Elymaq

I didn't totally pay attention but it seemed better than the first one. Still weird gender dynamics even before the reveal

This was an efficient movie. There were three stories introducing three characters. A viking, a ninja and a ww2 pilot. They're all hunted by a predator. They each manage to take care of it, proving themselves worth of being selected for a death match. Because you guessed it, in the second half of the movie, they are pitted against each other and must work together to defeat the predators and escape. It really felt like each story was used as a way to make you care for the characters. They all have someone in their past who they're fighting for. It's a nice mix of cultures throughout history. And albeit the predictable structure, it worked. The animation style is a bit divisive, with low framerate 3D. But the graphics and character designs are good. I do think there's a bit too much aura farming, especially in the ninja flashback. At some point, my friend and I wondered whether the characters were mute since they didn't talk and kept striking poses during the well choreographed fights.

Surprisingly good character writing for a cheesy teen show but there's still a formulaic aspect to the story that weighs it down. I think it's mostly about the story beats being somewhat predictable. It feels like when the story wants to go somewhere, the characters lose some nuance in their characterization or something happens in the scene which, surprise, perfectly resonates with the current emotional arc of the character. It's the kind of writing that is so functional that it loses some of its authenticity. Characters are written in a bit more detail than you would ordinarily expect. They aren't wholesale clichés. Sometimes a character would say something that signals a more multifaceted interior. But that stops the moment the plot takes over and the perfectly engineered plot device enters the room to bring the characters back to their duties: be a cheesy teen drama. It's really like the screenwriting structure sets landmark for the story to hit which prevents Off Campus to be different (and better) than what it set out to be.

I really liked the first season of this show. At first I was a bit skeptical about how hard it would be to emphasize with a stoic John Stewart. But his backstory and character development make him compelling in spite of that first hurdle. The thing I liked the most is how down-to-earth the show is despite being a Green Lantern show. It presents more like a buddy cop mystery in a small Nebraska town. The dynamic between Hal Jordan and John Stewart is the highlight of these 8 episodes. There is a bit of messiness in the plot elements but they don't hinder the quality of the intrigue for me. The focus on good character writing and nailing down emotional stakes and payoffs made it all the more enjoyable towards the end. The only caveat that I would bring up is the lack of creative uses of the ring, which I assume will come in season 2.