Reviews

Story is simple. Too simple really. A princess falls in love with a soldier. Soldier sacrificed his life for people and country. In fact, first half is slow and feels like dragging.

Characters don't seem to stay in personality and logical. An angry student is happily willing to be rusticated but won't say sorry but immediately wants grandfather's money to pay back for car's damage. An orphan soldier is audacious in his love proposal and seems to know all tricks of romance. A princess wanders without anyone noticing both inside her palace and outside. Soldier seems to not figure out how a dance teacher can afford first class in train and VIP chair at magic show. Why Noorjahan was in that village in Kashmir is never explained.

Most characters are good on both side of borders despite some being terrorists. And twists are kind of predictable a little in advance, if not entirely, in advance.

I saw this in Hindi which means songs don't translate well and music was forgettable.

Saving grace why this gets 6/10 is because of good emotional drama packed in last hour of movie. It's high on nationalism quotient and symbolism of Ram-Sita naming is not lost which I appreciate. But then, movie has to either make me laugh or cry or not bore .. and this kind of doesn't do anything. So yes, watchable but missable as well.

I am writing as person who didn't play this video game, nor who plays any video game. For me, the show was slow at times and introduced storylines not related to main story arc. 50 minutes felt very stretched for each episode. By the second half, I interpreted series to more of philosophical descriptions of varieties of social orders that will eventually emerge in post-apocalyptic world, neither of them right or wrong.

Of course, series is not without technical flaws and internal inconsistency. World changes A LOT in 20 years and things need maintenance. To expect that roads are not covered in vegetation, or rooftops are not crawling with insects, or electric infrastructure will somehow work well, and self surviving house has modern amenities and working everything, or that fuel hasn't evaporated or vehicles still work, and so on. None of other reviewers seem to care about that even in passing mention.

Things also kind of happen conveniently at many places. Attacks work or don't work suitability to keep our heros going. Infected are there in droves and then aren't.

Not to mention the completely shocking last episode. I mean, Joel isn't good guy, sure, but still you are with both of them throughout and kind of rooting for them. To completely take away the only known option for saving the world in his utter selfishness makes you hate yourself for rooting for the guy.

Overall still 7/10 because it keeps you hooked and because of decent thrills provided in the second half of the show against slow first half. Bill/Frank and Riley episodes were most waste for me, but the former seems be public favourite.

First Arabic movie for me, so judge this review accordingly.

Movie is light hearted, with funny incidents thrown in, though they don't work most of the times. But again, perhaps I am not culturally tuned to this form of humour. Everyone laughs a lot with lots of dramatic and over the top gesture, even when there is nothing funny going on. Still, a good overall story and decent enough comedy e.g. The drive on the way to funeral. However, the ending just ruined it. Uncle dies for no reason. Magdy suddenly decides to and manages to lose weight. Last scene on magazine opening had no meaning. He not only changes his body size but also changes his character.

*Reviewing after 2 Seasons*

This story of super heroes with unusual and reluctant powers (for some) keeps you hooked from start to finish. Tight editing and good music keep the story flowing. There is subtle and quirky humour throughout. Cockiness of Five - and let's be honest, the only guy with some sense in his actions - is charming. Everyone else is temperamental and prone to tantrums.

Where it gets loopy is in the logic and self-consistency of story. Of course, source of super power is not under question. However, many a times characters do things which can be avoided and expedited only if they use their power which, for some reason, they don't, e.g. Five driving. Use of powers is also inconsistent, e.g. Time travelling with others with or without touching them and with or without their consent. Without these and many similar logical gaps, this series could have been 9/10.

I didn't find second season to be better than first, but both are good. Storyline is similar in that there is repetition of impending doomsday, reluctant and futile attempts to get everyone together, and avoiding doomsday in most unplanned and accidental manner unrelated to whatever was happening up to that point in the story.

I had to pause movie within first few minutes and recheck that it indeed is 8/10 rated on IMDB as I found it to be overacted and cheesey right away. Editing seems random throughout- what's with republic day long scene, or first real CBI chase scene, or even last cricket stadium scene?! Less said about the background music the better. Even walk to nowhere and non-event scenes are accompanied by thriller score. What about logic? Police had Anupam Kher's house address so what stopped them even if they were deceived by robbers? And if Jimmy wasn't real cop then what were initial scenes? And scene with SP of Police in front of minister where he dismissed him? It's little thought through ad-hoc scripted story.

It is said to be based on true events but how much of it is true I don't know. One good thing is that I think it managed to portray 1980s India authentically.

Story starts great and remains fairly suspenseful over first 2 seasons but in last few episodes pace slows down. Only reason this doesn't get 9/10 from me is because story becomes illogical over time. Everybody does dumb things. Robbers get lucky all the time. Hence I have decided to not watch third season onwards.

• SPOILERS -

Hundreds of police cannot shoot one Tokyo on bike. Many scenes have all robbers in one room busy when hostages could have simply opened front door and walked out but didn't. Monica, Angel, and Raquel characters change so much in so brief interactions that they give up their whole life and own sense of righteousness and help robbers. Monica and Raquel have excuse of 5 day love but somehow (even at cost of daughter!) Angel also sides with robbers without trying to understand anything. Professor spent whole life planning heist can falls head over heels in love in 1 day? What was his goal in first day offering charger if he didn't want to be close to Inspector? Why didn't he disengage when he realised his growing love? And robbers get lucky so many times that police actions seems laughable. When hostages escape first time around what stopped them from bombing that door open again? Berlin is able to hold on to tens of police alone. In last escape from hanger scene everyone is wasting time on sentimentality but somehow gets ready and out just a minute before. Professor left Island clue for Raquel even though she was police and somehow was convinced that she would side with him. I could name more but you get the gist ...

Show was good thrilling TV despite no real suspense as audience gets to follow both police and criminal from the beginning. Experience with Northern Ireland accent and country was something different from rest of British or American TV. Story moves slowly though.

First two seasons could be trimmed by 20% and part season by half. Incidents unrelated to main plot can be deleted. However it is just 17 hours so that's fine relief.

Whole third and last season was downer for me. To much effort into generating sympathy for killer. Unreasonable and unrealistic plot incidents too. Sally Ann somehow can and wants to afford city's biggest lawyer for her deceitful husband. Gibson allows Spector to walk free in psych centre despite him punching her right then. And Katie's obsession is just random.

Still I will give 8/10 for good unputdownable story.