S.O.Z: Soldiers or Zombies (Amazon Prime)

S.O.Z: Soldiers or Zombies (Spanish: S.O.Z: Soldados o Zombies) is a Mexican action, horror, science fiction, and thriller television series created by Nicolás Entel, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Scott Rosenbaum. The series was produced by Dynamo and Red Creek Productions for Amazon Prime Video, where it premiered on 6 August 2021.

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Plot

The story follows Alonso Marroquín, a powerful Mexican drug lord who escapes from a maximum-security prison during a prisoner transfer in northern Mexico. At the same time, a secret military biological experiment goes terribly wrong, creating a deadly infection that turns soldiers and civilians into violent zombie-like creatures.

Meanwhile, journalist Lilia arrives in the state of Chihuahua, where she is picked up at the airport by Dr. Dávila. They travel through the desert toward a remote rehabilitation center known as Paradiso, unaware that the infection has already begun spreading throughout the region.

As the outbreak escalates, it becomes clear that the infected are unlike ordinary zombies. Many of them were highly trained soldiers before being infected, allowing them to retain combat skills, coordination, and tactical behavior, making them far more dangerous than traditional zombies.

The infection is eventually linked to a secret biological experiment conducted by U.S. military personnel operating from a military base in Mexico near the United States border. Their attempt to contain the outbreak ultimately fails as the virus spreads across the desert.

During the investigation, a doctor performs an autopsy on one of the infected and makes a shocking discovery: the zombie has two hearts. The rest of the body's organs appear largely normal, suggesting that the pathogen has fundamentally altered the circulatory system while leaving much of the anatomy intact. This finding helps explain the infected's extraordinary resilience and ability to survive severe injuries.

Marroquín, Lilia, Dr. Dávila, and the other survivors struggle to escape across the desert while being pursued by the infected. At one point, they attempt to flee through an underground tunnel, only to discover an infected zombie inside the tunnel, forcing them into another deadly confrontation.

As the situation deteriorates, American soldiers leave their military base and eventually reach Marroquín's house, where a major confrontation takes place involving survivors, military forces, and the infected. The battle demonstrates that the biological experiment has spiraled completely out of control.

In the season finale, although Marroquín survives the final confrontation, he is bitten by an infected zombie, leaving his fate uncertain and strongly implying that he has become infected himself. The series ends on this cliffhanger, setting up the possibility of his transformation in a future continuation.

This species is different because these Zombies are smart and organized, they also walk in the daylight, they are fast and have military tactics cause some of them were military personnel, their brain works normally, included they can communicate, but this does not stop them of biting, they do not care, even knowing the woman was pregnant, they killed without remorse. 

The Series ended with the Military personnel and the doctor in the Paradiso while Marroquino's team escaped by the tunnel. 

Rate: 10 Stars 

La Peau de Chagrin, 2010 (Amazon Prime)

The Skin of Sorrow (French: La Peau de chagrin) is a 2010 French television drama film directed by Alain Berliner. It is set in 1832 and follows a 22-year-old man whose wishes are granted through a magic piece of shagreen skin, but each wish brings him closer to an early death. It is based on the novel La Peau de chagrin by Honoré de Balzac.

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PLOT

Raphaël de Valentin, a young aristocrat ruined by debt and disappointment, wanders through Paris convinced his life is over. After losing his last coins in a gambling house and seeing no path forward as either a writer or a gentleman, he decides to throw himself into the Seine. On his way, he steps into a strange antique shop filled with curiosities from every corner of the world. The elderly antiquarian who owns the shop shows him a piece of shagreen — a small, rough, exotic-looking skin covered with mysterious inscriptions. The man explains that the skin grants any wish its owner desires, but with an irreversible cost: every fulfilled wish makes the skin shrink. As the skin shrinks, so does the owner’s life force. When the skin disappears, the owner dies.

Raphaël, already convinced he has nothing to lose, takes the talisman. In a moment of despair, he wishes for a life of wealth and pleasure. He leaves the shop and discovers that his fate has changed instantly: he inherits an enormous fortune from a distant relative and becomes a sensation in upper-class society. His sudden success brings luxury, influence, and comfort — everything he once dreamed of. Each desire he expresses, even casually, becomes reality. And every time it happens, the skin becomes smaller.

At first, Raphaël ignores the danger. He indulges in social banquets, extravagant purchases, and the admiration of Parisian elites. But as the skin continues to shrink, he starts noticing changes in his own body. His energy fades, his nerves weaken, and doctors can neither explain nor cure his decline. Terrified of losing more life, he tries to stop wanting anything at all. He isolates himself, attempts to live without desires, and surrounds himself with strict rules to avoid the slightest wish. But the world around him keeps forcing emotions and reactions out of him, and the skin shrinks even from involuntary impulses.

During this torment, Raphaël reconnects with Pauline, a woman who had loved him sincerely when he was poor and unknown. Her affection awakens in him a desire for genuine happiness — the one thing he wished he could have without paying for it. But because every wish accelerates his death, he tries to distance himself from her. Pauline, devastated and confused, continues to care for him, unaware of the supernatural curse killing him from the inside.

Raphaël’s retreat becomes obsessive. He locks himself away, terrified of speaking, feeling, or even thinking. The skin, now reduced to the size of a leaf, becomes a physical reminder that every human impulse is fatal to him. As his health collapses entirely, he tries desperately to destroy the talisman — attempting to cut it, burn it, crush it — but the skin remains indestructible. His very fear of dying becomes a desire to live, and that desire shrinks the skin further.

In the end, Raphaël succumbs to the curse. The final contraction of the skin coincides with his last breath. Pauline arrives too late, finding him lifeless, surrounded by the talisman that granted everything he wanted and consumed him for it. The tragedy closes with the silent message that unchecked desire — even for love, comfort, or success — devours the very life it promises to enrich.

Rating: 10 Stars

Arn: The Knight Templar, 2007 (Amazon Prime)

Arn: The Knight Templar is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's novels about a fictional Swedish knight. Released in Sweden on December 17, 2007, its sequel Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End was released on August 22, 2008. For the 2010 English DVD release, the two films were combined into a single cut. The production was a co-production between Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Germany. 

PLOT

Follows the life of Arn Magnusson, a Swedish nobleman whose fate is shaped by political and religious forces of the 12th century. After surviving a childhood accident, Arn is sent to the monastery of Varnhem in fulfillment of a vow made by his parents. There he receives an education that includes literacy, discipline, and martial training from Brother Guilbert, a former Knight Templar.

When Arn returns home as a young man, he becomes romantically involved with Cecilia Algotsdotter. The relationship becomes entangled in a rivalry between powerful families and the strict authority of the medieval Church. Arn and Cecilia are accused of violating ecclesiastical rules, and the Church punishes them severely: Arn is condemned to twenty years of service as a Knight Templar in the Holy Land, while Cecilia is confined to a convent.

In the Middle East, Arn proves himself as a disciplined and honorable warrior. He gains respect from both Christian and Muslim leaders, including Saladin, whose interactions with Arn are marked by mutual respect despite their opposing sides in the conflict. Arn’s sense of justice often clashes with the corruption and political maneuvering among some of the crusader leaders, but he remains loyal to his vows and the principles instilled during his monastic upbringing.

Arn later takes part in major military engagements and is gravely injured during battle. His comrades ensure he is returned to Sweden to recover, effectively ending his Templar service. Upon arriving home, he finds his country divided by internal strife and power struggles. Arn reunites with Cecilia after years of separation, and together they attempt to build a stable life despite the lingering consequences of their past. Drawing on his military experience, Arn becomes a central figure in defending and unifying his community during a turbulent period in Sweden’s medieval history.

Rating: 10 Stars

The Lord of Rings: The Rings of Power, 2022 and 2024 (Amazon Prime)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy series on Amazon Prime Video developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. It is based on the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and depicts the major events of the Second Age of Middle-earth, which occurred thousands of years before the novel. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema. 

It Premiered on September 1, 2022, with its first season airing weekly through October 14, 2022. It was a massive success for Amazon, becoming the most-watched Prime Video original series, though its writing and pacing were criticized by some. The second season premiered in August 2024, concluding in October 2024, and saw lower viewership but a similar critical reception. 

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PLOT

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. After the defeat of Morgoth, the world enters a period of apparent peace, though several characters begin to sense that a dormant evil is returning. Galadriel, convinced that Sauron has survived the war, continues her search against the advice of the Elven leadership. Her relentless pursuit leads her to the Sundering Seas, where she encounters Halbrand, a mysterious man from the Southlands whom she meets after a shipwreck.

Among the Harfoots, an early nomadic community of hobbits, life is disrupted when a celestial object crashes nearby. Inside the crater lies a tall, amnesiac figure known only as the Stranger. Nori Brandyfoot attempts to help him understand his powers and origin, even as the Harfoots worry about the danger he might represent.

In the Southlands, tensions rise as humans and the Elves assigned to monitor them discover signs of orc activity. Bronwyn, a healer, and Arondir, an Elf soldier, uncover tunnels created by orcs under the command of Adar, a scarred figure with ties to the first generation of corrupted Elves. Their region begins transforming into the desolate land that will eventually become Mordor.

In Khazad-dûm, Elrond reunites with Prince Durin IV and becomes involved in the Dwarves’ secret discovery of mithril, a rare and powerful metal believed to be vital for the Elves’ survival. However, extracting it threatens to destabilize the ancient mines.

The growing shadow culminates in the forging of the first Rings of Power. Celebrimbor, the master Elven smith, receives unexpected assistance from Halbrand, whose metallurgical knowledge helps guide the creation of the rings. Galadriel eventually realizes that Halbrand is Sauron in disguise, having infiltrated the Elves to manipulate their work. After his identity is exposed, Sauron returns to Mordor, while the Elves complete three rings of their own design to resist his influence.

Rating: 10 Stars