Sisu Road To Revenge: The Price Of Lumber Today

Sisu, Jorma Tommila, is back and this time it’s all about lumber.

I enjoyed this film it was more of the same, the action was as you would expect it to be brutal and violent, but it was widely a step back from the first film.

I think the first film played up the over the top force of nature a bit more, there were those elements here but I would say by and large the film was softened and he was shown to be more human. The ending of the film is a reflection of this where people show up and help him build his house, this sentimentality was not what I was looking for out of the film and it clashed with the larger than life elements.

I thought Stephen Lang was a good foil and played the villain well, it felt very much like he was a good match for the lead, however, I would have liked to have seen some flashbacks with him to establish him more and show what he is capable of. I understand they probably didn’t do this for budgetary reasons.

The turns towards absurdity, such as the lead showing up with an old tank that has his precious lumber strapped to it were a bit jarring and I would say again didn’t fit with the tone.

Overall, it maintains a lot of what made the first film good but some of the tonal choices are jarring and let things down.

3/5

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Tales Of The Empire: A Further Glimpse Into The Inquisitors

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee, have their lives explored.

So for the most part I thought this was a really good anthology series. I liked that we got to see more of two groups that I am really interested in The Nightsisters and The Inquisitors, I think both are fascinating and would watch a solo show about either in a heartbeat.

I thought that Offee’s story was by far the better of the two, the majority of my complaints with the series come from the Morgan side of things but we will get there. It was interesting to see Offee go to the dark side, and see how easy it was for young Jedi’s to come to believe that the order was in fact evil and turn their backs on it. It was fairly predictable that she was going to go back to the light and she did, however, it led to her death and personally I would have liked to have seen her survive. Mainly because another Star Wars series I would like to watch is a The Path show that talks about the Jedi Underground and brings back some MIA Jedi’s such as Quinlan Vos and possible Kal Kestis and Merrin.

The Morgan Elsbeth episodes started out promising with a wider exploration of Dathomir but then got bogged down in Imperial intrigue and the vague set up of Thrawn. I understand why they choose her for the other half as she is important in the Ashoka show however I would have given them to someone else as I think watching her become mad with power felt a little boring.

Overall, more good than bad and some very welcome exploration.

3.5/5

Pros.

Offee’s journey

An exploration of the Inquisitors and The Nightsisters

It sets up a lot of interesting things

The animation is really well done

Cons.

The Morgan Elsbeth plotline gets bogged down

It has an iffy pace at times

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The Bad Batch Season 3 Overview: One Last Time Into The Fire

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Batch are back for one last fight against the Empire.

I would say that this is the best Star Wars related piece of media in a long while. Now I am not saying season 3 is perfect, because there is still a little fat that could have been trimmed off it and a new episodes that felt like filler, such as when they brought back Ventress for no real reason.

However, that aside I thought this season was the best one yet, I think that though we did get some filler, it was far, far less than we had in previous seasons. For the most part the season kept to a terrific pace which kept the tension going throughout, episode double acts such as the one at Rex’s base were incredibly well done and were the best thing I have seen out of Star Wars in a long time.

Moreover, the emotional stakes they managed to create over the course of the season were incredible, I didn’t think they would be able to top the heartbreak that was Tech’s death last season, but they came damn close here. I think the final scene of the series between Hunter and Omega is incredibly powerful and will spark even the toughest Star Wars fan to have a tear in their eye.

Overall, the series ended on a high.

4.5/5

Pros.

The action

The stakes

Where it leaves off

The final charge of the clones

It pays off in so many ways

Cons.

I would have liked to see Rex arrive in the final episode

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Oppenheimer: The Man Behind The Bomb

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The life of Robert Oppenheimer played by Cillian Murphy, and the people who destroyed him.

This film is not one for the faint of heart, it is long and very exposition heavy. However, if historical epics are your kind of thing you will find more than enough to like here.

The film did a very good job at making you invested in Oppenheimer’s life and connecting to and understanding his stresses and his shortcomings, the film didn’t sugar coat any aspects of his life and rather showed the good with the bad which is always nice to see from an epic/biopic.

The cast across the board were strong, Murphy anchored the film well but I think the supporting cast really brought this film to life with terrific turns from Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh as the loves of Oppenheimer’s life and very much highlighted the personal destruction of the man himself.

It was an interesting choice to give more focus and screen time to the quasi legal battle between Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr’s character, then the journey to the bomb, but I think it is one that pays off.

4/5

Pros.

Murphy, Blunt and Pugh

The emotions

The man himself and the focus on his inner demons

It is excellently paced

Cons.

It has too many characters

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Sisu: Fighting The Nazi Charge

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A retired soldier turned gold prospector, played by Jorma Tommila , must take up arms once again when the Nazi’s try and hoard in on his find.

I had been looking forward to this one for a while, and after having seen it I can honestly say it was fine. Nothing more, nothing less.

I liked the setting and the fact that it explored a conflict that is not often covered within war films. Moreover, I thought the lore of the film and the prospector’s backstory, very much like with John Wick, were good and well developed. The creative teams behind both this and Wick really do worldbuilding well.

However, something I didn’t like about it was that it carried over something that really made me turn on the last John Wick film and that is the unbelievability. I like that within these films even though the protagonist is an elite killer they still face a threat of death as it helps to keep things interesting. However, here as with the last Wick film, the threat of death is removed and these characters are shown to be superhuman surviving everything with a grunt. Though this might seem amusing, and it is at first, it quickly becomes boring thereafter.

Overall, an interesting premise let down by a superhero lead.

2.5/5

Pros.

Exploring less common areas of history in cinema

An interesting premise

Good action

Cons.

By removing the threat of death it all just becomes pointless

It has pacing issues

The Nazi villains are barely even characters

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Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant: Can You Put A Price On Heroism?

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After a botched mission an Afghan interpreter, played by Dar Salim, must bring his commanding officer, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, back to base and save his life. Some time later it is the mission of the commanding officer to save the interpreter and get him out of the country.

I think this was a beautiful film in many ways, and reminded me of the good of humanity and how there are some real heroes out there, and by heroes I mean people who will go the extra mile no matter the cost to do what is right. I like that this film breaks from a lot of Ritchie’s recent output and tries for a more serious tone, the mature feel of this film is needed.

Moreover, I thought the bond of brotherhood between Salim and Gyllenhaal’s characters was palpable to see across the film and in many ways was the beating heart of it. Both Salim and Gyllenhaal bring strong performances to the film that highlight the cost of freedom and the extents people will go to in order to help their friends.

In my opinion the best thing about this film was how well it deals with tension. By this I mean the sequences involving dragging the commanding officer back to base wherein it seems like any minute the Taliban fighters will catch them. During these sequences things feel incredibly tense and you are biting your nails with anxiety to see if they will make it out alive. It really gets the blood pumping.

Overall, a powerful and weighty film from Ritchie.

4/5

Pros.

The bond

The performances

The message of never giving up on the people that help you when you need it

The tension

Cons.

Some slight pacing issues

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Andor: Rix Road

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Things come to a head at the funeral of Maarva, played by Fiona Shaw.

In many senses this finale felt cathartic after all the build up of previous episodes as we do see some full scale signs of rebellion against the Empire, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that more didn’t happen.

I think the main issue for me with this episode is that it lacked stakes, unlike other episodes that have perfectly encapsulated this idea of grit and that anyone can die at any time, this one felt very plot armour heavy as you knew none of the important characters were going to die and that is where the episode lost me.

I liked the ending of the episode wherein Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally confronts Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and thought that it teased interesting things to come, but therein lies another issue with this show a lot of it is teasing things to come rather than delivering answers to big mysteries or giving us set pieces, which again is both a blessing and a curse.

Overall, a good season finale that would have been better if it had been bolder.

Pros.

The ending

The first signs of large scale rebellion

A good pace

It teases a lot of interesting directions for the next season

Cons.

There is a lot of plot armour going round and it effects the stakes of the show

It teases more than it delivers

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Andor: Daughter Of Ferrix

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, experiences a loss and Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, edges closer to marrying off her daughter in exchange for help moving her rebellion earmarked funds around.

This was probably the weakest episode of the show so far, nothing really happened and at best it was boring. The focus on Mon Mothma is really what hurt this episode as a lot of the early season promise the character had has been widely lost by now, and the character mainly exists to show awkward party scenes and scheming that never really seems to amount to anything.

The Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and Saw, played by Forest Whittaker storyline is slightly better and more interesting as we see the walls start to close in around Luthen to an extent and see him re-characterised in the context of shifting power dynamics.

Overall, a fairly boring episode wherein nothing of any note happens.

Pros.

Luthen is finally facing resistance from the Empire

It is watchable

Cons.

Nothing much happens

Mon Mothma is being wasted

It is boring

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Andor: One Way Out

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally busts out of prison.

The three episode structure of this show is really becoming quite trite, it was pretty clear before this episode even started that Cassian would be getting out of prison this episode as it was time for this mini arc to end. The show really needs to start mixing things up.

However, that gripe aside this was an incredibly strong episode and probably one of the best segments of Star Wars media in a long time. I think the power of this episode came almost exclusively from Andy Serkis’ Kino as he becomes a rebel leader and gives one hell of a speech, it is a shame where the episode leaves him and hopefully he comes back at some point, but I think that in terms of looking at the early Rebellion his whole character and what he symbolises is incredibly important.

Moreover, the final sequence with Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, is also incredibly interesting as it gives us the biggest peak behind the curtain yet, and also highlights the twisted morals with which he operates furthering the thesis of this show that nothing is morally black and white.

Overall, a very strong episode only let down by the repetitive three episode structure ruining any form of surprise.

Pros.

Skarsgard

Serkis

The ending

The moral ambiguity

Cons.

The three episode structure really ruins the surprise

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Andor: Nobody’s Listening

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, continues to plan his escape from prison, meanwhile his friend Bix, played by Adria Arjona, is tortured by the Empire for information.

I am starting to find these three episode arcs to be quite tiring at this point. The Cassian prison storyline is for the most part dull and uninteresting, and to make matters worse it just feels like it keeps getting stretched out, the escape could have at least started in this episode but no they had to push it till next week.

I found the wider Empire stuff more interesting, I am enjoying seeing how they are dealing with this early form of the Rebellion and are starting to realise more and more that this is a serious threat that needs to be dealt with.

The Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly scenes are also quite dull, but I won’t spend too much time talking about this as I have covered it in previous reviews. We can only watch her chat to people secretly at dinner parties so many times before it gets dull, and we have already reached that point.

Overall, quite a dull episode.

Pros.

Vel’s back

Andy Serkis is having fun

It sets up the prison escape for next week

Cons.

It is too slow and the three episode arc structure is starting to harm the show

Mon Mothma needs to do something other than just be constantly chatting to people at dinner parties

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