Summary : Gremlins with spiders
Score : 8/10
Feel like laughing and being scared a little ? Arachnophobia with its $31 million budget has a lot to offer and it's not a surprise that it was well received by the critics back in 1990. Indeed it's one of the finest example of comedy horror films involving dangerous animals. Of course nature is wild but cult films like Jaws played with our fear of the unknown so the story of deadly spiders rampaging a town in the country was definitely refreshing. Prepare your best popcorn and ice scream because the time has come to convince you to watch the film at the theater near by, or on TV considering 21 years have passed since its release.
First of all it's important to understand that the story shouldn't be taken seriously. Indeed at the beginning my mistake was to try to compare it to other films and even focus on minor mistakes instead of enjoying the exotic adventure that was unveiling before my eyes. But quickly I realized that the production was nothing but a series of jokes and hilarious after effects to mock the ultimate predator, humans. And the palette of characters thrown in the mix is delightful. From the pesky old doctor you instantly want to struggle to the cop of idiot village it's Scream without the babes. A little too stereotyped or annoying at times but hopefully these personas are balanced with ones full of light. The friendly old lady next door ? Checked. The loving and complementary wife ? Checked. The arrogant but brilliant Professor ? Checked. However the two most important elements in this enumeration would be Doctor Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels) and Delbert McClintock (John Goodman). Daniels is great as the new town doctor who seems to crawl under problems. As for Goodman his first appearance as the exterminator is just cult and all his scenes are barrels of crazy monkeys, mixed with a few spiders of course. Moreover his role is essential because he brings the necessary comic relief during scary sequences. To sum things up let's just say that he's the kind of guy you call when you have a blob stuck in your toilet or some ghost haunting your fridge !
As for the story it can be compared to Gremlins. The spiders are definitely not funny but the situations they're involved in are so diverse and over the top at times that you can't help chuckling. They're fast, they're small and more important… disgusting ! Hairy, webby and cocoony they should definitely creep you out. Taking their shower or playing soccer these arachnid soldiers seem capable of anything ! And the best part is that the audio and visual effects are top notch. I wouldn't trade these animatronics for CG ! These puppets look so real that the engineers behind them can be damn proud of their work. Moreover their filming is quite creative. From ground cameras to first person views the scenes keep dynamiting our excitement until the epic ending. And don't worry even if its main goal is to entertain its audience there's a morality and you might even find the protagonist journey inspiring ! Now that I think about it I also can't help thinking about cult franchises like Alien. Indeed Arachnophobia deal with similar topics after all and the slight twist it adds to the recipe is nothing revolutionary but definitely interesting. My only complain would be about the relative predictability of the story and I also wish its ending had been a little more wicked.
To sum things up in the direction department Frank Marshall did a masterful job. I'm also not surprised that Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. Last but not least Trevor Jones soundtrack can only be praised because without it the film wouldn't be as dynamic. It marvelously rhythms the action and make you feel like if the spiders were dancing instead of sneaking under your seat to bite your big foot.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 15 : A Short Story About Love
Summary : Unexploited potential, disturbing Freek™, sloppy Peter, abrupt ending, heartbreaking Nina & Olivia (Bonus : Fan fiction idea)
Score : 7/10
Spoilers
Was it Fringe I have just seen or some episode of The Twilight Zone ? Don't get me wrong the second is cult but when it comes to the first I expect more than a classic but old story. It's specially true considering pheromones were already covered only two episodes ago, in A Better Human Being. Was it some sort of twisted sequel ? It made me quite skeptical even if I find the topic fascinating. However it wasn't anything we hadn't already seen and the impression of déjà vu had a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I couldn't even relate to the antagonist as he wasn't properly introduced. Did he lose his girlfriend in a fire accident ? We will never know. Still the kisses he shared with his victims were disturbing because they were reminiscent of the complex dual emotions felt during rapes. According to an article I read at some point the victim is unable to control its body, probably because its mind has been weaken or just given up, and therefore takes some reluctant pleasure. It's exactly what we saw this week as one second the widows were attracted to him and the next they were screaming for their life ! Now I realize why these scenes were so shocking !
Otherwise it's not something that could conduct me to watch this installment again. Indeed Peter's arc was way too anecdotic and not carefully intertwined to the main story. I wish it hadn't been longer and creatively edited like in Lost's season 6 for instance. It's very disappointing because it had potential and his quest was quite intriguing. From the message left by September to the gizmos he found in the Observer's apartment I'm surprised all these gems were almost left unexploited. Why didn't they decide instead to mirror it to Olivia's investigation ? It would have made the ending way more moving ! Instead it only last a few seconds when they could have shown them hugging each other in the snow for a timeless instant. Come on Fringe, be romantic !
An other con was how Walter found the writing in Peter's eye. I wish the last had just followed the subliminal message, like an animal irresistibly attracted by the pheromones left by the opposite sex. Last but not least in my opinion an other unexploited element was the freak ability. Once arrested he told Olivia he could smell she was in love so the writers could have used it to bind her arc to Peter's one. For example the antagonist, from the other side of course, could have crossed her path in some parallel street and would have become obsessed by her. He would have abducted her, using a portal left opened by David Jones, in order to lure his prey in his fragrant web ! Then he would have been able to drain his vital fluids and taste how sweet Anna T… Olivia's lips probably taste ! Indeed in the end my favorite parts were by far the moments she shared with Nina Sharp. The development of their daughter and mother relationship was intense, dramatic and emotional. You could feel how much they cared for each other but she just had to make a decision regarding Peter, even if it meant forgetting the memories she had with Nina and breaking her heart in the process.
Score : 7/10
Spoilers
Was it Fringe I have just seen or some episode of The Twilight Zone ? Don't get me wrong the second is cult but when it comes to the first I expect more than a classic but old story. It's specially true considering pheromones were already covered only two episodes ago, in A Better Human Being. Was it some sort of twisted sequel ? It made me quite skeptical even if I find the topic fascinating. However it wasn't anything we hadn't already seen and the impression of déjà vu had a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I couldn't even relate to the antagonist as he wasn't properly introduced. Did he lose his girlfriend in a fire accident ? We will never know. Still the kisses he shared with his victims were disturbing because they were reminiscent of the complex dual emotions felt during rapes. According to an article I read at some point the victim is unable to control its body, probably because its mind has been weaken or just given up, and therefore takes some reluctant pleasure. It's exactly what we saw this week as one second the widows were attracted to him and the next they were screaming for their life ! Now I realize why these scenes were so shocking !
Otherwise it's not something that could conduct me to watch this installment again. Indeed Peter's arc was way too anecdotic and not carefully intertwined to the main story. I wish it hadn't been longer and creatively edited like in Lost's season 6 for instance. It's very disappointing because it had potential and his quest was quite intriguing. From the message left by September to the gizmos he found in the Observer's apartment I'm surprised all these gems were almost left unexploited. Why didn't they decide instead to mirror it to Olivia's investigation ? It would have made the ending way more moving ! Instead it only last a few seconds when they could have shown them hugging each other in the snow for a timeless instant. Come on Fringe, be romantic !
An other con was how Walter found the writing in Peter's eye. I wish the last had just followed the subliminal message, like an animal irresistibly attracted by the pheromones left by the opposite sex. Last but not least in my opinion an other unexploited element was the freak ability. Once arrested he told Olivia he could smell she was in love so the writers could have used it to bind her arc to Peter's one. For example the antagonist, from the other side of course, could have crossed her path in some parallel street and would have become obsessed by her. He would have abducted her, using a portal left opened by David Jones, in order to lure his prey in his fragrant web ! Then he would have been able to drain his vital fluids and taste how sweet Anna T… Olivia's lips probably taste ! Indeed in the end my favorite parts were by far the moments she shared with Nina Sharp. The development of their daughter and mother relationship was intense, dramatic and emotional. You could feel how much they cared for each other but she just had to make a decision regarding Peter, even if it meant forgetting the memories she had with Nina and breaking her heart in the process.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 14 : The End of All Things
Summary : Predictable story, questionable shapeshifters, surreal sequence, missing other side, some sloppiness, thrilling lightning
Score : 7/10
Spoilers
This episode convinced me that if I had to choose between the other side and the shapeshifters I would definitely pick the first. Indeed, like many viewers I suppose, I quickly understood that the real Nina Sharp had actually been framed by a shapeshifter. So her torture didn't move me because I just knew it was a fake. In fact I just can't grasp why their division and specially Walter haven't come yet with a solution to make the difference between humans and shapeshifters. Considering their special abilities, like the one revealed by David Jones at the end, and evil motives there're probably plenty of things that make them what they are. From organic patterns at the atomic level to brain configurations they should have been able to detect that the Nina they captured was a woman, without having to check out her anus of course.
The surreal sequence in September's mind was phenomenal and served by immersive visual effects. However I wish it had been more dynamic because it was obvious Joshua Jackson wasn't walking or anything probably not to mess up the lighting or something. Still even if Peter's mental dive was hastily set up it was reminiscent of fascinating productions like Contact (1997) and Cube 2 : Hypercube. As for the impact it had, beside helping Peter to make his decision regarding Olivia, well it made me miss Fauxlivia and the alt-characters even more. Would it have been too hard to enrich the latest episodes with parallel elements ? If the time of convergence has come then Peter should have tried to involve both sides. Walternate is supposed to help him but we haven't seen him for a while and all we got are freaks of the week, even if I really enjoyed them and found the writers intertwined approach interesting and well executed.
My other complain would go to the lack of attention to details. I still consider the division's security is terrible. Peter going back to his home without even a bodyguard after what happened ? Jones armed minion coming way too close beside Peter ? I know they already have a lot of things to cover in such a short time but I wish some events were more believable, specially when they're action-driven. At least Olivia's switching on the lights was thrilling and the only thing missing was an electrified haircut for Anna Torv or some sort of reference to Storm, the comics character.
Score : 7/10
Spoilers
This episode convinced me that if I had to choose between the other side and the shapeshifters I would definitely pick the first. Indeed, like many viewers I suppose, I quickly understood that the real Nina Sharp had actually been framed by a shapeshifter. So her torture didn't move me because I just knew it was a fake. In fact I just can't grasp why their division and specially Walter haven't come yet with a solution to make the difference between humans and shapeshifters. Considering their special abilities, like the one revealed by David Jones at the end, and evil motives there're probably plenty of things that make them what they are. From organic patterns at the atomic level to brain configurations they should have been able to detect that the Nina they captured was a woman, without having to check out her anus of course.
The surreal sequence in September's mind was phenomenal and served by immersive visual effects. However I wish it had been more dynamic because it was obvious Joshua Jackson wasn't walking or anything probably not to mess up the lighting or something. Still even if Peter's mental dive was hastily set up it was reminiscent of fascinating productions like Contact (1997) and Cube 2 : Hypercube. As for the impact it had, beside helping Peter to make his decision regarding Olivia, well it made me miss Fauxlivia and the alt-characters even more. Would it have been too hard to enrich the latest episodes with parallel elements ? If the time of convergence has come then Peter should have tried to involve both sides. Walternate is supposed to help him but we haven't seen him for a while and all we got are freaks of the week, even if I really enjoyed them and found the writers intertwined approach interesting and well executed.
My other complain would go to the lack of attention to details. I still consider the division's security is terrible. Peter going back to his home without even a bodyguard after what happened ? Jones armed minion coming way too close beside Peter ? I know they already have a lot of things to cover in such a short time but I wish some events were more believable, specially when they're action-driven. At least Olivia's switching on the lights was thrilling and the only thing missing was an electrified haircut for Anna Torv or some sort of reference to Storm, the comics character.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 13 : A Better Human Being
Summary : Creativity booster, authentic acting, fascinating topics, freaky guest, Lord of the Bees, thrilling but flawed ending
Score : 9/10
Spoilers
The people who viewed this episode and the previous one, Welcome to Westfield, when they aired are lucky because they had a whole week to think about Olivia's kiss and dream of the infinite outcomes. Peter slapped her ? How dare you, parallel freak ! Peter turned into a poison dart frog ? Then she died ! Olivia became a giant, destroyed the whole building she lives in and had to drink some wine to get back to her normal size ? I told you she was a freak ! Of course the real outcome wasn't as silly but it proves how much Fringe can be stimulating.
So, they talked. If the past installment hadn't prepared us for Olivia's transformation what she said would have seemed badly calculated. Instead Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson's chat felt authentic and their chemistry seemed stronger. I mean two episodes ago Peter was still a stranger to Olivia's eyes but now she looks at him like the cosmic love of her life ! Her performance was so moving that it made me chill of happiness. And as usual the episodic story brilliantly served the main one. Her mind evolved as the investigation progressed. The closer they were to solve the case, the more she knew about him and her alt-self. Was the writers intention to compare Olivia to a bee ? When the scientist mentioned his sons were acting like a living organism, a collective intelligence, I instantly considered the possibility that Olivia could be a queen. I'm probably influenced by novels like Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) and Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein) but pure science can't be ignored when it comes to sci-fi and it's specially true for Fringe. But my theory of one Ωlivia to bind them all didn't work even if during the whole season 3 she was able to travel between both worlds using her psychic ability. Even Walter mentioned how special she was as a child and his speech about empathy was quite interesting. Indeed our growth is influenced by our interaction with other people, our environment in general, so doing everything to be loved isn't absurd at all. In fact it could actually be the best solution to become A Better Human Being !
It leads us to the other topic covered in this episode, genetic engineering. I don't even have to cross it out from my title sequence checklist because I'm sure it's in. Moreover it couldn't be more actual considering the number of articles published about boosting the brain or manipulating organisms. Of course it's fascinating but also quite frightening because in this case the scientist didn't feel guilty. These was also nothing Frankensteinesque about him. However the young actor was one hell of a freaky guest ! At first I thought he was able to mind control other people like in a RTS video game because he was acting like someone using a virtual reality device. That's why I was disappointed he was only hearing voices but at least what Astrid said about loneliness was smart. We can't escape reality by listening loud music or reviewing TV shows. One day or an other we have to dance with the other honeybees in order to achieve our goals in life. Yes because Walter only talking about pheromones made me skeptical considering these social insects are also known for dancing in the air in order to indicate the approximate position of a field of flowers for example. You go, bees !
As for the last minutes I was absolutely thrilled by them but also noticed a few questionable elements. The first would be the obvious kidnapping. I mean the last time a girl told me she had to pee I never saw her again ! More seriously the event could have been better staged to make it more dramatic. When Peter entered the shop I already knew she was gone and in fact I found the sequence and others anecdotic. But of course it's easy to criticize when my reviews are probably flooded by spelling mistakes and boring remarks like this one. Still an other con was Lincoln. I have never been a fan of Seth Gabel even if he had his moments but he wasn't a match for Blair Brown, specially knowing Nina Sharp was actually a shapeshifter probably capable of running on walls like Trinity and high jumping like Morpheus. However it didn't ruin the visit he paid her with Walter. From the white room futuristic design to the red-orange fluid and her black outfit that magnificiently contrasted with it that part was epic ! And Walter "teasting" the medicine seemed absolutely natural. Only John Noble can mix geeky humor with hardcore sci-fi ! The mind of a genius and the curiosity of a baby.
Score : 9/10
Spoilers
The people who viewed this episode and the previous one, Welcome to Westfield, when they aired are lucky because they had a whole week to think about Olivia's kiss and dream of the infinite outcomes. Peter slapped her ? How dare you, parallel freak ! Peter turned into a poison dart frog ? Then she died ! Olivia became a giant, destroyed the whole building she lives in and had to drink some wine to get back to her normal size ? I told you she was a freak ! Of course the real outcome wasn't as silly but it proves how much Fringe can be stimulating.
So, they talked. If the past installment hadn't prepared us for Olivia's transformation what she said would have seemed badly calculated. Instead Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson's chat felt authentic and their chemistry seemed stronger. I mean two episodes ago Peter was still a stranger to Olivia's eyes but now she looks at him like the cosmic love of her life ! Her performance was so moving that it made me chill of happiness. And as usual the episodic story brilliantly served the main one. Her mind evolved as the investigation progressed. The closer they were to solve the case, the more she knew about him and her alt-self. Was the writers intention to compare Olivia to a bee ? When the scientist mentioned his sons were acting like a living organism, a collective intelligence, I instantly considered the possibility that Olivia could be a queen. I'm probably influenced by novels like Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) and Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein) but pure science can't be ignored when it comes to sci-fi and it's specially true for Fringe. But my theory of one Ωlivia to bind them all didn't work even if during the whole season 3 she was able to travel between both worlds using her psychic ability. Even Walter mentioned how special she was as a child and his speech about empathy was quite interesting. Indeed our growth is influenced by our interaction with other people, our environment in general, so doing everything to be loved isn't absurd at all. In fact it could actually be the best solution to become A Better Human Being !
It leads us to the other topic covered in this episode, genetic engineering. I don't even have to cross it out from my title sequence checklist because I'm sure it's in. Moreover it couldn't be more actual considering the number of articles published about boosting the brain or manipulating organisms. Of course it's fascinating but also quite frightening because in this case the scientist didn't feel guilty. These was also nothing Frankensteinesque about him. However the young actor was one hell of a freaky guest ! At first I thought he was able to mind control other people like in a RTS video game because he was acting like someone using a virtual reality device. That's why I was disappointed he was only hearing voices but at least what Astrid said about loneliness was smart. We can't escape reality by listening loud music or reviewing TV shows. One day or an other we have to dance with the other honeybees in order to achieve our goals in life. Yes because Walter only talking about pheromones made me skeptical considering these social insects are also known for dancing in the air in order to indicate the approximate position of a field of flowers for example. You go, bees !
As for the last minutes I was absolutely thrilled by them but also noticed a few questionable elements. The first would be the obvious kidnapping. I mean the last time a girl told me she had to pee I never saw her again ! More seriously the event could have been better staged to make it more dramatic. When Peter entered the shop I already knew she was gone and in fact I found the sequence and others anecdotic. But of course it's easy to criticize when my reviews are probably flooded by spelling mistakes and boring remarks like this one. Still an other con was Lincoln. I have never been a fan of Seth Gabel even if he had his moments but he wasn't a match for Blair Brown, specially knowing Nina Sharp was actually a shapeshifter probably capable of running on walls like Trinity and high jumping like Morpheus. However it didn't ruin the visit he paid her with Walter. From the white room futuristic design to the red-orange fluid and her black outfit that magnificiently contrasted with it that part was epic ! And Walter "teasting" the medicine seemed absolutely natural. Only John Noble can mix geeky humor with hardcore sci-fi ! The mind of a genius and the curiosity of a baby.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 12 : Welcome to Westfield
Summary : Fringe's testament to its fans and the Puppet Masters of Horrific Science-Fiction
Score : 10/10
Spoilers
This was the episode I had waited for. Season 3 had its lot of sci-fi wonders but so far the 4th hadn't raised the bar as high as I hope it would. This 12th installment left me speechless and can be compared to masterpieces like Reciprocity and "Concentrate and Ask Again". There're few superlatives to describe how its acting, writing, direction and overall production have to be praised. Has Fringe reached the acme of science-fiction ? The show could end right there and I wouldn't mind. Indeed now I worry that the upcoming episodes will disappoint me. Would it be inappropriate to compare "Welcome to Westfield" to Smallville's Booster ? I don't think so because I have tremendous respect and admiration for the people behind these TV series. However in the case of our favorite X-Filesean production I have no doubt that the 13rd episode will push the mind blowing barrier even further. Yes because it's what the incredible talents behind the show do. Their expectations are probably higher than ours and this time it was obvious from beginning to end.
Olivia's blue fantasy was a perfect way to introduce the writers' new televisual experiment. It's reminiscent of all these life changing works of art that excel to immerse their audience into their fictional universe in only a few split seconds. You forget everything around you, from the projects that drive you to the things that hurt, and for a moment you really feel like making love to the partner you have always dreamed of. I love you. Je t'aime. Te amo. And it got even better when we soon realized that this new Olivia was operating a mental transformation into The One we miss. The Alpha and the Ωlivia. What a stellar ending she could give birth with Peter ! In fact I was so thrilled by the ride they offered us that I didn't see the kiss coming. I shouldn't have left my guard down ! But there're worst ways to get knocked out.
When it's time to joke, it's John "Walter" Noble time ! His evolution slightly mirrored Olivia's one but the writers' were wise enough to make it as subtle as possible to leave our three-two (#?!) love birds some space. And with The Return of the Killing Pancake™ I already anticipate how much his reunion with Peter will make me cry of happiness like someone having its bare feet licked by a giant bear… with a bird hat… who has a beard… and probably drank way too much beer ! But for once the comedy elements were anecdotic and the story couldn't have been more serious. It was quite welcome considering I found Making Angels a little soapy. First the parallel disaster was reminiscent of Amber 31422's wormhole. I can't imagine how much it was expensive to produce so many visual effects heavy scenes ! It really felt like the merging of two worlds even if I found the eye of the storm part a little rushed. Why did it end so abruptly ? At least the last thing we saw was Peter looking at Her. An other element I appreciated was the overall Stephen King's spirit. People trapped in a creepy town ? Of course the dimensional loop can only remember the time bubble from "And Those We Left Behind" but in my humble opinion it was more in the fascinating vein of a Groundhog Day or… a King's novel. Indeed there was just something scary about the abandoned village, don't miss Nightmares & Dreamscapes' "You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band" by the way, and there was even a freak in the schoolbus ! Last but not least the black smoke, unrelated to Lost's one, some people had in their eyes was probably an homage to the cult oil from The X-Files. So definitely yes, this was the episode I had waited for.
Score : 10/10
Spoilers
This was the episode I had waited for. Season 3 had its lot of sci-fi wonders but so far the 4th hadn't raised the bar as high as I hope it would. This 12th installment left me speechless and can be compared to masterpieces like Reciprocity and "Concentrate and Ask Again". There're few superlatives to describe how its acting, writing, direction and overall production have to be praised. Has Fringe reached the acme of science-fiction ? The show could end right there and I wouldn't mind. Indeed now I worry that the upcoming episodes will disappoint me. Would it be inappropriate to compare "Welcome to Westfield" to Smallville's Booster ? I don't think so because I have tremendous respect and admiration for the people behind these TV series. However in the case of our favorite X-Filesean production I have no doubt that the 13rd episode will push the mind blowing barrier even further. Yes because it's what the incredible talents behind the show do. Their expectations are probably higher than ours and this time it was obvious from beginning to end.
Olivia's blue fantasy was a perfect way to introduce the writers' new televisual experiment. It's reminiscent of all these life changing works of art that excel to immerse their audience into their fictional universe in only a few split seconds. You forget everything around you, from the projects that drive you to the things that hurt, and for a moment you really feel like making love to the partner you have always dreamed of. I love you. Je t'aime. Te amo. And it got even better when we soon realized that this new Olivia was operating a mental transformation into The One we miss. The Alpha and the Ωlivia. What a stellar ending she could give birth with Peter ! In fact I was so thrilled by the ride they offered us that I didn't see the kiss coming. I shouldn't have left my guard down ! But there're worst ways to get knocked out.
When it's time to joke, it's John "Walter" Noble time ! His evolution slightly mirrored Olivia's one but the writers' were wise enough to make it as subtle as possible to leave our three-two (#?!) love birds some space. And with The Return of the Killing Pancake™ I already anticipate how much his reunion with Peter will make me cry of happiness like someone having its bare feet licked by a giant bear… with a bird hat… who has a beard… and probably drank way too much beer ! But for once the comedy elements were anecdotic and the story couldn't have been more serious. It was quite welcome considering I found Making Angels a little soapy. First the parallel disaster was reminiscent of Amber 31422's wormhole. I can't imagine how much it was expensive to produce so many visual effects heavy scenes ! It really felt like the merging of two worlds even if I found the eye of the storm part a little rushed. Why did it end so abruptly ? At least the last thing we saw was Peter looking at Her. An other element I appreciated was the overall Stephen King's spirit. People trapped in a creepy town ? Of course the dimensional loop can only remember the time bubble from "And Those We Left Behind" but in my humble opinion it was more in the fascinating vein of a Groundhog Day or… a King's novel. Indeed there was just something scary about the abandoned village, don't miss Nightmares & Dreamscapes' "You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band" by the way, and there was even a freak in the schoolbus ! Last but not least the black smoke, unrelated to Lost's one, some people had in their eyes was probably an homage to the cult oil from The X-Files. So definitely yes, this was the episode I had waited for.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 11 : Making Angels
Summary : Too much drama, careful cross editing, missed sci-fi opportunity, in love with Walter, smart main character development, geeky ripple effect, fascinating mathematics
Score : 8/10
Spoilers
There're moments when I wonder if Fringe knows it's a sci-fi show. This time it was so heavy on drama that it reminded me of Defying Gravity. Don't get me wrong I like Astrid but I'm not sure focusing on her was the writers priority. And if their plan was to make her grow on us to crush her heart in some upcoming episode then they couldn't have been more predictable. But my real disappointment is that the first seconds were promising because I instantly imagined some possible explanations of the other Astrid behavior. She crossed over… because she's also a shapeshifter ? Nice ! To meet Prime Astrid and drink coffee ? Boring ! Her scenes were also thrown between the others. Their only redemption was Jasika Nicole's performance and the immersive editing. I had never seen two characters played by the same person shake hands on screen ! The digital illusion was perfect. Now let's hope our Olivias will cat fight in liquid amber for Peter ! Seriously one interesting plot involving the Astrids would have been to cover human-computer interaction. Indeed if I understood correctly the other is special and that's why she's able to use the super computer of the other side. However without it she should have experienced some difficulty to investigate and solve problems in the Prime universe. Instead she behaved like if her mind was still connected to the machine.
Hopefully the main story was original and involved Observers. One of them is definitely in trouble but let's hope the poor soul won't be sentenced to an eternal life between dimensions or something ! Sorry for this reference to Saint Seiya, the otaku within can't help taking over from time to time. My only complain would be the clumsy airport sequence because Olivia and Peter should know better than yelling to apprehend a suspect. The rest almost represents the best of what Fringe has to offer. First everything Walter was delightful, from his father and daughter relationship with Astr'd to his triple X warnings when Bolivia the Candy Woman from the Other Side™ was around. Mint ? I knew it ! Evil spy, sent to kill us all and steal our precious ring. Sorry, wrong review. More seriously the installment was also a success in the Peter department. First using the other Astrid to develop his complex relationship with Walter, not his real father, was smart. Indeed relying on a third party to solve a conflict is sometimes the only solution. It allows people to see things in a whole new light. An other drop that satisfied my thirst was the lake connections. When I thought September knew his classics he has apparently never seen Back to the Future Part II ! If it was the case he would have anticipated on the ripple effects caused by his lost gizmo. Last but not least even if I missed the shapeshifter arc, again, I couldn't help nodding when the antagonist was compared to a savior. Even better was the mention of mathematics as an almighty tool to explain life. Indeed I read once that God could only be a master of geometry considering how creative and diverse our universe is. From spiral galaxies to snails, formulas and shapes are all around us. 1 + 1 = 3 ? I don't know, I'm just a mere mortal.
Score : 8/10
Spoilers
There're moments when I wonder if Fringe knows it's a sci-fi show. This time it was so heavy on drama that it reminded me of Defying Gravity. Don't get me wrong I like Astrid but I'm not sure focusing on her was the writers priority. And if their plan was to make her grow on us to crush her heart in some upcoming episode then they couldn't have been more predictable. But my real disappointment is that the first seconds were promising because I instantly imagined some possible explanations of the other Astrid behavior. She crossed over… because she's also a shapeshifter ? Nice ! To meet Prime Astrid and drink coffee ? Boring ! Her scenes were also thrown between the others. Their only redemption was Jasika Nicole's performance and the immersive editing. I had never seen two characters played by the same person shake hands on screen ! The digital illusion was perfect. Now let's hope our Olivias will cat fight in liquid amber for Peter ! Seriously one interesting plot involving the Astrids would have been to cover human-computer interaction. Indeed if I understood correctly the other is special and that's why she's able to use the super computer of the other side. However without it she should have experienced some difficulty to investigate and solve problems in the Prime universe. Instead she behaved like if her mind was still connected to the machine.
Hopefully the main story was original and involved Observers. One of them is definitely in trouble but let's hope the poor soul won't be sentenced to an eternal life between dimensions or something ! Sorry for this reference to Saint Seiya, the otaku within can't help taking over from time to time. My only complain would be the clumsy airport sequence because Olivia and Peter should know better than yelling to apprehend a suspect. The rest almost represents the best of what Fringe has to offer. First everything Walter was delightful, from his father and daughter relationship with Astr'd to his triple X warnings when Bolivia the Candy Woman from the Other Side™ was around. Mint ? I knew it ! Evil spy, sent to kill us all and steal our precious ring. Sorry, wrong review. More seriously the installment was also a success in the Peter department. First using the other Astrid to develop his complex relationship with Walter, not his real father, was smart. Indeed relying on a third party to solve a conflict is sometimes the only solution. It allows people to see things in a whole new light. An other drop that satisfied my thirst was the lake connections. When I thought September knew his classics he has apparently never seen Back to the Future Part II ! If it was the case he would have anticipated on the ripple effects caused by his lost gizmo. Last but not least even if I missed the shapeshifter arc, again, I couldn't help nodding when the antagonist was compared to a savior. Even better was the mention of mathematics as an almighty tool to explain life. Indeed I read once that God could only be a master of geometry considering how creative and diverse our universe is. From spiral galaxies to snails, formulas and shapes are all around us. 1 + 1 = 3 ? I don't know, I'm just a mere mortal.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 10 : Forced Perspective
Summary : Two hands but nine fingers, awkward writing, cliché plot, questionable guest, empathic Olivia, unexploited potential, VFX are wicked
Score : 5/10
Spoilers
And the first misstep of the season is… The tenth episode ! In fact the pilot had already disappointed me but the other installments were so great that I was convinced the remaining ones would be in the same vein. However Forced Perspective proved that Fringe still has weaknesses that even its own writers can exploit from time to time. My first complain would be the lack of shapeshifting. I'm not sure switching between multiple storylines is efficient. Of course Olivia's migraines are connected to other events but their coverage should be more intertwined. Second the episodic plot couldn't have been more cliché. A young girl with a special ability who has to move all the time to escape evil scientists trying to experiment on her ? I understood their point was to emotionally link her to Olivia but I found some scenes quite awkward and almost forced. Third I question the casting because the guest actress wasn't creepy enough and looked just like the cute girl next door. She would have been perfect in Castle or Ghost Whisperer but not in Fringe. What saved her character were the enigmatic and freaky drawings because the way her visions was expressed was everything but believable. Fourth at least the episode succeeded in the empathy department. I really felt for Olivia and from Broyles to Peter it was obvious most people really cared. That's why they should have come up with something more original. For instance they could have turned her into the young girl she used to be when the freak of the week was featured. It would have made things way more bizarre ! Last but not least I was absolutely thrilled by the frozen explosion sequence, even if it's something we have already seen in Heroes for example, but I would definitely have traded its expensive visual effects for a better script. The Fringe that only superficially blows my mind is not the Fringe I love ! It should instead stick to its The X-Files modern approach, a deeper and more fascinating one.
Score : 5/10
Spoilers
And the first misstep of the season is… The tenth episode ! In fact the pilot had already disappointed me but the other installments were so great that I was convinced the remaining ones would be in the same vein. However Forced Perspective proved that Fringe still has weaknesses that even its own writers can exploit from time to time. My first complain would be the lack of shapeshifting. I'm not sure switching between multiple storylines is efficient. Of course Olivia's migraines are connected to other events but their coverage should be more intertwined. Second the episodic plot couldn't have been more cliché. A young girl with a special ability who has to move all the time to escape evil scientists trying to experiment on her ? I understood their point was to emotionally link her to Olivia but I found some scenes quite awkward and almost forced. Third I question the casting because the guest actress wasn't creepy enough and looked just like the cute girl next door. She would have been perfect in Castle or Ghost Whisperer but not in Fringe. What saved her character were the enigmatic and freaky drawings because the way her visions was expressed was everything but believable. Fourth at least the episode succeeded in the empathy department. I really felt for Olivia and from Broyles to Peter it was obvious most people really cared. That's why they should have come up with something more original. For instance they could have turned her into the young girl she used to be when the freak of the week was featured. It would have made things way more bizarre ! Last but not least I was absolutely thrilled by the frozen explosion sequence, even if it's something we have already seen in Heroes for example, but I would definitely have traded its expensive visual effects for a better script. The Fringe that only superficially blows my mind is not the Fringe I love ! It should instead stick to its The X-Files modern approach, a deeper and more fascinating one.
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