Bob Mayer's Blog, page 70

Cool Gus reviews El Ministerio del Tiempo– The Ministry of Time

Following my not so thrilled review of The Titan, a Netflix original, I found another show on Netflix regarding time travel, a topic near to my heart given my Time Patrol series.

El Ministerio del Tiempo is, obviously, Spanish. Subtitled, which I actually kind of like. Spanish, unlike German, is easy on the ears. Not as exotic as French, where even getting called nasty names sounds good. Anything in German sounds like its going to be followed by an actual Blitzkrieg. I liked the Norwegian in Nobel, which I reviewed earlier and is a must see on Special Operations.

I digress, as I often do. Anyway, I’ve watched the first three or four episodes of Ministry of Time and it’s fun. The concept is familiar– doors to different times in the past. They don’t go overboard explaining it, which is always good. The spiral staircase going to the doors looks a bit like my spiral in the Possibility Palace, but great minds think alike. The characters are likeable, have troubles at home or losses.The attitude of the employees as government workers is fun and there is some nice humor here and there, such as the guy complaining about his Xmas bonus being cut. But also some poignant moments, nicely balanced.

I really want to wear one of those big hats with the feather on the side and carry a rapier after watching this. But NOT the stupid gendarme hat.

Sure, as with any time travel story, there are huge plot holes, but I like learning more about Spanish history, which this series focuses on instead of the same stuff we get in the USA. Should Spain enter WWII? Do most Americans even know which side Spain was on in WWII? Or if it was even involved?

Cool Gus gives it three of four paws up! Check it out.

 

 

The Titan and Man Plus: Same idea, different stories.

Seems Netflix is putting out a  lot of original material lately. Of varying degrees of quality.

Regardless, they are drawing top level talent such as Will Smith and Sam Worthington. He stars in The Titan which I mostly fast-forwarded through yesterday, which is becoming more of a trend with Netflix originals.

First, while idea can’t be copyrighted, anyone with a basis in science fiction recognized the premise of The Titan from Frederik Pohl’s novel Man Plus. Yet there is nothing in the credits to acknowledge this blatant rip off. I recognize Hollywood believes it can take any idea it wants, even to the blatant extent which they ripped Tess Gerritsen off with Gravity (go buy her book as a protest here), but still– they would have been better off making Man Plus. The Titan was kind of a yawner where I really didn’t care about any of the characters.

For those who don’t know either story, basically the idea put forward by Pohl in Man Plus is to genetically enhance a human (although he added in cybernetically enhancing which I didn’t pick up in The Titan, although my fast-forwarding might have missed that) in order to be able to live on another planet. For Man Plus it was Mars. The Titan was, naturally, the moon Titan. Which is interesting in that while researching Area 51: Redemption I learned a lot about it– especially the atmosphere part.

Cool Gus was similarly unimpressed and gives it lying on his belly, no paws up.

I’m not a fan of dissing someone’s writing; I just think this could have been done better. Also, none of the actors seemed particularly into it. Had that “collecting a paycheck” feeling about it. But I imagine it must be hard as an actor to get into a story that doesn’t ring true with you.

On the plus side, after last season’s sort of blah season ender, The Americans is jumping right into it. Some of the best TV out there. And Westworld looms!!!!  Cool Gus is wagging his tail. Once or twice.