#or see huge cgi fights

[abutterflyobsession]

I pull out so many random facts about the making of Lord of the Rings that people usually respond with, 'how do you even know that?!'

oh, friend.

my brother, a most pretentious lotr fan, snatched up the extended edition hot off the shelf and for weeks it was the only thing on the tv all day long. I've seen every commentary, every special feature . . . twice. maybe more. I didn't have a choice.

#a butterfly obsesses #I've forgotten so much but still #maybe I just don't hang out with nerdy enough people and the rest of you know all this but: #billy boyd every time Minas Tirith is on the screen: I love Minas Tirith #Dominic Monaghan: shut. up. #sean austin forgot to put his waistcoat on for the scene where they all say farewell to frodo so they had to reshoot the whole thing #everybody had to cry again. but the second recording ended up blurry and they had to reshoot a 3rd time. nobody was happy with sean #when sam shows up to fight shelob his hand and sheathed sword appear first like the start of a duel in a western #that's actually peter jackson's hand #sean austin could 'see' shelob when they were filming those scenes. he could very vividly imagine her. #after he saw some cgi test footage of her he lost the ability to imagine her and had to work to get it back #dominic or billy I forget but one stole a skull from the scenes with the army of the dead #after pirates of the Caribbean came out they had to change the design for the army of the dead because the ghost designs were too similar #they built a huge dead Oliphaunt for the battlefield (peter wanted it to be bigger tho) #the people linking up plastic rings for the chain mail wore away their fingerprints on their pointer fingers and thumbs #they basically thawed a frozen stream so andy serkis could dive in and chase a fish in the ice-cold water #I want to say it was billy boyd who had to get a dental procedure done and opted to do with without being numbed #because he had to shoot a scene right after. however he sweated so much his hobbit feet came off #by the time they were put back on the medication would have worn off anyway #viggo mortensen got part of a front tooth chipped off and wanted to finish the scene before having it fixed but they forced him to go #when auditioning horses for the scene the horse kneels down to let the wounded aragorn get on a horse was disqualified for sit on the dummy #the HUGE ring they used for perspective shots

[skygemspeaks]

NEW ONE PIECE TRAILER LET'S GOOOOO

we got the roger execution scene!!! he looks fantastic, and he did SO well with the speech!

there's an older marine in a suit standing on the execution platform and i'm like 95% sure it's garp???? and if so, i love that they made that decision, hell yeah, it makes SO MUCH SENSE

luffy's little "Mutiny" joke when he asked the news coo to join his crew and it flew away....i found that way funnier than i should have 😂

the scene where luffy paints the first version of their jolly roger!! i loved it SO MUCH especially with the little detail of him having paint splatters on his face 🥺iñaki has impeccable luffy vibes and i can tell i'm gonna adore him in this role

we got to see buggy's devil fruit in action! i'm surprised they didn't lean more into the body horror aspect of it, but i still adore buggy. i wasn't sold on his hair last time, but it looks a lot better in this trailer tbh.

there's a scene where it looks like garp's ship is firing canonballs at the straw hats? which, unless it's a misdirect due to clever editing, that's a bit surprising that we get an altercation so early in the series. though i doubt they'd reveal the relationship between luffy and garp this early on in the series...hopefully

the scene where sanji is fighting kuroobi is really interesting because it looks like it's taking place in the baratie! my best guess is that they're overlapping baratie and arlong park a little? maybe nami spent too long away from arlong park so he sent kuroobi and/or chew to go fetch her back, instead of her voluntarily betraying the straw hats?

on that note, we get our first look at the fishmen, and they look surprisingly decent!! i don't have any complaints about their designs, and i'm a huge fan of arlong especially. no signs of hachi though...🥲

we finally got a sanji voice line, as well as some banter between him and zoro which was hilarious!! looks like they let taz keep his british accent, which i know some people were curious about last time.

the scene of nami sitting next to bellemere's grave 😭😭😭

"you're my captain. from now...until the end" HELLO? I'm gonna be PHYSICALLY ILL. I love him so fucking much, I'm never gonna get over this fucking line. I'm guessing it's probably after the mihawk fight

we got a good look at both mihawk and shanks! they are both, of course, absolutely stunning. Yoru looks really good too

the CGI on luffy's arms when he's fighting against arlong looks a LOT better than what we saw in the previous trailer against alvida!! it's a bit reassuring. i guess that one scene was just weird because of how much they were focusing on it. they probably did it that way because it was the first time we saw luffy really use his power in the series so they wanted to make a big deal of it

the scene where shanks puts the hat on baby luffy...😭😭

maybe i'm a bit late but in the logo, where it has luffy standing in the nose of the jolly roger, i only just realized it's manga luffy and not iñaki 😂

we got a good look at Coby!!!! Morgan looks absolutely flawless, they were definitely the right choice for the role. Also, in the last trailer we got a split second glimpse of Coby when Luffy was punching Alvida and his hair looked pale blonde due to the lighting, which I was a bit sad about. Glad we got to see in this trailer that they did actually keep his hair pink! phenomenal!

#opla #one piece live action #netflix one piece #one piece #op spoilers

[bengiyo]

The Sign Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

It's been too long, so I barely remember where we are. We left at Tharn somehow maybe saving Phaya and getting stuck in a cave to maybe say goodbye because Chalothorn threatened him or whatever. Chart got caught for being undercover. The rest of the gang was lost in the woods. Anyway, let's finish this.

Wait, how are they successfully tracking anyone? I thought there was no phone service.

Oh lord don't start death flagging with promises about rings.

Damn, I feel bad for Chart. That final kick delivery was actually pretty good.

Bestie said they didn't need rope to get them out of the hole. The power of the Warrior's Bond and Yai's arms was enough.

I watch too much American action. The bullet stuff is giving recent Fast films.

Well, there goes Khem.

Why would they let Tharn run after them alone? He literally loses every fight.

Mhmm, see, Chalothorn had to intervene.

Montree still being afraid of Tharn came across clearly.

Damn, y'all ain't even shower before going back home?

Here we go. One last look at Babe's waistline before it ends.

Oof, the only thing Tharn responded to was an admission of his love.

Finally, 🍑

Oh, I liked that shot of the water leaking through the bed to show that Tharn was gone.

I feel like the grandma has always known more than she let on.

Did we really repeat the exact same death scenario? Chalothorn, you really suck at this. The circle remains unbroken.

I know Phaya's doctors have got to be frustrated that he keeps drowning.

Is Dao in France to cut down on filming schedule conflicts?

I love when dramas show the passage of time with facial hair.

So... Chalothorn just...got over it off screen?

Oh, a second season tag and Saint cameo. I guess?

Final Verdict: 5.5, Great Gowns, Beautiful Gowns. Overall, I just don't think the elements of this show ever really came together. I think the first two episodes of training and mythology teasers, along with the Lieutenant Tam mystery, made me expect these elements to circle and eventually converge in a more cohesive way. I also feel like some of the side stuff didn't really work. I thought some of the mythology about the Naga and Garuda was really interesting, but I didn't exactly feel the cycle they were stuck in playing out in this drama. I'm also hugely annoyed about the core angst evaporating off screen. So, in the end, I'll mostly remember it as copaganda.

That being said, I thought the cast chemistry was solid, and I really liked the execution and use of the CGI. I like that IdolFactory keeps trying more things, but I do think we need to get stronger script writers and editors in the room with a stronger say on the planning front.

#Ben watches #the sign the series #thai bl #bl series

[jamsofdeath0]

Im not going to say you cant remake an animation in live action and it work. There is always value in retelling stories and looking through different lenses. But I will say most live adaptations dont respect the orginal medium. They see it as childish. Think themselves above; mature. And in doing so they miss what works in the original stories. This isnt just about Netflix's atla. But it IS about Avatar the last Airbender.

Avatar is quite possibly the closest thing ro a perfect television show out there. Its a compelling, timeless narrative; so perfectly molded for episodic animation. I truly do not see what a shorter live action adaptation could do that the original couldnt. So much would have to change to refit for all that would be lost.

The wonderfully choreographed and animated fight sequences. The magic system so well thought out and drenched in real martial arts and culture it doesnt feel magic. Neither of these things can be captured the same with cgi or practical effects. One could say theres value to be had in the real martial arts being done in real life. But enough to recreate the whole show? I think not. I think one would have to move much further from the original medium. Such as a stage play, or ballet. Something off the small screen. A television show made of real people is vastly different from one made of cartoon, but in the end it follows the same structure. And what of the way you tell the story is to change if the structure doesnt? A large issue with tv readaptations from cartoon to live action is it is both to different AND to similar.

Cartoons are animated for a reason. Anything can be imagined into them. And so their stories take the shape of magic and colors and movements no human could ever achieve.

No artform is invalid. Pinocchio has been told countless times since it was created. Many stories hardly even resemble the orginal serialization. Its been told in every art form you could think of. On tv; in your books! Animated; in real life! Stop motion; video games! But the most striking to me a version ive never been lucky enough to see myself. A atage production where everyone but the titular puppet is a puppet themselves. Pinocchio sits in stark contrast to these huge life sized puppets as a human.

You might be wondering where this little tangent came from. We've been talking about atla. And I bring up Pinocchio because I would have personally never conceived of making such version of that story. A truly unique take on such an old tale. And if someone could make a new moving version of a story thats been told so many times then whats the sin of retelling a newer tale of a new story? Whats the crime of remaking Avatar?

Atla is nearly a perfect story. but that does not mean there is not value in re-exploration. I just wish people would reexplore it in a more interesting way.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #natla #netflix atla

[tonguetiedraven]

Season Three Episode One Thoughts

-Starting in the classroom is a brilliant idea. It gives a good reason for Rin to be reading, makes it clear we're out of summer break, and leads perfectly into Godaiin and doesn't make them have to set up a friendship for those two. We just dive in.

-The Kyoto's trio intro was perfect and the letter was entirely the way I wanted it to look, over the top reactions and all.

-I'm glad we didn't have to see the Amaimon brutalization of Rin. That would have been a bit rough for the first episode back and not having it will make some of the coming violence and gore with the zombies and lab more intense.

-Mephisto's clothes and room made my eyes bleed. Perfect. No notes. Everything is exactly as it should be.

-Liked the color sap of Gehenna and that they used the cgi heads to connect that to the gate for people who don't know about the manga and don't know that's Gehenna.

-The portraits fight was fantastic and I like that they had the same demons in there be the one that attacked Sei earlier. It makes it feel like there was a reason they were doing that mission and is a great setup to allow them to do the mysteries in any order they want. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see some of the others pop up later. The bathroom ghost is perfect for closer to the festival with that stuff.

-I like how they didn't spend a lot of time on Yukio withdrawing. They had Rin and Shura both point it out in different ways, and it's a good setup for the stuff later.

-Kuro napping on the table gives me so much joy.

-Hair clip. Just Hair clip.

-The outside eating lunch scene was everything I wanted. All of them hanging out and chatting and Izumo being entirely embarrassed and everyone looking at Rin after the demon shout xD

-The ending with Godaiin taking a moment to show him actively thinking about what demons really are and halflings, and how those drops might change how he sees Rin and whether he should use them and that leading directly to the rest of the group waiting on him and teasing him and wanting him to come for food.

-Mephisto echoing the opening narration with a more cryptic twist.

-The credit shot of the girl's bathroom. The ghost? Or just a nod for us?

All in all, I'm impressed they got that much and they set up so much for later. I really thought they were going to skip all the mysteries and I'm delighted they gave us Konekomaru's moments because honestly, the Illuminati arc and the portrait fight are both huge for him, and he doesn't have an arc of his own and rarely gets the spotlight.

I like the animation and think the palette and style suits Izumo and Shima quite well. I like the strong focus for friendship in the start and the questions about demons and humans they're setting up for later on in this arc. I am very hopeful and I've heard the Japan fans who got to see the first three episodes said the pacing gets better, so I am ecstatic.

It still doesn't quite feel real that we got it after all this time xD It's more than I ever expected and I'm on cloud nine.

#ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #blue exorcist season 3

[anipologist]

Ok, I'm watching Rings of Power (in small doses)...first impressions below.

(Part 1)

Valinor is not Heaven anymore than Galadriel or Luthien are the Virgin Mary...does no one understand what subcreation is?

Bullying in Valinor...unlikely as portrayed. The elves are mostly unfallen at this point and most of the issues are between the adults and after Morgoth starts roaming freely spreading lies. Galadriel is also from a high position in society (a princess) she is hardly an outsider.

Noldor elves absolutely delighted in color and jewelry why is everyone wearing sheets? In fact the Noldor in general just loved making stuff...

To everyone that thinks that the mean elf children are her cousins, Artanis is the youngest child of the youngest son of Finwe...even Amrod and Amras are probably a fair bit older than her.

FINROD"S HAIR! I know it's been said before but wow...ugh. Suspension of disbelief shatters every time it shows up...

Also elves died in Middle Earth before they all moved to the undying lands...so yeah they definitely knew what death was. In fact Artanis and Finderato's uncle was among those presumed lost or dead. (He wasn't, but that's a whole story itself)

And yes, I am using Artanis/Nerwen and Findarato/Artafinde/Ingoldo because nobody is speaking Sindarin in Valinor...and Galadriel hasn't met Celeborn yet (and seems unlikely to at this point) so he hasn't given her the name Galadriel.

moving on....

Wow....that is the most heavily redacted account of the Flight of the Noldor ever...

Where do I start?

Artanis spoke out against Feanor and he personally led his people in an attack on her mother's people...on her grandparents! This is something deeply important to her...in some accounts Tolkien actually has her fighting her cousins and uncle in Alqualondë in defense of the Teleri.

This also makes it look like Finrod is swearing Feanor's oath!...there is one image that Tolkien gives of an oath sworn at this time alongside drawn swords and Finrod is another specifically mentioned by name as having opposed it!

(On a side note given that Finrod is later betrayed because of that oath this is rather sick...almost like releasing a bad Tolkien adaption on the anniversary of his death...)

Once again...Finrod and Galadriel along with Fingolfin and many others spent years crossing the Helcaraxë to get to Middle Earth, THEY DID NOT SAIL THERE.

So far the dialogue is consistently atrocious. The landscapes are pretty but feel cgi and the costumes are uninspired...this was the perfect opportunity to go full panoply of ancient kings...and they didn't. I am not seeing "most expensive tv show in history" anywhere.

NB: I fully intend to criticize blatant betrayals of what Tolkien actually wrote. Tolkien has been a huge part of my life and his writing and the world he created has been a light in many dark places. The characters he wrote have made me want to be a better person and seeing them diminished and twisted is just awful.

So yes, I take it somewhat personally when they are maligned and given that the Silm is my favorite of all Tolkien's writing so this hits very close to home.

That being said, I don't blame people for wanting to see Middle Earth again. I desperately wanted this to be good. And I don't blame the actors who were handed once in a lifetime roles and were clearly very let down by the production itself.

SO why do I feel the need to complain? Well, why do people complain about any bad adaption? Nobody thinks people are wrong to criticize the Percy Jackson movies or that Avatar: The Last Airbender movie that no one talks about about....

So no I am not going to attack people who watch it but I am going to plant my flag here and make my stand. Because this is something that means a great deal to me and I hate seeing to ruined.

#rings of power #amazon lord of the rings #rings of power critical #jrr tolkien #tolkien #tolkien elves #the silmarillion #silmarillion #galadriel #finrod felagund #lotr #lord of the rings #noldor #silm #the second age #sauron #anti rings of power #critique of rings of power #anti rop #rop critical #my critiques #artanis #nerwen #ingoldo #rop spoilers #rings of power spoilers #one ring to commercialize them all

[master-of-the-railway]

Sue me for this if you wish but I think Big World Big Adventures: The Movie wasn't actually as bad as everyone says it is and it's high time we gave it the appreciation it deserves, like it's a bit too overhated in my opinion. Maybe it's just my inability to be overly mean and aggressive abt pieces of media that line up with comfort interests but I genuinely don't get the hate towards the BWBA movie....like nothing was bad abt it in my own opinion? The songs were fire all the way through, the visuals are very pretty (the LIGHTING!!!), and I mean like Nia is there and how can you possibly hate anything that features Nia she CARRIES that movie so hard. I've seen some ppl say the movements are too much but like...it makes the engines far more expressive and I highly prefer them having a bit more movement to being entirely stiff because being stiff restricts their expressiveness even more, and tbh realism was left behind the second the cgi series made its debut (Ex: D51s were first produced in 1936 and yet Hiro was somehow the first engine on the island of Sodor) so I don't really look for realism too hard when it comes to TTTE because I mean...the trains talk and are fully sentient, and that's already grounds enough for me suspend my disbelief a TON.

Maybe it is just my Nia bias (AND YONG BAO IS THERE AT ONE POINT!!! Absolutely love him.) but I think BWBA is pretty good, it's one of my favorite TTTE movies. It's just really whack that half the fandom seems to hate or at least mildly dislike this movie, which was a huge shocker to me because I was happy stimming the ENTIRE time on my first watch. It was fun and colorful and expressive and thinking about how it introduced so many international machines to the lineup...like I physically cannot hate a movie that caters to my favorite thing EVER in shows with sentient machines (seeing the machines from other countries). I don't mind the fact that ppl dislike it at all (bc everyone's entitled to their own opinions and all that jazz) but it's more just I can't really find any negatives about it, the only character introduced in it that I dislike is the one they (assumedly) want you to dislike and even then I gotta admit his song slaps. To each their own in the end, I suppose, but the point I'm trying to make is that I think we gotta be at least a LITTLE bit nicer abt this movie. (And if anyone interacts w/ this post, please don't like. Start fights on it or anything. This post isn't mean to spark any discourse or aggression, it's just my personal thoughts that I'm sharing with the fandom because so far all of you that I've met are EXTREMELY kind and understanding and so I trust you all to be normal abt it.)

#ttte #thomas and friends #thomas & friends #Hero of The Rails is my favorite TTTE movie of all time tho :) #always will be #but yeah everytime I've seen someone talk abt this film they rarely say positive things which is just fine y'know- #-it's not like I'm mortally wounded over the fact that ppl don't like it #I just find myself unable to see what could possibly be so bad about it #but that's kind of just a me problem I suppose lmao

[filmmarvel]

PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons

Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and don’t want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, I’m not someone to complain just because it isn’t exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones I’ve listed as cons, i’m just irritated that they haven’t been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if you’re making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes I’m complaining about, for the most part, haven’t met any of those requirements.

Pros:

Sets and Visuals

It was so magical seeing camp come to life!

The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.

Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.

Overall I Just Think There’s Lots of Potential!

Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you can’t expect them to be incredible. They’re doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see them grow over the course of the series!

Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.

Plot Changes

This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasn’t in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didn’t quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.

I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didn’t fit into the first two episodes.

They got rid of the “names have power” stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).

They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.

I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.

Cons:

Dialogue and Writing

The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. It’s a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters don’t totally feel like themselves, but it isn’t only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.

Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. I’d imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didn’t find it as successful as the book in this regard.

And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they aren’t really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.

Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percy’s personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that they’re kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.

I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which I’ll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out what’s going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didn’t like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, there’s absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasn’t great. Go check out my last post if you’d like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!

Some additional examples of the ‘not letting the characters experience danger’ thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that there’s very little evidence or buildup, so (again) there’s no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I could’ve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.

The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).

Lowering the Stakes

I just wish they’d made it SLIGHTLY more mature- don’t get me wrong, it’s a kids show! I’m very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.

Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I don’t believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didn’t really need to change anything there.

Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they weren’t allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasn’t BAD but generally didn’t have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasn’t shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesn’t increase tension like I’m pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books there’s a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. There’s a clear threat of power, and that just wasn’t remotely present for a while.

And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! It’s not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, it’s that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.

I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So I’m optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.

Overall, it felt like they weren’t taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didn’t take the comedy as seriously either? So it isn’t as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.

Episodes Were Too Short

Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isn’t as natural (again, they’re forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation

As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and haven’t quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.

This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus

It’s mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I can’t picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santa’s elves, he’s giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao

Changes

I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but there’s one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percy’s dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just would’ve clicked a little easier.

Finishing Thoughts

I don’t want to totally sound like a hater! I’m still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.

Alright, I don’t really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so I’d really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!

#percy jackson disney+ #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #pjo show #percy jackson show #pjo tv show #pjo finale #percy jackson finale #percy jackson and the olympians review #pjo series #pjo spoilers #pjo episode 8

[microcomets]

can i ask for your thoughts on the netflix atla adaption? 👉👈 value ur opinion on media

aw, thank you!!! i admit i'm only halfway through watching s1, so my opinions may change as i reach the end of the season, but i can outline some of my thoughts so far!

pros:

overall, with a few exceptions, i think the casting so far is really solid. the asian and indigenous representation within the show is something they clearly took very seriously, and it shows! especially for a netflix show, that's something really groundbreaking and important and refreshing to see; and obviously a huge improvement on past whitewashed adaptations. overall, i think most of the effects are good, despite some weird cinematography choices — there are a handful of moments where the CGI looks particularly egregious, but overall, the bending and choreo look COOL. the opening scene of the pilot had me by the throat, even as it made very clear what a different kind of adaptation this would be. overall, i tend not to be too fussy about an adaptation altering things from originals to make more sense in different formats (with caveats, as i'll mention in the cons lol), so i wasn't mad about the way they've fused some of the storylines to make it flow better in a 60-minute format. (although i do question bringing in s2 stories so early, such as the secret tunnel.) there have been some moments where they've either built out character relationships (like zuko and iroh) or brought in supplementary canon from korra and the comics, which i have also enjoyed as a huge fan of the original. there are a few additions that i've really loved and had fun with — zuko's dream journal, for one, lmao, and his and aang's street fight in omashu.

cons:

honestly, my biggest gripe so far has been the alterations to characterization and character motivation. the cast and crew were sort of smugly talking about removing misogyny from the original and "updating" it, which is ironic because i think the live action is actually more sexist in many ways.

my BIGGEST disappointment has been katara, with no shade to the actor. this is one of the characters who means the most to me from the original, and the character that has hands-down been the least recognizable in natla. her fire, her temper, her unruliness, and her bossiness — all to say, her human traits — have been completely sanitized, presumably to avoid drawing any kind of criticism that she's "annoying." her anger is quite literally what kickstarts the entire show: katara losing her temper with sokka cracks open the iceberg that releases aang. katara's anger is, in a lot of ways, an outlet not only for her sense of injustice in the world, but also an outlet for coping with 1) immense colonial trauma and 2) the burden of being parentified. this, in my view, is IMPORTANT for young girls and particularly young girls of color to see — that anger doesn't have to be something you shy away from, but that you can embrace as a weapon of resistance. this anger is missing entirely, except in small snatches, from natla katara. the moments that make katara a flawed, interesting character — such as her stealing the waterbending scroll and getting jealous of aang's natural prowess — have been scrubbed completely. it is nearly impossible, at this point, to imagine this version of katara bloodbending or taking vengeance for her mother in s3. i think the re-characterization is a big misstep, due more to poor writing than anything. even the agency of katara's bending is "unlocked" and coached by male characters like aang (ep 1) and jet (ep 3), when katara is supposed to be the one teaching aang!

the inversion of sokka and katara's relationship — that is to say, parentifying sokka and making katara more of a "little sister" figure — is also a huge misstep IMO, because it misses a lot of the characterization fundamental to katara's arcs in the original, and even her later conflicts with other characters like toph. in s3 in the original, sokka says when he pictures his mother, he can only picture katara's face — this is, again, a central aspect to their dynamic and to katara's character! my guess is that they removed katara's overmothering qualities to avoid accusations of being anti-feminist, but ironically, by not acknowledging that in-text the way the original does, it bakes misogyny unspokenly into the atla world rather than explicitly acknowledging and challenging it. to clarify again, i have NOT seen the end of the season yet — i am curious what they do with katara's confrontation with paku, which is one of the biggest grapplings with misogyny in the original text. but for me, removing katara's motherly qualities/parentification, and above all her unsavory traits, are not accomplishing anti-sexist work the way the writers think they're doing, but rather sanitizing the original's social commentary on gender altogether.

one of my biggest squicks thus far has been suki and sokka's relationship; i saw suki's characterization described by someone here as a farmer girl p*rn trope where a naive village waif looks to a man to show her the outside world, or w/e, and i hate that this is what they did to suki's character. they keep her warrior qualities, yes, but this is undercut for me by the cringe comphet romance tropes of making her a wide-eyed blushing virgin around sokka. the insta-romance in the original makes more sense to me, obviously because of the format, but because in the span of 20 minutes, suki has taught sokka what it is to respect and reevaluate his relationship with women and femininity. the writers bragged about removing this from the natla representation, so what we have now is that suki doesn't really teach sokka anything substantial about himself, other than some moves. rather, it's sokka teaching suki about what it is to be "worldly" and how to unlock carnal desires. tbh, i hate that! lol! but that's just my onion.

zuko has been one of the strongest and most well-acted characterizations by far, but i do have a gripe with how they shifted his primary motivation from regaining his honor to reclaiming the throne. zuko at his essence has never been a power-hungry character. his entire drive, as we are told exhaustively through both the show and memes of the original, is regaining his honor — which is also an important cultural trope for many japanese warrior characters (though others not me can speak far more in-depth to this). his search for lost honor is incredibly important, if not central, to his entire character arc, which is zuko discovering that his honor does not come by acknowledgement from his abusive family or even imperial power, but through his own integrity and ethical code. so to have him make several lines about rightfully regaining what's his, the throne, and to make that the primary point of contention between him and azula.....is a misunderstanding, again, of the crucial aspects of zuko's character.

my other nitpicks with the characters are smaller — i miss sokka's slapstick, which has been substituted with very dry humor (and i understand this makes more sense for live action). i am still on the fence about how i feel about making ozai and azula such central characters in s1; i understand why they felt this was necessary for live action, but having those two be shadow figures in the original s1 was a really cool narrative effect for not only establishing zuko initially as a villain within his own right, but for building narrative suspense as to the fire nation's motivations.

ultimately, there's just some secret x ingredient that's missing from the live action that the original nailed effortlessly — maybe it's the sense of fun and wonder? i haven't really had fun watching this adaptation; i'm more just spectating, like watching some pretty fireworks before i move on with my day. my opinion may change slightly, as i hear the show is stronger in the second half; i wouldn't even say it's a BAD adaptation, but overall i feel like it's just kinda....meh, and i still question why it needs to exist in the first place when there are some things that animation as a medium just does far better.

also i just want to point out that i find it extremely frustrating that this show leans very hard into showing the atrocities and Moral Evil of genocide in literally the first 20 minutes of episode 1 and that while netflix wants the virtue-signaling brownie points for that, they'll still continue to give giant paychecks and platforms to brazen zionists. because after this dies down, the stranger things promo cycle is going to start up.

#anonymous #asks

[entropiceye1342]

Spoiler free review for Netflix's live action One Piece!

WOW.

A lot of stuff to love! I absolutely ADORE this take on the adventure of the Straw Hat Pirates!

The Straw Hats are all cast perfectly, the supporting cast is spot on. Everyone NAILS their characters!

Give the man a crown!

Iñaki Godoy as Luffy is goofy and oblivious in all the right ways. He sticks the perfect landing of the emotional intelligence that was crucial to bring the deeper side of Luffy to life, and doesn't neglect the hyperactive child side either! Seeing him gleefully bounce around - both in and out of fights- was special. The CGI was pretty good! Better than I expected, really. I appreciate making Luffy a little more level-headed, it's a good choice to tone down the chaos goblin for live action 🤣

It was magnificent to see Luffy grow into a "real" pirate in this arc, and he will be the KING!

Mackenyu as Zoro is a bit "too cool" but honestly I expected it to happen, people tend to overlook the fact that 90% of the time he's just as dumb as Luffy 🤷 but MAN is he cool. He really surpassed my expectations for the fight scenes, and did not skip on the brutality! 3 Sword Style was stunningly realized and incredible fun to watch- even without drawing a single blade!

His one liners and sarcasm are on point, ESPECIALLY regarding Sanji 🤣

Emily Rudd as Nami is INCREDIBLE. Smart as a whip and wily as ever, this cat burglar lands on her feet! In and out of combat, Nami is quick on her feet and with her wit. One Piece passes the Bechdel test once again, and her story is every bit the emotional powerhouse as its manga and anime counterparts- better in some moments! 'Nuff said.

Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp is delightful, though unfortunately he doesn't get as much time to shine as the others. When he does though, it's fantastic!

He really got the little things down about the character without needing to be as over the top as his counterparts- a bullseye from the sniper!

Sanji is perfect as well, you can SEE the training Taz Skylar went through for the part, from the mouth watering food to the killer martial arts. Every bit as fun to watch as the rest of the Monster Trio! My expectations for him were already high, and he kicked them into the stratosphere.

I'm glad they toned down the flirting, they found the right balance and played it well. Sanji matches Zoro in the bickering spectacularly, an absolute must that exceeded my hopes in both of their performances.

I'm not gonna list everyone but because I love this stupid fucking clown:

Jeff Ward as Buggy is an absolute TREAT, I am a huge fan of this take on the character. The perfect storm of bumbling dipshit who wants to be taken seriously, but still pretty intimidating at times. LOVE it. His jokes are GOLD.

Speaking of! Gold Roger, the man who started it all! *mwah!* Dazzling performances from him AND the Marines.

The few nitpicks I have are minor, the childhood acting ranges from ok to abysmal, Lily Fisher as young Nami is a notable standout. Some of the "minor" characters suffer from wooden acting, but honestly that's about the worst of it.

The Fishmen look a little low budget in their early appearances, but are absolutely PERFECT when they are the ones in the spotlight. Absolutely phenomenal work from McKinley Belcher III, my biggest fear from this was Arlong being done wrong and he CRUSHED IT!

The soundtrack was rousing, it truly felt like a call to adventure! And above all the SET DESIGN 😭

They TRULY brought the world that Oda Senseii has been drawing for us all these years, to life.

And now, anime One Piece is trending on Netflix.

THE GREAT PIRATE ERA IS HERE!

Here's to hoping Netflix doesn't Netflix it 🍻

What did you think?

Especially if this is your introduction to One Piece, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

#one piece live action #iñaki godoy #straw hat luffy #one piece #emily rudd #nami #mackenyu #roronoa zoro #jacob romero gibson #usopp #taz skylar #vinsmoke sanji #jeff ward #buggy the clown #mckinley belcher iii #arlong #one piece anime

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 14

Oh snap! The plot be plottin'! Yamaki's (finally learned his name) plot to destroy all digimon fails spectacularly and instead he creates a rift between both worlds and -checks notes- Mihiramon (a perfect level) comes through. We also get a bunch of new stuff introduced this time: using cards to digivolve, Takato being "connected" to Guilmon, and Guilmon's perfect digivolution MegaloGrowmon! Still don't fully know what's going on, but there are more mysteries to solve now which means I'm more invested :)

Notes:

That skyscraper they keep showing with the two towers...is that a real building in Shibuya or something made up for the anime? I tried googling this, but found nothing.

The silhouetted digimon flying into their doom was pretty creepy. Kinda reminds me of all of the souls floating around in the Underworld in Hercules (but like...in the sky instead)

So the enemy digimon acknowledge that they were created by humans but they only obey their "God." For a second I was like "but isn't your God supposed to be your creator??" but that's not necessarily the case in a lot of polytheistic religions, so I guess anything goes.

Yamaki casually chokes out Jian and Terriermon barely reacts ("that guy's rude!") lol wtf

Two very ugly digimon designs in this episode: Mihiramon (weird name) and MegaloGrowmon. Mihiramon looks like he was designed by an 8 year old (I had to laugh when they showed his nunchuck tail) and MegaloGrowmon is just profoundly derpy. Kinda looks like it hurts to be him and he's lost a lot of ability to emote because there's way too much going on with his face.

Considering the timing of when this anime came out, I bet Matrix Evolution was inspired by the coolness of The Matrix for sure. I doubt the name has much meaning aside from sounding neat.

Lots of big hits to the digimon in this one, Renamon falls off of a sky scraper and makes a huge dent in the concrete below and yet apparently takes zero fall damage. Growmon gets his entire side chomped on by Mihiramon and is also okay I guess (maybe digivolving to MegaloGrowmon healed him?)

Galgomon is apparently just braindead because he fully shoots at the open air for a weirdly long time during his fight. Also...apparently he can run out of ammo which I didn't see coming. How the heck does that work? Where does the ammo come from? When he runs out is that it until he de-digivolves and then digivolves again? So many questions...

So Takato is linked to Guilmon physically and was able to create him from a drawing...there's gotta be some connection there...

Suddenly Takato's friends are okay with him being an IRL digimon tamer. I guess they had to fully see him in action to respect it. Seems a little two faced of them...

Culumon was pretty prominent in the matrix evolution sequence...(but why tho)

Megalomon's digivolution sequence was in that charming early CGI. Doesn't look fantastic, but it's nostalgic. I think I can see some improvement from earlier seasons at least. Actually I think these mecha-esque designs sometimes look better in the CGI and then look awkward in the 2D animation.

#digimon tamers #digimon #anime

[ordinaryschmuck]

Season One of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is FINE

All and all, I'd say it's a fine adaptation of the first book.

The spirit is very much in place. The story's sense of humor and light drama is present and well balanced through the show. One moment you have a gripping discussion of Sally explaining she fell in love with a god, and it's followed by Percy asking if she found Jesus. It's a funny line that doesn't undercut the drama because that's exactly what a kid like Percy would ask. Even some bits that WEREN'T in the book that very well could have been, like Mr. D lying to Percy about being his father for some cheap booze or the gosh dang Consensus Song. Moments like that show me that the people behind this show are HUGE FANS of the books and wanted to make something that's faithful but still provides something new to enjoy.

And there are SOME changes to the story, a lot of them I don't really mind. I like that they made Sally more sassy and Grover more proactive. I like that Medusa's made more as a tragic villain instead of a monstrous one. I REALLY like that we got to see Poseidon early. That last one takes the punch out of the dramatic weight of seeing him in Book Four, but seeing him now really helps cement the idea that this version DOES love Percy and Sally, something that I didn't really get in the books. Which might have been the intention, but the show is trying to be something different, and I respect it for it.

When it comes to the action, it's pretty good. Stuff like the Minotaur fight and the battle with Ares wasn't as long or epic as it was mapped out in my head, but I can understand it. These are big fights involving little kids and CGI is expensive (Even though you wouldn't have this problem if the show was ANIMATED, but I digress). Despite the limitations, the show did will and provided some kickass moments.

As for the actors, frickin' round of applause across the board. Nearly everyone they got does GREAT in their role, fitting the changes the show is going for and the spirit of the book everything is based on. Some particular standouts for me are Adam Copeland as the perfect D-Bag that is Ares and Walter Scobell who IS Percy Jackson. It's the kid especially that impressed me the most, as he nails the sarcastic, angry, endearing, idiotic, and loyal to a fault hero that makes Percy the best. If there's any actor who I think is struggling it's probably Leah Jeffries as Annabeth, who seems a bit too standoffish and closed off, as if she's holding back a lot of personality that the character has. However, to be fair...

A. Annabeth was more or less the same in the first book, so I'll allow it. Just as long as she has more of a wit to match Percy's. It's what made Percabeth amazing.

B. This is a child actor we're talking about. Even Walter, who is PITCH PERFECT casting, manages to have some awkwardness and stiffness to his performance at times too. I'm sure that as more time goes on, these kids will get better and better each season.

And, yeah, I'd say that this is enough to make Percy Jackson and the Olympians a FINE TV show...But there's some things that hold it back from being good or even GREAT.

Firstly, there's the pacing. The pacing in this show is off a lot of the time, and this is mainly a problem with most straight to streaming shows nowadays. We can have long, extensive TV shows anymore as networks and services are demanding shorter and shorter seasons, to the point where its less of a season of television and more of a long movie. It's no different here as we're forced to fly by past plot point after plot point, all while trying to be more episodic AND while setting up future stuff. It makes you appreciate the moments when the show DOES slow down and let moments settle, but there's not enough of that.

Then there's the way moments are told out of order or are condensed. Like how Percy and Annabeth have their heart-to-heart on the train instead of on the animal truck. Or how Annabeth starts calling Percy Seaweed Brain when the journey's almost over instead of doing it right away. Or how Luke sparred with Percy near the END of the season, not the beginning. I'm not exactly an accuracy purist. I find changes are fine as long as the spirit is in tact, which it very much is. And if I wanted the story told exactly as it was, I would have just read the book. But changes like that make me feel like they're missing the point. Like, that zoo truck wasn't great, but it will be a happy memory between Percy and Annabeth as a time when they REALLY talked. Annabeth calling Percy Seaweed Brain was a straight up insult that Percy hated but grew to accept as something only SHE can call him as it later turns into a sort of petname for him. And interrupting Percy's battle with Ares with Percy sparring with Luke spoonfeeds us information, when showing them do that in the beginning would have benefited in making that scene act as a set up with a pay off. Besides, we spend so little time with Luke anyway that when we get to that BIG REVEAL, it's not as impactful because he was barely a character. Again, I don't mind changes, but if you're going to do them, make sure the story doesn't suffer.

But while we're on the topic of changes, let's talk about the ones that REALLY bother me.

I don't like that some other gods are introduced too early. It takes the impact out of Ares and Hades being big, intimidating figures when there are other gods that the characters can just chat and reason with.

I don't like that Annabeth's fear of spiders is just glossed over. Not only does it SHOW US (instead of telling us) that a strong-willed character like Annabeth can be emotionally shaken by something as small as a spider, but leads to a sense of tragedy of her past and her being a child of Athena. To gloss over it is a huge disservice to Annabeth as a character and it doesn't feel right.

And I REALLY don't like that the movie did the Lotus Casino better than the show. Because if the movie that the author loves to shit on managed to be more faithful than the SHOW...it messed up.

So...the show is a mess at times. I still enjoyed it and I hope we get a season two. But if this series wants to get past The Sea of Monsters, it'll need to focus on what makes it GREAT instead of using more of what holds it back as just FINE.

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson tv show #percy jackson tv spoilers #pjo tv show #annabeth chase #ares pjo #sally jackson #poseidon pjo #quick thoughts #what i thought about

[evelynstarshine]

Yo, I saw the Marvels today, and it is legit the best movie I've seen in decades, it is fun, the whole way through. it doesnt follow the MCU forumula, it doesnt have long empty CGI fights with no humanity in them, it isn't snark and irony, it's got heart and jokes and a huge world that feels bigger and connected to worlds you can't see, it explores ideas, its about family and justice and honesty and I love it. As someone who couldn't get through the last few MCU movies or skipped them entirely, I only went because, Captain Marvel obvs and expected, Brie Larson being Brie Larson in it, but I got, what the Avengers movies SHOULD have been, but the MCU should have been this whole time. For the first time.

#The Marvels #MCU #Captain Marvel #the memory scene is legit i mean #I even love the villain #she was the good guy of her story #but still cartoonishly evil #and thats hard to do both

[melonteee]

I think you have to think from a budget perspective when it comes to OPLA. In a podcast, the showrunners and producer literally admitted that they had plans and a version of the script that included Don Krieg on Baratie and Hatchan vs Zoro fight. The show runner explained what the fight between Hatchan vs Zoro would have looked like and they literally had sketches of Hatchan’s live action design (you can see glimpses of it in the promo/behind the scenes videos) but they weren’t able to have that due to budget constraints and the amount of cgi they would have to do for Hatchan.

What are they gonna prioritize more when it comes to the use of cgi? Which fight is important? Hatchan vs Zoro or Luffy vs Arlong. I think the choice is pretty obvious.

With over 20 million dollars per ep somehow I don't think that would've been much of a problem anon, and if there were 'restraints' to add important characters in - such as Hachi - then that all the more hammers home my question of WHAT is this live action even trying to DO for One Piece apart from being an advertisement for the original? Hachi isn't a character who exists just for a fight, he exists to be a good guy caught in a bad crowd, who comes back around chapters later and holds HUGE importance for both Sabaody and Fishman Island. He's literally the one Arlong Pirate who really NEEDS to be there, and HE'S the one they removed??

And for the Baratie, they prioritised Zoro's fight with Mihawk - deciding THAT was more important - instead of prioritising Sanji's own story regarding Gin, Don Krieg and the Baratie. Doesn't that sound like they just don't CARE to tell Sanji's story because it's not 'important' enough??

The fact they originally WANTED Hachi and dropped it for 'budget constraints' feels like a "This is too hard to figure out, let's just focus on the fights" copout to me.

It seems to me like their priorities were in the wrong place, the action felt to be of more importance than character or story, and it feels disingenuous to blame the removal of characters like Hachi and Don Krieg on budget and 'cgi restraints' when this whole series is, apparently, now THE most expensive tv series ever made - beating out game of thrones. This series wasn't an indie made fan project, it was a million dollar production created by one of the biggest streaming companies in the world.

If they wanted Hachi or wanted to include Don Krieg, they could've done it easily. But let's say, if not even THAT much money can make a character like HACHI a reality, OR can't even give Sanji swirly eyebrows (???) then why is a live action even being adapted if it can't keep and improve on the original source?

#ask #oplatalk

[gellavonhamster]

Reading One Piece manga didn't make me dislike the live action in retrospect. If anything, it made me wanna rewatch it so that I could catch all the Easter eggs/references to the events yet to come and reevaluate some moments with additional context (because, for example, Garp's presence at Roger's execution hits sooo different now). There are things I wish were done differently, mostly re: Arlong Park, but for the most part I see why changes were made and I don't mind them, even love them in many cases.

But. Unfortunately, now I'm also having Ideas about how *I* would adapt the next chapters, as well as Expectations to be met, and while I know I'll probably enjoy the show anyway as long as it doesn't lose the heart it had in s1, I'm also like. What will they cut. Because they'll have to omit things since the locations and characters and superpowers will only keep getting weirder and thus more expensive to create. If *I* had to cut something, I'd reduce the number of named Baroque Works agents the Straw Hats have to fight, particularly in Whiskey Peak, since most of them don't appear later anyway, but what if they cut, like, Karoo? Because surely it must be a pain in the ass to CGI a huge duck into so many scenes, but also. He's kinda important? And how will they do Chopper? Will there be a puppet for the rest of the cast to have something real to interact with, or just CGI? Who's gonna play Vivi? Is Vivi sailing with the Straw Hats only temporarily enough of a loophole to bypass the "no romance between the Straw Hats" rule and get Namivivi in canon? Pretty please? Will the last episode of s2 feature a beautiful song about Vivi's journey like the one about Nami's journey in s1? Am I even right in thinking s2 will cover the entirety of the Baroque Works arc? Who's gonna play Robin? Who's gonna play Crocodile? Trans Crocodile canon? Was that one person in front of Shanks during Roger's execution young Crocodile, or a red herring to make everyone wonder? Will they add more scenes for Buggy since he's a fan favourite? Considering how hot the live action Mihawk and Shanks are, am I even a little bit prepared for the live action Smoker? And that's not even getting into the potential s3 and onwards

#me: i think if skypeia takes the entire s3 there should be another storyline about ace's hunt for blackbeard #netflix exec hitting me with a broom: how the hell did you get into my house #one piece #opla #one piece live action #gella talks one piece #talk talk talk

[lemaistrechat]

Masters of the Universe: Revolution SPOILERS

A more spoiler-y follow-up about how rushed/badly paced this show was.

Again, SPOILERS. I also tagged this post #motu revolution spoilers and #masters of the universe revelation spoilers if you're temporarily blocking tags.

LAST WARNING

My worst-case scenario for the Horde was that only Hordak and new character Motherboard would get speaking parts. I was pretty much correct.

Mantenna, Leech and Grizzlor are in two scenes and have no lines.

Modulok, Multi-Bot, Dragstor and Mosquitor are not shown to exist. (Same non-appearance goes for everyone from She-Ra, but legally they had no choice.)

5 half-hour episodes make this effectually movie-length, and there's a "post-credits scene" equivalent (though before Episode 5's credits) where Grey Delisle (voice of Evil-Lyn in the 2021 CGI cartoon) appears as Despara. Yes, that made me happy. But now we need another series to give her and other Horde members screen time, space to breathe. It won't fix the fact that the Horde invasion of Eternia depicted here was ridiculously rushed.

Speaking of Horde invasions of Eternia: the one that took place when Queen Marlena had recently given birth in the 80s Filmation continuity also happened here. Skeletor has a flashback to when he and Hordak invaded the palace via a window. A crying infant Adam is seen with his parents and Skeletor crouching on the floor captured by Duncan. Skeletor is looking forlorn at Hordak as he escapes, and there's obviously something in Hordak's arms the animators are trying not to show us. If they weren't being so coy, it would actually be proper foreshadowing for the last scene! As it is, you need to be a Filmation fan to understand what's going on.

Heroic Warriors:

Gwildor has a key role. Snout Spout and Rio Blast are two new friends of He-Man who appear in a couple of fight scenes and have a couple of lines. It's not explained where they came from, which is especially odd considering that they're both cyborgs and people getting turned into cyborgs by a cult is a huge theme of the series.

Buzz-Off is even more of a cameo. We saw him at the end of Revelation. Stratos was at the end of that too, and I forget if they drew him into a crowd scene or not. In previous continuities, these guys were both royalty, and in Revolution Episode 5 He-Man abolishes monarchy and tells the people of... Eternos City? All of Eternia? To elect a leader. You'd think Stratos and Buzz-Off would react to that, but no. (All heroes who died in Revelation are also present as mute cameos.)

The short running time makes Eternia feel tiny: there's Eternos City, Castle Grayskull "outside town", Snake Mountain, a cave in Darksmoke, Gwildor's Hobbit house... that's basically it.

Evil Warriors:

Two Bad goes to Snake Mountain hoping to get a job. He gets a cyborg form. The Revelation versions of Tri-Klops, Trap Jaw, and Whiplash appear but have no lines. Webstor, Clawful and Spikor have new cyborg forms, also mute cameos.

Others:

Lyn is interesting.

Granamyr is OK. John DeLancie didn't seem to be putting a lot of heart into the role. The character is like a Cliff's Notes version of his Filmation self.

Cosmic Enforcers exist. We see deep cuts like Zanthor from Filmation and the canceled 1988 toy Strobo, but only Zodac talks (he's Jeffrey Combs).

#motu revolution #masters of the universe revolution #motu revolution spoilers #masters of the universe revolution spoilers #the evil horde