olgaanto

Six episodes into "IT: Welcome to Derry", and honestly, I'm wondering how a show tied to one of the most iconic horror universes manages to feel so... harmless. The vibe is weirdly juvenile, too. It feels like it was made as an intro to horror for kids who get scared by foggy streets and their own shadows.

The show tiptoes around the idea of horror without ever committing. The pacing isn't good either: it crawls, stalls, wanders, and somehow finds a way to drag even more. Pennywise's presence (or lack of it) is another issue. Sure, I get that they're trying to build tension slowly, but it ends up feeling like filler instead of suspense. And the plot somehow manages to feel both bloated and empty. I find watching it is exhausting - but not in a thrilling way. Just exhausting.

I came in expecting dark, twisted, psychologically messed-up horror. Instead, I got a soft, PG-13 "My First Horror Series", complete with training wheels and bubble wrap. It's sanitized, predictable, and feels weirdly terrified of its own source material - which, ironically, is supposed to be the thing terrifying us.

Yeah, sure, it can be something to pass the time. And if you're a huge fan of the "IT" universe, you might enjoy the lore expansions, but for casual viewers, it's a mixed bag at best.

Unless some miracle happens in the last two episodes (highly unlikely, but I'll humor the possibility), my disappointment stands.

This one barely taps you on the shoulder.

I'll start by saying I haven't read Stephen King's book, but the concept of a dystopian death march with one winner and no finish line sounded pretty intriguing.

Turns out, it's just... walking. For almost two hours. Straight.

I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I guess I should've known better - watching people walk (and talk, and occasionally fall over) probably can't carry an entire movie. The film kind of flatlines early on and just keeps dragging its feet, literally. Nothing major really happens - it's just endless walking with bits of dialogue sprinkled in, and none of it feels impactful enough to justify the runtime.

It's like watching a horror movie without horror, or a war movie without war - just the awkward middle bits where everyone's sweaty and miserable. The concept had potential, but it feels like it forgot to actually go anywhere (ironically).

Most of the characters are forgettable or painfully stereotypical: the cocky one, the quiet one, the emotional one, the guy who clearly won't make it past the halfway point, and a few randoms who seem to exist just to fill the quota of "people who can die later". Some are purposely annoying, some are just... there. And while I get that the point is supposed to be bleak and psychological, it ends up feeling weirdly hollow.

The film tries to say something deep about humanity, sacrifice, survival, or whatever, but it never quite lands. In the end, it's just a story about a short-lived friendship that won't last, told through the world's longest, most uneventful walk.

I wouldn't say it's bad-bad.. it's just frustratingly dull. It's one of those films where you keep waiting for something to happen... and then the credits roll.

In essence, The Long Walk is a long watch.

Let's get one thing straight - most of the 1-star reviews here are clearly from people who haven't even watched Red Alert, but rate it down simply because it's about Israel. Ignore that noise.

Now, as someone who DID watch it - all of it, in one sitting - I can say Red Alert is a solid, well made mini-series. It's engaging, emotional, and offers an interesting perspective by focusing on a handful of people sharing their experiences of that day. It does a good job of humanizing the chaos, and it's a solid production.

That said, as someone who actually experienced October 7th in Israel, I have mixed feelings. The show is impactful, yes, but it's way too "safe". Too restrained. It feels... castrated. The creators clearly held back.

It's not graphic enough and doesn't even scratch 10% of the horror, the chaos, and the inhuman brutality that truly happened that day. This wasn't just another tragic day - it was a massacre, a horror beyond imagination. And while the series touches on fear and uncertainty, it never truly shows the brutality, the terror, the real scale of what happened.

I understand that maybe they wanted to make it accessible to a broader audience. But I think that was a mistake. This story deserved an 18+ rating and a brutally honest depiction of what took place - the murder, the rape, the burning, the slaughter. The real horror was stripped away, leaving a sanitized version of something that should have hit much deeper.

And that's where it loses points for me. Because if you're going to tell the story of October 7th, tell it. Don't soften it for comfort. Those who lived it don't get that luxury.

Still, putting that aside, Red Alert is a gripping and emotionally heavy. It gives a voice, even if a muted one, to the victims, survivors, and their stories. And for that alone, it's worth watching.