#But somehow better than the live action remake

[kaythefloppa]

What issues did you have with Lion Guard’s Final season?

I disclosed them in a separate post but to recap those points; it basically goes against everything the show has established itself upon in the first and second season, retconning word-building, characters, development, morals, lessons, and other elements of the show's DNA, all for the sake of its central story, rather than progressing with the overall story. It feels more like a softcore revamp than a final season (hence why I've often compared it to Bunk'd in terms of quality, or lackthereof) Which is why for me personally, a lot of Season 1-2 episodes that I enjoy (pilot included) are retroactively spoiled because of Season 3's writing (i.e. Janja's poorly paced redemption arc, or Bunga's character assassination, or the final episode proving the villains of one of the earlier episodes in the right). It's frankly a mess. Whether this was done out of last minute rewrites, or as an attempt to be fanservice, or if this weird writing was the plan since day 1, I'll never know, but it doesn't earn much kindness from me.

If I were to bring anything new to the table, I'd say that another ounce of beef I have with Season 3 is with its release. Someone at Disney Jr. apparently thought that it was a smart idea to release every episode of the final season online within a full month, before any of the episodes (sans Battle for the Pride Lands) released on television. The show's advertising directed viewers (both in and out of the show's target demographic) to DisneyNow or watchtlg.netify to see the new episodes. Because of this, I (and I assume many others) watched the new episodes online and called it a day with the show. Barely anyone saw the final episodes when they aired, and because of that, the already stunted viewership of the show had taken a final devastating crash-drive. The show did poorly with reruns and eventually was pulled out of its timeslot almost two months later.

So yeah, Season 3 is just bad in almost every regard. lmao.

[massiveobservabletidalwave]

Anyone saying the live adaptation of ATLA was bad, does not remember the series well and/or does not understand how adaptation from cartoon to live action has to function. Is it identical to the original? No. Should it be? No. It's called adaptation not remake/remaster, dummies. I loved shifting more of the Zuko/Iroh relationship earlier and to the forefront. Y'all do not remember Iroh well from season 1. His ass got a whole retcon/rewrite to gloss over the very anime trope of "gluttonous pervy old man" to "talented and emotional statesman who is playing a role". THAT is this Iroh, just from the start.

Is the series "darker"? Yes. Is it ANY different from the darkness of the original? Nope, we just freak out watching real people burn to death. Because yeah a FUCKTON of people burned to death and most of the characters are orphaned, lost one parent, or were traumatized by their parents (or all three Zuko you over achiever). If you just now realized that or disagree, go rewatch the series. The message was always "the world is bleak but the youth will always fight for a better one, so we should listen and help them". In what way was that altered?

Oh you didn't get to see the canyon crawlers or elephant seal riding?? Ooooh poor baby, you miss the filler arcs. Yup, they were fun episodes, but they were very much episodes about teaching little kids morality. That's not this show. It is clearly geared towards an older audience. I am rewatching the ATLA cartoon and I skimmed most of season one, watching it but doing other stuff, because it was a bunch of filler. And the live action literally name drops that those things happen!!!! They just do not have the time or inclination to make a shot-for-shot live action remake. Because that's not what this is. Again, ADAPTATION.

It is more blatant about the message now, and somehow y'all still missed it. It added more lore from the books, cooler fights, more spirit world, more relationship movement. All the things from the original, just moved up a season. Which, my sweet ding dongs, will mean MORE OF THE SEASON 2 AND 3 CAN BE DONE SHOT FOR SHOT. Starting emotional arcs sooner rather than later could mean we get more later, when there is less filler! We could get the swamp benders episode in full. We could get the entire wrestling match. Hama. Boiling Rock. EMBER ISLAND PLAYERS. We could get everything! Yeah I could be wrong, but I could be right. And isn't the god damn Jeezy creezy point of the show that it's not all bad? To find the good?

In closing, any adaptation that gives me this June, Azula, Kyoshi, and the hottest tribe ever (how is everyone on the water tribe so attractive?!?!?) is not bad in my eyes. The acting was great, bending was sick, writing was solid as the original (y'all don't remember how corny and dramatic the show was so you? EIP were there for a reason). Give this an honest chance. It's not the original, but it shouldn't be. Because we already have that, we don't need another.

[heinzpilsner]

(Writing this instead of watching a new trailer for the live action, because my timing is perfect as ever!)

...Anyway, here's a proper "smart and serious"™ remake of my "mixed signals zutara Southern Raiders" post (because my own poor choice of terminology I'm talking about you Sexual Frustration didn't sit quite well with me). Also, I realized some new things. And I'm a perfectionist of sorts! So, yep.

Let's analyze Zuko's and Katara's heated confrontation in the first half properly.

What Zuko actually said:

"Everyone else seems to trust me now! What is it with you? ... What can I do to make it up to you?"

What Katara heard:

- Zuko doesn't differenciate Katara from all the other group members -> he doesn't think much about their intimate connection in Ba Sing Se;

- He doesn't realise the implications of what his betrayal meant in the context of the said connection (i.e., he's either a callous liar who never really cared about her grief or a volatile person who can change his mind way too easily and hence can't be trusted);

- After hearing her out, he offered to make up for his betrayal, but did not apologize for his insensitivity. He still don't get it, the idiot!

(Was he hesitant to approach this topic directly with Katara being so furious, or genuinely just didn't get it? I wonder. He sounds like a person unaffected by the catacombs, but clearly doesn't act like one. Almost as if he was affected, but never realized the extent by which Katara was affected as well).

What Katara actually said to Zuko:

"Everyone trusts you? I was the first person to trust you! Back in Ba Sing Se. You betrayed me and all of us! ... You could reconquer Ba Sing Se, or you could bring my mother back!"

What she was implying:

- She was personally hurt by his betrayal ("Everyone else"?! She was (is) not just "everyone else" for him!);

- Either she's using the "bringing back the dead mother" idea only as another metaphor of impossibility of their reconciliation, or, as Zuko suspected, this also implies that her anger at him is somehow connected to the topic.

There are two possible readings of Katara's slip of the tongue though:

1) Zuko's dense hypothesis: Katara simply projects on him her hatred for the Fire Nation and Yon Rha specifically;

2) Romantic hypothesis (which recontextualizes the whole dialogue in retrospect): Zuko's and Katara's connection in Ba Sing Se was based on the shared trauma of their lost mothers. So, this (in the light of the future events) is just another hint that Katara is hurt by Zuko's insensitivity. It signals she still have feelings for him, which in some measure fuels Katara's fury. This interpretation is supported by heavy romantic framing of the scene (Katara's physical agression adds a hint of sexuality to the mix as well, implying a suppressed desire to touch. It's no more than my speculation though, but usually, when I see a "shoulder check" trop in media, it occurs between two guys in the middle of some school, not between an angry girl and a sad boy under the full moon, you know).

Now, the funny thing. Previously, the second half of the episode didn't make much sense to me after the first one, because I saw those two hypotheses as incompatible within the same narrative logic. But just now, I found a different in-universe logical explanation for such a conclusion.

You see, Zuko's dense reading implies what from the start he saw the whole "facing Yon Rha" business as an attempt to redirect Katara's hate/anger from him onto it's "right" sourse. "Better him than me" logic, I guess. (Gosh, Zuko, not so selfless!)

They go with the plan based on the Zuko's interpretation, and Katara forgives him as a result, which means his reading of the situation was the only correct one, right? Wrong!

Because for once, Zuko was lucky. He didn't really voice his reasons out loud to Katara, and she decided that his primary motivation was lying elsewhere.

Namely, that he finally understood the imortance of their connection in Ba Sing Se and wanted to show her he did sincerely care about her grief (He was also lucky it kinda was the truth. Just... not the whole truth, you know).

(Btw, acknowledging Katara's hurt feelings is the only thing that could turn Zuko's "I waited out here all night" stunt from creepy and inappropriate into more or less okay in her eyes in retrospect, so... Yep. Another evidence for this hypothesis.)

So, while Zuko saw this trip as an attempt to manage Katara's hatred (and what an awful idea it was, but that's not the point now), Katara herself saw it as a test for Zuko's sincerity (which he passed).

And, I guess, as a happy result of this little miscommunication (and despite the crying unhealthiness of the whole "facing Yon Rha" idea), Katara was finally able to forgive him, yay!

(Do not try this at home though, boys and girls. I'm serious, those kids need their therapy.)

... The only problem though is what this miscommunication wasn't exactly addressed openly in the show itself. It's kinda just here, in the middle of the whole "to kill or not to kill" mess, and I had to strain my brain really hard to come to this conclusion (but I'm not really a smart person, after all). Still, this is the only reading of events what turns the episode's narrative into something that feels logical and consistent to me, you know.

But... After such a heavy romantic framing in the beginning (I mean, "What's with her? What's with him?" questions alone are basically screaming "those two have something between them we all can't explain by most obvious reasons"), you'd expect something more substantial would happen between the characters in the end. ... I'm just saying. I know it could't happen.

Ouch.

[got-your-back-always-will]

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action remake verdict: Honestly not that bad. Would watch another season if they make another one.

The good: Fire Nation machinations, shenanigans and backstories.

The bad: Some gawdawful, clunky and needlessly expositional dialogue.

Feels like the first season of a TV show that hasn't ironed out its rough edges.

I don't know if it's a case of the creatives really favoring Fire Nation characters or the fact that they could hire more experienced actors for the Fire Nation roles so they could throw more at them but the material for them just felt better. There's a lot of trauma being explored but the material for the Fire Nation characters has felt less clunky than it has for Katara and Aang.

As for the dialogue... there is this thing where even renowned shows have some pretty dire dialogue but they get away with it because they have some great actors who can hide it better, drown it with dramatic background music, put some sort of action onscreen that pulls more of the viewer's attention, or the words are spoken in some sort of British accent and somehow that's enough to distract the viewer from how much the the dialogue actually sucks.

I didn't look over all the screenwriting credits but I wonder if they were a bunch of different people and they were all told to hammer certain points of exposition in and nobody thought, "Hey, we said/showed this is that episode so we don't need to do that again here."

And there's things where you kind of forgive them for concentrating so much material on Omashu because set design production is so expensive that they have to make use of that as much as possible. The cost also goes into why Momo and Appa feel like props more than characters.

(Gotta say it's a little jarring to watch Ozai scenes but your brain is still processing it as Hiroshi Sato's voice. Also kind of amusing that a guy known for playing an "Appa" is playing Iroh here.)

When projects are rebooted or remade I like to ask why it exists. Is it just a cynical cash-grab? Is it a bunch of people who want to cosplay in a fictional world that they love? Is there a specific storytelling reason why it's being made? Is it a take from a different point of view? I appreciate this remake existing but I don't really see a creative reason for it.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Bowser

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Most of the time, saying a character needs no introduction is a bit of an exaggeration, because there is always the chance, however slim, that someone has not heard of that character. That’s not the case here, though; you could go to the deepest, most isolated jungle tribe on Earth, ask the villagers if they’ve heard of Mario, and they’ll all start singing out the Mario theme music. With that in mind, today’s subject absolutely needs no introduction, but out of respect for the King of Koopas I’ll give him one anyway: This is Bowser.

Bowser is not simply a video game villain. Bowser is THE video game villain. Like Mario, Peach, and Luigi, this big old turtle is pretty much a household name, loved far and wide for his iconic design, simple yet effective boss battles, and his inexplicable yet somehow still understandable sexiness. The question is, can I make it through this review without making some sort of crude comment about the raw sexuality the King of Koopas exudes? Lets find out!

Motivation/Goals: Bowser from day one has always been a pretty simple man. All he wants in life is those peaches, peaches, peaches… And I mean, really, can you blame him?

Yes, his motivations and goals are pretty simple and shallow, but he always manages to make something as trite as rescuing a damsel in distress fun and refreshing. His strict adherence to basic formula leaves a lot of room for mixing things up though, and this same adherence makes the times when he breaks tradition and does something like fight on Mario’s side all the better. And sometimes it’s clear Bowser just wants to relax and fuck around by karting, playing board games, or competing in some sort of sport.

It’s a fun little twist on that old “Knight rescues a princess from a dragon,” except the dragon is a giant turtle and the knight is an Italian plumber (a more powerful force than any knight could hope to be). Of course, the fact Bowser is incredibly obsessed with a woman despite her wanting nothing to do with him means that Bowser is—you guessed it—a

Performance: Hoo boy, are there a lot of Bowser voice actors.

The cartoons used Harvey Atkins, who delivered a fun and cartoonish take on Bowser; Marc Graue voiced him in Hotel Mario, but this isn’t shocking as he was basically every male character in that game; Peter Cullen technically voiced him from 1996 to 2006 due to archival roars he provided for the 1976 remake of King Kong being repurposed for Bowser’s own roars; Charles Martinet provided his iconic evil laughs for 64; Kenny James is his current voice actor; Jack Black turned in a very against type performance in the Illumination movie; and Dennis Hopper of all people portrayed him in the live action film from the 90s. And these are just the ones I wanted to highlight! There are a few English voice actors I skipped as well as his extensive Japanese voice cast! Here’s the complete list, just so I’m not here all day:

The point I’m trying to make is this: Bowser’s iconic status is completely a group effort, and each of these dudes helped contribute to Bowser’s status in our hearts and minds in their own unique ways.

Final Fate: It really depends on the game or movie or whatever, but he is always defeated by Mario at any rate. Sometimes he’s simply defeated and sent on his way; sometimes he’s captured and imprisoned, like in the animated movie; and sometimes he just fucking dies, like in the live action movie and New Super Mario Bros. Don’t worry, he gets better.

Best Scene: Bowser in the earlier games had rather simple boss fights, though they weren’t completely unmemorable. Still, out of his early days it’s hard to deny his epic battle against Yoshi in the finale of Yoshi’s Island, where his child self is grown to gargantuan size and ominously lumbers towards you from the background while a hardcore boss tune blasts through your speakers, is the peak of his NES/SNES days.

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Then we have his early forays into 3D, and it’s inarguable that the boss fights he has against Mario in the timeless classic Super Mario 64 are some of his best, even if they are rather simplistic. I mean, this is where we got “So long, Gay Bowser!” from, can you really deny its place in Mario history? And those are just a couple! We could probably sit here all day talking about his great battles in games like Odyssey, New Super Mario Bros, Galaxy, and so on.

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Bowser’s most impressive showing outside of the games is The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The initial teaser for the film, which showcased his opening fight against the penguin kingdom, really helps establish Bowser as the threat he is, and the final battle and the wedding scene in the movie are some of his greatest villain moments to date. But I’m going to be cliché and give the spotlight to his villain song, “Peaches.”

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Here’s the thing, though: As a song, “Peaches” kind of sucks. It’s just Jack Black saying “Peaches” fifty times in a row and then making Jack Black noises. But that’s also what makes it so genuinely great; in the hands of a lesser actor/musician, this really would just be the dumbest shit imaginable, but in the hamtastic hands of Jack Black the song has become an instant legend. I think the visuals and the beautiful piano playing really help, not to mention the official music video where JB dresses up as Bowser and tosses peaches around. Lyrically it’s nothing to write home about, but man does the performance really sell it.

Oh yeah and there’s this too:

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Final Thoughts & Score

It is near impossible to overstate how iconic, important, and downright awesome Bowser is.

Like, this guy is the final boss. He pretty much codified what that means in terms of video games, being one of the first iconic big bads of gaming and the first adversary a lot of gamers fought. It’s kind of hard to believe today, but the original Mario games were genuinely some of the most groundbreaking games of all time, and the only reason it’s hard to believe is because video games have been building off the groundwork they laid down back in the 80s. Bowser is no exception; every single video game villain, especially platformer villains, owes a debt of gratitude to the king of the Koopas.

I think part of the reason Bowser has managed to survive and thrive through console generation after console generation is because he, much like the rest of the core Mario cast, is extremely versatile as a character and can slip into any situation with relative ease. He can be an evil overlord, a bratty child, a loving father, a kart racer, an Olympic champion, a platform fighter combatant, the owner of a Coney Island disco palace, a giant skeleton, a board game player, it doesn’t matter! Bowser can do it all! He can be a goofy, bumbling comedy villain or he can be a galaxy-destroying threat that would make Thanos shit himself, he has range like you wouldn’t believe!

It helps that both times he has shown up in a movie he has managed to be a scene-stealing smorgasbord of ham and cheese. Dennis Hopper’s madcap, in-it-for-the-money-but-not-half-assing-it performance in the live action film is so delightfully over the top that he manages to make the mere act of saying “Monkey” and “Bob-Omb” memorable and meme-worthy. While he’s a bit far off from what you’d totally want from Bowser, and his saurian form gets relegated to a two second cameo before his death, it’s hard for me to really give him less than a solid 7/10. He’s just too damn fun.

Meanwhile, Jack Black delivered a performance so good that it makes it easy to overlook the many problems the movie has (like its terrible needle drops). He’s just so fun, funny, and even genuinely intimidating, perfectly mixing all of the traits that make people love Bowser into one big, juicy package. I think everyone knew this was going to be a 10/10 performance right from the moment it was announced, but still it was pretty impressive just how well Black was able to slip into Bowser to the point he was almost unrecognizable at times.

No one would argue that Bowser deserves less than an 11/10; he is genuinely one of the single most important characters of the 21st century, and has made a mark on gaming that very few villains could match. He is to final bosses what Dracula is to vampires, what the Wicked Witch is to witches, and what Fu Manchu is to racist caricatures of Asian people. Other villains have more depth and complexity than Bowser, but that doesn’t really matter when he kidnaps Peach for the thousandth time and throws an army of freaky mushroom men and crazy turtles at you, because you’re gonna be there helping Mario stomp those Goombas to get to him. Bowser is just an icon, and his place in video game history is absolutely, utterly gargantuan.

JUST LIKE HIS DICK!

[thenightling]

Netflix’s Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

I just got done watching Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, the new animated movie with Luke Evans as Scrooge.

Luke Evans has a fantastic voice but I feel he was woefully underused here.  The commercials didn’t quite reveal it so I didn’t realize this was an animated remake of the Albert Finney Scrooge from 1970 until pretty far into it.  There is a clip of “I like Life” in the trailer but I had forgotten about that song in the 1970 Scrooge musical.  

The main songs it took from the 1970s version was Happiness, I like Life, Thank you Very much, and I’ll begin again. Thank you very much is the song that stuck with me when I watched Scrooge with Albert Finney years ago. 

Leslie Bricusse composed the original Scrooge musical and this animated version had a dedication to him at the end. He passed away last October.    

Much like how when Albert Finney played scrooge at age thirty-four, Luke Evans is only forty-three and still considerably young to be playing the elderly Scrooge.  And when he starts belting out the songs his youth really shines through and doesn’t quite fit the old man who is supposed to be singing.

The CG animation is cute but simple.  There are a few anachronisms and Americanisms that are a bit jarring for any version of a Christmas Carol but I guess they wanted to keep it simple for child viewers.  

There’s a scene toward the beginning when Scrooge says “Merry Christmas” to taunt a toy shoppe owner who is in debt as he tells him the interest he’ll have to pay for delaying his debt to after the holiday.  And that bothered me slightly and it was simply because I can’t imagine the pre-redemption Scrooge saying “Merry Christmas” even when being snarky.

In general it’s sweet.  Not terrible but not the best version of a Christmas Carol. It’s certainly better than that cruel, cynical, awful, 2019 Christmas Carol from the BBC (That was the worst non-musical version of A Christmas Carol I had ever seen).  You can tell this remake of the Scrooge musical was made with children in mind as it gave The Ghost of Christmas Present little pixie-imp henchmen that turn into tiny demon-imps when The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come arrives. 

I was a little surprised when I realized it was a remake of the Albert Finney musical but done to animation. Somehow I didn’t recognize the “I like life” number in the trailer for the movie.

I think the best thing about this was Luke Evans.  He has a fantastic voice and certainly should be in more musicals. He was underused here and he was the only saving grace to the live action Disney’s Beauty and the Beast live action remake as Gaston.

I think Luke Evans needs to be in more musicals. Hell, I want to see him as Dracula in Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula: The Musical.    

I think I give this version a seventy-five or an eighty.  It might be better than that but I think I’m a little burnt out on Christmas Carol adaptations.  I think Christmas needs a new wholesome ghost story.  A lot of people don’t realize it but Charles Dickens actually wrote a few of them, not just a Christmas Carol. I’d say they should adapt The Goblins who stole a Sexton but that was pretty much just “Prototype Christmas Carol.”   I’d like to see a fresh, new Christmas ghost story.    

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPoM5vpV8IU

[corvidcall]

just saw the live action little mermaid. it was actually surprisingly good!! i had some complaints (daveed diggs as Sebastian was fine , but it would have been better to have someone who was actually Jamaican, some of the underwater scenes were poorly lit, realistic fish Flounder looked nasty, awkwafina was unbearable, etc) but overall I think I came away with more positives to say about it than negatives. Ariel and Eric were really cute, and I liked that they really played up why they would have this connection (theyre both such huge fucking nerds!! they both want freedom and to explore!!). Melissa Mccarthy was actually good as Ursula, and it was fun whenever she was on screen. Two of the three original songs were actually pretty solid! (the third was frankly one of the worst songs I've ever been forced to endure)

but most of all im just glad that they didnt try to make it NOT the little mermaid. one of the things thats really annoyed me about a lot of more recent Disney movies is that they all seem to be... idk a little embarrassed to be Disney movies? Frozen's comments about how weird it is to marry a man you just met, the jokes in Moana about her being a princess, whatever the fuck was going on in Wreck it Ralph 2 with the princesses talking about how fucked up all their stories are. And then in all the live action remakes they keep trying to respond to criticisms (real or imagined) of the original films, with stuff like adding in all the bullshit abt Belles mom in beauty and the beast, or Jasmine's song about how she wont be silenced in Aladdin, or idk girlbossifying Shinzi and Nala in the Lion King. Its really grating, honestly!!! it immediately takes me out of the experience, and it just seems like Disney is trying to act like disney princesses are sooo embarrassing and cringe and problematic, like thats somehow NOT their bread and butter and like thats not why we all LIKE disney movies. its incredibly grating

so i was really glad that the live action Little Mermaid wasnt trying to convince us it wasnt actually a princess movie for little girls, or that it wasnt a romance. if anything, it was MORE a romance than the original, because so much more time was spent on eric and ariel and their bond. it was good!

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Thousand of years before the Fellowship of the Rings, the land of Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Numenorians, lived in peace till darkness returned from the shadows.

Amazons billion dollar gamble, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, has finally arrived, and it is a disaster. The speculation, controversy, and mixed anticipation, have caused my expectation for this series to be rock bottom. Yet somehow, Amazon has managed to go lower than the Mariana Trench. When this series was first announced, I was not precisely happy because I thought they were doing a remake of The Lord of the Rings. Which I thought was way too early and unneeded. Then, they finally showed the map of Numenor, and I became incredibly excited. The fall of Numenor and the history of the entire Second Age is something that I would love to see a proper adaptation of. So my hope became incredibly high for the series, but sadly it was a fool's hope. Soon after the beginning of production, negative stories began coming out. Renowned Tolkien Scholar, Tom Shippy, was fired from the series. A rumor that the entire writer's room was fired, and actors leaving due to creative differences. It had all the signs of a negative series brewing. Then the first articles, interviews, and pictures arrived, and my worst fears were confirmed. Amazon was turning Tolkien's beloved work into something that it was not and using his name as an embezzlement scheme.

There is so much wrong with Rings of Power I don't even know where to begin. It became apparent in the opening moments that they threw Tolkien's masterful work out the window and decided that they wanted to tell Tolkien's mythos better than he could. Not only is Rings of Power a complete butchery of Tolkien's work, but it is a disaster in itself. The showrunners and writers violate so many basics of storytelling that I am gobsmacked by how second-rate the story is. Instead of telling a compelling story with great characters, dialogue, and action, the showrunners decided to rely on numerous "mystery boxes," such as who Sauron is, to keep the audience engaged. The Mystery Boxes causes the story to focus heavily on hitting multiple plot points rather than telling a cohesive story. Thus forcing the pacing of the series to be all over the place. The audience is thrown into four plotlines, and none of them are given a chance to properly breathe and develop, causing most of their storylines to feel like filler. Then, when the story does develop, they bulldoze through it at lightning speed. All conflicts are told to the audience rather than being shown, and like the story, it's immediately resolved with ease or offscreen. Therefore, causing there to be no emotional payoff nor tension and stakes. How can I care for these characters if they never feel in danger? What further adds to the disastrous storytelling of the series is that almost all of the plotlines and scenes are stolen from someone else. Numerous storylines are rip-offs of the stories in Tolkien's work that Amazon does not have the rights to. Many scenes feel like cheap copies of scenes in the Jackson trilogies. This series wants to stand as its own house but uses the groundwork and the brickwork of its predecessors as cheap nostalgia bait. Ultimately, I am amazed by how the Tolkien Estate approved this series but condemned the Jackson films.

Even with numerous talented writers and the showrunners being former script doctors, it could not save this series from atrocious dialogue and writing. Every once in a while, a line or conversation enveloped Tolkien's writing style. When characters speak in Tolkien's work, it's elevated but straight to the point and brings in wise proverbs, poetry, and similes/metaphors when needed. However, most of the writing feels like they were trying so hard to capture Tolkien's linguistic style that it's a meandering mess (think of the opening about why ships float and rocks sink). While the remainder of the writing is a rip-off from the Jackson Trilogies written by AI. Paper-thin and unlikeable characters also add to the series' atrocious writing. Canon characters are not like their canon counterparts, looking at you, Galadriel. Non-canon characters feel like cheap, made-in-China knockoffs of canon characters (Nori = female Frodo, Arondir = token Legolas, etc.). Nearly all the characters are written as inconsistent as Jeff Bezos's tax returns. For example, Galadriel fantasizes about committing genocide against the orcs while torturing Adar, and then five minutes later, she states you should not be happy about killing orcs. A key to writing great characters is to have their morals established and slowly change and build them as their character arc progress. Instead, Rings of Power decided to have the character's morals change from scene to scene with a coin toss. The character's plot armor is miles thick. I am still dumbfounded about how they all survived a pyroclastic flow without a single scratch. Nearly all the characters are so unlikable that I am cheering for Sauron to win.

Even the acting is as atrocious as the story and writing. However, I will state the best performances came from Joseph Mawle, Lloyd Owen, Robert Aramayo, and Owain Arthur. They were really the only performances that captured their characters, had life to them, and were not wooden. I will raise a glass to you, gentlemen, because your backs must be sore from carrying all the performances of this series; you deserve much better than this. For the role of Galadriel, it would be tough shoes to fill given its predecessor performance from Cate Blanchett, but Morfydd Clark completely fails. Her only expression on screen is the "resting bitch face." She has zero charisma, is incredibly wooden, and does not hold any of the power of Galadriel. I can't believe that the showrunner stripped her of her femininity and turned her into a villain. Ismael Cruz Cordova and Nazanin Boniadi have zero chemistry with one another, and their love story is forced and cliched. Cordova constantly looks like he is constipated, and Boniadi is unconvincing as a leader. Charlie Vickers fails entirely as a made-in-China Aragorn. Charles Edwards is grossly miscast as Celebrimbor. Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Lenny Henry, and the remaining psychopathic Harfoots bring possibly one of the most offensive performances of the series with their over-the-top, stereotypical, and harmful Irish accents. (If you are unaware, the Harfoods are portrayed as a racist stereotype of the Irish, specifically Travellers. There goes the series standing against and condemning racism when they have no problem portraying racist stereotypes of others). None of the remaining cast has charisma and is doing the bare minimum for their roles.

The only part of this series where you can see its budget is its VFX. Sadly, good VFX can't save a show; as Tolkien wonderfully puts it, "All that is gold does not glitter." The costumes look incredibly cheap and poorly fitted to the actors. Many costumes are printed in sweatshops and not embroidered like in the original trilogies. The armor looks like it is made out of plastic. The production design is also inferior and looks like something out of a historical documentary. Many of the sets are being used for similar sequences (Isildur and Halbrand both get beat up in the same alleyway) and don't feel lived it. Thus causing the world to feel incredibly small and lifeless. Though the score by Bear McCreary itself is excellent, it is poorly used in this series. The score is either bursting our eardrums or entirely non-existent. It never feels part of the story, only just there. Character design is absolute garbage. Elves and Numenorians look like regular people, and dwarf women miss their iconic beards. The cinematography is beautiful, but it feels lifeless in many shots. Mainly due to the series copying the legendary cinematography by the late Andrew Lesnie in the Jackson trilogies. The only good thing I can think of is that the orcs look really good.

I understand that this series did not have all of the rights to the Second Age. I know that many aspects will be made up and compressed to tell a better visual story, but they threw Tolkien's mythos out the window and decided they would tell the Second Age better than Tolkien. The audacity of not only the creators of the series but also the Tolkien Estate, specifically Simon Tolkien, is almost insulting. They have turned Tolkien's legendary work into a made-by-committee, embezzlement cash grab that only Morgoth could create. This series is a mockery of Tolkien's work. The showrunners could have made their own fantasy or fleshed out a part of Middle Earth that was left unwritten, i.e., the Haradrim and the Easterling. But nope, they had to go with the second age. All they had to do was fill in the gaps and flesh out the story. If the series was unrelated to Tolkien's work, it would have bombed and been canceled after its first season. This series is so bad that I could probably write dozens of essays on everything wrong with this show. This review barely scratches the surface of what is wrong with this show. This series can only bring me back if they fire everyone working on it and hire people who care about Tolkien's work.

For the end of this review, I will leave you with a quote that perfectly describes this series. As wonderfully stated by Frodo Baggins as he is in the heart of Mordor in Return of the King, "A Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real things of its own."

I am giving The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, an F.

[breitzbachbea]

God I love enemies and I love hatred Blease Blease tell me about the hatred I’m beghing on me knees

Oh, where to START. Charlie and Robert have their own playlist, which I should remake on youtube so that I can share it. Big fan of "Hated You from Hello" by Downplay and "You're Going Down" by Sick Puppies being both sided, "Know It All" by Fivefold is so, so good for when Robert gets his revenge for Sicily in a later story and in turn "Thank You for Hating Me" by Citizen Soldier is a great Charlie song once he has had enough. Those aren't all songs on the playlist, just a little overview.

So yeah, these two and just how deep and visceral the hatred of each other runs is very important to me. Started with the homophobia, but even when Robert gets better, Charlie just ... still thinks he is the most annoying person on the planet. And Charlie in turn is never going to let Robert forget what he did to him, because if he has to live with the trauma, so has Robert.

However, the English are very good at making enemies and Robert in particular manages to be unpopular. Literally nothing funnier in the world than a good old Tarielle/Railey love triangle where Tahir is incidental. This isn't about him, this is about Robert and Arielle not wanting to share air to breathe. Read my latest drabble and see it in action. Or this Lego thing I wrote - Hugo isn't very in character, but the Robert and Arielle bitching is just. on point.

OH MY GOD, SPEAKING OF HUGO. LEMME JUST. I think those drawings by @c0ffinated speak for themselves. Very sad I cannot share the nsfw ones that make the point in the best way.

(First one is Hugo eating Alois' protein snacks in the middle of the night after a one-night stand. One night stand number 238493. And the fourth one is the Live German Reaction to the third one, because that's Katta and Selim. Katta says "This is such a shitfest here, I love it" and Selim "Got something of Asi-Tv" (<- slang for German reality TV. Think TLC kind of stuff). )

Alois is being an asshole about Hugo's weight, Hugo is being an asshole about Alois' lost legs, it's a good look on neither of them, somehow they still end up fucking all the time. I don't get it. Neither does Massoud, the poor soul in the second picture trying to help with Alois' leg. Leo thinks this shit is hilarious, like the Germans, Nathan (aph switzerland) doesn't have much of an opinion, Hugo tries to behave in front of Lilli, but oh my god, these two are driving Roderich nuts. He can handle Hugo on his own, but as soon as Alois is also in the picture .... it goes against all of his sensibilites. PLEASE read this Hugois One Shot, I am so proud of this one, it encapsulates all that is wrong with them so well. Also, if God wants it, I will actually get to write another one shot where Hugo is REALLY nasty. Has a breakfast brawl at the end. It's gonna be so good once it's done.

Okay, but to circle back to Robert, another petty feud he has with @swabianmapley's OC Siggy, who is one of the Icelanders. It's not really as intense, because it's for ... incredibly dumb and petty reasons and the Icelanders aren't high on the English priority list, but it deserves a mention. As do another two of Jani's OCs, the former right hand of Emil's dad, Rúnar, who did a runner when the old man wandered off into the ice, never to be seen again. But before that even he dated one of the Icelandic subordinates, Þóra, and they had an incredibly poor breakup. Hates his guts even before he left them all hanging and god knows, Leifur's other right hand Alex now has more than a few good reasons to throw him into a volcano if he ever showed up again, but Þóra would strangle the motherfucker on the spot if he showed his face in Iceland again. Also, while we are at the Icelanders - Leifur, Emil's dad, and Ansgar, Lukas' dad, never really got along. Business partners, yes, but also business enemies, never really being cool with one another. And then the sister of Leifur's wife moved to Oslo and his wife asked Leifur if he couldn't help her find work. So he asked Ansgar for a favour and whoops, they got married and now they are brothers in law. Whoops.

Okay, last Robert one, but since the Spaniards and the English also have bad blood (and Arthur is SO smug about it while Antonio is so passionate about kicking his face in), Robert and Diego don't get along. Robert usually is more eager about the fights because he's an adhd hothead like that, but only because Diego is a soldier doesn't mean he want to punch out his teeth any less. "Friends" by Sixlights is a great song - the chorus for them in general and the verses for the fucked up AU version where they dated and had a bad breakup.

On the bigger playing field, where there also little animosities nestled into the bigger ones like matryoshka dolls - The Empires of course don't get along. The English have beef with the Russians and Spaniards, the Spaniards are pissed with the Turks and vice versa, while the Turks also can't stand the Russians. Also - the Austrians and the Turks. Not sure where I stand on the Austrians and the Russians yet. But yeah, love the idea that Charlie and Harry have a conversation on a big event whether or not "their Kurdish friend" (Dilan) just doesn't like blondes, because she's bitching with Salomé (who, much like Francesco however, thinks personal grudges are uninteresting and also is the horniest lesbian on the planet who wishes Dilan wasn't straight), Alois, Robert and Viktoriya. Their convo also includes "Okay, but she gets along with the Dutch lass." "She's no natural blonde though." "Neither is Salomé." "... point taken."

Oh yeah, while we are at the Dutch: It's not an ACTIVE beef, they aren't really out here hating each other on a deep personal level, but both Nathan and Gavin resent the other AND that rotten Dutchman for all the money they are sitting on. Nathan and Gavin do a lot of banking and related illegal stuff, so they are direct competition. Tim doesn't care about either of their bs, he'd do business with them if the price was right. But, quote from an RP I had with Jani, by Tim about Gavin: "Some people like holding grudges more than they like making money."

Who else is there ... I mean, I absolutely love a good ScotFruk tug of war. Gavin and Arthur inheriting the nemesis relationships from their fathers, each of them want power and influence on the isles and then Arthur happens to on-off date Gavin's ex-boyfriend. And the Scot just can't help, even if he is not actively in love with someone anymore, he will always love all his sweethearts. Besides, the French are friends! François is a friend! And he deserves better than this cruel and petty Englishman! Meanwhile, Arthur is a jealous little bitch who can't properly express his love for Fran, but also can't stand the thought that the Scot puts his finger not only on his sphere on influence but the one man he loves. Bitchfest supreme.

Speaking of that, I have a note in my notebook for the next chapter of IP I will edit that says "Can anyone ask more about Lovi so that Michele can call him bitch boy unlimited". The fact that Michele hates Francesco, too, out of a mix of jealousy over not being the biggest siren in the room if Franci is there and because he doesn't buy his friendly shtick, plus he's afraid that Francesco could see behind his mask. But we are here for Lovi and Michele, which is a very ironic hate. In the hetaverse at least they are united in their mutual dislike for Feli and all the other Northerners. but in LFLS, Feli falls a bit to the wayside (though Michele has not much respect or love for him either) and it's all about these two. I think, aside from the fact that they also inherited a generational enmity, Lovino feels entitled to the land Michele is sitting on and Michele is fiercely protective of his independence ... aside from all that, they are too close for comfort. They see in each other who they could be, maybe all they should be but aren't, maybe all the sides of themselves they like the least.

... Yeah! I think that's a good start! :)

[queen-erika-the-songful]

In the age of sequels, remakes, and reboots, what's one thing you'd actually WANT to see that hasn't been done yet? And what's the most unnecessary and/or bad sequel/remake/reboot you've seen so far?

Does LoliRock finally coming back for a S3 count as a reboot? Because that's what I want the most, honestly. It deserved so much better than being left on that massive cliffhanger. It was a very charming and fun show.

if that doesn't count, I certainly wouldn't mind someone trying to remake that Mermaids would-be TV series. I would eat that up.

I think the most unnecessary remake that I've personally seen is the Lion King live action movie (I skipped out on Mulan entirely after hearing about the behind-the-scenes things). I don't even remember why I bothered to watch it; maybe I was just bored or I my mom wanted to see it. I really don't understand why it even got made when nothing about it stands out. Even the animation didn't wow me; I just kept thinking how the original was so expressive. Heck, the animation on Aslan in Narnia still looks impressive, yet this movie that came out 14 years later somehow looks worse. I know it was meant to be realistic, but most of the time the characters seemed lifeless. I would've much preferred a proshot of the Broadway musical. Or they could've at least added more songs to make it stand out.

[bloodredx]

Day 11: Fight

Violence is the course of beasts. So be it that life holds the need to destroy to survive. Break down the old, make use, renew, remake. From bacteria to whales, everything in the brief bliss of life take hold of what they need when they want it. The benefits of civilization do not preclude any bestial actions, despite what teachings thou might have received. War, politicking, sabotage; even ants do the same. No amount of strategy or justification will escape the fact. Each strike against the other, for land rights, freedom, the right of self or dominant control, all done under the same oaths. This form is not here to judge, no, just witness. Interference is not of concern, just recordation and processing. Mildly twisting, changing the motives of individual, throwing in kinks to the pipeline. Much more exciting than the brandishing arm of anger the Precious Living speak of. Sudden shifts in outcomes and interests, nothing more.

But what of the Children? Do they not partake in petty squabbles or rows? Potentially, they do what they must. Elements will clash when they come into the domains that are not theirs, taking excessive control over what they do not hold full comprehension. Yes. And what works of art come from it. Water carving away Earth, Fire forcing away Wind. All connected and in contrast. Though, this form finds a certain beauty when all work as one. Storms, a peculiar effect of the Elements working together, all contributing. Harder still to see what the Twins add to that mix, but this form promises the most enlightening aspect of them all, the Soul, is in part. Such fragile things as the Soul have existed independently of this form and the limited Creations. But upon realizing just how unique such Precious morsels, why, something had to be done. Protection. Fulfillment. All must be kept fair and balanced, despite the predestination of this form against Order. But Order and Balance are not the same.

So one must pass, and one must take. All part of intricate cycles, spinning wheels and flying forward, tokens spent and skills improved. As it is written, so it is foretold, never. Histories that have been seen are written by victors, and so the stories of those crushed under toe are few to come to the glorious light. A sad thing. This form sees them. The suffering. The pain. Make no doubt, it is remembered. And if unsaved, well, there is always enough. What is lost in the fight will be returned.

--

The air was hot, scorching against the skin, slipping and getting stuck underneath the many layers and folds of her chemise and smock. Too hot for Glacidea, that much Princess Serena knew. She never much cared for summer, it filled her lungs with a dryness, not quite painful, no, but the next best thing. She didn’t have to breathe, and sometimes she wondered just why her father and tutor insisted on it. Or why her father and mother had to at all. Regardless, the activity made people feel better, and that was good. Though, people moved away from her no matter what she did. So she resigned herself to be quiet, watching keenly without interruption, people jumped too high when she spoke. It didn’t make sense. She vowed to figure it out though, though in truth she knew the root of the cause. Subconscious or otherwise.

Still, now was not the time to worry about those matters; after all she only had so much time before someone noticed she was gone. A crack had somehow wormed its way through the grey stones of the garden wall, allowing just enough space for her to wriggle her way through. A few splotches of dirt and soil on her dress and hands later, she was free. No one watching. A break. Standing and rubbing her hands together to get the most of the grime off, she took a few steps down to the forest line, and slipped into the underbrush to follow her nose to curiosities.

A few birds flittered up to the tops of the trees as she passed, the sun had set not too long ago, but long enough where the owls had started to come out. Poor things, weren’t they lonely without Narcissta Priasi? Serena passed one, bowed gently to it, and scuttled faster through the forest towards the scent of smoke and heat. Her fangs were peeking out over her lips, now certain that no one was here to see them. She was so tired of hiding them. They were a part of her. But it seemed like everyone wanted her to be hidden. Especially her mother. So hot. The fire burning under her skin was awful, but she couldn’t reach the straps to undo her bliaud, the heavy fabric both weighing her down and compounding the heat. She gave up, forcing herself forward and out to a slight clearing. A small stream babbled before her, clear water with a few frogs hopping about. Without hesitation, the princess removed her shoes and stuck her feet into the water.

“Cold, good.” She murmured to herself mostly, though if the frogs heard she didn’t mind. The rapid flow of the brook taking away all stress, thoughts, and most importantly, heat, away. She leaned back a little, catching a glimpse of the moon through the breaks in the tree’s canopies, seeing a few stars and clouds dance before the queen of the sky. A moment of bliss.

Cracking of branches in the underbrush quickly chased that away though, and she snapped her mouth shut to hide her teeth. Close by, heavy steps. Serena did her best to gather up her shoes and put them on, but her fingers were clumsy, not reacting to wills of her mind. Two figures, can’t get away. Hearts, loud. She covered her eyes, moving as slow as she could over the mossy rocks to try to get into the shadows.

But it was too late, and sure enough two boys moved into the clearing. Serena figured they were older than her. One was certainly much taller. She tried her best to sniff the air without making too much noise. They smelled similar, but she couldn’t tell if that was because they were from the same place or brothers. But their clothes were torn and stitched back together, faded yellow fabric for the taller one and a musty green for the other. They didn’t notice her at first, instead bickering between themselves. “No, no, it’s my whittling knife. I grabbed it, it’s mine.” He held the shiny object over his head, just above his companion.

“You wouldn’t have even seen it in that old stump if I hadn’t pointed it out to you!” The smaller one complained, trying to jump up and grab it. “No fair!”

“Marius, you couldn’t reach it. And if you could, you wouldn’t have been able to pull it out.”

“You don’t know that, Dmitri! Just give it!” He jumped again, this time knocking it out of Marius’s hand, sending it hurling in Serena’s direction.

The knife landed with a clatter at her feet, prompting her to step back quickly, but not too quickly. “Who’re you?” the shorter one’s voice cried out. She flinched, hand shaking as she gripped her shoes tightly.

Dmitri spoke before she could’ve had a chance, even if she had an answer for him. “Doesn’t matter, this is our stream. No one else allowed, especially not girls like you.”

“I-I-I’m so-so-sorry.” She stuttered quickly, but she struggled against opening her mouth too wide, the noise muffled and slurred.

“Oh, scared and stupid.” Dmitri stepped closer laughing as he scooped the knife up from the ground. “No need for idiots in this town, we all know what they’ve do to imbeciles like you.”

“N-no?” She didn’t. She hadn’t the faintest idea.

He grabbed her arm, hard, around the wrist, and leaned in close. “We teach them a lesson. Give ‘em a right old education.”

“Uh, Dmitri?” Marius spoke up now, somewhat stupefied to see someone else here. “Do you think we really should? I mean, look at her clothes. She looks pretty fancy.”

“Well, then we might get something good for bringing her home, but that doesn’t mean she can’t learn a thing or two first.”

“I don’t know about that.”

In the moment they started squabbling again, she did her best to slip free, but his hand was too tight. No. The drain of the heat came back, coursing along her veins in her arm. Let me go! Her body shook, though she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or anger. “Don’t touch me!”

With a jerk of her arm, she sent him flying, though he was much heavier than her. He landed with a crunch, flat on his back, snapping some twigs on the forest floor below. Her hand flew over her mouth, and again she felt frozen in place with surprise. Did I just do that? She shook her head. Hunger was also welling up inside her, she didn’t feel right.

“How did you-?” Dmitri pushed himself up by the arm, rubbing his back as he returned to his feet. Instinctual retaliation moved him, and he rushed forward at her with knife in hand. “Come’re you little-“

Serena covered her face, curling down into a ball, bracing for the blow. Leave me alone, go away, go away. A dull thudding sounded in her ear, but no pain burst through her nerves. Slowly opening an eye, the unamused figure of Arthur stood between her, the broad side of his massive claymore forming a shield between him, her, and the boy. The knife now stuck in the body of the wooden blade, Arthur raised a brow and uttered flatly “This certainly isn’t what I would expect from young men of your age.”

Now Dmitri was scared, eyes widening, Marius scuttling closer only to grab at the hem of his friend’s linen. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Vines wrapped around both of the boys’ feet, trapping them in place. “Now, you’re no better than your friend, watching complicit while a young lady is being attacked.” He leaned in low, getting down to both of their levels. “Bad things happen to boys in the woods at night, especially when their hearts are bad. I’d run along home now before anything else happens.”

Both nodded, feeling the vines release around their feet. With the shaking of bushes and the clamoring of footsteps, they didn’t need to be told twice to get on their way. Arthur shook his head, plucking the small knife out of his sword with a slight wince. “How ironic,” The metal was dull and uninteresting, despite its slight reflection in the moon’s light. “That a creature such as yourself be so timid, blossom.”

Serena remained silent, no words or excuses to defend herself left. He slung the claymore over his shoulder after sliding the knife into his pocket, using his now free hand to take hers, gently, so soft his normally coarse skin felt like rose petals. She didn’t resist, finally being snapped out of her stupor, grabbing the thick of his leg, squeezing tightly. Arthur let her linger a moment, a change to catch the breath her lungs didn’t need. He whispered more to himself than to her, but still calm and smooth. “It seems I still have much to teach you, your highness.” His eyes scanned over the remains of sticks and branches crumpled by the result of her throw. “And it seems I still have much to learn about you.”

(OC-tober challenge by @oc-tober2022 can be found here.)

[ceolona]

A mixed bag

(Found this post in my Draft queue from six months ago. Yikes!)

Another movie pushed back a year. This time, the live action remake cash grab known as Snow White has fallen behind.

No surprise here. What is a surprise is this official promo picture. Gone are the seven representation checkboxes in favor of seven persons of diminutive stature with complexions whiter than snow.

Whatever. Somehow, I have a feeling that Bentkey's Snow White and the Evil Queen will be a better interpretation.

[litcityblues]

Room To Master More Elements

I was just a little bit too old to have the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender be an integral part of my childhood and I never bothered to watch the movie (I have heard it's terrible and might be inclined to check it out at some point, but I'm not going to fall all over myself to do so.). I've sort of half-heartedly started The Legend of Korra once or twice over the years, but it has never really clicked with me the way the original Avatar: The Last Airbender did.

Point is: this wasn't an integral part of my childhood experience. Should they never get around to making a Thundercats movie (or show), I will undoubtedly have feelings about that and what they get wrong versus what they get right- so I understand that people have feelings about the Netflix show. I get that people were worried when the original creators departed the show and thought it was a gigantic red flag. I get that people weren't happy that they toned down Sokka's sexism. I get all of that and I'm here to tell you this:

Take a deep breath and calm down. It's not at all bad and actually has the potential to be really, really good.

Set in a war-torn world where certain people can 'bend' one of the four classical elements (water, earth, air, and fire) every so often, an Avatar is chosen that can master all four disciplines and usually is tasked with bringing the world back into balance. As the show opens, the Fire Kingdom is conquering the other three Kingdoms-- the airbenders have been wiped out, the Earth Kingdom is under siege and the Waterbenders are nomadic tribes clustered at the north and south poles. Waterbender Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley) find Aang (Gordon Cormier) frozen in the ice and free him, the Avatar, who has been frozen for over a century finds a very different world than the one he remembers. All his friends and family are gone, the Fire Kingdom is after him and he is still 12 years old and struggling to understand his role as Avatar and how to master the elements so he can save the world.

Together the three companions set out to help Aang fulfill his destiny as Avatar, while pursued by Zuko (Dallas Liu) the exiled Prince of the Fire Nation, who wants to regain his honor by capturing Aang once and for all. With Zuko is Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) who is a retired General of the Fire Nation who acts as both mentor and father figure to Zuko, whose actual father, The Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae-Kim) is cruel and sadistic and whose sister Azula (Elizabeth Yu) is almost more sadistic and cruel than their father.

If you've seen the cartoon, you know that the show more or less hews to the plot of the first season of the cartoon. They tweak a few things here and there-- Azula is introduced far earlier here than in the original show for instance, but it ends with a confrontation between the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe. Aang and his friends help the Waterbenders win-- but not without paying a heavy price.

I think if anything slows this adaptation down a bit, it might be their insistence on delivering the 'moments' that fans are going to expect to see in this show. And that's not a bad instinct to have, it's just that- especially when the show gets to Omashu and Aang meets his now elderly friend, Bumi, it becomes a little too much like the cartoon to the point where in the early going, you're left wondering why this feels like a live-action remake, not of the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but of the actual animated show itself. I think this show is going to need some time to master all four of the elements- much like Aang and happily, I think by the end of the first season you see signs of growth in that direction.

The casting for Fire Lord Ozai is brilliant- you can't get much better than Daniel Dae-Kim, but somehow, this show does, because they absolutely nailed the casting for Uncle Iroh. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is perfect for this role and you get to see a little more of his backstory and his trauma of fighting in a war which helps you, the viewer understand the relationship he has with Zuko a lot better.

Did they tone down Sokka's sexism? Maybe a touch, but... not in a way that bothered me. It's a different medium, so an animated show/cartoon might be more inclined to be a little more direct with its themes, while a live-action show can be more subtle, perhaps? I didn't notice a dramatic difference in the character myself-- he's still young, brash, awkward, and sticks his foot in his mouth more than once, but he's also loyal to his friends and shows some personal growth throughout the season, which is what you want to see with the character.

It's largely the same with Katara and Aang. I feel like both of these young actors have the ability to really grow in these roles and while the growth with a little more pronounced with Katara this season (she gains a lot of knowledge and ability with her waterbending abilities throughout the season and gains confidence as well- I feel like Aang will get there as well-- his willingness to sacrifice himself to the elemental spirit in the final episodes (I'm trying not to be spoiler-y here) is a good sign for the next season.

Overall: There is room for this show to master all four elements. I think it will find its feet and while the early episodes could be a bit awkward and hew a little too closely to the animated show, by the end of the season, this show was starting to feel like it was finding its feet and gaining in both quality and confidence. It's earned enough from me to tune into another season- whenever they drop that onto Netflix. My Grade: *** out of ****

[moveslikeanape]

oh no worries at all! i post a lot and nobody can catch every single post on their dash anyway haha. i'm sorry you were having internet issues, i hope things are working better now.

aww, that's adorable how oliver basically named himself. reminds me that my dad used to have a cat named iam (pronounced the same way as "i'm"), who was named that because when he first got him he asked the cat what his name was, and his meow sounded to my dad like he was saying "iam".

oh yeah, i guess it's true that playing the events and leveling up your cards definitely can get time-consuming, and you need to level them up a lot to win the battles! there are people who post videos of the story on youtube as well as wiki pages that have transcriptions of the text, so that would be another option if you were really interested in the story but couldn't keep up with the game. were there any particular character designs you liked best? i love riddle's, of course, but i also really like idia's design.

yeah, unfortunately my first reaction to moana 2's announcement was confusion because i saw it on twitter, thought "uhh, that's weird, what about the show that's supposed to come out this year? they usually announce movies so much further in advance too", and actually wondered if it was a fake tweet for a second... i was excited about the show but i agree that this has the same vibes as those old direct-to-video sequels, which were very hit or miss. also agree about toy story 4 lol, i basically just remember that they went to a carnival and that's only because woody's dreamlight valley house is a carousel. and i remember the ending, but that's because i wasn't a fan of the ending. in my opion toy story 1-3 were a perfect trilogy.

raya is one of those movies that i feel very mixed on, honestly. i really like raya's personality and character arc, but i always thought the movie had a lot of writing flaws that made the story and its message feel rushed and confusing. i think a big reason why some people like it is because raya and namaari are... very shippable lol, so much that i believe raya's voice actress once said she'd like for them to get together in a sequel. but i agree about the animation being gorgeous!

exactly LOL, and i'm glad for those who did genuinely enjoy wish, but i think even they should be able to admit that it's a flawed movie and that others aren't "anti-disney morons" for criticizing it. a lot of the criticism is coming from people like me who love disney movies and expected better from them, and that's why people are so passionate about creating fanfiction and art based on the ideas shown in the concept art as well. somehow the concept art did a better job of reminding people of the classic disney movies we all love than the actual film did.

i think what i like about the trolls movies is that even though they are a bit cheesy and childish, they just feel very self-aware and fun. they also have some really nice stylized animation where they try to make everything look like it's made from felt/fabric/craft materials in general.

i would absolutely love if disney filmed their musicals and put them on disney+! in general, i've always thought that more broadway musicals should do that for people who can't travel or afford the tickets. also, with princess and the frog i feel like sometimes people forget that a live action remake would have us watching a bunch of CGI animals almost the whole time... i mean, tiana and naveen are frogs for 90% of it and then there's ray and louis too. i'd much rather see how disney could bring it, and the emperor's new groove as well, to the stage.

it's too bad your book didn't seem to mention why they changed terk! do you happen to know if they gave a reason for removing tantor? i imagine it was because they thought having an elephant character was too difficult to pull off, but i agree with you that it would've been really cool to see how they did it.

Internet seems to be all better now, thank you!

Awwww, that's such an adorable story! I love fun cat names like that, especially when they're so unique that no one else could possibly some up with it. Also love cats that have such distinctive meows/sounds.

Ooo, I'll have to look into those videos and wiki pages, thanks for the heads up! As for the designs, I think my favourite is a toss up between Leona and Kalim, although leaning a bit more towards Kalim. I definitely would have an easier feeling about Moana 2 if it weren't coming so fast. I could see how they could maybe do a decent job and make whatever the series would be a decent movie if they dedicated the time to it, but the time between the announcement of the series to it becoming a movie is just way too short, no way this is getting the proper treatment it needs.

Totally agree about the rushed feeling of Raya. The story should be the number 1 focus. You can add fun stuff (jokes, cute characters, etc...) once they story is tied down and if there's room for it, but if you rush the story to fit anything else in, you've just ruined the movie. No matter how visually stunning, it's not going to connect with the audience if the story is struggling.

That's so neat about Trolls, I love animation styles that go for a certain look, and making it look like the world is made of crafting materials is genius! I'm going to have to watch them someday!

Completely agree with you about PATF and ENG... one of the many things that annoyed me with the Lion King remake was calling it live action... it was made to look realistic, but it was still all animated! They really need to stay away from live actioning any mostly animal cast movies. making the animals so photo realistic takes away so much of the heart, its so hard to emotionally connect with the characters story when their facial expression permanently bland/bored.

I didn't see anything about Tantor in it, but then again I only just quickly browsed through it. Someday I'll find time to read it, lol. I'm assuming it was to avoid making an elephant. Would have been neat to see if they had, or maybe they could have made him a different non-gorilla animal (kind of like how the baboons became a giant spider). I'm thinking their focus was too much on the main "wow factor" of the show... the vine swinging/gymnastic elements.

[scarlethyena]

Y'know, on the one hand I'm glad they didn't whitewash the live action atla again and I'm sure it'll be better than the previous movie (not really a high bar but still) but on the other hand I'm just not excited for it? Idk, unless you're giving it another interpretation that's interesting enough to warrant an adaptation in a different medium, a lot of live action remakes feel pointless. It's also symptomatic of this thinking that like, animation is for kids and somehow a lesser art-form, which tends to justify the existence of these types of adaptations (and yeah obviously atla is a kids show but my point is that relegating animation to a specific audience has led to this view that animation is less flexible than it actually is).

Don't get me wrong, maybe they'll actually make something good and add a different spin on the story/characters. Who knows. I'm just...tired of live action remakes. I didn't like em to begin with and studios keep making them.

[lasthumaninwales]

I actually watched the Lion King remake the other day, and have confirmed for myself that it is, in fact, awful and butt ugly and unnecessary.

James Earl Jones is 2 million years old and he sounds it. Dude was entirely checked out and it was depressing to listen to - if you were going to use his voice, you honestly could have just used the original recording when he was only kinda old instead of ancient and still gave a shit.

Chiwetel Ejiofor was giving way too subtle a performance for a guy playing a Disney villain embodied by an ugly, semi-animated piece of dodgy taxidermy. Not nearly hammy or gleefully evil enough, especially as he didn't even have the advantage Jeremy Irons did of working with a character model that was capable of emoting. I do think he'd make a really good Richard III though, he played "bitter, wounded, runt of the litter" really well, and I bet in live action it would be mesmerising... it somehow just didn't work for Scar.

John Oliver as Zazu was a way more sympathetic and likable character than Rowan Atkinson's version and I honestly think he was an improvement.

Donald Glover was also a better Simba. Unfortunately I don't think JD McCrary's performance was quite as strong as Jonathan Taylor Thomas's, but like, JTT gave an *unusually* good performance for a kid so topping it would have been a big ask.

It felt like they were doing that weird thing of trying to address bad faith complaints about the original versions, and leaning in hard to Timon and Pumbaa being bad influences and Timon especially being an asshole. Didn't care for it.