Tag: Marvel

Madame Web (2024)

Her web connects them all

Rating 12
Length 1h54
Release 14.02.2024
Director S.J Clarkson
About Cassandra Webb is a New York City paramedic who starts to show signs of clairvoyance. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she must protect three young women from a mysterious adversary who wants them dead.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Still in cinemas
Trailer:

The Good

I love the trio. The film has so much more life to it when the film focuses on them and it would have improved things greatly had they been the focus from the first act.

We have a film in which Ben Parker lives! Not only that, but he’s played by the wonderful Adam Scott (I’ve learned to love the Scott since watching Parks and Rec). Honestly, I’m loving that this is who Tom Holland’s Peter got to grow up with. I’m also loving that we, for once, didn’t have the heartbreak of his death and what that then triggers.

The Bad

You cast Emma Roberts and do absolutely nothing with her?! What a waste. I would have cast her as Cassie.

It’s just a mess of a film that isn’t quite so bad it swings around to being funny good again. In what could have been a homage to Buffy, with Cassie as the trio’s watcher, the film instead goes for an origin story of way too many characters. You should know you’ve fucked up when you reuse your opening 5 minutes about halfway through.
The creators really make the mistake of having Cassie as the main character, when she’s the Professor X. Not a very likeable one at that.

No post-credit scene having Os-Corp picking up the spider from Ezekiel’s apartment? Connecting those dots.

The Ugly

The editing is shockingly bad. Particularly when it came to the action sequences and the movements of the bad guy. Now, it didn’t make the movie worse as such, but it certainly did give me a headache and what I can only describe as sea sickness.

The script is garbage. Such garbage, that AI could have done a better job. From epic bad lines like ‘Who flips off an ambulance?’ in case we hadn’t spotted that going down to the WAY too soon ‘you’ve never been shot in Queens?’ as a clunky foreshadowing to how Ben leaves the MCU. Like seriously, this is the only time Uncle Ben makes it to the credit roll, and you still feel the need to remind us?!

What was the motivation of the bad guy again? He was trying to kill the girl’s who he thought would kill him. hmmmmm? Wasn’t a bad guy before he got his powers that prompted the premonition? Why was he motivated in the beginning?

Final Thoughts

Just… no!

Captain Marvel (2019) Film Review

Discover what makes a her(o).

Rating 12
Length 2h04
Release 08.03.2019
Director Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
About Amidst a mission, Vers, a Kree warrior, gets separated from her team and is stranded on Earth. However, her life takes an unusual turn after she teams up with Fury, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Disney+
Trailer:

The Good

Ben Mendelsohn has a voice I could listen to all day, he also is clearly enjoying his job as the potential big bad that isn’t all that he seems. Through his character we’re given the skrull and their plight. The story arc is incredibly real world and this film lays a strong foundation for further development.

The 1995 setting and music is really wonderful. Not as iconic as Guardians of the Galaxy’s mix tape, but it really grounds the story in the 90s. The only shame of it all is that we don’t get more films in this time frame.

The Bad

One person who is good at playing bad is Jude Law. Once it’s out in the open, Law really hams the role in a way so many others before him should have.

Not so sure how I feel about the inclusion of Ronan. We know that nothing will happen to him in this film because of Guardians, but also his threat of coming back for Carol is empty because we already know what happens to him beyond this film.

The Ugly

CGI Fury and Coulson do not hold up to repeated viewings. Actually, it didn’t hold up the first time. Vast improvements on the dead eyed look from films like Polar Express, but there’s a shininess that stops you from forgetting they are CGI faces.

The timeline hijinks in an attempt at mystery ends up being really annoying. It made the plot convoluted for the sake of it and raised more questions that never really get answered.

Final Thoughts

While it wasn’t such an amazing watch at the time of release, it’s improved greatly under the comparison of the messy and aimless Phase Five.

The Marvels (2023) Film Review

Rating 12
Length 1h45
Release 10.11.2023
Director Nia DaCosta
About Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.
Moon: moon(s) sighted
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime for rental
Trailer:

The Good

The best part of The Marvels is Iman Vellani, reprising her role as Ms Marvel from the Disney+ show of the same name. She’s identifiable, not only as a fan of The Avengers, but as teen with an overbearing, yet loving, family.
I adored her flawed character, I enjoyed watching her grow in confidence and her interaction with her family and whatever organisation Fury belongs to now.
One of my favourite parts came towards the middle of the film; Kamala, upon facing the genocide of the remaining Skrull and the harshness of Captain Marvel’s apparent apathy suddenly realises she’s not in her fan fiction. The expression Kamala gives is so very telling and said much more than pages of dialogue.

Goooooooooooose! I love Goose (in your face whoever said Goose would be dead in Endgame) and they really played on the cat behaviour and Flerken elements this film. I loved it all. Every single second of Goose.
Then they went and elevated it with one of my favourite Star Trek treatments: They did Trouble with Tribbles! Seriously could have watched a film set just on that station. In fact, I really wish they’d leaned into the Trek a little bit more.

Fury, and Samuel L Jackson by extension, brings the humour just by being himself. His interactions with the three leads and, in particular, Kamala’s family are the perfect tone to brings some levity into what is rather angst-ridden proceedings.

The Bad

Why so much angst?! Captain Marvel is very angry, but doesn’t pull it off in the way Fury does. She’s almost akin to The Doctor (Who) but the character hasn’t got the balance quite right yet. While The Doctor also comes with some heavy baggage, every incarnation has always balanced it with a brightness and a joy and Captain Marvel needs that. There is an attempt, but it needs to be more. Kamala was the perfect opportunity for it and it was missed.

The Ugly

It is very clunky both in terms of a film within a blooming universe and how this film, and its story, is presented to the audience. It’s not so much that you need to have seen the tv shows, or even any previous film featuring Captain Marvel. The issue is that the reminders come a little too late and I’m certain “yeah, thanks. Figured that out now and if you wouldn’t mind filling me in on what I missed while I worked on it?!”

Another example of clunky, that actually does link in to the Disney+ shows. I *think* this comes after Fury fronted Secret Invasion, however the presence of the Skull and Fury without factoring in the fallout everything that transpired?! While I don’t expect it to be fed in to the story in a way that alienates those who choose not to watch, it’s also should feel like the film is a retcon of a show. They should compliment each other, elevate. However, more work on the script is needed for that to happen.

What a waste of Zawe Ashton! The actions and motivations of Dar-Benn are so utterly shit and mind-numbingly dumb that there was no real danger to be felt.
It appears that Dar-Benn has two missions; revenge and saving her planet. Thirty years is a rather long time to come up with a plan that achieves …. both?
Don’t know about anyone else, but save first, revenge later?! It just doesn’t make sense; they’re clearly advanced technology wise and there’s no reason to hate the people she’s prepared to destroy. It’s like an inconsistent triad of motivation.

Final Thoughts

Oh there’s lots to enjoy, but it fails for the same reason many Marvel movies do post-Endgame: not enough time is being spent on the script or the overall plan within the franchise.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Review

Rating 12
Length 2h28
Release 15.12.2021
Director Jon Watts
About With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
Moon: Full moon during the climatic final fight
Where to Watch: Cinemas
Trailer:

First Thoughts

I don’t think I’ve felt the buzz and hype of a film so tangibly in a cinema for a long time. Nope, upon feeling it walking towards my screen, not even when Force Awakens came out. Not even a Midnight screening has given me that excitement that I felt with those early Potter films.
I watched people literally racing from a screen to the toilet, not wanting to miss a single second. As the usher scanned my ticket, he even reassured me that it was good and to enjoy it. It’s safe to say, I did.

The Good

  • The story is really good, very well structured and manages to balance the heavy castings impeccably. If you think of Maguire’s third outing and the ambitious plot weaving that attempted?! This film shows that it can be done.
  • The casting! Unless you’ve been sans internet for the last however many months, you’d know that Jamie Foxx, William Dafoe and Alfred Molina have returned to play off against an unfamiliar Peter Parker. All three bring what I loved from their previous performances and then some. Foxx, for me at least, gives a slightly different performance, but I have absolutely no problem with that.
    As for Dafoe and Molina. Both of them make it so hard to identify a favourite. Both of them bring their all, they bring the ham, but also manage to match the tone that Holland’s Spider-Man has established.
  • The humour is spot on, as always. It isn’t for everyone, but fuck them! I love it. I love every scene in which Ned does his thing, MJ does her thing and the humour that happens when they’re all together.
  • Tom Holland. What a beautiful, amazing and wonderful Peter Parker he is. Damn it, he’s *my* Spider-Man. It’s not that the other two were ever ‘wrong’ for the role. It’s just that the character works like Dr Who. You have *the* Spider-Man and that’s cool.

The Bad

  • I’m still not sold on the use of Dr Strange. I love every bit he’s in and I totally understand why we need him out the picture. However, it lacks the finesse that Stark’s ‘hands off’ approach had and because of that, Strange feels a little bit like a plot device that gets fucked off stage until he’s of use again. Or, you know, like how Captain Marvel was used at the beginning of Endgame.
  • I get the feeling these events are happening alongside the events of Hawkeye, the tv series, but as I think there’s still an episode to go I can’t quite get them married up in my mind.

The Ugly

  • This film does rely on the audience being well versed in the Spidy-Verse. This is not the film that should ever introduce you to the character and, even from the trailers, people should know at least a casual knowledge of the Maguire and Garfield eras is necessary.
    For me, this isn’t a bad thing. However, I do need to acknowledge that some other films have been able to achieve what this film has, while providing a film that works without seeing the previous.
  • There’s a cameo that I’m still not certain about. The geek in me loves it, however there’s just something about it that reminds me of Clint Barton’s introduction into the universe in Thor; underwhelming.

Final Thoughts

Such a powerful, clever, outing that has gone straight to the top of my favourite MCU list. I want to go watch it again. I already know this is a film in which I will discover more on repeated viewings.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h13
Release 5.7.2017
Director Jon Watts
About Peter Parker tries to stop the Vulture from selling weapons made with advanced Chitauri technology while trying to balance his life as an ordinary high school student.
Moon: None sighted
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • I love that this film didn’t go all the way back to the beginning and give us an origin story for Holland’s Parker. It allows this film to give us something different from previous incarnations.
    It also allows this Parker to not be entrenched in the grief of Uncle Ben’s death or set on a path of revenge. We get to have a much younger Parker, who is able to truly have fun.
  • Michael Keaton is such a genius bit of casting, characterisation and plotting. Choosing a past Batman has very little impact on the plot, but there’s all the meta goodness that adds to the cinematic experience.
    It’s not lost on me that Vulture is the anti-batman. Where Bruce was a millionaire, Toomes is a working-class everyman embittered by the Marvel’s equivalent of Bruce Wayne.
    I also love the I’d that the name, Vulture, is not only a bird of prey, but is also a scavenger. It describes the aesthetic of Toomes technology, but it is very descriptive of the character too.
  • Ned is a spectacular friend and I’m so happy that he’s not Harry. I adore every scene in which Ned is just himself.
  • Tom Holland really is ideal for the role of Peter Parker. He’s first of all young looking enough to know that he’d at least be carded, but the choice to have Stark as a mentor allows the story freedom for Parker to fail. He’s not the first and final line of defence and it changes the tone of the film and the character expectation of Peter Parker.

The Bad

  • It is a tad too long for it to be a regular rewatch movie for me. By no means a unique issue for MCU movies, but I find myself restless just at the moment when I need to be paying attention.
    The only problem with this, however, is that I have no idea what I *would* remove to trim the fat.

The Ugly

  • I’m so mad that this film did the dirty on Donald Glover! That man was born for a live action Miles Morales so while having him in this was amazing, I’m devastated that it perhaps rules him out from the upcoming multiverse film ‘No Way Home’.

Final Thoughts

Truly my favourite of the the Spider-Man films and I’m so happy that, as of a few hours ago, Tom Holland has been announced for three more films.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Rating12a
Length 2h22
Release 16.4.2014
Director Marc Webb
About Spider-Man embarks on a mission to protect his loved ones when OsCorp, owned by his childhood friend Harry Osborn, unleashes a slew of genetically-modified villains against him.
Moon: Full moon when Harry grabs Gwen
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • The way this film starts and ends is brilliant. Having us come in, part way through the action is refreshing and pulls you in right away. Then that mid-punch cut to credits allows you to take the story home with you; your imagination takes over and allows Spider-Man to linger with you a little longer.
  • I love the score and music choices; from Peter Parker having the Spider-Man ringtone, to the use of Electro’s words in the music that accompanies his attendance at Times Square.
  • I love the references. Particularly the Jaws reference while Parker troubleshoots his webbing devices.

The Bad

  • Again with the outcast and diversely abled as the villain. I refuse to call any neurodivergent person disabled. However, for the purposes of this film, it does appear to use Max’s neurodivergent characterisation for the age-old cliche.
  • It’s in the blood. I’m actually a little on the fence about this one. On the one hand, it allows the universe to explain the impact of others using the research. On the other, it is Chosen One plotting and to me it feels done. Even in 2014, never mind rewatching here in 2021.
  • The slow-motion! Way too much for me. Not so much in and of itself, but more because I’ve been conditioned to hate it by someone I used to go the cinema a lot with. It triggers all the complaints in my head. Only some of which are valid.

The Ugly

  • The certainly felt like there was more dependence on CGI for this outing, and some of it really shows. Rather than look like it was from a cartoon, it looks like it comes from game play at times.
  • Gwen and Peter/ Spider-Man is only here because I loath the fact that they make them SUCH a great team, for *that* to happen to her. That dynamic was incredible.

Final Thoughts

A decent offering and I will be honest, I am quite sad there wasn’t a third outing.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h16
Release 3.7.2012
Director Mark Webb
About Peter Parker, an outcast high school student, gets bitten by a radioactive spider and attains superpowers. Soon, he is forced to use his abilities to fight a monstrous foe.
Moon: Full moon during the final scene
Where to Watch: netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • Yes, it is another origin story but I do like how different it is to the 2002 version. This is no Batman, we’re not seeing the same scenes with different actors.
    I also love that with this origin story, we get a glimpse of Peter’s childhood and the fate of his parent’s. The way it ties into his journey of becoming Spider-Man is also really clever.
  • Martin Sheen and Sally Field as the Aunt and Uncle was just perfect. Sheen has this was of having a firm and fiery nature without it being too harsh. There’s always that understanding that it’s coming from a place of love. As for Field, gah! She doesn’t quite beat the previous Aunt May, but she is a joy to watch and is able to give us wisdom and love in bucket loads.
  • I love that Garfield’s Peter doesn’t give a shit about keeping his identity too secret. It makes for a much different, better, type of hero. Telling Gwen, showing his face to the kid in the car it all allows him to be a little more grounded and have a little more support.
    It also gives us the added conflict with Captain Stacy and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

The Bad

  • I don’t like how both Peters have this stalker vibe when it comes to their crushes. While I loved that it set up Sheen for the whole “He has you on his computer”, I really do hate that he has her as the desktop wallpaper. Creepy!

The Ugly

  • Yet another villain with a disability. Yes, this one has a little bit of a connection in terms of it being the driving force for the character’s research. There’s also the logical leap of using genetics from animals that are able to regrow body parts.
    However clever and ‘rational’ the plotting might be, it still remains a problematic trope and one that has a massive impact upon how disabilities are seen in society. It really is a shame because Rhys Ifans does a brilliant job.

Final Thoughts

In the run of all Spider-Man movies up to 2012, this is the strongest by far. We have a decent Peter Parker who fairs well as Spider-Man.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Rating 12a
Length 2h19
Release 4.5.2021
Director Sam Raimi
About Peter Parker becomes one with a symbiotic alien that bolsters his Spider-Man avatar and affects his psyche. He also has to deal with Sandman and maintain a fragmented relationship with Mary Jane.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix
Trailer:

The Good

  • The one thing every one of Raimi’s films have gotten right is the feature’s main villain. Thomas Hayden Church! God, I love Thomas Hayden Church! I could listen to him all day, I’ve yet to see him give a bad performance (Although it is fair to say that I might never give Crash Pad another watch, but that has less to do with anyone’s performance and more to do with the mortifying predicament of watching Domhnall Gleeson explain he’d had his tongue up another character’s cootch… while watching it with my Dad!)
    I would say that Church’s Sandman is the most serious of Spidey’s enemies and I’m glad there was no hamming. While I’m sure THC is capable, it would have clashed with the overall darkness this instalment seemed to be going for.
  • Yay for attempting to bring in another bad. Yes, I do mean attempt. However, I’m glad of them increasing the number because it was getting a little too predictable.
  • Peter and Harry’s eventual team-up. Brilliant, loved it. Came too late for me, but I personally think the whole Harry story arc was a load of bollocks.

The Bad

  • Harry, Harry, Harry. What the fuck did they do to this storyline?! Like, why have the memory loss for Peter not to learn from his mistake and tell the poor bloke the truth? Well, I know why… the film cannot handle three villains. To be fair, it can barely handle two, so I think that’s why Harry is side-lined, then Sandman. It’s just a fucking mess.
  • In order to bring in Gwen Stacy, did the film really have to shit all over MJ the way it did?! What’s worse is that Gwen gets booted out of the film after the emo-Jazz scene. There needed to at least be a resolution there because the character, and Bryce Dallas Howard who did a brilliant job, deserved better.

The Ugly

  • The retcon of Uncle Ben’s killer. In fact, the continuation of bringing Uncle Ben’s death to the forefront of the plot really doesn’t do this trilogy justice. This retcon removes all of the importance of Peter’s reveal to Aunt May in the previous film, it cheapens the death of the assumed killer in the first film and, worst of all, it bloats this stinking floater way more than necessary.
  • The infamous ‘Emo Peter’. While I’ve discovered during this rewatch Maguire’s Peter is a total douche all the way through, it is this Venom inspired interlude that is hardest to digest.
    Yes, we have found meme enjoyment over the years but I think watching it, is very different that utilising the stills. Fuck me, I want to die a little inside because of how bad it all unfolds and just how shit Maguire is with it; it’s too big for him.

Final Thoughts

I’d only seen this once before, in the cinema. I’d remembered this feeling of hating it, but I always put that down to the fact that I went on to have one of the biggest fights with a dear friend hours after I’d seen this. I never really spoke to him again after that and I do really miss him.

However, it wasn’t that. This film is an underdeveloped, post morning-coffee turd. It’s so bad that even when I missed the crucial part of the final showdown, I could not bring myself to rewind.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Rating PG
Length 2h07
Release 16.7.2004
Director Sam Raimi
About Peter Parker is dissatisfied with life when he loses his job, the love of his life, Mary Jane, and his powers. Amid all the chaos, he must fight Doctor Octavius who threatens to destroy New York City.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Now TV
Trailer:

The Good

  • The visual style is much improved and it’s a lot less ‘primary colours in your face) and is much closer in tone to the X-Men films of the same era.
  • I love Doc Ock and his origin story. What does suck is the fact that in all of Maguire’s outings, the villain dies often after becoming aware of what they’ve done and the monster they’ve become.
    I mention this because Alfred Molina is so good, I’m sorry to see him go. Molina, much like Dafoe before him, is able to take on the duality of the role and provide depth as well as a little ham.
  • I really love the arms of Doc Ock. They have that personality quality to a Disney familiar. Each one seems to take on its own characteristics and its quite awesome to watch.
  • Aunt May! Oh, I do love this Aunt May. Yes, it is a likeable character (there isn’t an Aunt May I don’t like), but Rosemary Harris is just … She’s adorable.

The Bad

  • Tobey Maguire cannot cry. Oh god, it just makes me cringe so much.
  • I mentioned this for the first film, but for fuck’s sake does Kirsten have to scream so god damn much?!
  • I hate the plot point of Peter wanting to stay away from MJ to ‘keep her safe’ when both MJ and his Aunt May are both in danger in both films without anyone knowing Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one in the same. It’s shit, and boring, and either Maguire cannot act, or he’s playing Parker like *he* cannot act. Either way, no one, literally NO ONE, is buying it.

The Ugly

  • I don’t like how the character of Peter Parker has been reset in this film. He’s back to being pre-bite doofus and it really doesn’t help strengthen the character or the story arc at all.
  • Spider-Man having performance issues?! I get that this seems to be a common fear of men, but do we really need it constantly projected onto our superheroes to massage the ego of the toxic masses?! (Not aimed at all men dearies)

Final Thoughts

In some ways, a much better film. However, its still not brilliant. I hate saying this because I love Raimi. I love that he’s someone who grew up making movies on a Super8 and fell in love with telling stories. I also know that he loves superheroes and comics, but this just isn’t an enjoyable watch.

Spider-Man (2002) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h01
Release 11.5.2007
Director Sam Raimi
About Peter Parker’s life changes when he is bitten by a genetically altered spider and gains superpowers. He uses his powers to help people and finds himself facing the Green Goblin, an evil maniac.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Netflix and Amazon Prime
Trailer:

The Good

  • William Dafoe makes for the perfect Norman/ Goblin. Yes, he hams it up, but it works perfectly with that insane laugh of his. The duality of the role was performed with ease. Absolute joy to watch from start to finish.
  • The film sets up so many other pieces for the trilogy. What’s so good about it though, is that it doesn’t make this film all about the origin story like some other films do (Fantastic Four springs to mind). It’s subtle and almost unnoticeable until you look at the trilogy as a complete unit (I did one of my essays in uni on the elements of cause and effect in these films).
  • The music is brilliant. Unlike X Men (Still pains me to this day that the film didn’t include the cartoon’s theme music), this does use the cartoon’s motif, albeit in an updated way. All it took was those first few bars and I felt right at home, so it came as no surprise that the score was none other than the wonderful Danny Elfman.

The Bad

  • The CGI is god awful in some scenes. The only saving grace is that the colours and visual tones give the film that comic book feel so the CGI doesn’t look *too* out of place.
  • Again, this is more to do with the MCU and how it’s changed the landscape for superhero movies, but this outing is so campy. Like, bordering on panto sort of campy. While it works for the Green Goblin, having everything else hammed up just puts the story at odds with itself.
    At the story’s heart is grief. Peter is motivated by Uncle Owen’s death and Green Goblin is the manifestation of Norman’s fear of failure. None of which is light stuff. It all gets lost in the quips, nods and winks to the audience.

The Ugly

  • I know there are some Tobey Maguire defenders out there, and at the time I had no complaints, but the dude looks over 30. Those high school scenes really do make him look a little creepy.
    I’d also thought Emo Peter was relegated to the third outing, but in reality that emo streak was in him all along. Yes, we have been truly spoiled with Tom Holland, but while Tobey makes a good Spider-Man… he’s too old and too shit for Peter Parker. If he cried, I did one of two things; I laughed or I groaned.
  • You cast Kirsten Dunst, THE Kirsten Dunst, yet all you get her to do is scream?! What bullshit is that?!

Final Thoughts

In the grand scheme of things, this is the equivalent of the first two Harry Potters while Garfield and Holland are very much Azkaban onwards. Totally worth the pain of Maguire for the genius that is Dafoe!

Shag-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h12
Release 3.09.2021
Director Destin Daniel Cretton
About Martial-arts master Shang-Chi confronts the past he thought he left behind when he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
Moon: None seen… but I was too invested and may have missed it.
Where to Watch: Cinemas nationwide and Disney +
Trailer:

The Good

  • I cannot fault the casting. From the knowns, to the unknowns (to me), they fit the roles perfectly. As always Awkwafina is a joy, Ben Kingsley brings his ham and Michelle Yeoh is the badass I always depend on her being.
  • I adore the change of the Ten Rings from the comic to the movie. Having the rings appeal more to Asian culture also has added bonus of differentiating them from the hand garment of the previous phases.
  • The story is really awesome. It acknowledges the Manderine (Ben Kinsley) of Phases 1 and 2, while giving us someone who is a complex and flawed antagonist.
    The family relationship and dynamic reminded me of the short-lived Helstrom and it was good to see that in play here.
  • Ben Kingsley’s Trever was that brilliant touch of off the wall comedy you need in something like this. Also, his Scouse accent is spot on for someone who would be theatrically trained. There’s varients in the dialect and that man got it right. So it’s not the hacking and eck-ing that people who are familiar with John Bishop are used to, but it’s a softer and rounder accent.
    Sod it, I’m just happy we got some Scouser representation in there.
  • The martial arts itself is STUNNING. Beautiful. I also love that we got original language and subtitles. One of the reasons why I’ve stayed away from the martial arts genre is because access only ever seems to be dubbed movies. As someone who relies on lip reading for understanding, dubbing has the habit of giving me a headache.

The Bad

  • Some of the CGI is ropey. Like Episode 1, really isn’t going to age very well, sort of ropey. It’s a shame, because from what I can tell of the preproduction everyone was prepared for the martial arts, but there were bits that went to the next level to make it a Marvel movie. If it had been kept within the hidden world, it might have been okay, but as it stands I found certain scenes, the bus fight in particular, detracting visually.

The Ugly

  • There’s a scene in which the fight sequence takes place on scaffolding. Bollocks, it scared me. My body had the physical reaction of watching a horror movie, I had to look away and I even considered fast forwarding at one point.
    While this wasn’t a fun experience for me, I do like the fact that it was able to gain such a reaction from me.

Final Thoughts

Iron Man really did run Phase 3 and 4 introductions could fly. I only hope the fatigue doesn’t last for people, because these are the films we need.

Black Widow (2021) Film Review

Rating 12a
Length 2h13
Release 27.8.2021
Director Cate Shortland
About Natasha Romanoff, a former KGB spy, is shocked to find out that her ex handler, General Dreykov, is still alive. While evading capture by Taskmaster, she is forced to confront her dark past.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Disney Plus
Trailer:

First Thoughts

I’ve now watched this film three times and I really have struggled to put down my thoughts. I’m glad I didn’t do it after my first, or second, watch. There are things I’m still very unhappy about, but …. well you’ll see from my review.

The Good

  • Florence Pugh as Yelena is what saves this film. She is a breath of fresh air as this young woman using humour as her guard. Her interaction with both Nat and her ‘father’ are pitched perfectly.
    Most importantly, her persona leaves me begging for Yelena to have interactions with Ant Man, Peter Parker and Nebula. It is going to be so much fun see her have verbal duels with some of these heroes.
  • David Harbour was always going to be a plus for me. I was a little worried; I’ve heard some of his attempts at accents, and they’re not always pretty. However, his Russian isn’t too bad.
    You can tell that Harbour is enjoying every minute of playing this Red State answer to Captain America. It’s brilliant to see a hero that has already had his time and is perhaps someone who should be sitting out of the fights. Then, you see him fight and realise; he’s still got it.
  • The relationship/ family dynamic of the OG Black Widow family is something I took for granted the first time I watched, but I really enjoyed this different type of dysfunction.
    The “time of the month” scene, for example was a stroke of genius. In that short interaction, you got to see Guardian’s ignorance, Yalana’s dark humour and Nat’s leadership skills.
  • The action, as always is spot on and well placed within the story structure. This film almost mimics a Bond movie with its exotic locations (the safe house in Budapest looks so similar to the last act of Craig’s Casino Royale), motor vehicle chases and a lair final showdown.

The Bad

  • The story is underwhelming. Being placed where it was in the timeline and release schedule means the story had to be somewhat self contained. Not only that, but there was a sense of retcon in order to make this work.
    The biggest thing of that I felt was ‘Budapest’. I’ll be honest, the Mouse House had a hard job on their hands with that. When you mention something so vague; you set of about a million plot bunnies. Nothing will live up to what’s been imagined in the heads of many geek’s in the years since it was first mentioned.
  • My issue with Taskmaster is the way the gender of them was hidden. It was deliberate and I’m pretty certain the person inside the Taskmaster suit prior to the reveal was male. It’s not clever, it doesn’t make the reveal more shocking. It just really makes them just another really weak antagonist.
  • Dreykov was badly cast. You do not cast Ray Winstone as a Russian. That man cannot do an accent to save his life and it ruins the character. Instead of him being this formidable leader, he comes across as a cheap panto villain.
  • O-T Fagbenle is wasted as Rick Mason. How are we only just being introduced to him now? This is such a shame as not only did I love the character, I loved his interaction with both Nat and Yalana.
  • Not the fault of the film itself, but the way in which trailers are made needs to change. It was heavily implied that Rachel Weisz’ character, Melina, had died. It is certainly a shock to both Yelena and Nat that she’s not and I think it’s meant to be a shock for us too. That’s hard for the audience to do though, seeing as she appears heavily in the trailer.

The Ugly

  • Black Widow deserved better. There, I said it.
  • This is a film that has almost zero impact upon the universe, mainly because it was tagged on to Phase 3 and added out of sequence.
    Had the film been released prior to Infinity War and Endgame, there would have at least been a slight element of jeopardy. As it stands, we know Nat can’t be killed and it narrative loses any tension.
    Not only that, but placing this film before Nat’s sacrifice? Jesus, that adds so much weight. Don’t have the same punch after the fact, but in the right order Nat is sacrificing herself for two families.
  • Not a single Avenger comes to help. Yes, I know that this is happening mid Civil War, but Disney, Buba, she’s been the wing woman to all these boy’s ‘adventures’ and you can’t even get one scene? Hell, you couldn’t even get Jeremy Renner in for the flashbacks? Do you not realise quite how shitty that is?!
  • It’s not Nat’s film. Not really. The only way this works, in terms of impact, is that it is a film that introduces Yelena Belova to the Avengers Universe. Yet, even this feels like an afterthought based upon fan reaction to the amazing Florence Pugh.

Final Thoughts

An underwhelming addition to the Marvel Universe that does not do Nat, or Scarlett Johannsen, justice.