Reviews

This season has been, by far, the most unbalanced one yet. I've loved some moments, but now that I've finally watched the finale... I'm realizing that this doesn't feel anything like Lucifer. This doesn't feel like the same show.

In one of the episodes of season 6, they show flashbacks to the older seasons. And now, I'm realizing that those flashbacks and this finale... feel like completely separate things. They don't feel connected in any way. It's actually insane to look at the show as a whole and realize just how much it changed in seasons 4-6. Season 4 was the least terrible, it felt connected to the previous seasons... but then 5 got worse, and by 6 the show is simply unrecognizable.

It's like the characters don't feel... right. I don't feel like I got any payoff, for any of the characters. Something about all of it feels cheap. And I think I know why. Everything in this season feels unfocused. They stopped focusing on The characters, and everything became weirdly surface-level.

The decision to introduce a new character like Rory, in the frickin final season, is mind boggling. They should've simply focused in on the established characters, instead of introducing Rory, who is clearly nothing more than a plot device. A plot device that ends up forcing Lucifer to stay in hell, to miss spending a lifetime with Chloe and everyone that he loves.

And what's worse, is that plot line doesn't really even make sense. Rory forces Lucifer to agree to never return, so that nothing changes? Why would she not want him to return? Why does she want the timeline to stay the same, when that timeline means that their family will never be whole? When the entire audience knows fully that Lucifer could absolutely heal in hell AND come back to spend time with his family? It is almost laughable that this is what they went with. It makes no sense.

This finale has me reflecting on the earlier seasons, and what I wanted to happen in this show. I wanted some pretty simple things: I wanted Lucifer to have a family. I wanted Lucifer to have game nights with Chloe and Trixie. I wanted them to become a family and to spend their lives together.

It was so simple. It should've been so simple. I understand that a show dealing with celestial matters will need to expand and change as it nears its end, but couldn't it have also stayed... small? Personal? How many fans of this show just wanted to see more game nights with Trixie, and Chloe and Lucifer somehow spending their lives together?

Trixie wasn't even present in this season. They completely dropped the ball with her storyline. I don't know if I'll ever get over how they ruined that part of the show. Chloe, Lucifer, and Maze's connection with Trixie was such a wonderful aspect and made the characters feel so personal. It's the little things like that - that's what is missing in this final season. It's like they completely forgot about all the things the fans loved about the first 3 seasons. Lucifer, Chloe and Trixie should've gotten to spend their lives together. That's all I wanted for these characters.

I don't hate this ending. I get what they were going for, and I'm certainly glad that they at least end up together in the afterlife... but that doesn't make up for it. That doesn't make up for the writers completely betraying the original 3 seasons of this show, and the fans who loved that original show.

I just feel like they took this wonderful show, that had fantasy/celestial elements and yet still felt small and personal, and expanded it until it completely lost its shape. This doesn't feel like the ending that seasons 1-3 were heading toward. And it's a d*amn shame, because I'll always wonder about what other endings we could've gotten.

Thank God for fanfiction, I guess. Lucifer, I will miss you. I've loved this show for many, many years. And I will always treasure the show that existed in seasons 1-3, the show that should've continued on that trajectory, the show that should've been. I will always enjoy various moments from seasons 4-6, but overall, Netflix failed this show and failed us. It, and we, deserved better.

This movie is spectacular. It's 3 hours long, and without any "action." It is simply a study of life and relationships (familial, friendly, romantic, etc.). These relationships are studied by Death, who is taking a vacation. He wants to see what all the fuss is about life. This is an entity who constantly witnesses the end of life, but wants to understand what comes before that end; why do people get so emotional when lit's their time?

In the beginning, he's seemingly emotionless. He's completely uncomfortable with being human, oblivious to all emotion and facial expressions. The character goes through a beautiful transformation from the beginning of the movie to the end, and Brad Pitt does a wonderful job portraying that transformation.

Pitt also does an excellent job of portraying a person who is experiencing everything for the first time. Through his performance, the viewer is reminded how beautiful simple things in life are. Peanut butter, a father enjoying dinner with his family, a friend offering a handshake, falling in love; all of these are the types of things that humans tend to take for granted so often.

There is one particular scene that comes to mind, when Bill Parish is faced with cake- tasting, and says something that hurts his daughter's feelings. Joe Black watches in fascination as Bill fixes the situation, and he (Joe) laughs along with the family. Pitt perfectly shows how Joe is gradually connecting with humanity, thanks to Bill and the way he brings his family together.

Hopkins also deserves praise of the highest regard. His character is charismatic, empathetic, and has a love for his family that shines. It's blatantly obvious why Death chose Bill to be his guide; because he is a stellar person. Hopkins does an excellent job, as always.

Another performance that I loved was the old Jamaican woman, played by Lois-Kelly Miller. In a touching scene, Death reveals to her that his existence is a lonely one. She tells him, in one of my favorite lines of the movie:

"It nice it happen to you. Like you come to the island and had a holiday. Sun didn't burn you red-red, just brown. You sleep and no mosquito eat you. But the truth is, it bound to happen if you stay long enough. So take that nice picture you got in your head home with you, but don't be fooled. We lonely here mostly too. If we lucky, maybe, we got some nice pictures to take with us."

It's a beautiful monologue, and ever since watching this movie for the first time, I now think of moments in my life as "pictures" to take with me when it's my time to leave this earth.

This movie also has, by far, one of the most beautiful soundtracks I have ever heard. Two of the stand-out tracks to me are "Cold Lamb Sandwich" and "That Next Place," both of which are breathtakingly emotional.

***Spoiler Territory****

The ending of this movie is one of the most beautiful endings I have ever seen. It's heartbreaking to watch Death realize that he has to return to his lonely existence, after falling in love with humanity. He tells Bill that he is taking Susan with him, and we understand that he wants to do so because he desperately doesn't want to be lonely. It's heartbreaking to watch him realize that Susan needs and deserves the man she met in the coffee shop, not him. He has to let her go, fully understanding that he has to put her needs above his own. He's experienced the beauty of life, and now he's forced to experience the pain in life.

The scene when he watches the firework show and sheds tears fully cements his transformation, from an emotionless entity to a human being who is overcome by the tragic beauty of life. Bill's words, "It's hard to let go, isn't it?...Well, that's life. What can I tell you." perfectly capture the message of this movie. Life is beautiful, even when it's coming to an end.

***End of Spoilers***

This is a movie for romantics. It is slow-paced, and requires the viewer to pay attention in order to follow the story and really understand the movie. But if you are willing to give this movie your attention, fully submerse yourself in it, and allow yourself to emotionally connect to it, then you will not be disappointed. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

I had high hopes for this movie because of Robert Zemeckis, Brad Pitt, and Marion Cotillard. I definitely went into it prepared for a WWII movie, full of action and special effects. And to be clear, this movie certainly DOES have action and special effects (what Zemeckis film doesn't?), but it goes beyond that.

The actions scenes, when they do happen, are well choreographed and fun to watch. They also earn the movie it's rating, and are brutal but not overbearing. Marion and Brad are both convincing, proving to the audience that they are well- trained spies who don't hesitate to kill.

Something I found very interesting about this movie is that while it's not primarily a war film, it did provide a very interesting look at what life was like for people. This was a time when people partied like the world was ending. Drinks, drugs, sex, etc. But this was also a time when people sometimes watched planes get shot out of the sky. It's a fascinatingly personal way of portraying the war, and the people living through it.

The special effects are stunning, Zemeckis seamlessly blending reality and effects. Many scenes are simply breathtaking. It's puzzling how the movie manages to be both classic and modern.

As I mentioned though, this movie is more than just war and special effects. By the end, there are a few clear themes; putting what's best for those you love above your own needs, and trying your hardest to believe the best of/trust those closest to you. Even if it means you have to break some rules, or even put your own life on the line.

The ending, which some say is overly-sentimental, hit a chord that worked for me. It showed the lengths people go to to protect their family. However people complain about the Forest Gump ending, and that one makes me cry almost every time I see it. So if I'm in the minority here, I'm not at all surprised.

One last thing that I thought this movie did very well, was showing just how difficult it would truly be for spies to fall in love. For the first half of the movie, the two are basically brought together and drawn to each other because of their abilities. They live, supposedly, very similar lives. They are evenly matched. They fit together in every sense because of their mastery of espionage. And yet, once the twist comes along, that same mastery of espionage is what tears them apart. Marion's ability to lie, once a great asset, is now their greatest enemy. It's a wonderful way to weave the story together, and makes for some excellent tension as well as irony.

Overall, Allied is absolutely a mix. It has espionage, it has war, it has assassinations, it has parties, it has family, it has romantic/steamy (quite steamy, might I add) moments, it has costumes and scenery, it has a mystery to be solved, etc. And some of these things it does magnificently. Some of these things it does just well-enough. But it does it all. Which is more than can be said for most movies these days.

This movie certainly deserves the R rating. There is nudity, multiple sex scenes, a decent amount of violence, language, drugs.

If you are a fan of classic movies, watch it. Is it perfect? No, it certainly has weak points and flaws. But overall I was thoroughly entertained by it. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I will definitely be buying this on Blu-Ray, hopefully with lots of insight into how this film was made and what technologies Zemeckis used.