of the *has fallen* series with Butler.

Accordingly, one can expect plot holes and wild shootouts.

The miniseries doesn't disappoint with the latter either.

But the plot holes are simply too big. There's a terrorist running around threatening high-ranking figures. He even kills some of them. And what do we see? The assigned special unit appears to consist of a former bodyguard and an MI6 agent (the whole thing takes place in Paris). They're also supported by a few interchangeable (and quickly killed) employees.

If you look at the real turnout of hundreds/thousands of police officers whenever a minor assassination attempt is committed... Well, not only are the two of them present at every action sequence (it seems as if there really are no other police officers), but they're also indestructible.

The whole thing becomes even more unbelievable when you consider that the terrorist is being supported by a long-unknown mastermind...someone who apparently invested millions in the operation and has many, many mercenaries at his disposal.

From the fourth episode onward, everything becomes so unbelievable that I simply didn't want to subject myself to the rest.

What I mean is, at Paris's main airport, someone marches into the air traffic control tower and inserts a USB stick into a PC to install a virus. I really hope the air traffic controllers there aren't still messing around with Windows 3.01.

The fact that a shipment of uranium is guarded by three armed men and is in a normal transport crate is no longer noticeable.

Oh yeah, and of course, our two main characters are the only survivors again.

Against my better judgment, I watched the remaining episodes. And unfortunately, the plot became even more unbelievable than before.

As a little boy, I was fascinated by all the Japanese monster movies. It was fun to see Godzilla and his friends destroying everything in their path.

Well, many years have passed. I now know that there was a person in a more or less well-fitting plastic costume (in some of the films, you could even see the zipper) destroying miniature structures.

Nevertheless, that first Godzilla film is an icon.

A film I enjoy watching again and again. Although you have to view it through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. Overall, though, it's comparable to Ray Harryhausen's best work.

After all, it spawned one of the most successful franchises today.

Actually, given the initial situation: hurricane and heist, hardly anything can go wrong.

Oh, how wrong I was.

It starts with the fact that all the characters are such one-dimensional caricatures. Then there's the fact that the story is riddled with plot holes. What's even worse, though, is what's shown... a hurricane, roofs, cars flying around, but the actors can move around without much trouble.

That's only topped by the final sequence: trucks with trailers outrunning the hurricane. I don't know if the makers have ever driven a truck.

Overall, I'd really like to get back the time I wasted watching it.

For a long time, German productions, especially those made for TV, were rather embarrassing.

It's important to remember that until 1984, there were only two state and one regional television programs.

Here we have an adaptation of a stage play for television. This alone makes it clear that this is more of a chamber play. The actors try their best, but are trapped in the acting art of the theater.

This is particularly noticeable in the portrayal of Hercule Poirot, who deviates completely from Agatha Christie's original.

Well, none of this would be so bad if this play weren't so boring.

My rating of 4 stars is actually only due to the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia.

Copying already known and successful concepts seems to be becoming more and more fashionable in Hollywood, instead of producing something new and original.

The Gorge is a good example of this. A love story, a bit of zombies and a dash of Silent Hill were mixed together.

The result is a somewhat run-of-the-mill action movie with a few weaknesses. Of course, the concept of the movie has so many big plot holes that the Nimitz could drive through. Added to that is the rather poor CGI. It becomes completely absurd at the end.

Only the acting of Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy saves a lot.

Nevertheless, the movie could have been shortened by 30 minutes.

When I watched this series, I felt like I was re-reading a book I had already read with each episode.

The basic ingredients of the series are: a detective from England who is sometimes more or less goofy; a minimal crew, with the fun sidekicks predominating; a murder that is either impossible or is considered a suicide by everyone (except the detective); a minimal detail that the detective noticed and which ultimately helps to solve the case, and finally the solution in which the detective brings all the suspects together and explains to them how clever he is.

That was still interesting in the first episodes with Detective Pool, but with DI Goodman it became slapstick with rather bad gags, DI Mooney was an attempt to move away from comedy, while DI Parker became a mix of Pool and slapstick.

Here in Germany, the series is basically on a continuous loop. And to be honest, I was only able to re-watch the first episodes with DI Pool.

What contributed to this was that the pattern of cases kept repeating itself. The implausible basis: I mean, there's apparently only one police station for an entire archipelago. This station consists of just four people and is closed at night. But of course, these four police officers have a commissioner... simply absurd.

But the biggest reason I didn't like the cases after Pool is... apparently all the officers are either alcoholics (rarely has so much rum been consumed in each episode they are drinking) or constantly looking for a partner (or both).

The story has been told many times: A siege of a police station. Where have you heard that before? Unfortunately, there is no other way, but this film has to be measured against the classic Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter. And unfortunately it falls short compared to the 1976 original (and even compared to the 2005 remake).

There are attempts to introduce some (insignificant) subplots, but ultimately it is only about the said siege.

And here a few peculiarities are noticeable: firstly, there is the almost complete lack of weapons (we are talking about a station that is not supposed to be abandoned). Then the main character has full access to the Internet and telephone...but instead of moving heaven and earth to get help...No, she probably doesn't think of such things.

Finally, we have the main character who is severely handicapped by a leg injury...it is actually doubtful that such a person would be reinstated as fit for duty...even for a desk job.

I admit that I love the quieter crime films.

This one has a mix of ingredients that makes it interesting: a group of characters who couldn't be more different are confronted with a murder on an island without outside help.

The focus is on two characters: the florist Green and the reporter Walker. While his role is more tailored to Sam Spade, she plays her role with a mix of Poirot, Marple and Sherlock.

Overall, both play their roles very well, even if they are cliched.

The length of the film is also well-timed so that there is no idleness.

Of course, you can see its lower budget...but it's a shame that it was such a flop at the box office and a sequel is therefore out of the question.

I have to admit that as a little boy I used to sneak out to watch this series. This was probably thanks to the incomparable theme song, but especially to Mrs. Emma Peel. Diana Rigg was probably my first great love ;-) After that, it took many, many years until the episodes were finally repeated on TV and a few more years until they were finally available on DVD.

The plot in some of the episodes was really hair-raisingly implausible, while in most of them it was just entertaining and humorous. The action scenes in particular were a highlight. Even for the smallest things, doubles were usually used. Doubles who in many cases bore little resemblance to the originals (I still remember the male, heavily muscled actor who replaced Emma in a fight).

In almost all episodes, Steed was the cool, cocktail-drinking guy who would immediately stand out anywhere just because of his clothes.

Peel, on the other hand, was an icon. Not only in terms of her costumes, but also that she didn't play a helpless damsel, but was an equal colleague of Steed.

Other than that...well, the series started out extremely serious. Even the episodes with Honor Blackman were still real spy stories.

It is noticeable that some episodes from this time were recycled and this time played with Steed and Peel (and a lot more humor).

After Rigg left, the series slipped into insignificance when Tara King (Linda Thorson), a weaker co-star of Steed, joined.

I love the old whodunit crime novels. Accordingly, the books by Sayers and Christie are highly rated in my opinion. Death on the Nile is not one of their best books (in my opinion). But it is still very entertaining. Small deviations from the original are tolerable if the story is right. The film adaptation with David Suchet was one such example.

But unfortunately there are also film adaptations that go against it. While Ustinov was at least bearable despite portraying the detective as more of a joke figure, the same cannot be said for Branagh. His character of Poirot is just as far removed from the original as large parts of the film.

The series tries to create the image of a murderer who goes about his job but is also fascinated by a little girl who saw him commit a crime. However, it tries too hard here. The viewer is confronted with a flood of different characters. That may work in a book, but in an 8-episode series it is not easy to tell them apart. In addition, you cannot build a personal relationship with any of the characters. For me, all I can say is that I do not like any of the characters.

The plot is also just too far-fetched.

Maybe if the would cut the material to 2 hours it would be an interesting enough movie but this is just too long and not interesting enough.

As a boy, I saw the Leatherstocking Tales for the first time. At the time, I was fascinated by the film adaptation. After many, many years, they were finally repeated on television and are now shown almost every year at Christmas.

Well, as is the case with memories, the good sides are preferred. It is the same here with this four-part series.

It should come as no surprise that at the time, as with all literary film adaptations from Germany, little consideration was given to the original and the producers told their own story, which mostly adhered very loosely to the novels.

What I particularly dislike today is the use of weapons that did not exist at the time (carbines). Accordingly, almost all of the fight scenes are notable for their absurd firepower...there is wild shooting, although it was hardly possible to fire more than twice a minute. And don't forget that thanks to the length of the rifles, the shooters had to stand there while they loaded and made a safe target.

As for the acting...well, it was a German TV production. The way the Indians were imagined was particularly funny.

The series is certainly interesting for older people who are reminded of their youth. Younger people will hardly be interested.

The film was shot at a time when Edgar Wallace films were very popular in Germany.

It was the 24th film adaptation...but nothing of the original story "The Feathered Serpent" remains...which was also a special feature of German films at the time.

The plot can only be described as totally stupid...I mean, a villain who runs around in a red robe with a red KKK hood and a whip was only topped by "Gorilla Gang", which was shot a year later and in which the villain ran around in a gorilla costume.

In addition to the already absurd plot, the already repeatedly used comic character of Scotland Yard boss Sir John had to be added.

One special feature worth mentioning here is that it was one of the first German films in color.

Nevertheless, I would advise anyone not to subject themselves to this piece of work.

The reason why this film has such a good rating can only be explained by the first action sequence. After that it is nothing you would talk about.

Of course like most other action movies you shouldn't think too much about the plot here either. A single man who takes on a whole gang of heavily armed criminals. And all because one of them punishes a prostitute who had previously become rebellious. Something that happens every day without a war breaking out.

Now, let's get to the acting. They are all over the top. The silent hero, the bad guys and of course the comic relief.

I would also like to point out one small thing here: you simply cannot shoot with a nail gun. There is a safety catch that prevents this. You have to press it against something, otherwise...nothing!!!

Now, let's get to the most illogical part of the film: the ending. So, a 1.85m tall black man can walk into Russia and enter an oligarch's heavily guarded estate and eliminate all the guards...very believable.

But it gets even better, the prostitute who started it all meets the hero again and tells him that she is now going to make her dream come true. Even if our hero eliminated all the pimps...just a few hours later, others would have taken up the prostitutes...especially the young ones.

So, the first 35 minutes were interesting, so it gets 6 stars. The rest is average.

With action films, I'm used to not thinking too much about the plot, but just being entertained by the action.

The story of the film fits on a small sheet of paper (and there's still room on it): An elderly woman falls victim to an online scam, loses all her money, including the money she only manages, and commits suicide. The "hero" now wants revenge and paralyzes the organization.

With a lot of shooting and beating around, of course.

Well, apart from the fact that such organizations are rebuilt within days (hours). That bombing buildings doesn't help because they are insured. And finally, that most of these organizations do not operate in their own country for security reasons (Asia, India and Africa are good locations).

Well, you don't need to expect logic here.

And why is a simple FBI agent allowed to get involved everywhere, even though she is personally involved in the case.....????

What about the action? There's plenty of it, but it's so over the top that you'd think you were watching a comic.

Acting-wise? Well, no one is in danger of winning an Oscar for it. Some of the characters are drawn so over the top that they really would fit in a comic.

I give the film 5 stars because of the action. But I wouldn't watch the film again.

On an almost deserted island, the few residents and some holiday guests are attacked by a pack of wild dogs and have to fight for their survival.

That doesn't sound particularly logical at first, and well, it is illogical. The big question is where all the dogs come from. We are shown that the holidaymakers leave their dogs on the island because they can't keep them in the city. This raises the question of why these holidaymakers get a dog for this particular holiday...because they must have brought it from the city to the island. The next question would be why such a large pack of dogs hadn't been noticed before. There wasn't much game to be seen...so what did they feed the dogs on?

The actors are all B-list actors and mostly seen in TV productions, trying to build up suspense. But when I see them barricading doors while the simple wooden windows everywhere have no protection...well.

At the time of filming, animal horror was in demand. And at least the dogs were portrayed quite nicely.

Other than that, the film is purely for nostalgic people.

Here we have the usual revenge film that we have seen countless times. A family is murdered and now revenge is sought. Only this time it is the widow.

Well, the action is there, lots of wild shootings and fights. It's just a shame that all logic is thrown overboard again.

An ex-housewife becomes a killing machine in just under 4 1/2 years. Then she comes back and after just under 3 months she knows about the drug dealers.

In terms of acting, there is not much to expect here. The bad guys are just bad and most of it is one action scene after another.

But you shouldn't hope for real fights in these action scenes. Because let's be honest, a single person storming a house guarded by dozens of bodyguards is not exactly realistic.

I read many of Edgar Wallace's crime novels when I was young. Even I quickly noticed that the stories almost always had the same background. A naive girl gets involved in an intrigue (usually about her inheritance). The villain has set his mind on marrying her, while the hero naturally wants to save her.

Well, almost all of the German Edgar Wallace films were made according to exactly the same pattern. The recurring cast and the (German) attempt to be funny (usually in the form of Eddi Arent, who does not appear in the novel) are particularly worth mentioning here.

The Strange Countess was also made according to this pattern.

Logical errors are plentiful. The acting was sometimes grotesquely exaggerated.

Even with the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, I cannot find any reason to recommend this film.