Shōgun, Challengers, Fallout, Boy Kills World Reviews | See It or Skip It

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — When it comes to some of the best television of this year, this week may have the greatest. ABC4 Film Critic Patrick Beatty has all of the details on that, plus what to see in theaters.

Shōgun

Where to Watch: Hulu or Disney+

Directed By: 

Frederick E.O. Toye, Jonathan van Tulleken, Charlotte Brändström, Takeshi Fukunaga, Hiromi Kamata, Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour

Written By: 

Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, Emily Yoshida, Caillin Puente, Shannon Goss, Matt Lambert, Nigel Williams

Starring:

Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, Takehiro Hira

Genre:

Adventure, Drama, History

Rated TV-MA

All media courtesy of FX

Shōgun has officially ended it’s limited series this week, and it is the perfect time to get caught up on what may be the best limited series of 2024.

Set in the 17th Century, the story is told from the perspective of British hero John Blackthorne, a sailor who is a captain who shipwrecked off the coast of Japan during a time of political struggle. Japanese leader Toranaga is caught in a power vacuum that may completely destroy him and his potential rule, with a council of powerful factions aimed at ousting him from leadership.

What I love about Shōgun is how unique and immersive the story is. This is an adaptation of the same-titled novel and has already been a limited series in the past. What sets this new iteration apart comes from the incredible writing, depth of characters, and an ending that is as unexpected as it is beautiful.

Cosmo Jarvis, who plays Blackthorne, is forced to rely on translators to know what his fate is throughout the story. The way the creators utilize language and translation is captivating and engaging throughout. His interpreter, played by Anna Sawai, is rich with backstory and performed wonderfully — easily the best character of the series.

It’s hard not to compare this show to the quality and immersive of the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, because there are so many similarities in quality. Not only that, but the story keeps you guessing and feeling like any character could die at any moment and catch you completely off guard. Yes, TV is in a writing renaissance, but Shōgun may even surpass the quality of the best shows we’ve seen in the past five years, maybe of all time.

This is absolutely a must-watch, there are lots of subtitles but I encourage anyone who would be wary of jumping into this show due to that to give it a shot. It will be incredibly rewarding if you do.

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Challengers

Where to Watch: Theaters

Directed By: 

Luca Guadagnino

Written By: 

Justin Kuritzkes

Starring:

Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor

Genre:

Drama, Romance, Sports

Rated R

All media courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Zendaya stars as a tennis-obsessed athlete who’s courted by two other players who have been playing as a team for a long time. The timeline moves from the early beginnings of this romantic triangle to the future, when love for the game might destroy the love for each other.

Director Luca Guadagnino is known for ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ and recently ‘Bones and All,’ and is always able to bring a unique and risque romantic story that is mesmerizing to watch and deeply personal to the characters. He again brings that to this sports-themed story, but perhaps overserves and falls out of bounds at times.

I loved the performances by our leads. They are not characters you typically would want to root for. In fact, they are kind of awful people the more you consider what the story shows. But the way Luca Guadagnino intertwines the relationship drama with high-octane tennis matches will keep you engaged from beginning to end.

There is a lot of tennis-playing here, and it’s all shot in different and unique ways. Sometimes the camera is moving with the players, and sometimes the camera literally takes the form of a tennis ball, bouncing from one side of the net to the other. This is a non-linear story, jumping between different moments in each character’s life, and for the most part, it’s followable, but at some points feels unnecessary.

The biggest issue for me came from the music. It’s loud and abrasive techno music that completely overtakes the scene in a way that feels both distracting and annoying. I wish there was much much less of it, and used more sparingly because it does take away from the rich storytelling.

Overall it’s still a very good watch, and one that you should see in theaters.

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Fallout

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Directed By: 

Jonathan Nolan, Clare Kilner, Frederick E.O. Toye, Daniel Gray Longino, Wayne Yip

Written By: 

Chaz Hawkins, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner, Karey Dornetto, Kieran Fitzgerald, Carson Mell, Gursimran Sandhu

Starring:

Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Moises Arias,

Genre:

Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated TV-MA

All media courtesy of Prime Video

Out on Prime Video now is the video game adaptation of Fallout, set in a dystopian world where nuclear bombs have dropped, and the world is picking up the pieces of the aftermath.

We follow three characters, one played by Ella Purnell who has lived in a bunker her entire life, and after a tragedy leads to her father being kidnapped, travels to the surface to save him. Aaron Moten has been on the surface world his entire life and is looking for glory as a hand to the modern-day knights of the world, clad in large, bulky, and deadly armor. Walton Goggins is the wildcard of the series, as a former actor turned real-gunslinger and assassin wandering the wasteland for opportunities.

The three intermingle with each other, but all have their own stories that feel unique to them and keep you watching. I loved the performances, particularly Walton Goggins who finally gets his proper acting credit here. I loved how the storylines interweave but also don’t leave out the audience, who could be learning about this for the first time or have played the video games already.

If you play the games, you’ll be happy with the fact the game creators had a hand in developing the TV series — and that really does show in the quality of Fallout. No adaptation should be made without consultation from the creators and Fallout proved that here. Its first season is fully available and is also a see-it for me.

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Boy Kills World

Where to Watch: Theaters

Directed By: 

Moritz Mohr

Written By: 

Tyler Burton Smith, Arend Remmers, Moritz Mohr

Starring:

Bill Skarsgård, Famke Janssen, Jessica Rothe, Yayan Ruhian

Genre:

Action, Crime, Thriller

Rated R

All media courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Fun, loony, and action-packed. Boy Kills World is a revenge story starring Bill Skarsgård as a deaf fighter who’s lost his family, and is set to kill the ones who took them from him.

I feel that this is a cult classic in the making. It may not be for everyone but it’s unashamed of going 100% into the madness, blood, and gore that’s commendable and impressive to watch. The secret to the great fight choreography comes from the incredible Yayan Ruhian, known for two of my favorite fighting films in ‘The Raid Redemption’ and ‘The Raid 2’.

I loved all of the fighting sequences and the final battle left my jaw on the floor for the entire thing. There’s impressive camerawork with drones whizzing through a full-out battle, POV fighting that feels like you are in a video game controlling the moves yourself, and a good story too.

I do think less is more in these kinds of films if they over-rely on the action. I wish we got more depth with supporting characters, but still, this is one that will be a blast to watch with a group.

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