hydralien-40230

To get the obvious out of the way: this movie isn't going to win any writing awards. The script is as plain as it gets for an action flick, and that's that. But there are two things to this observation: 1. Any kind of "modern classics" of the genre are just as (or much more) plain, and 2. It's all there in the trailer, so it's very honest about what it is.

That said, it's a great entertainment, the kind of I'd really love to see more of. It's brutal, but not excessively. It's tender, but not overly sweet. It's action-packed, but leaves space for some personal relationships (the "mentor" line with Ben Kingsley and Alex Kingston was exquisite). It's short but it still takes time to present all the characters (subtitling Scottish folks was extra fun). And to top that up, it truly looked like the actors really enjoyed playing in the movie - everyone was genuinely fun, which is honestly rare.

Additionally, the cinematography and editing is great - it derives from earlier hits like Snatch and Smokin' Aces and such, but that's actually a good thing - there's not nearly enough of that on screen.

I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope so will you.

Sadly I haven't watched the original yet so can't say how that one fares - but the remake certainly has its moments of good quirkiness, and I do like how they portray hypothetical situation during discussion. Characters are played well enough to good, so it's certainly watchable.

What I find odd is blatant inconsistencies, and fairly drastic situations just to satisfy the main premise of "newcomer sees what police doesn't".

Like, how come police didn't check correspondence or workplace of their lead suspect till she was marked as victim? (that's a trailer twist so not a spoiler) How come the lead character knows lots of minute details about everything, but doesn't know stolen evidence can't be legally used, or how police questioning procedures work? How come single mother of three without any stable or significant income (who denies her daughter a lipstick for cost reasons) has a huge house with furniture most people who watch series would be jealous about, and the whole family is dressed in a brand new stylish clothes and a ton of constantly changing jewellery?

I know it's a work of fiction like any other, but it could have been much more believable and thoughtful. Maybe the original is - but not the remake.

First things first, I don't remember much of the original, reading it in translation when I was a kid. So whatever discrepancies there are in the series with original (of which, I'm sure, there's aplenty), I can't tell. Judging the first season as "based on something", it's a very decent adventure with distinct characters and a straightforward plot and narrative. I liked the character design and portrayal, and most of the acting too. Scene and gear design is also great, IMO - the Nautilus is sleek and swift, the Dreadnought is heavy and menacing, insides of both are also accordingly delicate and utilitarian. It looks great, and complements the story greatly too.

The main downside, as I see it, is the script - not in terms of storyline but in terms of character relationship dynamics. At times, it's unbelievably cringy and stereotypical, with all the cutout mistrust and disdain for no reason, it's just too teenage and cartoonish for the otherwise realistic-looking settings. I mean, it's obviously fantastical and unreal, but it's at no point deliberately magical or superpower-like or anything. Also the ending is a bit too abrupt and haphazard.

I'm not sure there will be season 2, but season 1 is fairly finalised - with a promise of more, of course, but as an extra, not as a cliffhanger. It's a decent watch for a plain but exciting adventure.