The Tripods (TV Series 1984-1985)

In the year 2089, Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Masters using their giant Tripods. When humans reach the age of sixteen, they must undergo a process known as capping, which places their minds under the control of the conquerors, making them more docile. Having learned the truth about the Tripods and life in the past, cousins Will and Henry Parker embark on a journey to the White Mountains in search of a group of free men who live in freedom from the Tripods and caps. What an outstanding series that pushed the boundaries in technology during its making and was unfortunately cut short in its prime leaving the story unfinished, which to this day still upsets fans (including myself). I absolutely loved this sci-fi adventure series. We are introduced to the setting of the future in 2089, which instantly draws many questions as we see a horse-drawn wagon with a backdrop mirroring the past. We soon come to realise that the world has been set back hundreds of years after this invasion, which has affected everything from the human way of life to technology. More is learned on the journey through France where large cities are found decimated and have no idea what cars are, showing the true damage of this occupation and how far they have been set back. Speaking of the protagonists, we follow Will, Henry and Beanpole as they head to the white mountains in hopes of finding a place free from the Tripods and the caps. I liked each one of them both in terms of their characters and actors. I think they gave brilliant performances and I found each to be very compelling and grew very fond of the trio. I adored their banter, sense of awe and wonder, courage in the fight for freedom and ability to overcome their differences to work together. The first season is easily my favourite where they travel to the white mountains, getting into many difficult situations to overcome with mini-adventures along the way. They each go through hardships and treacherous tasks that when they finally arrive it feels so rewarding. The second season is quite unlike the first set up more as a more spy-like undercover story in the City of Gold where the Masters live where Will infiltrates the city with free man aid Fritz. I was upset to see a departure from Henry who showed up at the start only to disappear for the rest of the season (but was set to return heavily in the cancelled season) and Beanpole is still there but only for a bit at the start and end. For its time, the special effects were superb, really pushing the boundaries and quite a lot still hold up to this day. Everything that was done to bring the Tripods to life is so fascinating and they easily have the best effects. I think those effects definitely added to my favouritism of them in the series. The glow of the eye-like spotlights was so visually stunning and the way it walked/manoeuvred looked very practical that I could totally believe they would work. Their presence upped the tension, mainly because they would pop up out of nowhere and lead to some smart and decisive tactics to get away. This BBC cult classic series was based on the 3 Tripod books by John Christopher and were adapted into a Saturday tea-time show, which was planned to be 3 seasons long with one being for each novel. However, to everyone's astonishment, the 3rd season was cancelled due to the new BBC One controller Michael Grade's dislike for sci-fi and considered the programme an expensive rating failure despite receiving 6 million views, which today would be amazing. There are descriptions out there of what was planned in detail for the 3rd and final season with some incredible developments that I won't spoil here but is worth looking up, especially with that season 2 cliffhanger leaving things on a depressing note. Overall, The Tripods is a phenomenal sci-fi adventure that is full of so many creative ideas and exceptional execution in bringing it to life. There is a huge deal to appreciate from this magnificent show that was left unfinished leaving many fans in an uproar to this day and it's plain to see why. This is a wonderful cult classic show in dire need of being discovered by more people and that's why I recommend it as a must-watch.

Seasons & Episodes: 2 Seasons - 25 Episodes 

Creators: Alick Rowe, Christopher Penfold

Genre: Adventure / Drama / Sci-fi

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Jesus of Nazareth (TV Mini Series 1977)

This dramatization depicts the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We see all the teachings and miracles brought to life in this fantastic mini-series, which sweeps through all the drama of his time on Earth from the beginning of the Nativity to his death on the cross and return to the living. I adore this series for countless reasons. This mini-series manages to portray such a real, detailed and visually stunning depiction of the world during the time of Jesus' life. I have to say that this is hands down the best adaptation that I've ever seen of his life according to the Holy Bible's New Testament Gospels. Every single element of this series feels tangible and alive, from the lived-in world seen through the landscapes, towns and civilians to the mannerisms and lifestyles of the people. Everything looks and feels historically accurate, being done so extremely well through the beautiful cinematography and superb acting from all involved. It is practically like reading the Bible but instead visually seeing these events coming to life. This mini-series had quite a big budget not often seen with a television-made project of the time and more like that of a film, which I feel can easily be seen by the grand scale of each scene throughout. I found it quite interesting watching the entire life of Jesus play out before our eyes but what surprised me on my first viewing was how it started right from the beginning at his birth through a brief telling of the Nativity. Having seen so many films based on the Nativity and associating it with Christmas, it made its inclusion feel quite unexpected (since I, and many others, regard this as Easter-time viewing) but it of course makes total sense to be here especially as it gets us familiar with some of the other characters like Mary who would be prominent to the story later on as well. I really enjoyed this version as it set everything in motion however if you want a more in-depth telling then look at the countless other movies especially The Nativity Story (2006), which is one of my favourites. We then get some sequences of Jesus as a child slowly growing up under the Jewish population and teachings. Jesus is magnificently played by Robert Powell whose performance is undoubtedly the highlight of the series. He looks exactly like how I would picture him and it was funny reading the behind-the-scenes about how every time he exited his dressing room in costume, the foul language the crew was using would suddenly stop, which I find hilarious. I love every scene with Jesus, especially each sequence where he gains a new disciple. The friendship and joy they share are so contagious, it causes me to smile, for example, when he asks them to join him and we see how truly happy each is. Seeing each iconic and memorable miracle brought to life was so fascinating and felt so wondrous. From healing the paralyzed man to feeding the five thousand or bringing Lazarus back from the dead, each is an exciting and astonishing occurrence that is just as renowned here as they are in the Bible. Furthermore, scenes where Jesus preaches are just as entertaining and momentous. The telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son is a great example and is beautifully performed by Powell. Of course, anyone who knows the story of Jesus will be aware of what is to come with his betrayal, capture, prosecution, torture and death on the cross. This series, whilst having some very serious moments and horrifying details nothing compares to the dwindling feel of this whole sequence, which is certainly upsetting and hard to witness. I was near tears because of the performances of the other actors, especially Mary's reaction, which is bound to have anyone watching choked up. However, we also know that he rises again after 3 days, which is a ceremonious event to lift the ending's darker tone, even if the best part is left as a deleted scene and abruptly ends with little time spent on his resurrection. Overall, I can say with hand on heart, this is definitive viewing of Jesus' life that is a must-see for not only its accuracy but also its devotion to making a respectful depiction. I would highly recommend checking this mini-series out if you can, especially this Easter time.

Seasons & Episodes: 1 Season - 4 Episodes (6h 22m)

Creator: Franco Zeffirelli

Genre: Biography / Drama / History

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Brooklyn plumbers, Mario and Luigi, are attempting to start their own business and move up in the world when they are accidentally transported into the Mushroom Kingdom where they end up getting separated. Mario meets with Princess Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad and set out to find Mario's brother, Luigi, and save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser. I had such a great time with this movie. Going into it, I was just expecting a fun adventure filled with lots of fan service, bright colours and fast-paced action which is exactly what I got and I loved it. Having grown up with some of the Nintendo games like: Super Mario 64, Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario 3D World, I had a great deal of nostalgia for this franchise and was so excited to see a combination of all my favourite games and experiences brought into one heavily oriented fan service flick. Seeing characters, appearances, worlds, karts, power-ups, and hearing musical cues and sound effects brought back all those happy memories. Even being able to point out all the little background details was entertaining enough for me. The greatest highlight of all was the animation. I mean how can a film like this look so good? I was blown away by how clean the animation was throughout, from the flow of all the movement to the reflections, and vibrant colours that pop out in every scene and how accurate all aspects of the film are to their original counterparts. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the voice actors who bring our characters to life. Each one does a fabulous job in their respective roles but most notably Jack Black as Bowser. Such a well-casted actor for the villainous role who brought a well-suited voice and so many comedic moments throughout, especially some song sequences that crack me up like when he sings a song about his love for Princess Peach. Hilarious and very catchy. Controversial choices like Chris Pratt as Mario turned out to be fine and I had no issue with his portrayal of the character. I did like that the original voice actor, Charles Martinet, does voice one character in the movie, which is neat. We also get to see many other characters from this vast world like Donkey Kong who brings much more comic relief and cool moments to the story. Brian Tyler composed the soundtrack for this feature and did a fantastic job with bringing so many iconic songs and remixing them into even more energetic scores which perfectly matched the tone and feel of the movie. The film also uses many 80s songs from Holding Out For a Hero, Take On Me, Thunderstruck and more, which are incredible pieces although I don't think they matched the scenes they were used in. I love each song they used and I was so pumped to hear them but it felt a little wrong and kind of just random but that's only a nitpick nothing totally distracting. Speaking of nitpicks, I had only two others with one being the lack of Luigi in the story. It is after all called the Mario Brothers so I would have loved to see more of the two together for more of the movie, not leaving Luigi imprisoned for the most part. My other nitpick is at times I found some elements to be a bit predictable. I noticed it a couple of times but I brushed them off in the end as it wasn't that important, I knew what I would be getting going into it after all and wasn't disappointed. I think my favourite part of the film had to be the rainbow road chase sequence, being a huge fan of those games more than any other. It was so exciting that was filled with references to the game like the blue shell, etc and there was just the right amount of action and spectacles. I also loved the final battle, which had so many epic payoffs, phenomenal music and that continuous energetic style. Overall, I had such a blast with this animated adventure story that was a perfect homage to everything in the Mario franchise for all fans to enjoy. It makes for perfect family viewing and is definitely ideal viewing for kids without a doubt, especially if they love these characters. I would highly recommend this superb comedic fantasy for all who want to relax and seek easygoing entertainment. 

Runtime: 1h 32m

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic

Genre: Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy / Romance / Sci-fi

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Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Three years after Optimus Prime left Earth in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), the Autobots are still considered a world threat and are continuously at war with the Decepticons. Cade Yeager finds a dying Transformer who gives him a Talisman, however, the U.S. Military and the Decepticons soon find Cade and the Autobots who must now go on the run. Cade meets a Transformer known as Cogman who tells him and Bumblebee to head to London with him. They discover the key to saving the future of the human race lies buried in the secrets of the past and the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Now, it's up to the unlikely alliance of inventor Cade, Bumblebee, English lord Sir Edmund Burton and Vivian Wembley an Oxford professor to save the world. I have mixed feelings about this film. The Last Knight is the fifth instalment in this movie series and at this point, we know what to expect going into it. I guess having that acceptance of what we are going to get somewhat makes it better although of course, it has many flaws, however, accepting this makes it quite enjoyable. I found this film to be much more entertaining than the previous film which was just boring and I at least had a good time with this one. It follows some similar issues mainly being what feels like the first few movies de-canonize in regards to the Transformer's creators. I thought it was the Allspark but now it seems another entity and even more mystery is thrown into the mix with the introduction of Quintessa who is a remake of the Quintessons from the original series who were controversial back then and seem to be all over again. We still follow Cade from the last movie who is much better in this film but still not amazing. He is much more battle-worn and has some cool moments mainly using alien guns to fight back as well as using the Talisman that turns into a sword, which is pretty cool. We are introduced to many new characters like Sir Edmund Burton, Vivian and Cogman. My favourite has to be the robotic butler Cogman who I thought was pretty funny being quite kick ass with some hilarious moments and quips. The best part about him is the fact he is voiced by Downton Abbey (TV Series 2010-2015) butler Carson, which made his character all the funnier to me seeing how in that film he is a very serious figure in that show as a butler in the 1920s/30s then going on to voice a robotic butler. The other characters are fine they have their moments but besides that, there isn't much else to say. Other actors returned in their roles from the earlier films but only acted as a means for moving the plot forward or giving some exposition but it was nice to see some older faces back. The greatest return was Megatron with a new cool design but his return back to Megatron from the last one as Galvatron goes unexplained, which is strange, especially his look changing as he now transforms normally like every other Transformer, unlike that horrific effect in Age of Extinction. The plot is very overcomplicated and has so many pieces to the puzzle that is so unnecessarily convoluted. But like I previously mentioned, if you have seen the last films you know it is a lot of rinses and repeats in aspects of the story and that is just part of what these films are, plus we are kind of just here for the action, which I have to say is great. The final battle is actually quite awesome. Seeing Cybertron enter Earth's atmosphere and combining Earth and Cybertron in the fight was so cool and visually stunning. The special effects have never looked so beautiful which is a shame that it is mashed with a far-fetched plot. Optimus Prime has some entertaining sequences, especially when he is turned into Nemesis Prime as his fight with Bumblebee is a truly unexpected event to see and I really enjoyed it. We even get a chance to hear B's voice which was very surprising. Overall, this film isn't the worst nor is it the best in this franchise. It has some cool ideas but like the last one the execution just isn't on par. I love the visuals and the action is superb which is all we wanted from a film like this so in that aspect, it excels but in a story not so much. Also, check out the spin-off prequel/reboot to the live-action franchise Bumblebee (2018).

Runtime: 2h 28m

Director: Michael Bay

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-fi

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Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Five years after the Decepticon invasion of Chicago in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), the Autobots were granted sanctuary on Earth. However, believing that they are a threat, they were secretly eliminated by an elite CIA unit with the help of a Transformer bounty hunter, Lockdown. Because of this, Optimus has since lost his faith in humanity after an ambush, which caused him serious injury and even considers leaving the planet until Cade Yeager, a mechanic, convinces him to reconsider his faith after helping him recover. Together with his family, they join the Autobots to exterminate the bounty hunter, the reincarnated Megatron (in the form of Galvatron), and the Cemetery Wind (the elite CIA unit tasked with killing Transformers). Age of Extinction is the 4th instalment in this movie franchise and in all honesty, I wasn't a great fan. I think this story should have ended with the last film making a decent enough trilogy to wrap things up but of course, that wasn't going to happen. So following the previous film where the Transformers helped save the world, they are now being executed by the CIA whilst misinforming the world that they are only destroying Decepticons because they want all Transformers gone from this world. How people couldn't tell them apart baffles me as the Autobots have been portrayed in these films with bright colours with more human-like features, unlike the completely grey and darker colours of the monstrous-looking Decepticons. I hated seeing Autobots being killed in the opening of the film. It felt like a betrayal to the previous movies to see these heroes being killed unjustly. We are introduced to the character of Lockdown, a Transformer bounty hunter who is a very cool concept being neither Autobot nor Decepticon but ultimately doesn't bring a great deal to the movie if anything just leaves us with more questions. I think the greatest dishonour of this film was the characteristics of Optimus Prime. Throughout each film, he has become progressively more violent in his battles and now shows a hatred for humans, especially in this film after his Autobots brothers are killed and scrapped. It doesn't feel like the Optimus Prime we know and love who is a great leader that leaves fighting as a last resort. The other Autobots follow a similar issue where they are constantly fighting among themselves and can't seem to get along. Their designs are very cool I will grant them that with some interesting choices and some cool action sequences in the final battle. However, our human protagonists are no better with the only exception being Cade who is pretty bearable since he actually does stuff like fighting back with alien guns. His daughter and her boyfriend are quite forgettable and left no impression on me. We also get to see Galvatron's introduction into live-action after his appearance in The Transformers: The Movie (1986) and I have to say like everything in this film, it is underwhelming. He is a human-made Transformer using the data from the head of Megatron, which causes his essence to take over it but the worst part about him and the other man-made robots is the transformation effects. They are practically nonexistent as we don't even get to see the intricate look of each piece change before our eyes but instead polygon particles that just dissolve and reappear again. It looks horrible and lazy in all honesty and I wasn't a fan. Besides that, the special effects continue to look amazing but the storytelling just doesn't hold together, which is a shame since the ideas are there but the execution is not. The dino bots also make their first appearance and are really cool but are in it for such a small amount of time and feel very underused. The introduction of the creators is also confusing and kind of de-canonized the first film with the Allspark as I thought that created the Transformers so I didn't like that it ruined that. Overall, I wasn't a fan of this fourth movie. It was too long and just didn't offer anything new and when it did, it caused too many problems. It ruined characters and felt boring. I would personally stick to the first 3 and leave it there but there is one more film in Transformers: The Last Knight (2017).

Runtime: 2h 45m

Director: Michael Bay

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-fi

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Picking up two years after the Egypt incident in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), the Autobots and their human allies discover a lost piece of Cybertronian technology, which has been in human possession for several years. Its revealed that the artefact is part of an Autobot spacecraft which has crashed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon and carries a special technology and the legendary Sentinel Prime (Optimus Prime's old mentor). However, Sam discovers a conspiracy by the Decepticons who plot to use it for evil purposes. Optimus Prime finds that they are up against a menace who plans to use it to enslave humanity to restore Cybertron. Dark of the Moon is the third instalment in the live-action Transformer movie franchise and it delivers on some grand-scale conflicts matched with outstanding visual effects that continue the ongoing war raging on Earth between the Autobots and Decepticons. I enjoyed this film for multiple reasons and certainly had as much fun as I did with the previous two movies. We open with an interesting concept with the space race in the 60s when something strange crashes on the moon which hastens the journey to get there in what would become the Apollo 11 mission. It's an intriguing idea that the moon landing was done, with the sole purpose of uncovering an alien mystery and was kept secret from the world. After that sequence, we are brought back to the interconnecting stories of the humans with Sam and his new girlfriend, Carley and the Transformers. I was very sad to see that Megan Fox's character, Mikaela, wouldn't be returning, especially after all the two had been through together and how it could have rounded off their story perfectly had she been in it. However, Carley's character isn't that bad but nor is she that memorable so there are no issues really. Sam is much better in this film, in my opinion, with some true emotions on display which is great to see. One moment I really liked, was a scene of Autobots watching Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969) where Spock goes crazy, which is a little bit of foreshadowing to later events of the film for one character, who eagle-eared viewers may hear the voice of Leonard Nimoy. The first two acts of this feature are easily the weakest. Seeing Sam try and get a job is not as exciting as a huge-scale war even though I admit there are some hilarious moments scattered here and there from many characters, but once we get to that third act, this film becomes phenomenal. Transformers 3 has a darker and grittier feel to it with quite a depressing tone for the end of this trilogy, however many people, including myself, actually love it for this reason. The final battle is in Chicago, which is an extremely climactic war that combines both practical effects with CGI to make for some outstanding action. I love how this film didn't rely completely on special effects and combined CGI with real-life stunts, which is what movie magic should be. Seeing soldiers use wingsuits to jump from helicopters into the decimated Chicago as helicopters crash around them was such an insane sequence and a true spectacle. My favourite moment was when a skyscraper begins collapsing in half and our characters have to jump out, sliding down the building only to break the windows to get back in where they started falling inside. It was easily the highlight of this feature and one I could watch repeatedly, the same goes for this entire battle. Whilst watching this conflict, I noticed how similar it was to the war in The Avengers (2012), and since this film came first perhaps this inspired it since there are similarities, notably a huge beam in the middle of the city going up into space and alien ships. We are also introduced to familiar characters like Shockwave who is pretty cool but doesn't do a great deal but look menacing. Overall, Dark of the Moon is a great end to this trilogy that is so much fun, mainly in the third act. It's much grittier than the other movies, especially more violent. Like super violent. Personally, I think it should have ended here but unfortunately, there's more and it goes downhill from here sadly. Check out the fourth film in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014).

Runtime: 2h 34m

Director: Michael Bay

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-fi

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