Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 Episode 15: Necromancing the Stone Review

Constantine returns to help the Legends when Mallus leverages the power of the death totem–through Sara–to mount an attack aboard the Waverider.

(Summary via Netflix)

My rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Pros: Characters, Relationships, Plot

Cons: Too much Constantine for my liking, the Avalance ending scene broke me

Hi everyone! I’m going to start this review by saying that I absolutely love Legends of Tomorrow. I love every episode, every season (yes, even season 1), and every main character. So it probably won’t come as a surprise, knowing that information, that I loved Necromancing the Stone.

Let’s get into why: Firstly, the characters. I mentioned them before but I absolutely love them. From Sara (who’s my favorite, by the way) to Ava to Ray to Nate to Wally to Amaya to Zari. I love them all. Sara is a badass and is the heart and soul of the show. Ava used to be a pain but she’s actually soft and also a badass in her own right. A good match for Sara in my own biased opinion. Ray is an adorable dork and so is Nate. Wally is the guy next door who’s also adorable and dorky. Amaya and Zari are also badasses with soft sides as well. Amaya is so caring and compassionate and so is Zari, even though she has a few walls up.

Secondly, I love the characters’ relationships with each other. Of course there’s Avalance (who doesn’t love Avalance?) but I love all the relationships on the show (Nate and Amaya, anyone?). Not just the romantic ones, too. I love Sara’s relationships with her team and their relationships with each other. From Ray and Nate to Zari and Wally. Honorable mention goes to Zari and Amaya who are the BROTP I didn’t know I needed.

Thirdly, I love the plot. Though this story is more psychological than anything else, I still absolutely love it. From begging Sara through the computer screen not to touch the death totem to watching the team fight evil/Mallus-possessed Sara, to Mick using the Fire Totem against Mallus/evil Sara’s Death Totem to Ava bringing Sara back home to the ending scenes. I loved all of it so much.

Now, for what I didn’t like. Honestly, I only have 2 minor complaints and they didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the episode too much. Constantine was too much of a big part of this episode for my liking. I know he’s a good person. And perhaps I am jealous on Ava’s behalf that he slept with Sara. But he just gets to me. I don’t know why. On the surface he’s the type of character I would like. He even has a British accent! I never could resist a British accent. But in this case, the accent hasn’t worked its magic. He doesn’t annoy me exactly, he just doesn’t interest me much.

And finally, you all knew this was coming, the Avalance breakup scene. I agree with the recapper at EW that this scene feels rushed, like it came out of nowhere. Did Nora/Mallus really get to Sara that much? Isn’t Sara much stronger than that? Though perhaps this scene just shows that like all of us, Sara is only human. However, I would’ve preferred this scene if it hadn’t come out of nowhere. I don’t mind that they’re breaking up my favorite couple (ok, ok, I do mind) as much as I mind that they’re doing so in a rushed and –in my opinion– out of character way. I know Sara’s always feared that she’s a monster and that she can’t escape her past. Surely, though, part of her character arc has been learning that that is not the case. So for her to suddenly be right back where she started seems strange to me. I agree again with the recapper at EW that when she sees Ava’s note, she isn’t only sad, she also regrets breaking up with her.

Overall, I really enjoyed the episode and look forward to future episodes of this crazy, fun, silly, amazing show. (I know I’m late to the party as season 4 is currently airing but better late than never, right?)

If you watch Legends of Tomorrow: who is your favorite Legend? If not, what’s the last show you watched on Netflix and how did you like it? Let me know in the comments below! 

 

 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Movie Review

A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.

(via IMDB)

My rating: 4/5 Stars

Pros: Good characters, Good relationships, Good plot, Realistic

Cons: Not too exciting, Predictable, needed more family moments

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, based on the book of the same name, which I’ve also reviewed,  is a lovely movie. It’s the kind of movie that gives you warm and fuzzy feelings from beginning to end. At least, it did for me.

Let’s go into why: firstly, the characters. From Lara Jean to Peter to Margot to Kitty, each character is a joy. All of them are written beautifully and it’s wonderful watching them develop throughout the movie, especially Lara Jean and Peter. All of the characters are also beautifully flawed, as they are in the book.

Secondly, the relationships. Of course, there’s Lara Jean and Peter. Their relationship develops beautifully throughout the movie and it’s the type of relationship you can’t help but love. It’s irresistible. There’s also Lara Jean’s relationships with her family members. Her father. Margot. Kitty. Those relationships are just as adorable as they are in the book, though they could’ve been focused on a bit more in my opinion. Still, I’ll get into that later. There’s also the friendships: Lara Jean and Chris and Lara Jean and Lucas. I love both a lot and enjoyed watching them throughout the movie.

Thirdly, the plot. It’s simple and can be somewhat predictable but it’s a story that keeps you interested from beginning to end. It’s the perfect romantic comedy: full of romance, laughs, and warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s also a story that’s about more than the romance, though. It’s about finding yourself, about letting all of who you are out, about family and friendship and fun.

And finally, it’s a realistic story. It seems like the type of thing that could happen in high school, although it’s full of typical romantic comedy tropes like fake dating as well. The characters help keep it grounded, since all of them are so realistic. The relationship between Lara Jean and Peter is realistic as well, despite the romantic tropes, and seems like the kind of relationship people would have in high school.

Now for what I didn’t like about the movie. Like the book, it isn’t too exciting and is somewhat predictable. However, it is no less enjoyable because of those things. One thing that did make it less enjoyable, for me at least, was the lack of family moments. While I felt that the book built up Lara Jean’s relationships with her family members as well as her relationship with Peter, the movie focused more–maybe a bit too much more–on the romance. Although I love Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship, I would’ve liked more family moments. The ones that were there were lovely but fleshing out the relationships with Margot, Kitty, and Dr. Covey (Lara Jean’s father) would have been nice.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed the movie and really hope it gets its sequels. (Please, Netflix!)

Though there are some noticeable differences between the book and the movie, including the lack of family moments I noted before, I think it is a pretty faithful adaptation. The story is still recognizable and although there are some changes, most of them are changes for the better.

If you’ve seen it: What did you think of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? If you haven’t seen it–you should really watch it, and read the books–what are some of your favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Let me know in the comments below!