Loki- Season 2 (Final?)

9.5/10

In the second and probably final season of Loki on Disney+, Norse god Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) tries to save the fate of the TVA (The Time Variance Authority).

I mostly liked the first season, which was pretty inventive and the look to the headquarters of the whole TVA was so unique, but I had my criticisms. The story felt a little dragged out, there was too much organizational shadowiness, and though it was fun to see the narcissistic Loki in a situation he didn't have control over, it became exhausting to see him be under the foot of one constant bad situation after another. This season though, it has all the strengths of season one but none of the weak points. (Also, if you were disappointed with the cliffhanger for season 1, it pays off a lot better than you'd suspect.)

This is nothing but great sci-fi creativity, excellent set design (I love the window shots of the massive retro-futuristic world of the TVA so much), and wonderful characterization. The human drama and stakes are so well done here. The finale with the exception of Avengers: Endgame is the best ending in the entire MCU.

Loki continues to be the main strength to this show. Here, the writers have worked most of the redemption stuff out of the way, and for all of those who saw potential for good in Loki, this really paid off. Hiddleston delivers a fantastic performance as a focused and serious-minded Loki trying to do the right thing despite all the odds. His relationship with TVA agent Moebius (Luke Wilson) continues to result in one of the best duos in television history. Wilson delivers one of his best performances, and Moebius' everyday ability to be congenial even alongside someone like Loki works so well. 

The writers seemed to like TVA desk jockey Casey (Eugene Cordero, who's one of those comic actors who's popping up more and more) enough that they upped the role, and he works well when given more serious material to work with. There was always something a little suspicious about Miss Minutes (voiced by prolific voice actress Tara Strong), the TVA's holographic AI in the form of a 1950/60's cartoon clock (brilliant idea by the way), who started to seem a bit suspicious as to her motivations last year. Here we understand what makes her tick as she's become an antagonist and makes for a rather interesting character (although they don't spend much time with her.) I also felt they did a better job with the characterization of rogue TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer (Belle's Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and her motivations.

We get a couple new characters. Ke Huy Quan, whose stock has really risen since Everything Everywhere all at Once, is the TVA's science guy Ouroboros. Quan brings his trademark likableness as the guy who is way too easy going with what's going on.  Jonathan Majors plays yet another variant of the multidmensional warlord Kang, scientist Victor Timely. You're curious as to what role he will play in everything as you're sort of charmed by the smart but awkward man, but know that he has the potential of going bad.

The only weak point to this is that sometimes, especially with the last episode, the writers are trying to be a little too clever with the time travel laws. It can be a little confusing.

Highly recommended, this is one of the best recent MCU entries and one of THE best period. This is just six hours of pure entertainment and superb storytelling.

The Marvels

8/10

In this sequel to Captain Marvel (and follow-up to the shows Wandavision and Ms. Marvel), Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larsen), Monica Rambeau/Photon (Teyonah Parris), and Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) find their powers connected as they start switching locations as they use their powers. To further complicate things, they must deal with Supremor Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a member of the Kree Empire who has a vendetta against Captain Marvel.

This is like Ant-Man and the Wasp. It's not the hardest hitting of MCU stories, but it makes for pretty fun viewing and is very watchable. "Breezy." That is what this movie is in a nutshell. Marvel took it to heart that the first Captain Marvel film, while I thought was a good movie, didn't have quite the personality as other Marvel movies, and that Captain Marvel did feel a little wooden. Here, you've got a good sense of humor and world building. I really digged the alien planets the Marvels went to. The visual designs are typical Marvel quality.

Some may accuse this of following the Marvel formula, but it's the Marvel formula done well, and I felt this was the best of the "light" entries in the post-Endgame MCU. Whereas Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania felt like its alien world (although it didn't happen in space, it was basically an alien world) was too derivative of previous Marvel films and its various weird characters felt tacked on just to add new weird characters, here things feel more natural and thought out.

Now there are a few moments where Larsen's delivery is still a little flat, but she's a lot more lively here. The writers, like they did with Chris Hemsworth in the Thor movies, realize Larsen is better when she's given a chance to be funny. She's at her best when she's reacting to the insanity and people around her.

I know everyone else is already saying it, but Ms. Marvel really is the best part of this. Her ernestness, sheer optimism, and constant fangirling over Captain Marvel steals every scene she's in. Vellani outshines her two older, more experienced co-stars. The movie also retains Khan's family from her mini-series, and it's fun to watch regular people deal with space-based insanity.

Editing does feel a little choppy, especially in the first third. The switching places felt a little sloppy in the beginning, like they had trouble wrangling all the multiple scenes. Also, it felt like stuff was definitely cut.

The beginning does rush a little. We're immediately thrown into the big threat, and I would've liked a little breathing time to introduce the characters with. It's easier to get into this if you've seen the three previous projects for the characters. All their powers and backstories are explained, but they're done very quickly.

Though Kamala's brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh), has some solid one-liners, he is one character too many in this. He didn't need to become involved. (He doesn't live at home with his family. He just happened to be there when things went nuts.)

A lot of people complain about Dar-Benn being a weak adversary. I don't know about that. Sure, she's not Loki or Thanos, but you understand her backstory and reasoning. (She's still better than the Dark World and Dr. Strange villains). I felt Ashton was doing her best in the role, and I'm loving the look they gave Dar-Benn. Admittedly, the character, especially near the end, could've been better utilized.

Recommended. It may be the Marvel formula, but this is a genuinely fun film and worth seeing for Ms. Marvel at least.

Secret Invasion

6.5/10

In this new Marvel limited series on Disney+ based on the comics storyline, Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) must deal with a secret rebellion planned by rogue Skrulls, alien shapeshifters, refugees who've been living on Earth for decades and are tired of their hidden status and Fury not realizing his promise to find them a new homeworld.

Secret Invasion is a mixed bag. On one hand they're truly surprising reveals, great scenes and character moments or deliveries, and solid action. The sociopolitical history of the Skrulls is interesting. I also give this credit for being one of the darkest and most violent MCU entries.

On the other hand, the story doesn't go to places as good as you've set up in your mind. Everybody's motives are explained, but it always feels like they needed more time or flashbacks to explain things. It really feels like time wasn't properly utilized. Some of the big risks the writers take do not pay off. I definitely wanted more from the conclusion.

It may have been a miscalculation to center the entire show around Fury. For a show about a global plot, this may've worked better as an ensemble show darting back and forth between various players to get a better look at the big picture.

We don't get Fury in the prime of his energy here. Don't get me wrong, this is Samuel Jackson, so he gives a fine performance, but it's as a world-wearier Fury (who was kinda world-weary to begin with) haunted by his failings. Fury has a long history working with the Skrulls, and I applaud the writers for having him have real mixed feelings about how events have turned out.

Ben Mendelsohn returns as Fury's ally the Skrull Talos. He's one of the high points of this as the most optimistic character in the show. He's got a great dynamic with Fury, and you get the feeling that they've been work friends for years. Mendelsohn often gets typecast as villains, and he's clearly jumping at the chance to play a good guy.

Olivia Coleman is both funny yet kinda scary as Sonya Falsworth, Fury's British counterpart who's always cheery and level-headed, yet easily mows down the enemy without mercy. Sort of a lawful chaotic character.

I wouldn't say Skrull terrorist leader Gavrik is one of the top Marvel villains, but his actor Kingsley Ben-Adir (who was recently the loyal friend to the main Ken in the Barbie movie) iss clearly talented and when the script gives him the chance to shine, he sure does. His final confrontation with Fury is one of the highlights of the show.

If you're expecting so see a lot of Skrull makeup or CGI, prepare to be disappointed. Disney is clearly saving on money by having them appear in human form as much as possible. 

The opening credits are controversial because they used AI to create them (though, they say that actual creatives oversaw the whole affair). I must say that I haven't had an open credits catch my attention like this in some time. (With the exception of the opening credits to Housebroken, an adult animated show about pets. The theme song is catchy as hell.) It has this intriguing, surreal quality to it that has to be seen. 

Kinda recommended. The show never reaches its full potential, but there are some very good parts in this. This is one of those situations where people will probably be divided on whether they like it or not.

Thor: Love and Thunder

 

8.5/10

In the fourth Thor movie, thunder god Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) ends up pursuing Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) and runs into his ex Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who now to his surprise has both his powers and hammer.

Like the last film, this is directed by Taika Waititi, and again he makes this one of the funniest Marvel movies. Waititi and all the actors involved definitely seem like they're having goofy fun. However, the movie does a serious backbone to several characters' motivations (especially Jane and Gorr, who has a pretty strong "how-I-became-a-villain" story.) The ending is particularly good and may surprise you.

Love and Thunder does repeat the sin of the last one Ragnarok, but doubles down on it: there is a little too much reliance on jokes. Waititi seems unable to take many reprieves from the humor, and it can feel like he's trying too hard and that the more serious parts feel undermined. Also, the movie does throw a lot of emotional weight upon Thor, who's already been through the ringer. They really need to give him a breather.

Love and Thunder is definitely creative, more so than Ragnarok where as good as it was, admittedly a large portion was just spent on the Gamemaster's planet. We're thrown from one fantastical setting to the next. Everything looks great (really one of the most impressive looking Marvel films and that's saying something), continuing Ragnarok's combination of fantasy and colorful 70's-style science fiction. Although, like with the humor, Waititi focuses too much on jumping from one thing to the next and some may find it exhausting. Again, the director could've focused a little more on the drama. 

Bale is excellent as Gorr. He's completely threatening, yet the character doesn't feel like he's taking himself too seriously, which has been the flaw of some Marvel movie villains. Now that Jane has powers, Natalie Portman is definitely given more to do than in Thor: The Dark World, and she seems to work well with the superhero stuff and the more comic tone the Thor films has taken. But, I think she could've have had a few more scenes to build her character up; some Thor scenes could've been cut.

Recommended, this is a visually exciting, fun time. How does this compare to the other Thor films? I haven't rightly decided. (Definitely better than Thor: The Dark World). This may be the most creative movie, but admittedly has a looser story structure than some of the other films.

Hawkeye

8.5/10

In this new MCU show on Disney+, the retired-from-superheroing Clint Barton/Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), on a trip to New York, has to go back into action when a shadow from his past resurfaces and ends up having to work with wannabe superhero Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), who's his biggest fan.

Of all the the MCU shows, this is the one that's just trying the most to just have fun (not to say there aren't serious parts, especially with Clint). This is a bit of a madcap program as Clint and Kate run into one big personality or out-of-control situation after the next as they keep sinking deeper and deeper into trouble. This takes place on Christmas, and the festive feel adds to the show.  Also, action's pretty good with some occasional memorable moments, though expect more street level hand-to-hand style combat than the other shows.

Admittedly Hawkeye is no one's favorite Avenger, but I'm glad he finally got a solo project. Clint's more of an every guy. What's interesting about him is he didn't go through a major life-changing event to cause him to want to become a hero. He's a soldier who sort of fell into it. Unlike a lot of the other Marvel superheroes, you really don't go into his back story and have to fill in the gaps, which I like. A lot is said about guy through actions and attitude alone. Renner does a great playing a job playing a man who's burned out and just tired of the costs of supeheroing. Plus, he's shouldering his own guilt not in a brooding Batman way, but in a more realistic manner.

The core of this show is definitely the relationship between the jaded, grumpy Clint and the optimistic, but unprepared Kate. Hailee does a great job selling the character. Though there have been plenty of Marvel superheroes who have to learn to be a hero really quickly, Kate feels a little different as she's clearly always wanted to be a hero and already has her skill set, she's just a bit vague on the details on how to do it. Also, I love the explanation of why out of all the Avengers, Hawkeye's her favorite. Excellent exposition scene.

Thing is, they do spend a little too much time on Clint and Kate. There are a lot of interesting characters in this, but most of them don't feel like they were fleshed out or given enough to do. The show suffers the same kind of issue Loki did in that it feels like they posed most of the mysteries early on and just dropped all the answers on us in the last couple episodes. What made Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier work was that they doled out plot points carefully throughout the shows. Here we get a LOT of Kate and Clint shenanigans that start to run together, and there could've been more variety in the plotting.

Overall, highly recommended. I'd say this is the weakest of the four live-action Marvel shows, but that's just compared to the others. This is definitely a fun romp with some good Clint beats and more entertaining than a lot of other shows out there.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

10/10

(NOTE: I'm not including any spoilers per se. I will be talking about stuff that's already in the trailer. However, if you haven't seen the trailer, I won't deny that this may be one of those films where it may be beneficial if you watched it completely clean. Also, I will be briefly mentioning the outcome of the last Spider-Man movie if you don't want to know about it.)

In this, Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland), wants the world to forget he's Spider-Man. He turns to Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make everyone forget. The spell goes wrong and a transdimensional crisis occurs.

Wonderful script. Very creative, surprisingly heartfelt and dramatic (this is definitely the darkest of the MCU SM trilogy), while successfully blending in the comedy without taking away from the serious aspects. If you felt the Tom Holland SM strayed too far from the traditional concept of the hero struggling in a world against him, this is more of a return to form. (Though, I understand if you didn't want that and felt the concept overused). The ending hits home, I mean man oh man does it leave an impression. However, it might not be the ending everyone wanted.

Running at two hours and twenty-eight minutes, the length does raise its head during the last act. However, I can't decide what should've been cut. That's how good all the material is. Also, there are some plot points and character choices that don't make complete sense if you stop to think about them.

Excellent character work. Director Jon Watts and the script does an excellent job with even minor cast members. (The world feels really populated.) Parker, MJ (Zendaya), and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) are the perfect trio in this. (The latter two are utilized a lot more in this than the last two films.) They work so well off of each other and each brings something to the table. The more knowledgeable Dr. Strange works really with the more inexperienced, younger Peter Parker. (It's also just fun in general seeing the main three dealing with the world of magic in general.)

The idea to bring in the Spider-Man villains from the last two SP franchises was an idea of genius. (We would think this movie would feel repetitive given that Into the Spider-Verse did the multiverse not too long ago, but this feels surprisingly fresh.) First, we finally get to see the Sinister Six brought to screen. (Well, it's five here. Good enough for me; there's already a lot of characters in this, anyway. To be honest, they didn't need Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) in this.) Second, we get the privilege of seeing the talented Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx act alongside each other. The writers realized the weak points of Foxx's Electro from Amazing Spider-Man 2, who was a fairly  cliched nerdy guy who goes bad trope, and managed to strengthen the character's dialogue. The creators of this realized that the majority of SP villains started as good people who had something horrible happen to them, and they use this fact to bring something important to the table. 

The effects look great with the usual MCU budget. Action scenes are really well done. The fact that there are so many villains with so many different powers leads to a lot of impressive moments. 

Highly recommended. Definitely the best of the Holland trilogy, one of the best Spider-Man movies in general, and the best MCU movie of the year. This is just one of those films that pull you in and are highly entertaining.

Eternals

10/10

In this movie, the titular Eternals are immortal beings who have lived on Earth for centuries. The group, who have been scattered, reunite when their old enemies the people-eating Deviants return.  

The buzz about this film is that it was going to be different for a Marvel film and go for more of an epic feel. I'm very pleased to say that this met my expectations and really did feel different. Don't get me wrong this is still an MCU movie; it's got jokes and CGI fighting. However, it tweaks the formula a little.  There is a lot less fighting and a lot more focus on story and characters and their interactions. I know I've seen complaints about the length and pacing, but it was never an issue for me. I thought everything was done and revealed at a steady stride. I liked everything I learned as the movie goes on. It's got a large cast, but the movie makes the wise choice of not having everyone immediately meet at once, giving more time to let characters breathe. 

I give this movie credit for doing a few things you don't usually see in Marvel films. This is one of their entries that takes itself more seriously. A lot of thought is given than expected. We get the usual big fight, but it has more of an oomph than your traditional MCU finale.

The special effects in this are pretty good. Some great cosmic creature and sci-fi design. I wasn't initially sold by the Deviants' design in the commercials, looked like basic green CGI creatures, but there is a surprising amount of detail to them. No Deviant is alike and I appreciate the variety. 

Strong cast and group of characters. For 10 Eternals, all the characters' are fairly well developed, some more than others, but even the less prominent ones have distinctive traits. My favorite Eternals are probably Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo, the most humorous member of the group, and the technology-oriented Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who has one of the more interesting life paths. Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington has only a small part as the boyfriend of Eternal Cersei (Gemma Chan), but he shines as a more human element and generally likable guy. 

 Highly recommended. I know I might be a bit vague, but I don't want to spoil anything. This is a really entertaining superhero/god-like being epic. Definitely the best of the Marvel phase 4 films so far.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

9/10

In this film, Shang-Chi (played by Simiu Lu from the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience) is an unambitious fellow working as a valet with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). However, Shang-Chi's past comes to haunt him as he is pursued by the criminal organization The Ten Rings to which he has ties.

This film proves once again that the MCU is going to do just fine after the shakeup of Endgame. This is even a stronger entry than Black Widow. It's not one of those Marvel films that tries to switch up the tone a little. It is just a good ol' fashioned action-packed audience-pleaser. If you're a little tired of the Marvel formula, I'd like to say in defense of this movie that it is really well executed.

Some of the fight choreography is really impressive, especially the bus scene. And yeah we have the traditional big budget battle at the end that the MCU is also known for, but it's a very impressive final battle.

There are a lot of Chinese mythical creatures in this. I really appreciate the amount of detail and color that went toward them. However, it's clear the creatures are computer animated as the amount of detail is a little at the expense of realistic quality.  

The story in this has a different feel about it. It really is based around the main character's personal life and how it relates to his journey even more than the likes of Black Widow or Thor. The whole general backstory is really well thought out (especially when it comes to using the Mandarin/Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) without wandering into the general area of the Yellow Peril/Fu Manchu stereotype that the comics character originally was.) 

The script is one of the more humorous Marvel films and has two jokes that are just laugh-out-loud funny.

Though this movie makes good use of comprehensive flashbacks spread throughout to build the story, there are a lot of them and some could find them exhausting. I felt that the character of Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) wasn't always properly utilized in the last act. She needed more interaction between characters and it felt like her backstory didn't get a resolution in a way that would've felt natural. If you saw the character Death Dealer (Andy Le) in the trailers and thought he looked neat, be forewarned that he's basically Boba Fett, cool design but sadly underutilized. Plus, comics fans might be disappointed that they've significantly limited the abilities of the Mandarin's rings, which originally each had their own unique power.

Simiu makes for a likable lead. Think of Shang-Chi as kind of a goofy average Joe like Ant Man, except he's more sensible and a chill dude. However, it's Awkwafina who really steals the show. She's funny and entertaining, but she never feels like she's forced in and works well with the more serious moments of the film. Leung makes a good antagonist, one of the most sympathetic and sorta fleshed out villains in the MCU. 

Highly recommended, just an all-around entertaining movie.

Loki- Season 1

Note: Contains a reference that may be considered a vague sorta spoiler if you haven't seen Avengers Endgame.

9/10

In Loki on Disney+, the events of Avengers Endgame have resulted in a separate timeline. This one's Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is arrested by the TVA, time cops, for going against the timeline and finds himself recruited to fight a bigger foe.

This is a wondrously weird and creative show. Tt has kind of a Terry Gilliam feel to it. Loki finds himself running into several fantastical and intriguing situations and concepts. It's also kinda like WandaVision in that there are many mysteries and twists and turns. 

Although time authorities have been done before, the TVA manages to carve its own space. Admittedly, there are blatant comparisons to the time organization from The Umbrella Academy, especially since they both have anachronistic designs and dress codes. Still I think the two organizations do enough differently that the similarities aren't a deal killer.

Be forewarned that I didn't find the last episode as satisfying as I'd like. I didn't dislike it, but I feel there was room for improvement.

Unsurprisingly, this show titled Loki is mainly about Loki. The character has always been fun, but he always had to play second fiddle. Here the character gets to shine, and this turns out to be an incredibly strong character piece as the show goes into what makes Loki tick and his personal journey. I think we all know Loki has issues and damage, but I'm surprised how much introspection and pathos is in this. It's also kinda fun to see Loki, who's been selfish and usually pursuing his own goals and not having a lot of time to interact with people, thrown into other people's plans and conflicts and seeing him try to adapt to these situations. (Basically if you're tired of people falling for his tricks ALL the time, you'll be pleased with the change of pace here.) Hiddleston's performance has always been what made the character popular, and man does he really nail the character here but in a new way.

However, I think the show spends too much time on the title character than it really needs. You can only see Loki do Loki stuff and say Loki things for so long. The cast is smaller than WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which admittedly allows the story to be more focused, but I think the supporting characters could've had more to do. Loki's intelligence and strength does seem to vary drastically based on the situation. The show also has a nasty habit of putting Loki through the wringer, throwing heavy thing after heavy thing onto him, and it gets exhausting.

Going back to the characters, we've got some great casting. Owen Wilson is in this as TVA investigator Mobius and he brings a nice chain of pace from what he usually does. The character is a smart, level-headed, and nice guy, plus a solid foil for Loki. Mobius kind of serves as an audience surrogate, knowing all of Loki's tricks and exactly what makes him tick. The two of them got a good odd couple buddy cop thing going on.  

The show looks great. Of the recent MCU shows, this is the most theatrical looking. The show really outdid itself with all the different places Loki visits. The design for the TVA headquarters is really, really impressive (especially the exterior). Though, the low lighting and monotone color scheme of the place does get on my nerves a little. The costume design is also really good, again being pretty diverse.

Highly recommended. I did prefer Wandavision and F&tWS. The show doesn't feel quiiiiite as solidly put together and like I said it tries a little too hard to be dramatic. Could've lightened things up a little. Still, compared to a lot of the shows out there there, it's surpasses a lot of them. Very entertaining.

Black Widow

 

8.5/10

In Black Widow's first feature film, which takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the titular superhero spy (played by Scarlett Johansson), ends up dealing with her tragic past as she goes up against the organization that trained her.  

This is definitely the darkest Marvel movie, even more so than Infinity War.  Think of this like the franchise's version of a modern James Bond film. Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff has a compelling backstory and personal journey in this. Although we get the traditional action-packed finale to a Marvel film, I appreciated that the emphasis still remained with story. That having been said, I do think that too much emphasis was put on Black Widow's past personal experience with her allies. I would have liked to seen more explanation of how the Black Widow program operated. Also, this movie does a good job of successfully filling in elements of BW's backstory hinted in the past without feeling crammed in or being disappointing (like with how the reveal of how Nick Fury lost his eye).

Johansson again does a confident, cool performance as her character. What's fresh is Florence Pugh's performance as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), another member of the Black Widow program whose got a past with Natasha. She's the funny one in comparison to the straighter Natasha, and has most of the best lines. 

Speaking of Natasha's humorousness, though she's fun, I admit her more jovial attitude doesn't line up with her tragic backstory of being trained as a soldier since her childhood. The character of Alexei/the Red Guardian, though Stranger Things' David Harbour does well in the role, is supposed to be a comedy relief and redemptive character, but it's hard to forgive him based on his past actions. Based on the man he started as, I think the script could've done more to make him remorseful. 

The main villain Dreykov (Rey Winstone) isn't the most stand out antagonist in the MCU, but he's not underwritten like some of weaker ones such as Thor the Dark World's Maliketh. Dreykov has the honor of being Marvel's single most hate-able villain. A lot of villains in the MCU you can understand where they're coming from, though you can't condone their actions, but this villain is just refreshingly horrible.

This is a Marvel film, so there are the traditional big action set pieces, including a couple grand visuals. They have that traditional Marvel feel, but don't do enough to differentiate from other films in the franchise. The editing during the action also feels too quick. On t.he plus side, the hand-to-hand fighting fairs better than the other action parts. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this. The story definitely kept my interest, and it was definitely nice to finally see a movie go into Natasha's past. However, I admit that the plot set up might not work for everyone.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

10/10

In Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, Sam Wilson/the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) go up against the terrorist organization the Flagsmashers. Out of the first three Marvel shows with trailers, the other two being WandaVision and Loki, this couldn't stand out as much compared to the more creative and unexpected paths the other two were taking. It seemed to be the most traditional of the Marvel shows. Well, the show's come out now, and it's definitely proved itself.

This may not be as original as Wandavision, but I think FatWS was the better scripted show. It really manages to keep the spyesque, political intrigue-light feel of the last two Captain America films. The show manages to incorporate heavy themes that include racism, PSTD, and sociological/political elements smoothly into the superhero world of Marvel.  

The six-episode run times gives the characters more room to breathe than in the films resulting in a character piece with a nuanced, three-dimensional cast. None of the villains are straight up evil-for-the-sake-of-evil and you get where they're coming from.    

You just get a great bunch of faces in this. Sam Wilson really is the successor to Steve Rogers/Captain America as the hero who's trying to do good for the sake of good. He realizes more than Steve that the world isn't perfect and has some compelling struggles. Still, he is the voice of reason and legitimately tries to talk things over with his opponents. Stan also does a great job as a brooding Bucky trying to recover from his horrible past.     

This show brings the first live action appearance of John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who for a short period of time during the 80's was the bad boy/antihero Captain America. Walker's the competition to Sam and Bucky in taking down the threat, and he's one of the more intriguing parts of the show. He's a very complex fellow and a wild card.  

Flagsmasher was the Captain America villain I've wanted to see adapted the most. Having the villains' motivation be pro-globalism, anti-nationalism, is a unique motive. Their leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) works, oozing self-righteousness.  

The aforementioned characters are all good, but it's Daniel Bruhl as Zemo who steals the show. I feel that he was one of the best villains in the Marvel movies, but didn't get as much credit as he deserved, probably due to his plan in Winter Soldier being too complex and the large cast relegating him mostly to just enacting his plan. But, I'm glad to see that this show has gotten him quite a bit of buzz online. We're given more time to know Zemo, and he proves himself to be quite charming and a conversationalist. He remains the smartest guy in the room, you're left anticipating what his next move will be.

The one thing I don't love is that this is Sharon Carter's third appearance, and she still hasn't been given enough time to reach her full potential. Her actress Emily VanCamp was also filming her show The Resident at the same time as this, so it's understandable that they couldn't use her as much, and we're lucky they were filming in the same area and the two shows were able to work things out at all. I just find the character's MCU adaptation disappointing. In the comics, she's Captain America's main love interest and one of the more prominent characters. However, the films were too busy to squeeze her in more (early attempts were made to include her in Infinity War, but she got cut) and Peggy Carter resonated more as a love interest with the fans. She does get more to do here, but I guess it's just not what I wanted. 

The show looks great. Like Wandavision, it is almost film quality. There are some impressive and at times creative fight scenes. Costume design works, too. They finally adapt Zemo's classic purple comics mask, and it works pretty well.

I highly recommend Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It's just really good.

Wandavision

10/10

In Wandavision, former Avengers Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and the Vision (Paul Bettany) move to a small idyllic town  to live in anonymity. But something is very off. The world is operating according to rules of sitcoms throughout the years, including black-and-white episodes and laugh tracks. Also if you saw the end of Avengers: Endgame, there is another large glaring question about this whole situation.

I absolutely loved the show. After the tremendous finale to all the films in the Infinity Stones saga and some main actors exiting, I was afraid that Marvel could've exhausted itself or not know where to go next. Wandavision completely proves me wrong. It is a unique and creative combination of sitcoms and The Twilight Zone. On one hand we get some really spot-on odes to several nostalgic comedies, right down to the styles, sets, filming techniques, and aspect ratios. On the other hand, we get the next big "mystery box" show as we're slowly introduced to what is going on. This is the first MCU to actually go scary (main MCU not the TV branch like Hellstrom). It also givea Inifnity War/Endgame a run for their money for darkest entry. However, the show never quite violates the general audience feel that the Marvel films are known for.    

As weird as the show gets, it never loses the human touch and is actually one of the more emotional entries in the MCU. It's nice to get time to fully focus on Wanda and Vision. They've really only been in a handful of films in which they were never the leads. Yet, the characters were strong enough that you quickly began to root for them. Now they finally get their due. This is primarily Olsen's movie as Wanda, and she absolutely kills it in what is an Emmy-nomination-worthy performance. She nails all the nuances of each acting style of each era absolutely and the emotional segments. Bettany also gives a great performance, though do to a lot of this having him act like a TV dad, he doesn't have as many times to be as eloquent as he has been in the films. (Though when he does, he's wonderful.) Best new face award goes to Katherine Hahn as Wanda's neighbor Agnes. In fact, this show just has a great supporting and recurring cast overall. There are a few faces I'd like to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't heard about them.

I've already mentioned how the show went to lengths to recreate the sitcom feel, but even the non-sitcom stuff looks great. Like The Mandalorian, this show has a large budget and almost looks film quality. Each sitcom includes its own theme song written by Frozen's Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, all which do a wonderful job of fitting their respective time periods. Also, we get a good ending theme and credits, which is a nice surprise in an era where they don't get much love.

Now, some viewers may have trouble with the first few episodes if antiquated television pacing isn't your thing. But rest assured, the show focuses more on the reveals and less on sticking to format as the show moves on. Surprisingly, prime fodder for nineties sitcoms, like Full House or Family Matters, aren't used. Also due to the large number of faces in this, some of the characters don't get enough time as you like. Also, I think that one or two characters' screentime may have been cut due to possible scheduling conflicts or not wanting to take health risks after production was paused due to COVID, which is definitely unsatisfying.

I highly recommend this, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Retroactive review: Spider-Man: Homecoming

9/10

I really like this movie.

At the time of its release, Spider-Man Homecoming was my favorite Spider-Man movie. (Now it's Spider-Verse). It is such a fun film with a good combo of humor and action. Now, fans of Spidey's more tragic and angsty side may not like the fact that this is more of a generally crowd-pleasing, popcorn film. However, after five movies that were big on tragic events, I was okay with this being more lighthearted. 

This is one of the most natural feeling of the SM movies. I liked the original trilogy, but it did have a retro feel and the Amazing films lacked a concrete identity. After five films, this movie does a surprisingly good job of re-inventing Spidey. There is a lot more of a focus on Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as a regular teenager in a regular teenager environment. The movie also manages to provide drama in Pete's life without resorting to the picked-on-nerd cliche. Now, he's in a school for science and technology instead of a regular high school and it's an interesting place to watch. Another nice twist is changing Flash Thompson (Grand Budapest Hotel's Tony Revoleri) from a jock/physical bully to a preppie/verbal bully. 

Holland does a great job as an earnest, very well-meaning Spider-Man. However, the film's one flaw lies with the main character. Peter Parker is supposed to be an awkward, not-quite-mature teen, but he can be so impetuous and delusional here that it can get annoying. Not a deal breaker, but that side of Parker could've been toned down.

The Vulture (Michael Keaton) is a great villain. I liked that he was a more practical, down-to-Earth antagonist. There were no big plans of revenge or mass destruction plots, he's just a guy running a business, albeit a very crooked one. The character is multi-faceted, at times charming, sympathetic, and intimidating. I also feel that his villain outfit is such an inspired and eye-catching adaptation of the comic one.

The whole movie looks great from the well-lit look that shows a bright side of New York to some wonderful action scenes and effects.

I highly recommend this to any superhero movie fans.