This post is one of those quick looks at several films and TV shows I don’t feel the need to write a complete review about. Today’s topics will be the live action How to Train Your Dragon, Task, Maintenance Required, and Peacemaker, season 2.

How to Train Your Dragon

I found the live action version of How to Train Your Dragon disappointing. Not because it was live action but because the explicit anti-Nazi sentiment in the story got lost somewhere. In the review of the animated version, I said, “The Vikings learn to appreciate and communicate with the dragons. The Vikings and dragons all work together to defeat the evil tyrant in power.”

Yes, the live action version had them all work together to defeat the tyrant, but there was no message about how standing together as a community was the only way for the people (and dragons) to defend themselves from evil.

The key message of the film was gone.

Task

Task is an excellent series. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. It’s full of moral ambiguity. It’s mostly about men, with a few good women characters filling in the gaps. Emilia Jones, in particular, was very good.

This series reminded me of Killing Eve. The cop (Mark Ruffalo) and the criminal (Tom Pelphrey) were both likeable and basically good people. They liked each other in spite of themselves. Their characters were well developed and brilliantly acted. Overall it was very well done.

Task will get some Emmys.

Maintenance Required

Maintenance Required is a standard issue, by the numbers, romcom. Jacob Scipio and Madelaine Petsch play two car fanatics who fall in love.

I actually watched it because I wanted to see what Katy O’Brian’s part was. She was such a powerful character in Love Lies Bleeding, I wanted to see her again. Here she plays a mechanic – a straight woman who never talks about anything but men. What a waste of a part.

Peacemaker, season 2

Peacemaker is just the right kind of bonkers superhero story for me. It even strikes me as odd that I like it so much.

I wanted to watch it because Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Holland are in it. But I confess I came to love all the goofy characters, included John Cena as Peacemaker. The characters all go through an existential crisis in season 2, giving them more depth and emotional resonance.

Even though the season ends with a huge cliffhanger, there is not supposed to be a season 3. Instead the director James Gunn says the situation will be worked out in other films or series in this DC franchise. I hope he’s right.