Friedrich's Reviews
A must-see if you love rom-coms!
It's been ages since there's been a movie like this. A simple premise with the single, solid aim of entertaining people and giving everyone a great time.
Highly recommended!
Enjoy!
P.S.: ⚠SMALL SPOILER AHEAD ⚠
There’s a small part where they talk about what one of the “husbands” did while he was waiting for her. They mention that the guy tried going out with another man once and had a couple of weird dates, but it comes off as a joke that could’ve been thrown in at any time. Other than that, the movie stays solid.
Created: 12-30-2025
Hard sci-fi with fantasy elements, no forced political messaging.
First things first: the person writing this analysis has actually read the material people usually reference when they talk about DEI policies tied to the cultural movement called WOKE.That includes things like Executive Order 14035 (DEIA, 2021), Executive Order 13988 (gender identity and sexual orientation, 2021), EEOC guidance on Title VII, court decisions like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), and state-level laws such as Florida’s HB 7 (2022), along with similar measures elsewhere. These policies were widely criticized for encouraging identity-based hiring and training frameworks that, according to critics, created bureaucratic overhead, legal gray areas, creative constraints, and in some cases counterproductive results within the entertainment industry.
That said, those executive orders, laws, and court rulings did not create the WOKE movement. That movement has much broader cultural roots: academia, media, corporate culture, social platforms, and earlier activist currents. In short, legal and administrative actions helped institutionalize certain ideas, but they weren’t the sole drivers, or even necessarily the primary ones, behind what people now label as WOKE culture.
What’s being criticized here, specifically in audiovisual storytelling, is the WOKE approach itself, not the presence of a gay character, a trans man, a non-binary character, or a lesbian. In film and TV, “woke” usually means something else entirely: narrative choices that feel forced in order to push a political message, where an external agenda overrides story logic. Something becomes woke when it’s shoved into the narrative, poorly integrated, breaks internal consistency, feels out of place, or exists mainly to serve a message instead of the plot or the characters.
Quick but necessary clarification before moving on: if someone reading this can’t tell the difference between cultural criticism and political positioning, I genuinely don’t recommend continuing. This is about storytelling, industry context, and narrative decisions—not about telling anyone how to vote or what ideology to adopt.
Now, something you don’t usually see on this site: a very clear warning that heavy spoilers are coming.
⚠ SPOILER ALERT ⚠
In Episode 1, it’s established right away that the protagonist is a woman in a relationship with another woman. If that’s part of the setup from the start, that is not woke—it’s just the foundation of the story. I am not anti-homo; I am anti-woke (and if anyone reading this is anti-homo—meaning that seeing two people of the same sex being attracted to each other bothers you—that’s your issue. You always have the power in your hands: you can switch shows, change the channel, or just turn the damn thing off. No one is forcing you to watch this. And if you get worked up over it, you already lost).
So, as I was saying, her partner dies very early on, but if the character is attracted to women and you’re presenting her as potentially "the last human on Earth", then yes, you’re obviously going to show romantic moments between them. Expect that kind of content. It’s not subtle, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
ℹ SAFE TO READ ℹ
That said, the first episode itself is fairly weak. Like a lot of viewers worldwide, many people probably kept going mainly because Vince Gilligan is behind it—the same Vince Gilligan who created what a massive chunk of the planet still considers the greatest TV series ever made: Breaking Bad. Otherwise, I’m honestly not sure I would have kept watching, since the inciting incident leans a bit too hard into the fantastical and everything moves extremely fast. The episode feels more like a setup vehicle to establish the apocalypse so Carol’s story can start, which isn’t exactly Gilligan’s usual pacing or style.
From that point on, though, the show steadily improves. I won’t repeat what other comments have already covered about the plot, because I mostly agree with them: after Episode 2, everything becomes much tighter, well structured, and genuinely organic.
⚠ STRONG SPOILER ALERT ⚠ (important political reference)
However, there’s a specific moment I want to highlight. In one episode, she asks to speak with someone outside her house. A man steps forward—someone who, before becoming part of the hive mind, was the mayor of Albuquerque. Out of several people present, he volunteers, and she flatly says: “No. No politicians.” And that, right there, reads as a very clear “I’ll play by the rules, but I don’t want politics running the conversation” signal in the script—and that, yes, that is a good sign.
ℹ SAFE TO READ ℹ
The reason this stands out is simple. If we’re watching a show of this scale now, finished, almost in the last quarter of 2025, it’s because it spent years in production beforehand. That means that when it was being shot, the creators were operating under the rules, expectations, and legal frameworks of the time. Filming started in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in November 2023, and that context matters.
Zooming back out, Apple TV’s official synopsis was always very clear: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” With a premise like that, you shouldn’t expect a charming or heroic lead. Don’t expect warmth. She’s a selfish person—apathetic, stubborn, short-tempered. You might recognize pieces of yourself in her, sure, but this isn’t a story designed for easy identification or emotional comfort. You’re not meant to fully like her. In many ways, that’s the entire point.
So, anyone who’s curious should just watch it chill. There’s no forced message here, SO FAR. The pacing is slow and, honestly, it can get annoying at times. It feels like it drags more than it needs to, but that’s just how the show is built. Still, it pulls you in because the core of the story works. The characters feel grounded, with real flaws and real attitudes, and the protagonist, more often than not, ends up being her own worst enemy.
Enjoy.
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Created: 12-27-2025
Not woke at all
This isn’t woke and it has nothing to do with those DEI policies that were already scrapped. There’s no forced storyline and no misrepresentation of characters. The only thing said in another comment is just what anyone might assume, since the character is pretty androgynous. So anyone could say that.
So if you like the show, go ahead and watch the movie without worrying.
Enjoy!
Created: 12-22-2025
LEFTIES RAGE
Another Glen Powell movie that tries to pose as progressive and liberal but ends up being more trash heavy on political propaganda and basically pushing the idea that communism is the best answer. This time they didn’t even bother to hide it. In the "Twisters" movie they at least tried to mask it with different angles and paid a ton of journalists to say “it’s not woke,” but here they shove it in your face not subtly, either, with a Che Guevara image as a nod to revolution or the anarchy ⩜ symbol. On top of that there’s constant moralizing from the people of color, who are the only “good” characters, while the villains are all white — except the protagonist, because he’s an “ally” married to a Black woman.
Yet another wasted opportunity; without all that extra stuff the movie could've been an okay popcorn movie, but the nonstop moralizing and trying to lecture the audience is annoying and pulls you right out of the film, slapping you in the face and making you realize there's still a long way to go before the lefties loses enough money to learn that "get woke go broke.
Created: 12-13-2025
Good dark humor
I’m blown away by how this series writes its stuff. Every episode feels like a nonstop meme machine, hopping from one crazy but believable moment (well, sort of) to the next, dropping jokes that are funny and make you think.
What the hell am I watching!?!?
It’s amazing.
The show is constantly taking shots at everything and doesn’t leave a single angle untouched, so I wouldn’t label its progressive elements as “woke" and if anything in there comes off as woke, it’s almost definitely there just so they can make fun of it later. It makes fun of literally everything and turns every scene into well-executed dark humor.
Created: 12-07-2025
Soft fantasy sci-fi done right (up to season 4)
This is hands down one of the best soft sci-fi/fantasy series to watch right now. It’s got its own brand of progressive touches, yet the narrative hits the mark overall.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that it has some very progressive elements, like the inclusion of a lesbian character and William’s arc with her, focusing on his feelings and coming out. But honestly, it all feels pretty organic, at least from what I’ve seen up through episode four of season five. With that said, I’m not going to let those elements ruin the overall story, which so far has handled them in a fairly natural way within the narrative.
That said, what is really bad and super cringe is that the actors look older than their parents. Even though there are a few moments where it seems like they managed to age them properly, most of the time it just doesn’t work and it pulls you out of the story. It honestly makes you think they should’ve moved the plot forward and had them already in college or working, instead of still being in high school.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t hard sci-fi, and it’s not aimed at an audience looking for some deep, high-impact revelation. This is popcorn entertainment; basically, you could say it’s kind of a guilty pleasure. Even so, I hope they respect what they’ve been doing up to this point, even if there are moments that make you think, “okay, they’re trying to send a message here.”
Maybe this comes more from a personal wish to see more audiovisual projects at this level that aren’t so heavy-handed with political propaganda. I really hope they keep the ending focused on entertainment rather than a political statement. Given how well it’s been executed overall, I just hope we can enjoy it while it lasts—and that Netflix doesn’t completely screw it up like it has in the past with other shows like The Witcher.
EDIT:
I was wrong, they went FULL WOKE in the last episodes of the final season. What had been relatively tolerable (at least for those who were putting up with it) got dumped all at once in the last season. Not surprising at all coming from Netflix.
Bottom line, if, like me, you got hooked by the first two seasons, and watched seasons three and four while kind of looking the other way, and you just want to know how the story ends, you’re going to have to put up with the extra bucket of crap they piled onto a story that was originally well put together.
If there’s a spin-off and they keep going down the same propaganda-heavy path, they’ll sink just like everyone else who’s done the same thing. Netflix might think it’s king right now, and maybe it is, especially with all the talk about the Warner Discovery acquisition, but even kings fall.
Created: 12-07-2025
This is a really enjoyable movie
No woke stuff here, just a classic story with classic-style humor and solid, straightforward filmmaking
Created: 11-17-2025
Predator with daddy issues
Why can’t they just make a movie about a different alien that’s not tied to the franchises we all love?
Do they really have so little creativity that they can’t come up with a new story and authentic characters?
Honestly, the creators of some of our favorite universes are getting old and they either don’t care or just don’t give a fuch about staying true to their original work anymore. So, then some random idiot comes along, waves some cash around, says they want to make a new movie, but tells them straight up that without their name attached it won’t have the same impact. So, they join in just to be credited, and end up backing a project that completely trashes the canon and spits all over the universe they once created.
There are only a handful of artists left who actually stay loyal to their creations, who understand the cultural impact their work has had. And honestly, unless they legally make sure their legacy is protected after they die, their families [or some asshole in the movie business] will eventually destroy everything they built just to make a quick buck.
Created: 11-08-2025
Way better than the last Jurassic Parks!
I gotta say, this movie is actually good! Not some instant classic or anything, but definitely entertaining. I started watching it super skeptical, but honestly? It’s what the last Jurassic Park should’ve been instead of that woke snoozefest we got.
This one actually feels like the old-school ones, the kind that took themselves seriously, not just trying to sell action figures to kids, but to really give the audience a good time.
I’ll be real: when it comes to FX, it’s nowhere near Spielberg-level magic, and yeah, you can tell AI had a hand in some scenes… but it’s still fun to watch.
Anyway, if you’re in the mood for a solid popcorn flick with a bit of that classic cinema vibe — I totally recommend it. Oh, and about the “woke stuff”? Yeah, there are a couple of small inconsistencies here and there, but nothing major — like a 1 out of 5 on the woke scale, tops. I won’t even tag it as “mild woke” because, honestly, deserves a chance.
Movies like this are exactly what we need more of, films that don’t try to moralize us, but just want us to chill on the couch, grab some popcorn, hang with friends or family, and have a genuinely good time.
Enjoy it!
Created: 10-10-2025
Another franchise destroyed
Honestly, I’m not writing this review with much joy. It’s not even anger, just disappointment. It sucks to see big producers and directors not taking care of the universes they built. I’m not gonna go on forever listing pros and cons, but I’ll just say this: the first few episodes actually started off with some pretty interesting premises and fresh ideas, showing a real intention to expand the universe.
I watched it with some skepticism, and it kinda grew on me… [even though, right from the start, the crew should’ve been way smarter and more cautious than the ones in the original movie, those guys didn’t know what they were dealing with, but these ones do, and still don’t act like actual scientists].
Anyway, even though there were a few solid points they could’ve explored, they ended up trashing the whole franchise by introducing something that completely breaks the logic of the Alien universe. The original story was about a human being (Ripley) who, despite all her flaws, kept pushing forward, faced her fears, and risked her life to kill the alien that wiped out everyone she knew and loved aboard the ship. That’s gone here. Instead, we get a constant DEUS EX MACHINA, something that at first seems interesting, maybe even a cool antagonist setup, but turns into some kind of goddess-level system that can control anything running on electricity (and apparently stuff that isn’t, too!). Ridiculous.
Don’t watch it. It’s not worth your time. Yeah, it’s got some woke stuff in it, but honestly, that’s not even the worst part. The real problem is the total lack of respect for the franchise, and not even for the director or the original creator, because he’s the showrunner here. He’s been lost for a while now.
Cheers.
I’ll leave you with this:
New sci-fi stories will be born. Once they finish destroying all the classics, new ones will rise. That’s for sure.
Created: 09-27-2025
