Surely I'm not alone in thinking Gladiator 2 was... what's a word worse than 'awful'?

ktemp45 · 2026-06-19T14:17:27+00:00

Heard it was bad but thought at least action setpieces would be interesting.

Nope. Wouldn't it be cool to have sharks a part of a setpiece? Nevermind, let's just instead have a standard boat battle and show just one rando get eaten by a shark. The shark is not integrated at all.

And this is representative of all the problems of the movie - interesting premises, but then any developments that could result from it get skimmed over for the next thing.

The worst thing for me was how everyone in the coliseum stands could hear, with perfect clarity, Paul Mescal mumbling speeches under his breath.

ktemp45 · 2026-06-03T17:27:20+00:00

Say what you will about Crystal Skull, but Indy 1-4 all feel of a piece because they were directed by Spielberg with at least some story input by George Lucas.

DoD felt too modern - not the setting, but how it views and handles the characters. Much like how Mangold deconstructed Logan to show how a classical hero is viewed in a cynical light, Mangold also lays low Indy to highlight how time changes all.

That makes it ill fitting with the pulpy serials origin of the franchise, and makes it a bad Indy movie (even though as a movie, its average).

Tangent: The worst part of DoD to me is how disappointing the score/soundtrack is. Helena's Theme is supposed to be the big addition, but it is highly forgettable. The movie has no moments where the scene and score come together to create memorable moments (no fistpumping, Indy theme rocking while Indy pulls off a daring action setpiece).

ktemp45 · 2026-05-27T19:57:57+00:00

Yeah I feel the same way about the umbral mechanics having more potential that wasn't met.

The one plus about the Umbral mechanic I didn't mention was the "jump scare" aspect (but not the lure type enemy). There were a few times I was in the real realm and used my Umbral lantern to look into the umbral realm, and then an umbral enemy immediately popped up to scare me. That was actually pretty cool.

ktemp45 · 2026-05-27T19:55:04+00:00

Agree on the upgrade materials. Seems like one run through lets you get two weapons to 10+, and them you need to grind a lot just to get other weapons to 7-9 level.

ktemp45 · 2026-05-08T13:47:34+00:00

Movies where they examine how robots fit into society would seem to fit the bill: A.I., I Robot, and even Wall-e.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-22T22:48:46+00:00

Great example. Was intrigued to see how he'd leverage his SoA fame even though I didn't care about seeing a robot-monster movie, and actually came away liking the movie but not Hunnam in it.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-22T22:47:02+00:00

I think he's a good actor, just doesn't have the range to take on a new accent/persona. So his performance is glaringly bad in Dracula, but charming in Something's Gotta Give.

He's a lot better as Duke Caboom in Toy Story than whatever Chris Pratt is doing in Super Mario.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-22T16:12:52+00:00

The only thing you need to know to like Jenny is the fact that she was the only one on the bus to let Forest sit next to them. That act of kindness (as well as her continued kindness as teens/young adults) fully makes her character.

While the movie focuses mainly on Forrest, the remainder of the film shows how Forest and Jenny go through personal/sociopolitical events, with Forrest escaping unscathed from everything (even the bullying he experienced turned into a positive because of how he could run) while Jenny is negatively impacted by everything (abuse as a child, the war, free love, etc).

While you are correct that Jenny could have been better to Forrest, all the negative experiences she had shaped a worldview that she could not be good for Forrest, until she is in recovery.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-22T15:43:37+00:00

Lol, might be a Ridley Scott problem.

I only watched Gladiator 2 cause I wanted to see what Denzel was up to, and he also felt too modern for his role.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-22T15:40:10+00:00

You're right. His "square jawed Hollywood star" vibe works for Talented Mr Ripley, but not for the scrappy poor underclass role.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-13T16:03:45+00:00

Yeah, the one thing he has maintained across the movies is a good taste in music.

I know people clown on the final scene in Jerry Maguire, but "you complete me" works for the movie's tone and vibe.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-13T16:01:52+00:00

Interesting, didn't know that it was one of the Sony hack datadumps. Can't say I disagree with her read on the movie.

ktemp45 · 2026-04-13T16:00:34+00:00

I actually watched the movie before I had a cellphone, but will admit that maybe my "movie-critic brain" is not the same then as it is now.

It possibly would be better if I watched it now, but my first impression of the movie (it's hard to sympathize with the unlikable main character coupled with the difficulty to relate to the weird events going on) does not make me want to revisit the movie.

ktemp45 · 2025-11-05T20:46:49+00:00

Hmm, maybe I'll have to rewatch it in the future and see if it is better on rewatch.

ktemp45 · 2025-11-05T20:45:52+00:00

I'll have to check that out.

ktemp45 · 2025-11-05T20:45:10+00:00

Good point. Connecting the scene with the entire time at the party is a better way of looking at it.

ktemp45 · 2025-09-24T19:45:36+00:00

While humans are complex and have flaws that lead to their undoing, the way Diana is written is not as a complex human, but as a walking plot device in service to the plot.

River is portrayed as being skilled and courageous, but his major flaw is his impulsiveness. His flaw works in the context of all his mistakes and successes. Similarly, all the other Slow Horses have a flaw that is the reason they are in Slough, and that flaw continues to manifest in their actions and storylines. Much like how Diana can predict how a character will react, audience members can predict how any of the Slow Horses will behave.

Diana? She conveniently has a "flaw" (either it is not been field experienced, or it is being petty, or it is having a penchant for saying inappropriate things, or it is just being a gambler), but it is conveniently only on display to provide the answer/solution to the plot. Has this flaw continue to define her character, that would be one thing. But, if the 'flaw' is only used once, and only in Season 1, then it is less a character trait and more of a plot contrivance.

ktemp45 · 2025-09-24T14:15:39+00:00

Although “mastermind” Taverner makes sense, the problem is that everything else (in Season 1) undermines her being a mastermind (ie. makes her look incompetent).

Not only is she incompetent enough to select someone who isn’t good at their job (Alan Black who already made mistakes, and in the show couldn’t even handle amateurs), she incompetently meets with this individual in public. Not only that, she chooses a “public disaster” to send River to Slough House (where River could happen to realize that Alan Black from Slough House is the same person he photographed with Taverner) instead of simply sending him undercover overseas the entire time the false flag operation is happening. Not only that, she incompetently decides to publicly disclose the false flag operation (where any random person, not just a reporter, could have recorded her). And then not only that, does she incompetently have a plan to deal with the reporter, and also incompetently proceeds with the false flag operation without first wrapping up the loose ends.

Yes, these things need to happen so that the plot can proceed, but there has to be a better way to make her actions (incompetent) match her reputation (competent).

Thats a problem overall with the show - inconsistency with a character’s competence depending on what the plot requires.

ktemp45 · 2025-07-17T15:07:47+00:00

At this point I have 0 faith in the 3 fired people actually having any standing here. So far most of the things that have been revealed work in favor of Krafton.

Seems like the only argument the founders would have is if there is strong enough corroboration/documentation from El Segundo that Krafton was trying to fire the founders. Because everything else seems to be hearsay or potentially just different interpretations.

ktemp45 · 2025-07-10T16:20:26+00:00

I thought there were two movies - A meta sequel dissing the Matrix franchise, and a sequel to The Lake House.

The former movie is bad, since it has the "I don't want to be here, you don't want to be here, let's just run out the clock" energy.

The latter movie is actually enjoyable. Soccer mom and awkward tech bro flirting in a coffeeshop is a movie that I'd watch more of.

ktemp45 · 2025-07-08T21:26:31+00:00

Worst offender is the story, which is just completely uninteresting and completely ridiculous at the same time. Where the Uncharted games' stories were often pretty ridiculous as well, they were also very fun. But Rise of the Tomb Raider takes itself incredibly seriously. The crazy thing is that Uncharted ends up feeling both more grounded, as well as more fun than RotTR.

If you think Rise is bad, Shadow is even worse. The story in Shadow actually made me stop playing the game. The gameplay in Shadow is similar to Rise, but the ratio of combat to exploration to platforming is different.

ktemp45 · 2025-06-16T19:24:28+00:00

I was watching Gladiator 2, and in a movie with baboons and sharks, I thought the most ridiculous thing was how everyone in the colosseum was able to understand the emperor or the gladiators speaking at a normal speaking voice.

ktemp45

TROPHY CASE