heftymartin

It doesn't really matter whether or not it's realistic or historically accurate. It's entertainment and dramatization. And of course it's also propaganda - let's not kid ourselves. There is currently a huge wave of TV shows and movies glorifying what it is to be a spy or a soldier. It hasn't been this intense since the Cold War. There's clearly a propaganda machine at work here, tying in nicely with increased military spending and the impending threat of Russian mobilization against Europe. But I have to put that aside for now, and just be entertained.

And entertained I am! Every key actor is doing a stand up job! And Sofia Boutella actually gets a chance to prove she can actually act, breaking out of her typecast roles. The writing is well-paced, Plot-twists are all disguised until they happen, and there's all the bravado and testosterone you'd expect from a TV show based on one of the hardest units in military history.

I'm not generally a big fan of war movies, so why this ticks all the boxes for me is hard to explain. I can't make up my mind whether or not to give it 8 or 9 stars, but I suppose 9 for exceeding every expectation I had. The balance of action and story is perfect for my taste.

Avoid linking it to actual plot points in the comic, This show is simply "inspired by"

You're going to have 3 possible experiences: 1) Scoff at the artsy-fartsy attempt to open your mind and expand your perspective because you think you're too intelligent.

2) Not know what the hell is going on.

3 ) Be entertained and find yourself enjoying the fine line between what you understand and what you learn.

I have to admit I read comics only sparingly as a kid, my pocket money prohibitively making me choose specific characters, publishers and timelines. I never really got into X-Men and everything adjacent. But I love movies like Altered States, Jacob's Ladder, and absurd surrealism the likes of Terry Gilliam or David Lynch.

Well... strap yourself in. Here we have a story that is adjacent to X-Men, but solidly manages to only hint at a direct connection to Charles Xavier and his "School of Gifted Children".

The execution is entirely ignorant of what most people perceive as an easily digestible plot or predictable characters. This is blatant art and some might even find it pretentious. It will make you feel intellectually challenged, give you moments of awakening, and make you uncomfortable. But it'll make you laugh too.

At the end of the day you are probably best off discarding your expectations, opening yourself up to a few "whoah" moments, and just holding on for the ride. Its strongest points are that it's entirely unpredictable, exquisitely framed, and the overall production design is beautifully executed and augmented with great acting. I personally love everything about it, but that's just my opinion.

When this came out my parents wouldn't let me watch it, probably based on terrible reviews and a lot of finger-wagging from conservative parental advisory groups. For some reason, 48-year old me accidentally and randomly comes face to face with a movie I forgot that I never got to see. So... I decided to watch it.

It's not great, it's bad taste at its worst, the acting's terrible for the most part, it's full of tropes and clichés, the script is 2-dimensional. But the practical FX are okay. And 11-year old me (sho's still in there somewhere) enjoyed this movie for all the reasons I wasn't allowed to see it.

Maybe I have an ability to discard expectations and rewind my mind almost 37 years, but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as everyone says. But it was kinda hard to sit all the way through it.

I have two options: regret the time I spent watching it, or be glad I finally got to see it. I'll lean towards the latter.