'Cobra Kai: Season 4' review

A couple of weeks ago, when I didn't have anything better to do, I decided to do something that I wasn't actually supposed to do.  That is that, I went to Netflix and for some weird reason started watching the fourth season of 'Cobra Kai' series.  

After all, after I had finished watching the show's lackluster third season, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't give the series any more chances. The third season was so poorly written and had so many things that didn't make sense, so I thought I couldn't take it anymore. 

Yet, having now seen the fourth season, I have to say that I'm almost glad that I managed to come back to watching the series. This latest season, even though flawed, is without a doubt better and more coherent than the third season managed to be.

By that I mean that the biggest problem with the third season was that there was no real purpose on the show. The series lacked focus and real overarching plots that had meaning, which lead to the episodes and the season being all over the place.

Indeed, especially when it came to the completely unmotivated and out of nowhere group fight that took place at Daniel's home in the final episode, that was just embarrassing to watch. I just couldn't believe how awful and honestly insulting the 'climax' for the season was. 

Fortunately, now that we got to the fourth season, this time the series has managed to breath some new air to the storylines. We don't have to suffer from all those side plots and detours that we had for John Kreese, Daniel LaRusso (Japan Tour) and Johnny Lawrence.

Indeed, as Terry Silver from Karate Kid III makes a return as a rich businessman, this brings a real villain to the series. Silver joins Kreese's Cobra Kai and this time brings unlimited resources for the dojo to beat the crap out of  Miyagi / Eagle alliance - which story-wise works.

Quality-wise, the good thing about the season is that there's a fairly straightforward plot that keeps things interesting. Silver is a good addition to the show and his ulterior motivations and big plans - as a cultured man who is also ruthless - is good stuff.

Another good thing is that the fights are better motivated this time. Gone are most out of nowhere physical altercations that are this time replaced with the all valley high Karate tournament that has stakes + competent fighters (the actors are finally capable fighters).  

On a negative side, there's no question that the fourth season still suffers from having too many 'soap opera' moments. Scenes that look like they might go somewhere character-wise reset really fast and don't really go anywhere (= lots of filler).

After all, especially when it came to the Johnny / Robbie family drama, this 'plot line' just kept going on and on and on for way too long. It significantly made the episodes less entertaining to watch, even though in the season finale we finally got a resolution of a sort.

Still, despite these issues that I had this season, when it comes to the season as a whole, I have to say that altogether the fourth season managed to surprise me positively. There was enough good stuff that kept me watching and made me come back for more.

In that sense, if you haven't watched the fourth season of 'Cobra Kai' yet and are hesitant based on the third season, you should give it a go. You should watch it, because even though there are some issues here and there, the season as a whole managed to be fairly watchable.

'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' review.

So when it comes to watching movies that star Nicolas Cage, it's not exactly a secret that not every movie with 'the Cage' in it has been great. Especially when it comes to the last 20 years or so, there haven't been that many good movies starring him.

At the same, even though most of his movies nowadays have been pretty bad, there are exceptions too. Every now and then - like in the recent 2021 film 'Pig', he manages to be in a film that has solid script, so the end result turns out to be a fairly good movie.

Naturally, when I heard that his most recent project, 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent', in which he plays himself, had gotten good reviews, I had to give the film a shot. There was a good chance that I would actually end up enjoying the film. 

So having now seen the movie, I have to say that I wasn't at least that badly disappointed with the quality of the film. The film turned out to be fairly watchable, even though as a writer I had some issues with its screenplay that in my opinion need to be addressed. 

Premise-wise, the film deals with Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage, a former star actor who in the story hasn't managed to deliver lately in films. He as a fading star isn't able to get the roles that he wants and its seems that he's in some sort of financial distress too. 

Catalyst-wise, the story gets going when a Spanish billionaire Javi - played by Pedro Pascal - offers to give Cage a million dollars for showing up at his birthday party. This is an offer that he - since not in that great shape financially - can't refuse, so off to Majorca he is.

Story-wise, as he arrives in Spain, it won't take long before he notices that his task isn't that simple. Javi as a wannabe film maker and a super fan seems to be part of criminal enterprise involving a kidnapping / coup plan, that the CIA is trying to solve / prevent from happening.

Not that surprisingly, as 'Cage' is having a good time and bonding with his super fan, it turns out that his skills are needed by the CIA. The agency forces Cage to be an undercover agent, which leads to all kinds of twists and turns that eventually leads to our star saving the day. 

Quality-wise, when it comes to overall quality of the film, I have to say that the film is pretty well made. You have solid production values and the story is rather creatively built around both mocking and admiring Nicolas Cage as 'Nicolas Cage the actor'.

Indeed, among other things I liked how well the film utilizes Cage's career. We see things like a younger 80s Cage talking to the current Cage, there's excerpts from his movies (like The Rock) and since 'Javi' is a super fan, we even get to see movie props (like the VX gas prop).

In hindsight, the only real problem with the film has to do with its screenplay that especially in the first half of the second act felt a bit contrived. I felt that the beats weren't that well written and the film being a bit of a self-parody didn't excuse these script problems.

Furthermore, when it comes to the finale of the film and its ending, I didn't like the transition from real life action to movie action. I felt that it came too much out of nowhere and didn't give us a satisfying ending to a sequence that otherwise was rather well made.

Still, when it comes to the film as a whole, I have to say that 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' was a watchable movie and managed to do what it promised. There's a lot of self awareness / mocking in the film that works well and is to be applauded.

In that sense, if you're a fan of Nicolas Cage and haven't seen the film, you should probably give it a shot. You should watch it at some point, because even though the movie isn't necessarily 'great', the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously is something that works in its favor.