Weekend Watch - Madame Web
Madame Web contains the pieces of a much better film, but the gap between that potential and the reality of the mess that we got on-screen is so wide that it’s difficult to understand what led to the release of this particular version of the film other than corporate meddling.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is the latest film in the Sony Spider-Verse, Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott. The film opened this weekend and is the first of Sony’s Spider-Verse films to focus on a hero in their roster of Spider-Man comic characters, rather than a villain-turned-antihero. Directed by S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones and Love, Nina) and written by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless (Morbius), Claire Parker, and Clarkson, the film opened in theaters this weekend to the worst reviews for a film yet in Sony’s superhero universe. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: D-; it’s a movie that occasionally gets you engaged with what’s going on, so I can’t quite give it an F, but man, we were close here.
Should you Watch This Film? Because watching it in theaters right now would justify Sony continuing to churn out low quality films like this, I can’t recommend going to watch this in theaters; however, it might be just the kind of bad film that you have to see at some point, so… maybe.
Why?
Her web might connect them all, but it might be the most tangled, incomprehensible, poorly cut, and absolutely terrified of plot holes web that has ever been put to screen. Personally, I don’t think that this film’s problems are the fault of the filmmakers so much as the production company that hasn’t put out a good live-action superhero film without Kevin Feige’s involvement since the first Amazing Spider-Man (I like Venom, but I’m not going to so far as to call it “good”). Madam Web is the natural result of a studio full of producers who don’t understand their cinematic audience trying to manufacture a box office hit without actually being willing to commit to any kind of risk. It’s the most egregiously corporatized film I’ve seen since The Emoji Movie, and it’s honestly pretty depressing. It’s clear that, at some point down the line, this film could have been something good because the actors involved at least have the charisma necessary to carry a film like this, but the lack of character development, weak dialogue, odd cuts, forced product placement, baffling use of ADR on Tahar Rahim, and lack of any serious superhero sequences completely undercut whatever potential this film had. (I do want to note here that this is not the worst comic book movie ever made because Catwoman [2004] and Fantastic Four [2015] do still exist, but this is way down there.)
On the positive side, I do think that the casting was well done for this film if only because the actors feel like they could be a good team if the film they currently are in wasn’t constantly getting in the way. There is a cool shot of the characters in their costumes toward the end of the film that briefly got me excited for the potential of seeing Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor in action together as a team of Spider-Women before I remembered that this film is going to be a critical and box office failure, and Sony will assume it’s because it featured female heroes in its leading roles and not because they over-managed it into oblivion just like they have all their other live action Spider-films post-2014. They certainly look the part of superheroes; this film just doesn’t give them anything to work with in terms of character development, action, or really even costuming.
Every moment of this film feels manufactured to create a superhero film that people will want to like, and because of that, it comes up short at every turn. The action sequences are generic, not overly memorable, and fairly uninspired. The use of Cassandra Webb’s powers feels like a bad rip-off of every other time-loop and future-seeing movie ever made. Tahar Rahim’s voice has been redubbed over basically every scene with absolutely terrible sound mixing on the ADR. The 2000s “nostalgia” references aren’t consistently present enough to actually warrant setting the film twenty years ago, especially when the costumes look like something more out of a 2020s street scene than anything in the 2000s (Dakota Johnson might be great at pulling off the high-waisted skinny jean, but that wasn’t a look in any scenario in 2003). The copious references to Pepsi and Pepsi products is so egregiously shoehorned that you can’t help but laugh by the film’s resolution at the abandoned Pepsi factory. Finally, as a superhero film, it wants to be smartly referential and full of easter eggs, but every attempt is so heavy-handed that any audience that didn’t feel insulted by what Sony executives thought we might miss should probably have their bank accounts checked for deposits from the media conglomerate.
Madame Web contains the pieces of a much better film, but the gap between that potential and the reality of the mess that we got on-screen is so wide that it’s difficult to understand what led to the release of this particular version of the film other than corporate meddling. It’s not a film that you should ever pay to see, but if you can find it for free at some point, it makes for a good lesson in why writers, directors, and actors, along with their production teams should be the ones making most of the decisions for film rather than the production company executives who may or may not actually like movies at all – see David Zaslav and his love of The Flash for reference.
Weekend Watch - The Marvels
The Marvels is at its best when its leading team is on-screen, working together, and interacting in fun and fresh ways; unfortunately, much of that fun comes at the expense of a cohesive story, with the writing feeling more constructed around the characters as opposed to the characters developing around the story.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and (now that the studios have agreed to pay their writers and actors what they deserve) recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers is Marvel Studios’ The Marvels – the latest release from the MCU, featuring the team-up of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Miss Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) who currently has no official superhero alias in the cinematic universe. In addition to its leading ladies, the film also sees the return of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury to the Marvel films, the big-screen debut of Kamala Khan’s family portrayed by Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh, reprising their roles from the Miss Marvel Disney+ show, and sees the introduction of the villain Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton, and Prince Yan of Aladna, portrayed by Park Seo-joon. The film opened this weekend to what looks to be the lowest box office debut of any MCU film to date. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: B-; it’s a great time at the movies, and the leads help make the film really fun, but many of the important story beats break down under any kind of close examination.
Should you Watch This Film? If you are a fan of any of these three leading characters from the MCU, this film does them justice, and you’ll find your fandom rewarded. I don’t know how much this film impacts the overall continuity of the “Multiverse Saga”, so it’s a “maybe” for any other Marvel fans. People who haven’t enjoyed the latest offerings of the MCU probably won’t have their minds changed by this one, either.
Why?
The Marvels, like most of the MCU films post-Endgame, is a mixed bag of good ideas, fun characters, decent effects, and a thin story. In the case of this particular outing, the good ideas come in the form of creative action sequences and a very fun team-up. The effects feel a little bit more consistent than in some of the recent outings; though, at times, the CGI of Captain Marvel flying around doesn’t look overly lifelike. The characters don’t have overly complex arcs in this quick film, but their interpersonal relationships take center stage and make for some solid fleshing out of the three leads. In a broad sense, the story works – forcing Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers to actually address the fallout from her past actions and do her best to patch things up, both with the Kree and with Monica. Unfortunately, the finer details of the story are where it starts to fall apart with more plot-holes than even I am comfortable with in a superhero film.
Starting with the positives, it’s very fun to see all three of these leading characters on the big screen, and having them work together as a team is the icing on that particular cake. Aside from a tertiary role in Wandavision, we haven’t gotten to see much of Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau, and in this film, she proves to be quite a welcome addition to the team. Beyond actually figuring out what her powers can do, she provides a human connection for Carol/Captain Marvel to wrestle with, which wasn’t as fully present in the first Captain Marvel film, and she brings more of a grounded perspective to the trio, acting as the voice of reason between Carol’s brashness and Kamala’s fangirling. She’s a fun character that has potential to be even more important as the second of the MCU’s sagas unfolds. Kamala Khan/Miss Marvel at least had her own show leading into this film, but Vellani’s character finds her stride here as she becomes part of a team, realizing that she has more to contribute than just being a sidekick to more famous heroes. While Monica is the brains of the operation and Carol is the main character and strength of the trio, Kamala serves as the team’s heart, reminding them time and again of their individual and collective greatness, becoming the best part of the film in the process. Her interactions with each member of the team, with Jackson’s Nick Fury, and with her own family serve as the comedic heart of the film but also the emotional core of the film, as her arc from fan/b-lister to mainline superhero comes to full fruition. Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, in contrast with Kamala’s heart-on-her-sleeve passion, has to be brought out of her shell some in this film, benefitting greatly in this regard from Kamala’s outgoing nature and her emotional connection to Monica and her deceased mother. She’s obviously still one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, but her character gets to play in that space a bit more, as she’s forced to reckon with her inextricable connections to those weaker than her and to come to appreciate those connections rather than shy away from them and the vulnerability that they bring. Those connections offer a much-needed depth to her character that makes her a more integral part of the universe moving forward.
On the flipside, the story surrounding these three great characters lacks a solid narrative framework and feels like a shell that was built around the awesome team-up. It’s a film that makes for a great time while you watch it, but when you look back and think about it, you’re puzzled by the logic and many conveniences that happen in the midst of it. Zawe Ashton does a commendable job as the villain Dar-Benn, coming across as the desperate world leader that she’s asked to portray, but many of the character’s decisions feel more like they were meant to bring the characters to certain locations and set pieces rather than the coordinated actions of the leader of an entire planet (empire?). Don’t get me wrong, those set-pieces are mostly pretty solid – the musical planet with Prince Yan, the cat rescue, and the initial entanglement sequence all make for highly entertaining film – but it’s again not the most logical in terms of story development. Likewise, I found myself wondering multiple times about how Monica just knew certain bits of information about the universe and physics that pertained to their specific situations and how the trio moved on so easily from witnessing multiple potentially world-ending events in pretty rapid succession. The processing scenes are either missing entirely or much too short to be fully satisfying. But that also speaks to my initial point that this film is here to showcase the trio rather than explore the universe that they inhabit, which may or may not work all the time.
The Marvels is at its best when its leading team is on-screen, working together, and interacting in fun and fresh ways; unfortunately, much of that fun comes at the expense of a cohesive story, with the writing feeling more constructed around the characters as opposed to the characters developing around the story. It probably won’t work perfectly for most audiences, and a bit more time spent on story development could easily have made this one of the best MCU films. As it stands, it’s still a very fun superhero film with memorable characters, some original action sequences, and lots of heart that just misses the mark on some of its story logic. I think it’s worth your time if you’re looking for a lighthearted action flick that’s currently showing in theaters. Otherwise, you can probably wait for this one to hit streaming if you’re a Marvel fan or skip it if you aren’t because I’ve seen too many people dumping on this film for not being “cinema” for me to tell those people to watch it. They’ve already made up their minds because Scorsese told them to, and they’re not changing for a Brie Larson superhero film. If that’s you, just don’t see it rather than wasting time trashing people for doing their jobs.
Weekend Watch - Loki Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2
As the show leans more heavily on its namesake, Loki season 2 has opened with a solid foundation of characters, performances, and production value that helps it overcome its somewhat lackluster stakes and conflicts through its first two episodes.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating and review. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is the opening episodes of Loki season 2 from Disney+. This new season of the show (the first to get a second season from the MCU Disney+ shows) sees the return of Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Eugene Cordero, and Wunmi Mosaku in their respective roles from season 1, joined in this season by Ke Huy Quan, Kate Dickie, and Rafael Casal in the new roles of OB, General Dox, and Hunter X-5/Brad Wolfe, respectively. This season is releasing weekly on Thursday evenings on Disney+. Let’s get into it.
Rating: B+; it maintains the solid production design and frenetic pace of the first season well, and the performances have only improved, but a lack of direction has me hesitant to call this new season a full-on improvement from the first.
Review:
As far as season openers go, Loki season 2 has had two solid first episodes in terms of introducing its new characters and resolving most of the unresolved threads from season 1; however, it has so far done very little to bring in a compelling new conflict to fill the void now that Loki and Sylvie have convinced the TVA to accept branching timelines. (Also, this is not a show where you can jump in at the start of season 2 without having watched the first season and be fully in the know, so there’s that as well.) It feels like we’re moving toward either a showdown with Miss Minutes and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer or with some new version of Kang/He Who Remains, but all of those characters were notably absent from these first two episodes aside from a few statues of Kang (who seems to still be played by Jonathan Majors despite his arrest and accusations of abuse). On the positive side of things, the show continues to improve in its production design and casting/performances, giving audiences more of that dingy brown retro TVA vibe that they loved in the first season and more of Hiddleston playing the complex anti-hero that Loki has become.
With the story picking up basically immediately after the end of season 1, we are thrust very much back into the middle of things and are introduced to a new complication for Loki – he is experiencing time slippage while in the TVA, jumping back and forth between the past and present. This comprises the main conflict of the first episode, as Wilson’s Mobius and Mosaku’s Hunter B-15 are able fairly easily to convince most of the TVA leadership (aside from General Dox and her hunters) that branching timelines are acceptable. Their quest to anchor Loki in the present leads them to Ke Huy Quan’s OB (Ouroboros) who runs all the tech for the TVA and knows a lot about the flow of time. The resolution of that episode then leads into the second episode’s conflict, which is stopping Dox and her hunters from getting Sylvie and reverting the timelines back to a single timeline. This gets the band back together as Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie have to team up to stop this from happening, which ends up being fairly easy – much easier than any of the resolutions from the first season, and with such limited consequences as Sylvie leaving again, I’m hesitant to fully commit to the rest of the season.
What bolsters this season opener, though, are the performances from the characters – old and new. Wunmi Mosaku turns in another solid performance as Hunter B-15, this time on the side of Loki and Mobius, delivering her stoic but inspired lines with just the right amount of camp to match the show’s energy. Sophia Di Martino doesn’t have quite as much to do in these first two episodes as she did down the stretch in season 1, but her portrayal of Sylvie still holds up as the jaded, powerful, witty Loki variant that she is, and I’m glad she’s still in the show. Kate Dickie gets to do a lot with her limited screen time as the “villain” of the first two episodes, and it’s always frustratingly fun to see her get to lean into that loathsome side of herself (like in Game of Thrones and The Witch), which she does again here, giving the audience someone to root against in the early goings of this new season. Owen Wilson’s Mobius hasn’t gotten as much into the actor’s surprisingly complex bag this season as he did, especially toward the end, in last season, but his buddy cop repartee with Hiddleston’s Loki forms the backbone of the show, and it’s still just as good here. Ke Huy Quan joins the show in the role of OB, which feels like a character that’s always been there, showcasing how seamlessly the actor fits in with the energy and vibe of the rest of the cast and the show, bringing levity, lore, and some level of stakes to these first two episodes, and I look forward to seeing more of him as the season progresses. Hiddleston is in his bag here in these first two episodes, getting to be more villain and more hero than he was even in the show’s first season, really leaning into the anti-hero side of the character. In these first few episodes, he feels more established and in control than he’s ever felt as the MCU’s iteration of the Norse God of Mischief, and it anchors the whole show, offering (for me at least) the most compelling reason to see where the rest of this season goes.
As the show leans more heavily on its namesake, Loki season 2 has opened with a solid foundation of characters, performances, and production value that helps it overcome its somewhat lackluster stakes and conflicts through its first two episodes. I look forward to it hopefully amping up as we jump into the middle third of the season, and if the performances are any indication, I think we’ll continue to see why this show was the MCU’s first to get a second season. It will release weekly on Thursdays for the next four weeks, wrapping up on November 9th if you’d rather wait until it’s all out to binge it.
Weekend Watch - Blue Beetle
A simple and too-familiar plot, along with some inconsistent visual effects, hold the film back from being an instant classic, but engaging and relevant themes and a cast that play their roles brilliantly help make Blue Beetle a passable and enjoyable introduction to a new hero and a new era of the DC Universe.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating and review. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is Blue Beetle, the latest origin story from the DC Universe of comic book films. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as the titular hero, Jaime Reyes, joined by his family – Damián Alcázar, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Belissa Escobedo, and Elpidia Carrillo – and love interest Jenny Kord, played by Bruna Marquezine, against the villains Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) and Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo). The film serves as the first unofficial entry in the new reboot of the DC Universe, now helmed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: B+; it’s a fairly formulaic story, but the film uses that to explore new themes and fun characters in the process.
Review:
Blue Beetle plays it safe with the familiar superhero origin story, complete with the evil version of the hero, comedic test-run of the hero’s new powers, and a shady corporation after the hero for his powers. Within that formulaic story, though, the filmmakers explore new themes, thanks in large part to the Latino hero and his family. The film features strong – and well-crafted – Latino representation, something that has up to this point been mostly sidelined in mainstream superhero films, and in that, it gets to dive into themes of immigration, microaggressions, American exploitation of Latin America and Latin American immigrants, and the privatization and militarization of police. It’s a surprisingly deep well of thematic elements to draw on and play into for a superhero origin film, but those themes are what keep it afloat and set it apart even as its plot and some of its visuals leave something to be desired.
Blue Beetle’s other primary highlight comes in the form of its stellar cast. No one feels out of place, and each performance brings something fresh and fun to the film, keeping it light even as it delves into some heavier material underneath. Maridueña is a natural as the leading man, stepping into the role of Jaime Reyes with just the right blend of cool and hesitancy. His performance helps sell the audience on the character and sets the whole franchise up for future success on his charisma. Each member of the Reyes family also brings their own flair to the film, providing the film with the heart that it needs to connect with the audience. Marquezine gets to have some fun in her ample role as the love interest and unintentional catalyst for Jaime/Blue Beetle, serving as more than just a damsel in distress or a quest giver – giving a solid performance across from some of the film’s biggest powerhouses (Sarandon and Lopez) in most of her scenes. I don’t know that you could have cast a better villain than Susan Sarandon in this iteration of Victoria Kord. She plays entitled white woman, rich billionaire, and military industrial capitalist in such a loathsome way throughout the film, making her one of the simpler villains that we’ve seen in recent comic book films, but also the easiest to root against.
A simple and too-familiar plot, along with some inconsistent visual effects, hold the film back from being an instant classic, but engaging and relevant themes and a cast that play their roles brilliantly help make Blue Beetle a passable and enjoyable introduction to a new hero and a new era of the DC Universe. The new universe feels like it’s headed in a fun and engaging, if a bit too safe, direction, and I look forward to seeing more of Jaime Reyes and his supporting cast in the future films from the movie studio.
Weekend Watch - The Flash
The Flash is a bit of a mess narratively and tonally that works best when it’s not taking itself too seriously – not the worst superhero film of the year but nowhere near the best either.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers is The Flash, the latest offering (and last of the most recent iteration) from the DC cinematic universe. This film is the first to star Ezra Miller’s version of the speedster as its titular hero and also features Ben Affleck’s and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman/Bruce Wayne alongside Michael Shannon reprising his villainous role of General Zod and the newcomer Sasha Calle playing Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. With an increasing amount of superhero fatigue around seemingly throwaway films and the coming reboot of the DC Universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran at the helm, the film has underperformed so far at the box office. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: C; this is a totally acceptable superhero film that you can see if you need to scratch that itch.
Should you Watch This Film? If you are firmly invested in seeing a Flash movie, I’m not sure when the next one will be coming on DC’s slate, so this might be your best choice. Otherwise, you can probably skip this and won’t be missing too much in the grand scheme of things – culturally and in the film universe.
Why?
The Flash offers audiences a film that, at this point, we’ve stopped asking for and only cared slightly about to begin with, doing a fine job of showcasing its characters and story but leaving everyone wondering why exactly it exists, particularly with its box office returns being as poor as they have been so far. It feels like a poorly informed cash grab in the vein of Morbius but with slightly better story, action, and characters. For a film that embraces the story of Zach Snyder’s Justice League, this film departs strongly from the vibes and vision of that drab, plodding superhero film. Instead, The Flash presents audiences with a brightly colored, poorly CGIed superhero action comedy with more unearned fan service than should be allowed in a single film.
Let’s talk highs first. As a standalone superhero comedy, The Flash works just fine. Ezra Miller has never really made it as a dramatic actor, so letting them go full manic comedy seems like the right choice for this film. It’s a film that never tries to be anything but itself, and for that I applaud them. The comedy hits most of the time even when it feels like a strong deviation from any superhero formula that we’ve yet seen. The jokes keep the whole film fairly light and keep the pace moving, rushing you through the film’s almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime at a pace that feels closer to an hour and forty-five minutes. Now, the levity does have one major drawback – it removes any feeling of drama and suspense that you might normally have given the situations unfolding onscreen. There’s so much humor that I never felt fully invested in any of the conflicts (that might also be because we know the universe is getting a reboot after this anyway) and the more emotional beats of the film only halfway landed.
Performance-wise, Ezra Miller does the best with what they’re given, leaning hard into the multiple Barrys thing and delivering well on the comedy. Are they the best iteration of Flash ever brought to screen? No way, but I found them enjoyable enough to keep the film watchable in their role. Ben Affleck’s limited screentime works out fine, as this might be his most phoned-in Batman/Bruce Wayne performance yet, understandably so with it being his last time in the role as far as anyone knows. Michael Keaton is a welcome addition to the cast, and his Bruce/Bat makes a lot of sense in the film, given its lighter (borderline campier) tones. He gets to do more than Affleck, and that’s not a bad thing. If anything, The Flash actually helps cement Keaton’s take on Batman as my second-favorite behind Robert Pattinson’s. (That’s not a statement about any of their films, just how I feel about their interpretations of the Caped Crusader.) Calle’s Supergirl and Shannon’s Zod feel almost more like throwaway plot points than actual characters, through no fault of the actors, more due to the writing, but they work in their roles. Obviously, Shannon is a great actor, and his Zod is probably the best villain from this saga of DC films. Calle does great in her action sequences but isn’t given much to do in terms of character work, so I’m curious to see whether she gets to come back in the new universe or not – it could be good.
The Flash is a bit of a mess narratively and tonally that works best when it’s not taking itself too seriously – not the worst superhero film of the year but nowhere near the best either. If you need that itch scratched or are just deeply committed to seeing Ezra Miller’s Flash on the big screen, this is the film for you. Otherwise, you can definitely skip its theatrical run and might even be okay avoiding it entirely. Tragically, in a world full of superhero universes, films that lack legitimate consequence within those universes end up being fairly skippable.
Weekend Watch - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Across the Spider-Verse delivers everything you could want from a sequel and then some, going even harder with its gorgeous animation, involved action sequences, and emotional set-ups for payoffs we’ve yet to fully see.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic as vote by the blog’s Instagram followers is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony Animation’s and Lord and Miller’s sequel to 2018’s Best Animated Feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This film features the returning voice talents of Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Brian Tyree Henry as Jeff Morales, Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, and (technically returning if you count the post-credits scene) Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara. A few of the notable voices joining the Spider-crew this time around are Jason Schwartzman as the villain Spot, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown, Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar, Shea Wigham as George Stacy, and Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly. Opening last weekend to rave reviews, this film has made its way to the very top of Letterboxd’s rankings and into IMDB’s Top 250 movies as well (at #11 currently). Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: A; the only thing keeping it from that “+” is its reliance on a sequel to finish its story. If Beyond the Spider-Verse sticks the landing, it unquestionably jumps to an “A+”.
Should you Watch This Film? Yes! Emphatically, yes! Across the Spider-Verse is the best animated film since Into the Spider-Verse and might be one of the best films in general since then as well. Everyone needs to see this film.
Why?
Across the Spider-Verse picks up a year after the events of its predecessor with Miles Morales more established as Brooklyn’s very own Spider-Man, working in tandem with his father, Officer Jeff Morales, who still does not know his son’s secret identity, to bring down criminals across New York. After a jaunt into Gwen’s backstory, the film picks up when Gwen appears again in Miles’s universe, this time of her own volition, telling Miles about a multiversal team of Spider-heroes who protect the multiverse from existential threats. Upon discovering his own involvement in the current threat to the multiverse (inadvertently allowing Spot to escape), Miles secretly tags along with Gwen to make things right, sending the pair on a multiverse-spanning adventure that hasn’t quite wrapped up just yet.
This film does everything it sets out to do incredibly well. The animation is some of the best in film history, taking the comic book style of the first film and amping it up, giving each Spider-person’s universe its own style and colors, giving audiences some of the most beautiful scenes ever put to screen that also happen to be full of details and/or emotional moments that help flesh the film out. A two-hour-and-twenty-minute runtime is ambitious for an animated feature, but it never loses steam, jumping from moment to moment with a well-paced blend of humor, action, and human emotion. It does what all sequels are supposed to do – fleshes out the universe and playing with the themes of the first without ever losing the charm that made the first so great. It follows in the vein of great sequels like The Dark Knight or The Empire Strikes Back, taking on a slightly heavier story than its self-contained predecessor, personalizing the stakes for its heroes, and leaving you in need of a satisfying conclusion when the credits roll.
That ending is one of the only legitimate knocks against Across the Spider-Verse, leaving virtually all of its existing conflicts unresolved, more in the vein of 2021’s Dune or this year’s Fast X. It does a solid job of giving certain arcs some emotional closure but leaves the audience with a profound sense of satisfied dissatisfaction. You love what you’ve just seen, but there is an acute awareness of the fact that the story has so much resolution still to come. Again, I think it’ll pan out because Lord and Miller are great writers, and the directors they have chosen (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson in this case) do an excellent job executing their artistic vision. It’s just one of those things in film where you’re stuck not knowing what the follow-up is going to bring. Will it be epic but bloated like At World’s End, campy and satisfying like Return of the Jedi, methodical but convenient like The Dark Knight Rises, bigger and with more fan service like Endgame, some other new descriptor we haven’t even thought of yet? Who’s to say? Regardless, I’m excited to see how they bring this trilogy home, and I really hope it does justice to these first two films, because they have been excellent.
Across the Spider-Verse delivers everything you could want from a sequel and then some, going even harder with its gorgeous animation, involved action sequences, and emotional set-ups for payoffs we’ve yet to fully see. The film is tracking to be a legitimate contender, not just for Best Animated Feature this year, but to be the best film of the year overall. If you haven’t already, please go see this film in theaters while it’s there. I’m going back tonight to celebrate my birthday if you needed any further endorsement.
Weekend Watch - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
With its weakest links being Poulter’s Adam Warlock and an inability to fully live up to the expectations set by the first Guardians film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 still manages to stand solidly on its own thanks to the trilogy’s best villain and satisfying ends to its characters’ story arcs.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the third (and final?) installment in the quirky trilogy of films following the interstellar band of misfit heroes within the MCU. This film sees the return of Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, and the vocal talents of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel in their respective roles in the franchise, joined this time by Will Poulter as the superpowered Adam Warlock, Chukwudi Iwuji as the diabolical High Evolutionary, Elizabeth Debicki reprising her role as Ayesha the Sovereign High Priestess, and the voice of Maria Bakalova as the Cosmo the (telekinetic) Space Dog. The film hit theaters this weekend to some mixed-positive critic reviews and overwhelming love from audiences. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: A-; the threequel can’t outshine the originality of the trilogy’s first film, but it makes enough fresh decisions while staying true to the formula that it remains a great watch.
Should you Watch This Film? Yes, but there’s a caveat. This is a much darker PG-13 than Marvel usually goes with – I would recommend giving this a screening before going with kids under ten because of how specifically dark it goes with exploring Rocket’s backstory.
Why?
I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to be a little bit higher on Marvel releases than a lot of people, but I really think this is one that won’t be too against the grain. The issues of bloating and excessive interconnectivity are notably gone from this installment of the MCU, allowing the film to focus the entirety of its story on the development of its own characters and giving them satisfying conclusions to their character arcs. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delivers an excellent conclusion for its players with plenty of wacky hijinks and fun music cues to excuse its darker deviations, particularly thanks to the excellent work of Chukwudi Iwuji in the role of the villainous High Evolutionary.
The story of Guardians 3 focuses on Rocket’s backstory, establishing his connection to the High Evolutionary while also giving the team the motivation they need to take on the embodiment of science without ethics. For the most part, this feels like a return to the trilogy’s roots, featuring ill-advised heist attempts motivated by personal choices that then puts the Guardians in a spot to save many more people than just themselves. While familiar, the lovable characters at its heart, the despicable villain on the other side, and the originality of the settings help keep the film from ever feeling overdone or derivative. Within this story are a few flashbacks that provide some insight into the plans of the High Evolutionary and Rocket’s development into the character he was at the start of the trilogy that feature some pretty intense emotional moments regarding violence against animals that might keep some viewers from fully embracing the film.
That villainy in the backstory and his continued performance in the present helps make Iwuji’s High Evolutionary one of the best in the MCU. His stakes aren’t quite as high as some might want from a film about the Guardians of the GALAXY – focusing mainly on reclaiming his lost property (Rocket’s brain) and the fact that he’s just a bad guy – but Iwuji fully goes for it and elevates the character to true villainous greatness. Marvel has had a run of “good” villains in the midst of their somewhat middling run of Phase 4 – Namor in the overstuffed Wakanda Forever, Gorr in the overly light Love and Thunder, Scarlet Witch in the story-light Multiverse of Madness, and even Green Goblin and Xu Wenwu in the fairly solid films No Way Home and Shang-Chi respectively – but they’ve all shared the same trait, choosing redemption to bring about their defeat. Marvel went with the Doc Oc formula from Spider-Man 2, and it worked for their villains, just not their stories. Iwuji’s Evolutionary is just really and truly evil, not twisted by any tragic backstory, just a bad dude with a lot of power who uses it to do unethical things, and Iwuji plays him excellently. This is not the generic “bad guy” of Guardians 1 or the chipper god/dad/planet of Guardians 2; the High Evolutionary is the answer to the question, “What if Victor Frankenstein had the future technology and the powers of a god?” and that answer is a terrifying blend of mania, ego, genius, and cruelty. This is a villain that you will absolutely love to hate in the best way.
With such a great villain, the Guardians have an easy job of making the rest of the film memorable and enjoyable, with each getting their time to shine. Zoe Saladana’s new Gamora has to find her place in the galaxy following her five-year jump into the future, and she does so in a surprisingly impactful way. Groot gets to feature in some truly creative action set pieces that allow him to shine in brilliantly creative ways. Pom Klementieff’s Mantis gets to show off her own emotions and some real fighting skills as she truly finds her footing as an individual in this film. Dave Bautista’s Drax gets to actually show off his more tender side, still serving in many ways as the film’s comic relief, but with a more emotional impact than even his quest for vengeance in the first film. Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill finally gets to come to terms with his obligations to Earth while also processing the grief of his lost love and general relationships with women in a deeply positive way. Karen Gillan’s Nebula might be the true anchor of the film, reminding the Guardians of their roles while forging her own ties with the team separate from her estranged sister. Obviously, Rocket is the centerpiece of the film, and Cooper’s voice acting really lends a lot to the emotional beats of the film, and his story is brought to full fruition by the film’s end.
With its weakest links being Poulter’s Adam Warlock and an inability to fully live up to the expectations set by the first Guardians film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 still manages to stand solidly on its own thanks to the trilogy’s best villain and satisfying ends to its characters’ story arcs. Some of its darker aspects make this a film to screen before showing your younger kids who might otherwise love the MCU films, but it really is a refreshing return to form for the franchise, and I’m excited for the future again. Check this one out in theaters when you get the chance.
Weekend Watch - Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Fun action and some surprising comedic sequences keep Shazam! Fury of the Gods enjoyable even with its messy and predictable script, making it a solid theatrical outing.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to 2019’s Shazam!. The sequel sees the return of Zachary Levi as the superhero version of Asher Angel’s Billy Batson alongside his found family of foster kids turned superheroes. Djimon Hounsou reprises his role as the Wizard here, and Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and Rachel Zegler join the cast in new roles. This sequel looks to be one of the biggest films of the month even as it comes toward the end of this iteration of DC’s film universe – let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: C+; it’s definitely not a bad time at the theater, just not anything revolutionary.
Should you Watch This Film? If you’re looking for a classic big-budget blockbuster theater experience, this one’s worth checking out. It’s definitely a fun time out.
Why?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods carries on from the surprise success of the first film by maintaining most of what made that film so enjoyable – its blend of humor and family drama with plenty of ridiculous superhero action. In this case, Fury of the Gods feels less original than the first and feels more like a recent Marvel film, complete with a promising start, messy third act, and completely unexplained and unnecessary cameo from the wider universe. The film’s formulaic feel doesn’t keep it from being a rousing good time in terms of action and comedy.
All of the action sequences in this sequel carry on the success of the first, and actually improve on it in some places, showcasing Shazam and his family’s heroic capabilities against disasters, monsters, and villains. The bridge sequence at the start features the whole family and allows each of their personalities to shine in endearing fashion, even if the set-up for the scene feels a bit underwhelming. The siblings’ fight with the Daughters of Atlas showcases some fun powers from Mirren and Liu and gives that classic hard-hitting superhero combat, backed by a menacing series of monologues from Mirren’s Hespera. The final sequence of the family fighting Greek monsters and Shazam fighting a dragon is a reminder of just how wacky the IP really can be and again brings the proper stakes to the film’s third act, even if it’s all a bit more contrived than it has to be.
The film’s comedy might be its crowning achievement. Obviously, Zachary Levi’s teenager in an adult’s body performance continues to shine, but it was Djimon Hounsou and Jack Dylan Grazer who were getting the biggest laughs from the audience in my theater. They get an extended buddy comedy sequence, which was entirely unexpected but not at all unwelcome. Grazer and Hounsou are the two actors most committed to their performances in the film, and watching the two of them play off of each other – a two-time Oscar nominated character actor and one of the kids from the It remake – shouldn’t work, but it does simply because each actor clearly enjoys the role he is in and brings plenty of charisma to the comedy.
Fun action and some surprising comedic sequences keep Shazam! Fury of the Gods enjoyable even with its messy and predictable script, making it a solid theatrical outing – a classic popcorn pic if you will. Don’t expect to hear much else about the film, particularly with the other more critically acclaimed blockbusters that have already released and are still to come in March, but if you need something to watch in the next week, there’s worse ways to spend money than by supporting your local theater and watching this fast-paced superhero flick. Check it out if you’d like.
Weekend Watch - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Wakanda Forever is a culturally and emotionally rich film, paying beautiful tribute to the passing of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, while also giving its ensemble of characters plenty of space to establish themselves as the new players in the MCU.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where, each week, we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the follow-up to 2018’s wildly successful Black Panther. This film stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Dominique Thorne in what is easily one of Marvel’s best outings since the end of Phase 3 (Endgame and Far from Home). Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: A-; the overall feel of the film is great, even if there are some minor flaws.
Should you Watch This Film? Yes, and do it in a theater if you are able. It looks and feels great, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if you didn’t love the first one.
Why?
Wakanda Forever is a culturally and emotionally rich film, paying beautiful tribute to the passing of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, while also giving its ensemble of characters plenty of space to establish themselves as the new players in the MCU. Its runtime can be a bit daunting at 2 hours and 41 minutes, but it fills its time well and never seems to drag. It paces itself well, bouncing back and forth between scenes of mourning, action sequences, introductions of new characters, and scenes of plot development, keeping its audience engaged in each with gorgeous cinematography, quality acting, a brilliant score, engaging characters, and fun action sequences. Visually, aside from some minor CGI issues here and there, this film is as stunning, if not more so, as its award-winning predecessor, showcasing director Ryan Coogler’s capabilities as a director on an even greater scale.
The performances that go along with the visuals go a long way in making this film as great as it is. Most of them are not giving anything awards-worthy, but they play their roles well and make the characters come to life. Letitia Wright gives a performance that makes the character of Shuri legitimately likable with emotional depth and reasoning behind her decisions. Tenoch Huerta plays Namor with all the charisma, power, and even menace that the character requires. Even Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o bring real character to their portrayals in a way that some MCU side characters don’t always get. Dominique Thorne as the newly introduced Riri Williams might be the film’s low point in its acting, though not for lack of trying. Her character feels a bit more shoehorned in, and so her performance feels out of place and gets a bit lost at times, but her potential is definitely there. The film’s best performance comes in the form of Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda. She dominates the screen every time she is on it, bringing a new weight to the character as a mother in mourning for her family who also happens to be queen of one of the most powerful nations in the world – it’s a brilliant performance that rightfully has been receiving some fringe-level awards buzz.
Through all of its length and characters, Wakanda Forever’s through line is an engagement with the concept of mourning, which allows the film to serve as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman in the process. I was not sure how the actor’s tragic passing would impact this sequel going in, but having seen the film, I can say with surety that the filmmakers and performers pay homage to the actor and his character in a way that is both moving and true to the film’s story, weaving Shuri’s, Ramonda’s, and Nakia’s grief into the fabric of the narrative, celebrating Chadwick’s/T’Challa’s life without dwelling too heavily on his death. The film moves its audience, giving them the opportunity to mourn as well while looking forward to the next phase of the Black Panther saga – waiting to introduce a new figure to the costume until everyone has reached something close to acceptance.
Wakanda Forever shines in this new phase of the MCU thanks to some of the best acting Marvel has yet produced, an engaging story that pays tribute to the past and looks forward to the future, and excellent technical work on the part of Coogler and the rest of the production team, all of which far outweigh the film’s perhaps excessive runtime caused by some mildly unnecessary additions to the plot. This currently sits in my top five films of the year. I anticipate some of the more “film-y” films to knock it out by the time it’s all said and done, but this was a phenomenal time. Go see it if you have the opportunity.
Weekend Watch - Black Adam
Overall, Black Adam has a lot of potential, but left so much on the table and underdelivered on so much that it can’t be called much more than an average superhero film, on par with X-Men: First Class or Batman Forever.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch, where each week, we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is the DC Universe’s latest feature film release, Black Adam. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular antihero, with Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui, and Mohammed Amer in supporting roles. The film follows the return of Black Adam to Earth after years of exile and his conflict with other heroes and villains as he works to keep his homeland truly free. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: C, this film is fine, definitely nothing to write home about.
Should you Watch This Film? If you really want to see Dwayne Johnson playing himself again but with flying and lightning powers or are a fan of Aldis Hodge or Pierce Brosnan, this is probably a solid film for you.
Why?
Black Adam’s action sequences are its crowning achievement, showcasing a solid mix of slo-mo shots, brutal kills, and decent visual effects. Black Adam, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone are all given moments to shine in the various sequences in typically thrilling ways. Unfortunately, after their introductory fight scenes, the action doesn’t really try anything overly daring, becoming quickly repetitive. The dialogue doesn’t do a whole lot either, offering a few quippy one-liners and a plethora of dry exposition with not many truly emotional beats. Dwayne Johnson gets to be his same charismatic self, if a bit more one-note here because most of the humor comes from other sources. The film’s story is pretty basic with a few plot twists that would’ve been so much better if they hadn’t already been given away in the film’s virtually unavoidable marketing campaign. I really feel like if I had seen none of the film’s trailers that I would have enjoyed the twists and the film would be getting better reviews right now. As it stands, the fun aspects of new characters, Dwayne Johnson, and solid action moments often end up overshadowed by a spoiled plot that wasn’t even that complex to begin with and writing that focuses a little too much on exposition and not enough on actual character development. I am guardedly excited to see what they do with this character and the supporting cast in the future. Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher was a really fun addition to the film, and he could bring a lot to another team-up film. Pierce Brosnan’s Dr. Fate was arguably the coolest and most interesting aspect of the film, but even he isn’t given enough screentime to really connect deeply with his character, and if we’re being honest, the moments without Black Adam on screen were pretty consistently the best parts of the film. The coolest moment Black Adam gets comes not during the film’s run-time but in a post credits scene where we get some actual insight into how he is going to fit in the wider DC Universe going forward. Overall, Black Adam has a lot of potential, but left so much on the table and underdelivered on so much that it can’t be called much more than an average superhero film, on par with X-Men: First Class or Batman Forever. This film is currently showing in theaters if you want to go check it out.
Weekend Watch - Werewolf by Night
Overall, Werewolf by Night is a successful introduction to this new style of production from Marvel thanks to its good casting choices and unique production design that pays homage to classic monster flicks.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s subject, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is Marvel’s first “Special Presentation” Werewolf by Night. The hour-long special features performances from Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Kirk R. Thatcher in what amounts to an MCU Halloween Special that draws heavily on 1930s and ‘40s monster movie influences. Let’s get into it.
Letter Grade: B+, heavy on style and content, but slightly lower on substance, this is one of Marvel’s most successfully unique offerings in a while
Should you Watch This Television Special? If you already have a Disney+ subscription, then yes. It’s imperfect but thoroughly entertaining for a quick spooky season evening watch.
Why?
Werewolf by Night relies heavily on its stylistic flair to entertain with a fairly basic story and characters that may or may not interest you, depending on your sensibilities. The use of black and white film, a plethora of practical effects, limited CGI, intensely violent sequences, and simple sets allows the special to be a thoroughly original homage to the monster flicks of the 1930s and ‘40s that happens to also be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (implicitly). The cinematography, fight choreography, and production design for this special are remarkably well-executed, immersing the audience well in the world and mood that the filmmakers wanted to create – particularly in the moment when the werewolf is finally revealed. Michael Giacchino’s direction and musical score come through beautifully, blending a few superhero tropes (generic armed guards, a crystal that’ll solve most of the problems, and a will-they/won’t-they relationship between the two leads) with a predominantly original concept, introducing Marvel fans to a part of the universe that had only been hinted at up to this point. With an entirely new cast of characters, most of which are throwaways, Werewolf by Night still manages to achieve buy-in thanks to its production value – something shows like Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel have struggled with to some extent. The characters that make it out of the special are certainly worth exploring further, and the performances across the board, while basic, were solid. Gael García Bernal shines as Jack Russell, bringing his own take to the character, hinting at his tortured soul while also delivering some of Marvel’s textbook wittiness. Laura Donnelly’s Elsa Bloodborne works well in the combination role of femme fatale and damsel in distress, succeeding at being both action star and potential love interest, it’ll be fun to see whether her character is revisited in the future or not. Finally, Harriet Sansom Harris fully commits to the role of Verussa Bloodborne, the host of the evening and seemingly sinister cult leader as well. I say that their performances are solid but basic because these actors are not given much to work with in terms of story, which is the special’s biggest weakness. Because they were shooting for that hour-long runtime, the story beats come quite quickly, and a lot of character development has to be told rather than shown to keep the action moving along. The story is not a total failure, however, because it does give the audience enough to care about the characters and showcases their roles in the universe well enough that by the end of its time, you do want to see more of them. Overall, Werewolf by Night is a successful introduction to this new style of production from Marvel thanks to its good casting choices and unique production design that pays homage to classic monster flicks. I’m excited to see where they continue to take these particular characters and to see what they do in the future with this particular mode of production. Check it out, now streaming on Disney+.
Weekend Watch - She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s first episode sets the tone for a solid superhero origin story featuring a mix of likable original characters and familiar MCU favorites with some quality topical comedic writing thrown in to top it all off.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch, where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a review and recommendation. This week’s Watch, chosen by votes on the Instagram account, is about the new MCU Disney+ show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law whose first episode dropped this week and will run for another eight weeks on the streaming service. It stars Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk as well as featuring Mark Ruffalo, Ginger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil, and Steve Coulter. Future episodes are also supposed to feature Tim Roth, Charlie Cox, Benedict Wong, Josh Segarra, and Griffin Matthews. The show follows the origins of She-Hulk and Jennifer’s efforts to maintain a normal professional and social life as she gains these new powers; let’s get into the review.
Letter Grade: A-; for what is essentially a pilot episode, this might be one of the MCU’s best so far.
Should you Watch This Show? I’m gonna say yes. This show feels like it has a lot of potential to take its characters in fun directions and it feels worth checking out.
Why?
This first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law serves as the hero’s origin story. It starts as Jennifer is prepping her closing arguments for a case against some powerful individual. She then breaks the fourth wall (as the character often does in the comics) to cut and acknowledge that she is in fact a “Hulk” and then goes into the back-story. The origin involves a trip with her cousin Bruce Banner where she becomes a Hulk and then a long training journey where he teaches her how to be a Hulk. Along the way, we get a lot of development of both characters, delving deeper into Bruce’s connections to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in some fun and even briefly emotional ways. At the same time, we see a little bit of what makes Jennifer tick, learning about her love for her job and her hesitancy to become a superhero in spite of her new powers. The threads that are set up in the flashback provide some nuggets for strong character development as the show goes forward. The CGI, which was a problem for many when the show’s trailers first dropped, has been touched up surprisingly well, especially for a T.V. show on a streaming service. It’s by no means perfect or “movie-quality” but it’s better than most of the other MCU shows for sure. I have seen people complaining about Maslany’s characterization of Jennifer and She-Hulk as too abrasive or “feminista” or whatever, comparing her to Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and I cannot disagree more. Yes, she has some talking points that should be expected in a show featuring a female superhero (only the fourth Marvel project to do so in a solo endeavor, I might add), but the character is legitimately funny and doesn’t feel overconfident or disingenuous at all to me. She is a New York attorney whose job is prosecuting powerful people (maybe even superpowered people), confidence and an ability to adapt on the fly are incredibly necessary in that world. I will also say, the show’s comedy harkens back to some of the more classic MCU days in a way that is highly reminiscent of the Iron Man franchise and even the first Avengers, and I didn’t hate it. In fact, this episode’s post-credits scene might be the best that Marvel has ever done, in terms of comedy; I was dying laughing when it went to black. Overall, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s first episode sets the tone for a solid superhero origin story featuring a mix of likable original characters and familiar MCU favorites with some quality topical comedic writing thrown in to top it all off. I’m excited to see where the rest of the show goes. Follow it as it releases each week on Thursdays on Disney+.
Weekend Watch - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where, this week, I’m gonna give you the rundown on whether or not you should go see Marvel’s latest film – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This is the second multiversal film that the Weekend Watch has covered, which means the multiverse is here for the foreseeable future in entertainment. Doctor Strange builds on the ideas of the Marvel multiverse introduced in the Disney+ Loki show last summer and expanded upon in Spider-Man: No Way Home last December.
Letter Grade: A-, pretty solid; one of the most fun Marvel movies of Phase 4
Should you Watch This Film? Obviously, Marvel fans should watch this film; Sam Raimi fans should watch this film; fans of creative action sequences should watch this film; if you are looking for entertainment, you should definitely watch this film.
Why?
Firstly, for Marvel fans, Multiverse of Madness feels like it’s setting up the direction of the next ten years of Marvel content. Yes, the film explores the concept of the Multiverse a little bit more, but it also sets up some exciting new properties to be explored in films in the next cycle, some of which we knew about and some we only had assumptions about. This film is a reset and tone-setter for the next few phases of Marvel content beyond just Dr. Strange and Wanda/Scarlet Witch. Some Marvel fans may be disappointed because there are not enough cameos or there’s not enough Multiverse action, but I felt like it worked for me, and I had a great time. For Raimi fans, this Marvel film allowed him to exhibit his brand of horror pretty fully. I’ve seen multiple reviews talking about the gore and horror in this film, which for a Marvel movie was definitely high. Director Sam Raimi was fully allowed to play in the space that he was given, creating what I hope most Raimi fans will agree is both a solid Raimi film and solid Marvel film. Finally, if you don’t fit into either of the above categories, I think this film still works as a pure entertainment piece. The action and character connections in this film are really fun! Each major character has a moment to shine and showcase their superhero abilities in new and incredibly satisfying ways. One fight in particular is definitely the most original fight scene in the MCU, and I’d put it up against most other famous fight scenes in terms of entertainment value and originality. Overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a reminder of how fun superhero films can be, an excellent addition to the Raimi catalogue of films, and a solid tone-setter for the future of the MCU. It’s definitely worth going to see while it’s out in theaters.
Weekend Watch - Moon knight (episodes 1-3)
There is a lot of potential in the threads of character development and story lines that have been opened in the show that we have yet to see played out all the way.
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week, we do a brief exploration of a new piece of media – film, television, and apparently sometimes video games. This week, we’ll be taking a look at the first half of Marvel’s latest small-screen outing, Moon Knight, whose first three episodes are now available to stream on Disney+.
Letter Grade: B+ with a potential to become an A or a C depending on how they close out the back half
Should you Watch This Show? It’s a must-watch for people looking to stay updated on the MCU and Oscar Isaac fans; right now there’s nothing making it unwatchable but also nothing to say anyone else has to watch it.
Why?
Moon Knight is the latest of Marvel’s television shows that have released on Disney’s streaming platform. It follows WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye, focusing on a lesser-known Marvel property and, probably, testing their wider marketability. Moon Knight is also unique thus far, in the fact that it contains no pre-existing MCU characters through its first three episodes, at least not explicitly. Even referentially, the only overt reference made to outside events, locations, and characters has been the mention of the criminal island of Madripoor from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and this came only in passing during the third episode. In its newness, Moon Knight is a refreshing deviation from typical MCU properties of late, but it also begs the question of why this show exists. It is fine as a character study and even has moments of comedy and is flirting with some potential romance, but none of those are what the show bills itself as. Its trailers presented something trippy, mystical, violent, and at times even terrifying. Thus far, there hasn’t been much delivery on any of those fronts. There has been some scratching of the surface of each of those content pieces, but if you were hoping for a full-on deviation from the light-hearted flavor of the MCU, then you will most likely be at least a little bit disappointed with the first half of this season. Honestly, the biggest factor that keeps this show watchable is its central character’s actor Oscar Isaac. Isaac portrays (so far) the two characters inside the head of one body that operates as the titular Moon Knight – marine turned mercenary Marc Spector and mild-mannered museum worker Steven Grant. His turn as both characters is the heart and soul of the show that has kept me coming back week after week, even if his British accent for Steven leaves something to be desired. There is a lot of potential in the threads of character development and story lines that have been opened in the show that we have yet to see played out all the way. Knowing Marvel, it should finish in a fairly satisfying way that also connects the character more deeply to the wider MCU, so if those are things that you are looking forward to, check this show out.
Weekend Watch - Morbius
SONY has embraced the Spider-Verse anti-heroes but doesn’t quite seem to know how to make a fully high-quality film featuring one yet.
Welcome to the Weekend Watch, where each week, the blog will take a quick look at a new piece of television or film media that many people will probably be watching over the weekend and help you figure out if you too need to watch it. It’ll receive a subjective letter grade, as it is still too early to grant new films objective composite scores, and a quick, mostly spoiler-free recommendation for viewing. This week’s subject is Jared Leto’s new contribution to SONY’s Spider-Man universe, Morbius.
Letter Grade: D+/C-
Should you Watch This Film? Only if you are not the one paying for the ticket!
Why?
Morbius already has a bunch of terrible reviews, so I’m not going to belabor the point. This film is perfectly fine, but it fails to live up to the legitimate movie greatness of many other MCU films or even the fun, disjointed chaos of the Venom films. Leto’s performance is not overly noteworthy (he does look good though so that’s something), and honestly, the most realistic portrayal comes from Matt Smith as the villainous Milo/Lucian – his name gets a little confusing. Action sequences are almost exclusively CGI and not overly gripping. The story is pretty generic, but the character has potential. SONY has embraced the Spider-Verse anti-heroes but doesn’t quite seem to know how to make a fully high-quality film featuring one yet. There is a lot of discussion of what Morbius is going to do once the highly convenient artificial blood no longer slakes his thirst, but that question simply does not get answered. Even the proprietary post-credits scenes don’t fully understand what to do with an anti-hero, or even maybe with a villain. After watching Morbius, I am not sold on SONY’s Spider-Verse and certainly not convinced that it was worth the ticket price. The film’s biggest saving grace seems to be that the studio knew that it hadn’t produced a great product and kept the runtime under 2 hours, respecting the audience’s time. After we left the showing, my wife commented, and I agreed, that this was probably a film we could have waited to watch when it was on one of our streaming services, and that is honestly my recommendation to you. There is nothing that makes Morbius a must-watch big screen blockbuster, but it might be worth the watch if you want to see some hot Jared Leto and creepy Matt Smith action.