Review: Luke Cage Season 1 Netflix
Netflix and Marvel successfully do it again. The question is whether it was as good as the other shows, and if it warrants a second season. Here’s my breakdown of the characters in the show, how they factored in, and a little bit of speculation on where it could go from here. There are spoilers, so if you don’t want to see them, scroll down to the final paragraph for my rating.
Luke Cage/Power Man/Carl Lucas: I said it before and this series backs that claim… Mike Colter is the perfect pick for the main character. He looks as if he enjoys his character, and Cage was presented without flaw in my opinion. The back story of Carl Lucas, the references to his classic Power Man costume and name, and the evolution of Luke Cage was spot on. If there was anything I thought could have made it better would be Pop’s barbershop becoming a new place with Heroes For Hire. Although they didn’t show that, the H4H was certainly set up that way. Luke was always a character I liked, but never spent much time thinking about. Now I wonder why he wouldn’t have been the new Captain America instead of Falcon in the comics, but that’s going off on another tangent.
Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes: I’ve never seen Mahershala Ali in anything before, but his acting made Cottonmouth worth watching. He turned what was a very lame character in the comics into a badass. I didn’t see his death coming as early as it did, and who’d caused it. His actions were always a surprise, and though he wasn’t as much a crime lord as Kingpin in Daredevil, he certainly had a great presence. If I’d have changed anything, it would have been how he didn’t seem like much of a threat in the episode he died. I felt he should have gone out stronger than he did. I see why they did it however. It was a way of making you feel for the character right before ripping him away. All in all? Great storytelling regardless of how it was approached.
Mercedes “Misty” Knight: Simone Missick was just proof of more great casting choices. I love the buildup and portrayal of Misty, and felt sorry for her along the way. She was the single character in this whole series that had more to deal with than anyone else. Constantly being stuck in a hard place didn’t mean she couldn’t kick ass either. Aside from her central role in the story we also got a few other comic references with her. When she was shot in the arm there was even mention that she could lose it. This was in reference to her bionic arms in the comics. Her outfit at the end, when she reentered the club undercover was straight from the pages of Marvel, and her tearing the piece of paper from the light post also gave a nod to another character whom she’ll eventually meet, Colleen Wing.
Hernan “Shades” Alvarez: Theo Rossi was irritating in a good way. This was THE character that you hated to love. He’s the type of antagonist that makes the viewer want to see punched in the face, but also never go away. In the comics, Shades had a visor similar to Cyclops from X-Men. I’m extremely happy that they took away that aspect and left him as a right hand man for the bosses. He seemed to have no particular allegiance to anyone, which makes me question one thing… He could pull off being a mob boss on his own, so why does he always end up being someone’s lackey? And what is it about him that scares his bosses? I say that because it seemed he could say anything he wanted to them, and there’d be no consequence.
Willis Stryker/Diamondback: Erik LaRay Harvey was a good pick for the character, but I don’t feel Diamondback was one to be taken seriously. Sure, he was crazy, but that’s what made it seemed out of place to me. His motivations were lacking and childish, and I can’t see why Cottonmouth was afraid of him. Okay, that aside, he was a major threat to everyone in the story, including Cage. The Chitauri metal being used as bullets that could penetrate Luke’s skin was an interesting addition, especially since we got to see how they could possibly do surgery on him. The final battle with Luke gave Diamondback a comic appropriate costume that made sense, and we’re obviously going to have him getting similar powers to his half brother in the second season or Defenders, after that ending. I look forward to seeing him return in a less mentally awkward role, and more of a physical threat.
Claire Temple/Nightnurse: Rosario Dawson’s character finally got some good screen time. She received some more back story, and even talked about how she wanted to help people with powers. This set up her role as the Night Nurse in Defenders.
Mariah Dillard/Black Mariah: Alfre Woodard has to take the prize for best acting in the series. She’s stellar in her performance of the corrupt politician. She’s got motivation and I’m glad to see her overall role remaining a presence. This woman came off as more of a threat than Wilson Fisk did in DD. I’m eager to see what will happen with her if she returns.
Comic book cameo roles: Trish Walker was heard over a radio broadcast briefly. Turk Barrett returned, and though it felt like a forced placement it was welcomed. Comanche played a role as Shades’ partner in prison, and though I can honestly say I know nothing about that character’s comic book portrayal, it was cool to see another D-lister appear in some way. Stan Lee’s poster was seen again in the background, just like in the other Netflix shows, and the references to the incident in Avengers as well as the other Netflix heroes brought it all together.
Various other roles: Detective Scarfe, Pop, and the countless other thug and police roles, as well as the countless musicians involved were nothing but pleasing to see. Method Man’s appearance was downright awesome!
Speculation: here’s what I think. Defenders are set up (all but Iron Fist, but he’s coming). We’ve got Luke Cage, who will obviously get out of prison due to a certain Daredevil lawyer. Aside from those two heroes there’s Misty Knight, The Night Nurse, Jessica Jones, Punisher, and the soon addition of Iron Fist and Colleen Wing. We might even get Trish as Hellcat. But who will be the threat? It was just announced that Sigourney Weaver will be the main villain for Defenders. Who she will be remains to be seen… Perhaps Madame Hydra?… regardless she has a ripe picking of villains to add to her antagonist army… Diamondback will now have abilities, Mariah Dillard, Shades, Kingpin, Turk and I’m sure I’m missing a few. I thought Avengers was highly anticipated when it was coming out, but now I’m beginning to think Defenders will be much the same.
Overall review: The music and acting were superior. Comic book references made old school fans happy. Real world events fit into the storytelling without pushing an agenda. This was some great storytelling with some flaws. It didn’t drag out like Jessica Jones did, and it did give us a good origin for multiple characters. It’s not perfect, but its earned one of the top places in my book for great action and attention. This was the first series of ALL of the Netflix shows that I think I could have literally watched all the way through without stopping in one sitting. I’d never do that, nor have the time to, but it was compelling and really decent. I give it 4.5 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins for my review. Keep them coming, Netflix and Marvel.
Review: Once Upon A Time season 5
While I feel this season was the worst this show had to offer, it had its moments and built towards a finale that was worth the wait. Season 6 is sure to return the show to what once made it so great, but what was it about season 5 that just didn’t match par? Below is my spoiler filled review. As usual if you don’t want to see the spoilers, then scroll down to the last paragraph for my rating.
The main characters: Emma / Dark Swann wasn’t convincing as the Dark One for the first half of the season. There was no personality change short of having different motives, and even that is a stretch. It wasn’t the switch that we’ve seen with Mr. Gold so well, and felt boring from start to mid season. Speaking of Mr. Gold… Rumplestiltskin even felt boring for the first half of the season. It wasn’t until the final three episodes where he began to be interesting again. I’m hoping season 6 really returns him to that role in the way that makes him a great villain. Snow White & Prince Charming are questionable at best. They should never have gone to the underworld with Emma while leaving their daughter behind. Does someone want to tell them that at this point they are insignificant? At the end it started to feel like the couple was going to be useful again, but to me they didn’t feel like themselves. Henry was all over the place, but for some reason this works. Perhaps its his age and making decisions on his own that brings the realistic feel of his actions into play. My only critique here is his speech to the New York crowd. I doubt he’d have gotten that type of response in real life, at least with the verbage used. Belle was a hinge in the way that directly her presence did nothing to make the show better, but indirectly she served as a pivot for Rumple’s teetering. Hook and Regina both remained interesting and without them the show may have fallen apart. I’m happy with where they both started and ended. Robin Hood was the biggest surprise, and I’m left wondering what will happen to his son after all that’s gone down. Regina just sent him back to the enchanted forest with the Merry men.
The newcomers:
King Arthur was frustrating for me. It worked when they made Peter Pan a villain, but Arthur felt like a slap in the face. This legendary king was nothing more than a thug with power. Guinevere didn’t even matter in the long run, and Lancelot was as close to the real thing as we were going to get. The interesting parts were with Excalibur being a part of the Dark One’s dagger. That alone was the most interesting part of the first half of the season. And then there is Merlin… Am I wrong to have wanted an old guy to play this part? I didn’t care about the race change. What I wanted was someone who seemed to be ancient, and this was a role completely miscast.
Nimue was extremely interesting and great while she lasted, though I feel I wanted to really see what she was capable of as the Dark One. We only got a tease of that, but she had a nice back story which helped move it along.
Violet came as a surprise. Her addition gave Henry a love interest, but her reveal of her origins (or at least her father’s) at the end of the season was exciting. I hope she returns making Henry’s decisions more of a focal point as at this point I think they can take the reigns and run with it. It’ll be nice to see younger heroes matter more.
Hades was amazing, and his Underworld bringing back many of the dead characters worked well too. What didn’t work was Hercules and Megara. Their stories were good, but if they’d have been more utilized then I think the second half would have been more exciting. Instead the Underworld made me wonder if the writers had been from there with the bland and drawn out narrative. Zeus‘ quick appearance was a pleasant surprise though and made for a good ending to that part of the season.
Merida and her parents, her story, and her village was absolutely perfect! In fact I might say she was the best new addition we had all season. She stole every scene and the source material was well respected.
Dorothy Gale oh Dorothy Gale. (long sigh). Anyone who knows me knows that the Wizard of Oz and those L Frank Baum books were a huge inspiration into my writing career. I love the interpretation of the Wicked Witch in OUAT, but Dorothy made me a bit upset. Look, I get that you need to put gay characters into the show. In fact I welcome it. But the writers not only took creative freedom with her sexuality, they made her a little too much of a warrior in my opinion. Dorothy in the books was always a sweet girl, and nothing about this actress echoed that. She looked miserable the entire time, and didn’t seem like Dorothy at all. To top that off, it wasn’t so much that she was attracted to women, but she fell in love with Little Red Riding Hood, Ruby. So is it safe to say that she is no longer in the gay community, but into bestiality instead? Bottom line is the decision made here was a public relations ploy that is insulting to straight and gay alike. If you’re going to make a person gay, then don’t have them making out with a human/wolf hybrid. Bestiality is not cool even if Ruby is smoking hot. All rant aside it was cool to see the cameo by the Scarecrow.
Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde – now THIS is where the show started to feel like it had gone back to its roots. I love Disney in every way, but the overkill of Disney related stories was getting to me and I think the audiences. Storybrooke and what made this show work was that ALL story book characters were alluded to. We got Frankenstein and a few others, so my question was always where are all the other books? There should be no limits. I realize rights issues are a problem, but not with all. Jekyll and Hyde were good interpretations with the separation twist that set up a potentially great season. I’m curious to see where they go now that Hyde’s minions are in town. Who are they? They made references in the book Henry found that showed Paul Bunyan, Frankenstein, and Gulliver’s travels, but who else? The suspense is killing me. Top that with wanting to know how Hyde and Rumplestiltskin knew each other, AND Regina now being a separate entity from the Evil Queen and season 6 could be better than all prior seasons combined. Other than Granny, all of the other characters have returned home leaving a virtually blank slate for those coming on board.
In Conclusion I realize my review is a bit rough in spots, but as a writer source material is important, a compelling story is important, and some sort of suspense or anticipation is important. Season 5 fell flat on all of these except in some special places. That aside, I will be returning for season 6 and can’t wait to see what’s in store. Season 5 gets 2 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins for my rating.
Review: Marvel TV shows 2015-2016
Since I did the DC post it’s time to review the Marvel TV and Netflix shows for the 2015-2016. Like all of my reviews I will break it down by character giving my honest thoughts as a comic fan and viewer. There will be spoilers, so if you want my rating on each show scroll down to the final paragraph of each section (which ends with a solid line).
Feel free to comment and add your own thoughts below. I will be reviewing Jessica Jones season 1, Daredevil season 2, Agent Carter season 2, and Agents of SHIELD season 3.
First up Jessica Jones season 1:
Jessica Jones – She’s raunchy, she’s a drunk, she’s sexual, she’s got a bad attitude, she’s everything that a superhero isn’t, but she leaves her mark as one. Jessica is the most interesting character to watch as of yet. My only problem with this show was the extreme amounts of sexual scenes. I’m no prude by any means, but by the fourth gratuitous softcore porn scene I was tired of it. It’s as if there was nothing else that the writers had to do with their time. We get it. We get the type of character she is, but seriously it was overkill.
Luke Cage – was one of the two best things about this show. Casting was perfect and his acting superb. I actually got chills during the first bar fight scene that made me want to skip right to his show coming this fall. I found it predictable that he’d be controlled by Killgrave at one point, so I wasn’t surprised. I WAS however shocked by the shotgun blast to the face. That part of the story was intense and brought in the help of Claire Temple who made reference to Daredevil.
Kilgrave – The Purple man was an absolutely delightful villain to see. He is right up there with villains you want to hate but love (like Loki, the Joker, and Hannibal Lecter). He’s downright creepy and his ability to control others actions adds to that. By far he was one of the top villains in Marvel live action. It’s just a shame that he’s now dead.
Trish “Patsy” Walker – I loved her in the show, and she’s another perfect casting. In fact all of the cast was perfectly picked. They obviously are building her up to become Hellcat at some point, so we shall see what they do in season 2.
Simpson / Nuke – The officer gone rogue was basically an abusive addict by season end. He really embodied the rage that his comic book counterpart portrayed and the viewer is left really wanting him to be hurt for his actions.
Jeri Hogarth – I feel this part of the show could have been better written. We get that she likes women, but we don’t need a reference every two seconds. None of the straight characters are doing that, so it seems forced a bit. I’m all for equal portrayal of characters, but it got a bit over the top in parts… then again most of this show was over the boundaries. Regardless of my opinion she served a great purpose to the narrative, and I hope we see more of her.
In conclusion: Season 1 of Jessica Jones frustrated me not on the soft core porn sense, but it could have been just as effective if it were 4 episodes shorter. It was drawn out to a point where I was yelling at the tv for her to finish the job already. Other than those two complaints I really did enjoy it, and it brought a new feel to the Marvel cinematic universe. I give the show a 3 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins
Daredevil Season 2:
Daredevil / Matt Murdock – To me DD took a back seat this season as Castle was the highlight of the show, but that doesn’t mean he was bad by any means. We got to see a conflicted side of Matt Murdock, and while he mostly stuck with his own judicial and moral code he waivered at times making him unpredictable. This was a great decision on the writing end.
Foggy and Karen – I put them together because they each had their own equally interesting story arcs. Foggy is even going to work for Jeri Hogarth now, so I’m sure we will see him crossing over into the other shows. The trio is no longer a team, but each has their own little corner in the story. I’d like to see Karen and Matt work on their relationship because it left in a strange place.
Melvin Potter and Claire Temple – again I had to put these together as they were very small roles as opposed to the pair above. I’d like to see Potter become the Gladiator and I think they are building it towards that. He would be an excellent villain as he knows DD’s weaknesses. Claire is just Claire. She’s doing what she does best and it should be kept that way. Rosario Dawson can do no wrong here.
Elektra – Why Matt ever was attracted to her other than looks is beyond me. She’s clearly got little morals. But her beauty and bad nature clearly had its wrap on him. Elektra was great. I’ve no complaints other than I’m kind of hoping she’s brought back somehow. To me it made no sense to kill her off. I’d have rather seen Karen or Foggy wiped out instead.
Stick and the Hand – Both the old man and the ninjas were completely badass. There isn’t much more to say other than I’m hoping everything established in season 2 with these will bring about Daredevil in a Shadowland story. Him in charge of the Hand would be very interesting to see.
Kingpin – Wilson Fisk’s role is small, but that’s all it needed to be. Even behind bars he clearly has control of everything. His manipulation of Punisher and no fear of Murdock puts him in a place where you know he’s coming back better and badder than ever.
Frank Castle / The Punisher – He is my favorite comic book character of all time, and he was done so right here that there’s no way it could get better other than seeing his own series next year. From his brutality to his purpose he had it all nailed. Kudos to Jon Bernthal for kicking ass and taking names.
In Conclusion: DD season 2 was by far my favorite of the Marvel seasons to watch. Perhaps even more so than the movies as well. I am rating it with a full 5 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins.
Agent Carter Season 2:
Peggy Carter – It’s always a delight to see Hayley Atwell do anything, so I feel bad for how this season turned out. I don’t think it was the worst it could have been, but it lacked heart. Peggy was one of two parts that were good about it. Everything else really didn’t work for me.
Black Widow (Dottie Underwood) – was underused. Jarvis – was all over the place with who he was in love with and his own morals. Howard Stark – was no way near as good as he was in season 1 and it almost didn’t even feel like his character.
Joseph Manfredi – was decent enough, but never felt like a true threat, while constantly being overthrown by the Zero Matter plot.
Whitney Frost / Madame Masque – was the other part I felt was worth seeing. She played the villain role well and it made sense. I just feel as though it could have been better.
In conclusion: I said at the end of Season 1 (which I liked) that season 2 would not be needed. It should have stayed that way. We had a great hero and a great villain, but everything else was forgettable. If a show can’t hold my interest I’m out, but I forced myself through this entire season only to be sorely disappointed at my wasted hours. I have to rate it with a 1.5 out of 5 sCrypt coffins. It wasn’t quite a 1, but didn’t deserve 2.
Agents of SHIELD season 3:
The agents: Phil Couson continues to be a pleasure to watch, though his constant smirk makes it difficult at times to take him seriously. Hunter fell flat this season due to his relationship with Mockingbird / Bobbi Morse. The pair worked great together, but individually only she worked. I realize they were written off of the show due to a potential spinoff, but now that that isn’t happening I hope we still get to see Bobbi’s return in some manner. Fitz/Simmons became slightly less annoying as the season went on and for the first time in the series I actually didn’t mind both of them. I still feel as though Fitz is better when he’s driven to make solo decisions, and that Simmons acts exactly the same no matter what situation she’s in. That’s good for him, but bad for her. Melinda May continues to be a badass, but we got to see a softer side of her which was nice for a change. It enabled viewers to see that she isn’t all work. At least she didn’t used to be anyway. Mack by far is my favorite agent to watch. He’s the perfect embodiment of what an agent should be, although he does tend to have issues with authority at times. All around the entire SHIELD team are like pieces of a puzzle. They are great as a whole, but individually have flaws.
Secret Warriors: Daisy Johnson / Quake – Well she finally took on her codename by season end, but I was left confused. She is on the run or running solo? Why is SHIELD hunting her? She was obviously left scarred by her actions against the team, but if SHIELD is after her to make her accountable for what she did, then how did she escape in the first place? There is too much left unanswered. Lincoln on the other hand had a surprising fate. I did not for one second believe he’d be the one to die. I really grew to like him throughout the season so it makes sense as he said he didn’t want to be an agent after all. Despite that statement he still died a hero. Meltdown was underused in my opinion. The first episode was great when they hunted him down, but after that he didn’t get used nearly enough. I’m hoping this changes. Yo-Yo was great as well but I think they are rushing with her and Mack’s “relationship” if that’s what you want to call it. It is possible however that they are gearing up for her to be Mack’s new partner in place of Daisy on the team. The question then is… What happened to the Secret Warriors? Are they now defunct?
Lash was great until the reveal of his true identity. I feel he lost some bit of mystery there, but it was redeemed when he fully became Lash again. The fact that he saved Daisy makes me believe he was a combination of both personalities and that in the end the decision was made by his human half and not his bestial one.
Hive – What makes Agent Ward even better? Make him a heartless alien bringer of death. Everything from his powers to his true appearance looked superb. I’m glad he was destroyed as I didn’t want this story to drag on, but it makes me wonder who could possibly be brought in to be a great villain for next season. His deformed lackeys were terrible looking thugs with no purpose other than to be henchmen. That part I’m not sure I liked too much.
Talbot and Absorbing Man – I love the recurring presence of Talbot, and the smart use of Crusher Creel. I could see this whole thing leading into a “Dark Warriors” storyline, something akin to what the comics did with the Avengers, only having Talbot in charge.
Hellfire was great though I’m not sure I like his origin. My pickiness aside he was fun to watch and had a lot of character to him.
Holden Radcliffe was as the Machine Teen in the comics, and I’m glad to see they changed this for the show. He works better as a man with age and wisdom. I can see how his creations could prove to be a future threat, even if he did leave on good terms with SHIELD. I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a more significant villain.
Other references/characters: Werner Von Strucker was no way near as threatening as his father, and for that reason I’m glad he was only a small role. Manifold was referenced quickly for any comic fan who may have picked up on it. Civil War had also affected the show on a minor level but then it was left to hang. There was no real reveal as to whether Coulson’s team would be forced to sign the accords or not.
In Conclusion – Agents of SHIELD season 3 was the best season of the show yet, but still had some irritating qualities. It was a good build up for a season 4 that could potentially be really great. Still, despite what it lead into it fell flat enough to make it less than great. Overall I’m rating it with a 3 out of 5 as it has established itself as a fun show that can exist successfully without relying on the much better films in the same universe.
So there’s my take. What did you think? This gives Marvel TV 2015-2016 an average sCrypt rating of 3 out of 5. Clearly aside from Netflix DC rules the contest with their TV shows, but Marvel’s strong suit remains on the big screen leaving DC in the dust. I only want both to succeed and am happy for what we get, so here’s hoping it all gets better.
Review: DC Comics TV shows 2015-2016
This review will cover all of DC’s Television shows for the 2015-2016 season. It includes Gotham, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments below, and be warned that there will be spoilers. If you want to know my review of each show individually, then skip down to the last paragraph of each section (sections end with a solid line ______). I will do a quick character breakdown as I feel that is the best way to rate a show. Plot points etc will be mentioned there as well.
First up… GOTHAM Season 2:
James Gordon – The story arc this season was all over the place. I didn’t like his actions at the end of the first half of this season because I didn’t feel it was in his character, but I accepted it. Then this season we get Gordon as a cop, Gordon on the run, Gordon as an inmate, and Gordon as a broken hearted self shaming man. Very little did we see the James Gordon that becomes Batman’s biggest ally. With his departure at the end of the season I don’t know how he will be when he returns for season 3, but I hope this is corrected.
Harvey Bullock – If anything Harvey played a better role than Gordon. But what bothers me is that he was more of a role model than his partner. He played a badass who broke the rules but did what was right and is now in charge of the police force. I’m not sure I like that leadership role for him, but Bullock was still fun to watch in every scene.
Tabitha Galavan /Tigress – Again here is another character who felt right in the beginning and fell apart. She was a cold hearted assassin and then suddenly just a henchman. The last we see of her she’s in a hospital bed. I’m sure she’ll be making an appearance again, but if we don’t see her it won’t be that much of a loss. If she does return I’m hoping for the cold hearted assassin again.
Butch – There isn’t much bad I can say about him. I think some of his story arcs are lame and he’s a bit of a quirky character, but as a henchman he’s fitting. As a leader he is not, so I’m glad they got away from that quickly. When he used the gatling gun at the end and shot up the school bus I thought to myself that he’s finally returning to being the “muscle” of the villains.
Jerome Valeska – He was easily the highlight of the season. I would have been happy if he turned out to be the Joker one day. The perfect amalgamation of all joker incarnations so far he really played that psychotic part well. If there is one character I do hope to see return from the dead I hope its him. I realize that the basement in Arkham has been shut down, but I hold out hope that he was one of the escapees on the bus, because no one could play that part better. Whether he ends up being alive and the Joker remains to be seen, but he left behind a legacy of laughter that obviously set seed for the main villain to be born.
Richard Sionis / Black Mask – What a waste. I had to mention him because he’s a key character in the mythos, but they killed him so fast I am a little irritated at how they handled it.
Chief Nathaniel Barnes – I’ve no complaints but more a question here… Did Barnes die? They said he was rushed off to the hospital but I’m not sure he was ever declared dead. Either way his presence helped to make the first half of the season enjoyable.
Silver St. Cloud – For once a female character in the show didn’t annoy me. Sorry, not to sound sexist, but the writers tend to make feminine characters cringe worthy. Silver however seemed like her comic counterpart and the actress played the part well. It was an interesting plot point adding her in so early with her Bruce Wayne relationship.
Bridgit / Firefly – And she’s the second intro I really enjoyed. From her origin until the end of the season I thoroughly enjoyed her evolution into the female version of Firefly. Nothing felt forced and I look forward to seeing her again.
Eduardo Flamingo – Batshit crazy comes to mind, but in a whole other way than Jerome. His short stint for an episode was another highlight, and while I didn’t think the acting was done all that well I feel as though the character served his purpose.
Professor Hugo Strange – It was good to see a live action version of this character who in my opinion is one of Batman’s greatest foes. I think they kept him close to the trueness of who he is supposed to be, but while he always fed into the psychosis of the villains he never actually created them. That’s where this falls short for me. I’m not sure I like just about every villain being his creation. For some it works, but not all, and because of that I was split down the center with him in this season.
Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze – His story arc was handled well, but I’m not sure what his motivation is from here on out. With his wife dead that part of his persona and purpose is mute. Mr. Freeze always did what he did to find a cure for his wife, but now she’s dead, so the character really has no meaning other than being a common criminal with an ice gun. At first I didn’t like the look with his hair, but loved the eyes. The look grew on me by the end of the season though and the special effects were nice.
Patrick “Matches” Malone – I like that Bruce came face to face with a persona that he will adapt one day while undercover trying to gather information. I don’t like how they handled this character though and ignored the Joe Chill killing Bruce’s parents. It seemed like the writers just wanted to throw another name into the mythos way too early in the game.
Azrael – Theo Galavan being resurrected was the only part of this that made sense, but as Azrael he felt close to being acceptable. The look was right, but I really hope this is just a precursor to the real Azrael. With him being dead it is to be believed that the Order of Saint Dumas would continue using that legend to recruit newer versions of the character. Time will tell, but for now we can lay this one to rest.
Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin – When he is acting as The Penguin he’s easily still one of the best parts of this show, but I’m sick of this back and forth with him. He was all over the place, and with Mooney’s return at the end I fear once again we won’t be getting what they keep building him up to be. The nonsense needs to stop once and for all. Get this character right as we have seen can be done in this show, and keep him that way.
Edward Nygma / The Riddler – Now THIS is a character who is the best part of this show hands down. We actually have a true Riddler now and I look forward to him more. We definitely haven’t seen the last of him. All he needs now is a costume and name.
Clayface / Basil Karlo – A quick and pleasant use of the character. He was never my favorite Clayface (the Matt Hagen version is), but I enjoyed his addition and will be eager to see him used again and the extent of his shapeshifting abilities.
Fish Mooney – WHY? WHY? WHY? KEEP HER DEAD!!!! Jada Pinkett is the worst actress on this show. It is so painful I can’t take it. They had to bring her back and now she’s got the powers to control people by a single touch? Ugh!!! I can’t… I just can’t… Horrendous.
Bruce Wayne – In the first season he wasn’t handled too well, but each episode with him gets better and closer to the Bruce/Batman that I love. As he matures I feel the acting gets better and his story continues to flourish. I do one day hope to see him take up the mantle, but in order for that to happen we need about 8 more years of this show, which I’m not sure is possible; unless the writing improves.
Alfred Pennyworth & Lucius Fox – I put these two together because of the size of their roles as supporting characters. Alfred has become a slight annoyance at times, but seems to be turning in to more of Bruce’s sidekick rather than his protective guardian, so I like that. Lucius is perfect in every way. The actor nails the part and the writing works well.
Selina Kyle / Catwoman – She, like Bruce, has grown in her acting and the way she’s being written. By the end of the season she’s not only got a better look about her, but a better handling as well. As a character who once annoyed me I have been swayed into really enjoying her on screen.
Other characters: The Mad Hatter was hinted at as well as a brief cameo by Killer Croc. Ivy was underused but I’m glad they handled her that way as overcrowding would have been more so. She’s being set up for better use in the future, so this is smart. The Court of Owls will obviously be the antagonist of season 3. Barbara Kean was slightly better than last season, but needs to be killed off for good as she’s not needed and not handled well. And finally Hush. I am not sure if that was Tommy Elliot who looked like Bruce Wayne at the end, but it would make sense to introduce us to the boy who would be Hush. It’ll be interesting to see.
Final Rating: All in all I keep watching Gotham because for its many faults it does have some great highlights. The first half of this season was done really well, but went downhill in the second half with some great moments scattered here and there. I want this show to succeed and wonder if it will at some point tie in to the rest of the DC tv properties. Season 3 will be interesting because of what is obviously coming with the ending of season 2, but I do hope for better writing, less overcrowding of characters, and more coordination. Season 2 gets 2.5 out of 5 sCrypt coffins for my rating.
THE FLASH season 2:
Barry Allen / The Flash – I thoroughly enjoyed his path this season, as well as Iris West‘s. The pair grew toward their future selves and have great on screen chemistry together. I will discuss something here though that bothers me. Everything in season 1 and 2 no longer matter as Barry went back and changed it all at the end. So with a complete reset button hit, what does that mean for season 3? Will the alternate earths all merge (being as Supergirl is now on the CW)? This would make sense and enable Wells, Jesse, and Jay Garrick to remain as characters on the show.
The Legends: Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Vandal Savage, & the New Firestorm (Jefferson Jackson) have been introduced kicking off Legends of Tomorrow. The two episode crossover this season introducing the first three characters was a good stepping stone to start it all.
Returning Rogues: The Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne) still lives due to time travel, which is refreshing. I am not sure it would make sense to have him return, but with this reset to the Flash world I’m sure we will see him again. Gorilla Grodd had a better episode this season and was left with Gorilla City potentially lined up for the future. Girder returned as a zombie, which was a fun take on the character. The Trickster and Weather Wizard also returned and felt like real rogues for our hero. Finally, Pied Piper had another appearance, but I’m not sure I like the decision to make him a hero of sorts. He basically gave up his villainous nature to save the day, and I don’t think I can get on board with that.
Supporting Roles: Joe West and Harrison Wells continue to be solid characters on the show. They never feel forced and each scene with them is believable. Jesse Quick and Wally West have been set in place both gaining likeability. It’ll be interesting to see if and when they become speedsters. Patty Spivot was a good temporary love interest for Barry, though I was sorry to see her go. Jay Garrick (the real Jay) was my favorite part of the season. I grew up watching John Wesley Shipp as the Flash in the 90s, so seeing him as The Flash again gave me chills. It was handled well with the alternate Earths in a way to bring him in that way. I really hope we get a lot more of Jay to come.
Vibe / Reverb – Cisco continues to be perfect comic relief. His nerdiness only got better with his evolving powers, and the portrayal of his doppleganger helped the character evolve more towards his Justice League persona.
Kaitlyn Snow / Killer Frost – I’m hoping the reset merges these two dopplegangers because I really enjoyed Killer Frost over the Kaitlyn Snow personality. Her redesigned look worked well too.
Zoom / Hunter Zolomon: I didn’t like the way Hunter started out as a false Jay Garrick. I didn’t like it before I didn’t know he wasn’t Jay. Even at the end it seemed his reason behind his actions was a little lacking in purpose. It didn’t feel right writing wise. I do however like that his actions caused the Time Wraiths to bring him into their fold creating The Black Flash / Death Racer. Now that this has happened I’m very eager to see the return. He actually would have a purpose now as Barry altered time itself.
New villains: Atom Smasher was a disappointment as the CGI fell flat and I wanted to see the hero version of this character, not a bad guy. On the other hand the CGI on King Shark was superb. I never thought we’d get to see him in live action and I’ve been proven wrong. Geomancer, Tokamak, Dr. Light, Trajectory, Rupture, The Griffin, Tar Pit, and Turtle all served their one episode arcs really well. Some would be a welcome return, but not necessary. Black Siren (the villainous doppleganger of Earth 2) is a major relief. I feel that if Barry did merge universes together that this could correct the writers killing off Black Canary in Arrow, seeing as Siren is still alive. Deathstorm was a disappointment in a way. Ronnie Raymond in Earth 2 didn’t look or feel like the character, and I assume that’s why they killed him off so quickly. I’m still hoping for the original Firestorm to return though.
Overall Summary: The Flash wasn’t as solid this season as the first, but had so many great moments it is easy to overlook the flaws in storytelling. It got very confusing at times with the multiple earth dopplegangers; even for someone who was watching every episode. Barry resetting the timeline may have been a conscious decision to fix this problem. All in all though I give season 2 of the Flash 4 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins.
SUPERGIRL season 1:
Kara Zor-El Danvers – Melissa Benoist deserves an award for her outstanding acting capability. Her range of emotion was not only believable, but brought to life Supergirl in a way no other character on the small screen has. Kara showed her short fuse on numerous occasions, but also her torment and willingness to do what is right. The team up of her and The Flash was more than fun, but she remained pleasant throughout the series.
James “Jimmy” Olsen – I feel like this is such a miscast it hurts. The actor portraying him does a wonderful job, but to me this isn’t Jimmy Olsen. If this role and the role of Winn were switched by actors it would make more sense. Instead we get a version of Jimmy that isn’t anywhere near what he needs to be or should be.
Winn Schott Jr – Winn again I echo my sentiments about Jimmy. This character is exactly how I’d perceive Jimmy Olsen, but instead we are just given another shy guy who has the added twist of being the son of the villain Toyman. His arc with his father made for very interesting storytelling and leads me to believe that what has happened to him throughout his life may bring him to one day being a second version of Toyman.
Jonn Jonnz / Martian Manhunter – What a relief and surprise it was to find out that he wasn’t in fact Hank Henshaw. It isn’t that I don’t want to see Henshaw as Cyborg Superman, but it just makes more sense this way. It not only was an unexpected surprise, but brought a true interpretation of Jonn to audiences.
Cat Grant – She not only broke the “4th wall” on many occasions (which was witty writing by the creators), but Calista Flockhart is perfect in the role of mentor and boss to Kara. I wasn’t sure of her in the first episode, but by mid season I found myself enjoying her screen time.
Astra and Non – I feel as though these were just a pale imitation of General Zod. Non turned out nothing like the brute I wanted him to be, but instead was a strong leader. Astra (and her sister Alura) fit well into the plot, but again seemed forced.
Lesser villains: Hellgrammite, Vartox, Reactron, Jemm, The Master Jailer, and Guardian were decent enough, but easily forgettable. I feel that with project Cadmus obviously being key to season 2, that we will see more of James Harper (Guardian’s) involvement.
Maxwell Lord – started off strong enough, but seemed (like Non and Astra) to just be a second rate version of a known Superman villain. The Lex Luthor rip off is acted well enough, but I’m not sure where they intend to go with Max. I understand his willingness to ally with his enemies toward a common enemy, but he seems lost in translation. Hopefully season 2 will make this more clear as it is fun to watch his interactions with the others.
Lucy and Sam Lane – what can I say? Both were good supporting characters that could have been removed and replaced by unknown generics. Their names are the only thing that made them stand out.
Livewire – I’m glad to have seen her in live action. She was written well and looked great, as opposed to her team up with Silver Banshee who’s motivation made sense, but the reason for her look over the top and ridiculous (even if she did closely resemble her comic version).
Red Tornado – WTF? I just don’t know. T.O. Morrow created this strange version that is very wrong. I’d have rather have seen his other creations take on Supergirl and then their parts reconstructed to make Red Tornado into a hero. With the tech still around who knows…. maybe we will get a good version of the loved character, but until then what we got was garbage.
White Martian – The entire episode with the White Martian served as an origin of sorts for Martian Manhunter. While I never really liked the White Martians in the comics, it was portrayed well here and felt like a real threat.
Bizarro Supergirl – Another copy of a great Superman villain, but unlike Lord and the Kryptonians mentioned above I’m more acceptable of this version. Why? Because there are Bizarro versions of the other characters not just Superman, so Bizarro Supergirl was the best interpretation we could have gotten short of Bizarro himself.
Black Mercy Plant – I’d like to see a version of this used on a grander scale. If not, the best next thing would be Starro, but what we ended up with here was good for an introduction and fit well into the continuity.
Indigo / Brainiac 8 – She was the best villain of the season with one major problem… She looked like a rip off of mystique. They could just as easily used the greenish hue that she was in the comics, but other than look she was outstanding. Add in the fact that she was played by a former Supergirl, Indigo rocked.
Other notables: Fortress of Solitude was used on a sparing level that cemented Kara’s cousin’s established heroics. They even included the key outside the door that was part of the lore in the comics. My only issue is that Jonn describes the key as having the weight of hundreds of tons. Supergirl lifts it with ease, yet there are times when she is struggling to lift things that are much lighter than that, so there’s a slight discrepancy here. Superman & Lois Lane are both mentioned numerous times. Clark is even seen briefly in a few places, and though we never see his face in season 1 (other than him as a child) his presence is felt as he communicates via email and texts to Kara. Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers don’t have very big roles, but the fact that they are played by a former Superman and Supergirl brings together fans of old and new. And finally the Kryptonite in Red and Green. I’m not sure I like the fact that Red K was invented by Max Lord, but the effect was the same as in the comics. When Kara went bad from it she was very fun to watch.
In conclusion: Whatever Kara confronted at the end leaves all of us on the edge of our seats. Who or what did she see? With Supergirl coming to the CW for season 2 I see a lot of potential for better story telling. Let’s just hope it continues to get better and not fall to the plague of writers getting lazy. I give Season 1 of Supergirl 4 out of 5 sCrypt coffins.
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW season 1:
Rip Hunter – He’s definitely the leader of this motley crew, but I’m glad he’s questionable at times. I feel as if this series sets groundwork for him to become a great leader of the new Time Masters.
Ray Palmer / Atom – While Brandon Routh is one of the best parts of this series, the Atom is not. If I wanted to watch Iron-man I’d do it right and go to Marvel movies. Nothing can top Ironman, so why attempt a cheap and horrible looking knockoff when you could focus on Ray’s genius and shrinking powers and make it more interesting? I really hate this version of Atom and hope they ditch the ridiculous looking suit and laser blasts for something more size appropriate (pun intended).
White Canary – She’s much better placed in this show than she was in Arrow, and by the end of the season I actually started liking her character.
Firestorm II – While Martin Stein is still great I feel that they’ve done a disservice to Jax. No, this isn’t a race thing, as I most certainly am NOT racist. I just feel that the actor portraying Jefferson over acts. He’s not much fun to watch and at times even annoying.
Heatwave – Mick was the best part of the season. I still don’t know how I feel about him being a “heroic” character. Sure he still acted like a villain, but I didn’t like his usage here and would much rather see him in the villain role permanently.
Captain Cold – Well like Heatwave I’m sad about him not being cold and instead having a warm side. He’s supposed to be a villain, yet sacrificed himself for the team and all the world. So now we have a Flash universe where there is no Captain Cold? UNACCEPTABLE.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl – Kendra and Carter were great. Their story was key in this series and we even got a mention of Thandagar as well as Nighthawk, so we may get more hawk people further down the line.
Chronos – it’s no secret who Chronos is now, but it still felt like a different person all together, so I’m including it that way. I actually liked him better before the reveal as he was the one villain aside from Savage consistent throughout the season.
Vandal Savage – I’m torn with this one. I love the villain and actor portraying him did a wonderful job, but I think the season got old fast. We could have had 6 episodes and been just as effective as the 12 that ran. It was a bit of an overkill. The addition of his daughter Scandal Savage did nothing to add to the show either.
Valentina Vostok & Per Degaton were used well as villains for their short arcs making me wish they were more of a focus than Savage in parts.
Ra’s Al Ghul – was good to see again at an earlier time. This episode was one of the best of the season because it felt like it belonged.
Jonah Hex – was in an episode and while he looked great I feel as though the focus should have been more on him. Instead they made him seem like just another plain character. I hope we get another episode with him and they correct this.
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow – Ollie is old and has a one arm in the future, which is straight from the pages of the comics. This episode was decent enough and introduced an alternate version of Connor Hawke Green Arrow as John Diggle’s son. Both G.A.’s were great.
Ravager – Deathstroke had a son, but instead of fighting the Teen Titans he was wreaking havoc on Star City and that’s okay. His addition didn’t make the show better or worse, but flowed nicely.
Gideon – Should I even include the computer? I have to. In The Flash season 1 Gideon said that Barry Allen created her, yet there is no mention of this anywhere and we are just to assume she’s an A.I. built for the Time Masters.
Hourman – okay, he was only in it for the last few seconds, but his presence and mention of the J.S.A. breathed life into the series. It actually makes me excited for season 2 whereas otherwise I wouldn’t have been.
In conclusion: Legends of Tomorrow was a spinoff that could have been a movie or miniseries. It went on too long and felt very out of place. I’d rather go back and watch old episodes of Star Trek. That being said however, it did have its good moments, and I feel as though season 1 was an origin, where as season 2 would take it in many interesting directions. I’ll give it a sub par rating of 2 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins. I just feel that my complaints listed above would make it more watchable.
ARROW season 4:
Oliver Queen / Green Arrow – This year was certainly better than last with him taking up the actual title “the Green Arrow”. I’m still waiting for him to be less Batman like though, and this is a small step in that direction. With him becoming mayor of Star City at the end of the season I think it will open things up to a whole different area of corruption. His flashback scenes were okay too. They seemed more entertaining, but drawn out. Now he’ll be headed to Russia somewhere for his flashbacks, and it should be his final year before returning to Star City. Does this mean if we get a season 6 there would be no flashbacks? Time will tell. Either way, Stephen Amell has evolved in his few years as the character and I’m happy to see him continue to grow. I’m now wondering if he will be more solo like in the beginning now that his team is gone.
Speedy / Thea Queen – The best choreographed fighter of the season, yet her character was lacking. Arsenal was a much better sidekick, but Thea has grown on me. I doubt her departure from the team at the end will stick, but it should for a while in my opinion.
John Diggle / Spartan – John is the best acting wise. He’s the most believable as far as story goes, but at what point do you call it quits and make your daughter a priority? I’m not saying all soldiers should retire, but clearly he and Lyla/Harbinger are career oriented and not thinking about the picture in the long run. I guess it just bothers me because what if he and Lyla both die in the line of duty? There are no family for the baby to go to. It isn’t like he can just call his traitor of a brother Andy Diggle to care for her. Speaking of Andy though his and John’s story arc this season was great. The emotional torment John is going through will be interesting to see how it carries into the next season, as he is no longer part of the team. Please pray that his ridiculous helmet is gone next season. Magneto would be pissed.
Dinah Laurel Lance / Black Canary – Oh Dinah (sorry I refuse to call her Laurel) why are you dead? This was the biggest gut blow to the fans ever. There are a half a dozen other characters who could have been offed permanently, and yet they pick one of the two key characters to kill? I’m so outraged. Half of the season I wondered who the death would be and from a writing standpoint I realize why they did it because it was the least expected death. But after that it seemed like I didn’t care much about any of the other characters. This was a big mistake for the show. She finally earned her place and was making that connection on certain levels with Oliver, but we will never get to see that. I’m hoping that Flash resetting his timeline will alter this as well (as much as I hate people coming back from the dead). This is the one case where it needs to happen.
Felicity / Overwatch / Proxy – Quite possibly the most annoying aspect of this show. I loved the old Felicity who was quirky and nerdy. Now she’s become whiny and too serious with only moments of the old Felicity coming through. I was worried about her being shot and them turning her into Oracle, but instead we got a smart move with making her Proxy. Sure they don’t call her that, but that is who she is in the comics, at least if you look at her father, situation and skills. Of course the only member other than Green Arrow himself left on the team is her, so things are about to get more annoying for season 5…. unless they get more interesting and create a divide between the two characters. I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t want these two together. But maybe I’m just upset about Laurel.
Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific – He’s a good replacement for Felicity as he and Oliver working together could be the beginning of a Justice League alliance. He may not have donned the moniker Mr. Terrific yet, but he’s got all of the ingredients to make it work (T-Spheres, Decathlete, smart). I also have to add in that he may have Vibe topped on the nerd reference factor, and I love it.
John Constantine – I was extremely disappointed when Constantine was cancelled, and am appreciative that the CW is using him when they can. My only complaint was that he should have been in the show again to help against the main villain’s magic. Still, the one episode we got with him was wonderful.
Vixen – I’ve yet to see more than one episode of the Vixen animated shorts that take place in this universe, but she fit in quite well. The effects used for her powers and her persona made her a total badass.
Damien Darhk – Neal McDonough just keeps getting better and better. I can’t remember the last time I saw this guy in a role he can’t totally rock. Damien Darhk was definitely the biggest threat to date. Even without his magic he still had H.I.V.E. afraid of him. His over the top plan actually made sense if you thought about his reasons behind it. I’m not saying I want to see this in real life, but for a comic book show he’s the villain we need. That being said, now that he is dead I hope we get a more grounded villain next season. We have to get away from “oh Star City is going to be destroyed” or in this case the world. I want to see something a little more original, but regardless of the repetitive results Darhk brought something new to the show.
The Calculator – I actually wouldn’t mind seeing him as the main baddie next season. Think about it. He knows who the entire Arrow team is. He’s proven to put himself above others, and he’s a major threat. Put all of that aside and we still had a great few appearances this season.
Double Down – I list him as a major villain because he was one of my favorites this season. His introduction made it feel less grounded and more supernatural, which is what it needed in the beginning. The effects were done well, and his acting wasn’t all that bad either.
Anarky – Now here is a serious psycho. I’m not sure about why he’s such a decent fighter, but the core of his character is solid. They stayed pretty true to the source material with him, and I’d like to see him return as well.
Returning villains or small roles: Cupid was back and as psycho as ever, but still a great villain. Bug Eyed Bandit returned with an equally threatening and decent role. Brick‘s return wasn’t anything spectacular, in fact it was unnecessary, but was for a purpose. Murmur was downright creepy and awesome, though how the hell does this guy eat? Will someone please explain that? The Demolition Team and Lady Cop Liza Warner appeared but were easily forgettable by the end of the season. Amanda Waller’s death was a surprise but a good move. The Black Canary II was made for the show and only a plot point to keep the viewer wondering if Laurel was still alive. It was a cheap trick, and though I didn’t like it it helped show Laurel’s legacy.
In conclusion Arrow Season 4 was better than the previous season, but is still lacking something that makes it unique. Because of the issue I mentioned above with one of the characters I am rating it lower than I want to, but feel it is more accurate that way. If that decision hadn’t been made I’d have rated it higher. So for now it gets 3 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins.
So there you have it. DC is clearly spread out with their shows and have established a decent sized universe hopefully for years to come if the writing inconsistencies improve. Overall the DC tv shows for 2015-2016 season score a 3 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins. What did you think of the shows? Comment below and stay tuned for my Marvel tv show review.
Review: Alice Through The Looking Glass
In the second of my two reviews I felt it necessary to write this one for two reasons… 1) I don’t understand the critics of this film, and 2) Lewis Carroll was a huge inspiration in my own writing career.
That being said this review won’t have spoilers, but will be brief and to the point. Critics have panned this movie so hard, and I just don’t get why. Did they go into it thinking it was going to be an interpretation of the novel “Through The Looking Glass” and came out realizing it was nothing like it and had an older Alice? Did they not see the previous movie and understand that Wonderland is supposed to be a little bit weird?
That’s exactly what this movie is. It’s weird. It’s strange. It’s colorful. The original two novels were all of that and more. This isn’t the second part of Alice’s story, it’s the 4th. This and its predecessor are sequels to the original novels where Alice is grown up now. I give Hollywood credit for making an original story, and I can honestly say this was refreshing.
Would I see I again in the theaters? No. Would I tell you to see it in the theaters? no. But I do think anyone who enjoyed those stories growing up should rent it when it comes out on dvd and blu ray. Don’t see it if you haven’t seen the previous movie because it might make you feel as though you missed something. It references the other movie and doesn’t stand on its own if you’re unfamiliar with its predecessor.
I think what made me like this film, other than seeing it with my daughter, is that it goes out of its way to explain why certain characters are the way they are. Why is the Queen of Hearts so bitter? Why is the Hatter so mad? It does this and more while having a good moral to the story.
It isn’t a movie to be taken seriously. It’s a movie about friendship and fun. A movie about dealing with real life stresses and escaping to a fantasy world. It emphasizes that you cannot change the past, but only deal with it, learn from it and make the best of what’s to come. And most of all it teaches that no matter how bad family feuds can be there will always be a way to patch up those things and find a common respect and love for one another.
The novels were better than the two sequel movies, but I feel as though the sequels fit into and respect the source material. I give Through The Looking Glass 3 out of 5 sCrypt logos for decent story, character and visually stunning effects.
Review: X-Men Apocalypse
There’s been a lot of negative talk about this latest installment in Fox’s X-Men movies, but then again there always has. The negativity comes from die hard X-Men fans who are angry that Marvel doesn’t have the rights at the moment. I’m a die hard X-Men fan of old, and while I see the critics’ points, I also look at it from a writing standpoint as well.
Could the movies be better? Absolutely. Should the core characters be closer to their comic book counterparts? Yes… 100%. But I finally feel like while stupid mistakes or downright ignorance of the source material is done on the writer/directors parts, I believe they are listening and trying to make it right.
You see, there are a total of 9 X-Men movies in this continuity now with more in development. The earlier ones left a bad taste in many people’s mouths who are comic fans. The last movie (Days of Future Past) hit a semi-reset button on most of what is wrong with the series. While Apocalypse is not perfect by any means, it certainly is the first movie truly headed in the right direction with the characters.
Here is my spoiler filled review of the movie, so if you just want to know my overall rating, then skip to the bottom paragraph. I will discuss the continuity issues and fan problems, but the positive as well. Feel free to comment.
Professor Charles Xavier: James McAvoy continues to be an excellent choice for the leader of the X-Men, and for the first time we really get to see him do battle with a foe on a mental level. His fight inside Apocalypse’s mind caused a few geekgasms. My only question here is if Apocalypse is the one who causes Xavier to lose his hair, then did Xavier and the X-Men face off against him in the original continuity? If so, then who was the main team of X-Men? Where was Stryker and company in that timeline? It’s a plot hole that needs to be ignored to make the series complete, but I can’t see past it as a fan wanting to know what happened to his hair originally. I did love the full circle with him and Magneto here. Their speech at the end was verbatim the same speech between the two in the first X movie.
Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto: Michael Fassbender owns the role again far surpassing what his predecessor did. He felt like Magneto in this movie, and as one of Apocalypse’s horsemen I feel he was utilized well. Here comes my issue. We already know Quicksilver is his son. In this movie he has a daughter, but it is not Scarlet Witch. At the very least, Bryan Singer and company could have done what Marvel did in the Avengers AOU and used her quickly. It would have upset less fans and been a nice way to acknowledge what Marvel did to their quicksilver. In other words, when Magneto’s daughter died, all they had to do was claim that her name was Wanda and make her powers something other than talking to the animals, but more akin to her comic counterpart. It’s stupid I know, but I just did not like that this whole chapter of Magneto’s history was basically thrown away. I do however like that Magneto has been set up to be a hero character as one interpretation of him in the comics had him as leader of the X-Men. With Wolverine departing the movie world soon he’d be a great new focus.
Raven Darkholme / Mystique: Ugh where do I begin? When Rebecca R. played the role I was upset that she had basically no dialogue and was just a henchman of sorts. But Rebecca played the role well in terms of Mystique’s sexuality and her cold hearted killer personality. So WTF is Jennifer Lawrence doing? Her version of the character was barely blue in this movie. She had none of that cold heartedness. And unlike the fact that I liked Magneto’s heroics, I do NOT like her as a hero at all. She has no place with the X-Men unless for some deceptive purpose. I just don’t buy her in the role, and it is ashame to see what the original trilogy’s Mystique has been downsized to. (Not downsized in terms of role, but character)
En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse: Oscar Issac stole the show. Apocalypse was my favorite villain in all of Marvel comics. That being said I took issue and pleasure in seeing him on screen. Issac portrayed easily the best villain in the X-Men series of movies yet. He had purpose and echoed much of what he was about in the source material. I would have liked him to have been a little bit bigger than the other characters, but his intentions overshadowed all of that. His abilities to manipulate and rearrange matter was done well, and his recruitment of the horsemen was not far off from how he did it in the comics. Actually if anything the way that he altered Archangel especially made more sense in the films. My issue comes with his technology. Because of rights issues Fox ignored the fact that his armor and pyramid tech was of alien origin. Well okay, maybe they didn’t ignore it, but failed to mention it. After all they did not say anything about it. The audience is just led to believe he had it whether by his own creation or something else. Also in the comics we never really see how his lazarus chamber worked, so the transference of his soul to a new body was acceptable where I was originally upset about hearing this. My problem is less with Apocalypse and more with his horsemen. None of them seemed dedicated to his cause (as evidenced by their betrayal or abandonment of him). Except Archangel of course. I don’t know how they will top him as a villain because you really got to feel his threat. His look and voice also made me happy and I was not pleased when I’d first started seeing and hearing him in trailers.
Hank McCoy / Beast: While I like Nicholas Holt in the role, and that he finally doesn’t look like CGI garbage like he did in First Class, I absolutely despise the lack of his true form. He’s still taking a serum to make him look normal, and then when he does become Beast again he’s in a flight suit most of the time. Still his character seems close to the comics, but I’d like to hear more obscure quoting of classical literature, as this version of Beast is more of a genius and less of a genius with classic appreciation.
Moira MacTaggart: Other than being happy with her role in this movie I was glad that they set up the introduction of her son. Singer has said that he’d like to make Proteus a villain in a future film, so it was only logical to acknowledge she had a son here. My issue is that her son was also the son of Charles Xavier in the comics, so why not just mention that he had a son with her? or since the father wasn’t in the pictures does that mean that she was indeed pregnant with Xavier’s son the last time we saw her? I guess time will tell, but it was a good way to bring her back into the fold.
Scott Summers / Cyclops: FINALLY! Cyclops isn’t a sissy. In the original trilogy he was overshadowed by Wolverine and portrayed as a crybaby. Here we got the classic leader of the X-Men with his actual 90s comic book costume at the end. I’m overly happy with this version being introduced.
Jean Grey: I feel like we’ve been down this road with Jean, but she was ruined by Last Stand and even her appearance in Wolverine 2. This gives her a fresh start and a younger face to go with it. The chemistry between her and Cyclops is perfect, and there was even that nod to her and Logan’s connection as well. I was surprised that they decided to foreshadow the Dark Phoenix aspect of her character. I’m not sure I care to see the Dark Phoenix saga portrayed on screen as I was never a big fan of it, but after Last Stand I could see why they’d want to leave the possibility open. It also was thrilling to see her final attack on Apocalypse in her Phoenix mode.
Ororo Munroe/ Storm: Haircut? I hated that hair in the comics and I do in the movie, but for the 80s it made sense, but the true focus is that finally we got a true Storm. Halle Berry was awful in the role. I can’t say that enough. But Alexandra Shipp has brought life back to the character from her accent to her origins. I can’t wait to see more of her.
Psylocke: Another character that was ruined in the Last Stand was finally brought front and center in the right way. While her role was not a huge one it was meant to introduce her to audiences in a way that she will be remembered. Olivia Munn is not only gorgeous in the role, but she did a great job, and they left it open for her to be there for Deadpool or any other number of X roles.
Alex Summers/Havok: One issue that the new timeline creates is one of age. Havok in this movie has to be 40 years old, while Cyclops is 20 years younger. It does happen sure, but they fail to address why aging doesn’t seem to affect the mutants on a normal level. All that aside I think his death was chosen wisely as it set up his younger brother’s role as leader and with a purpose. RIP Havok and your terrible 80s mullet.
Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver: Okay so you still have a really bad outfit (semi acceptable by the end of the movie), but every second he spends on screen is pure pleasure. Quicksilver stole the show again.
Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler: I was surprised to see Nightcrawler work so well in this movie. He was as much comic relief as Quicksilver and was a very crucial part to the team. And like Cyclops seeing him in his 90s comic garb brought moments of joy to me.
Colonel William Stryker: I think his role in the movie felt strange. Aside from the fact that in the first Wolverine movie Stryker was older looking he didn’t age much here. For the mutants I can accept that sort of, but he’s a normal human. All that aside I want to know how he got a hold of Logan for the Weapon X program. Mystique had grabbed him in the guise of Stryker at the end of the last movie, so did she just deliver Logan to Stryker’s doorstep and tell him to go all Weapon X with him? There is a flaw here that I’m not sure is worth talking about because it really doesn’t affect anything, but as a viewer it’d be nice to know.
Warren Worthington III / Angel / Archangel: As angel I felt he was more fun to watch, but we didn’t get his wealthy background here, which was a little upsetting. That is one thing that Last Stand got right. Angel’s transformation into Archangel was cool to watch, as it visually stood out as a memorable scene, but it’s as if Singer has a problem with the color blue. Like Mystique and Beast, Archangel never gets his blue skin. At the least I’d have liked them to make him paler, but instead we got some strange tattoo like strands on his face. Also disappointing was the decision to kill him off. He was badass in the fight scenes, and I’d have liked to see him in an X-Force movie at some point. Too bad.
Jubilee: Knowing that this was going to be in the 80s Fox had the perfect opportunity to utilize this character, and while she had a decent amount of small role screen time we never actually saw her use her abilities. Hopefully they correct this in the next one, but the decision was probably made to reduce the amount of overcrowding of characters.
Weapon X: Yes! Yes! Yes! We will be getting an R rated wolverine movie and this was the perfect setup for classic wolverine. For the first time we really got to see him go on a berserker killing spree and all the animalistic rage was let loose. Even the Weapon X head gear proved that some semblance of the comic pages can come to life. Now to hopefully see him in his suit at some point. My question is how much did Jean reveal to him in their brief mental bond. She said she helped him remember, so is this Wolverine knowing who he is or is he still Logan looking for his past? Time will tell.
Caliban: The decision to include him in the movie was wise, and though he didn’t get enough screen time they definitely portrayed him correctly as far as powers go. The question I have is that since he can sense and track other mutants why didn’t Apocalypse take him with them? It seems he was tracking his horsemen recruits, so were they returning to Caliban after each portal jump?
CAMEO ROLES: Stan Lee appeared in the most serious cameo he’s ever done, and with his real life wife too. It’s always a pleasure to see him in these movies even if forced in at times, but he didn’t feel forced here and worked well. Dazzler was on the cover of a record album, but I am still holding out hope for Taylor Swift or someone to make a cameo as her at some point. The Blob kept with his original trilogy storyline in that he was in a fighting circuit. We don’t see much of him other than his defeat, but got the classic Blob spandex and all, so it was a welcome addition and well placed. Pestilence, Famine, War, & Death were introduced in the beginning in ancient Egypt and while not much was shown of them and their abilities it was a more dedicated set of horsemen than Apocalypse got in the 80s. This brings to question why they were so much more dedicated and if Apocalypse was the first mutant, then where did these 4 get their powers? Were they too mutants or did he create them much in the same way that he enhanced the others’ powers? Sentinels appeared in the danger room sequence which makes one wonder how and why Xavier kept some of the mutant hunting robots, but it was still a cool cameo.
That end credits scene: The man from the “Essex Corporation” was collecting samples of blood. Weapon X’s was the vial showed here so we can conclude a few things… 1) Mr. Sinister aka Nathaniel Essex will be a villain in one of the next movies. He is a character known for his genetic tampering. With Logan’s blood this can only lead to one conclusion… Hugh Jackman is said to be retiring from the role after Wolverine 3. I’ve no desire to see them recast this role, but this would be a way to do it… however the best way to do it is to introduce X-23. In the comics she is Wolverine’s clone/daughter. It would still give a wolverine character and not negate all that Hugh has done, since he afterall was the man practically carrying this series.
Where do they go from here?
This is an important question, so here’s some thought. There is still plenty they can do. We know there is going to be a Legion tv series. Deadpool will be teaming with Cable in the sequel of the former. X-Force is in the works, presumably with the team: Deadpool, Cable, Psylocke, X-23 & Gamit? Perhaps that is how Sinister will be brought in as a villain. Of course a Gambit movie is also in the works, which I wonder what can be done here. We still have the Brood, Dark Phoenix saga, & Shiar (Singer has stated he wants to take the X-Men to space). And then there is the Savage land that has been unused, but perhaps can be the base of operations for Sinister. And could (going out on a limb here) the Avengers Infinity War bring a merger of different Earths where we get an Avengers/X-men crossover? Actors on both sides have voiced interest.
Final analysis: X-Men Apocalypse is not perfect by any means, but it does help to bring in some people who’ve been so hateful of this series because they were die hard fans. It has also replaced X-Men 2 as my favorite of the whole franchise (Deadpool being the exception, as nothing will touch that anytime soon at least in the Fox-men universe). With a threat that felt genuine, the introduction of characters true to the source, and a story that kept viewers surprised and on edge, I give the movie 4 out of 5 on my ratings scale. What did you think? Comment below and thanks for reading.
Review – Captain America: Civil War
Wow. That’s really what I can say. While I don’t think this is the best Marvel movie to date it rounds out the best trilogy in film in my opinion. There is not much that I can find wrong with the movie, and anything that would be considered “bad” is really nitpicking by someone who doesn’t enjoy movies.
Do I even need to say that it easily makes one forget that Batman vs Superman DOJ came out last month? It does. After watching this I almost forgot entirely about that movie, and it was one I also enjoyed. As usual I’ll break it down by characters and it will be filled with spoilers, so if you want my honest rating without that scroll down to the last paragraph, otherwise let the spoilers begin.
Steve Rogers/Captain America/(Nomad?) – Yes I included Nomad as one of his identities because he basically gave up the shield, and even said in his letter to Tony that he’d always been a “wanderer.” Chris Evans shined once again. I’m glad the rumors were false about his death like in the comics, because despite me really liking the characters who could/would take over the Cap mantle, I don’t really want to see anyone but him in that role. #TeamCap is there for a reason. My only problem is his line to Tony about “Bucky was my friend.” The most logical response was Tony’s “So was I.” Cap was wrong in his delivery here, but in the heat of the moment we often don’t let our brain think about what we are saying before saying it. To me it still comes off as a big screw you to Iron man who has been there more for Cap recently than Bucky was regardless of history.
Tony Stark/Ironman – Like Chris Evans in his role, Robert Downey Jr is superb as Stark. He has motivation and good reasoning for his side of the argument. #Teamironman might not be all that just in their haste to sign the accords that Tony believes need to happen, but he honestly feels guilt for the lives lost, whereas the opposing faction shows little of this. I am happy that RDJ delivered the line about “I don’t want to give up.” It further cements that Marvel most likely won’t recast this role anytime soon, nor should they. Here’s for hoping Ironman 4 comes along with a proper Mandarin.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow – Scarlett Johansson has gone beyond her obvious attractiveness and really showed audiences that more of this character is in demand. Her fight scenes were breathtaking. In fact, every scene with Black Widow shined as much as the main two characters. From the fights to her switching sides as you would expect her to she kicked ass all the way!
Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier – Sebastian Stan is on par with the Winter Soldier. While the last movie showed him slowly realizing what had been done to him, Civil War focuses on him dealing with it all. He’s a tortured soul, but shows little remorse when it comes to what happened to Stark’s parents. There is little in the way of an apology, which I felt would have at least shown his morals shining through.
Sam Wilson/Falcon & Redwing – I never liked Redwing’s “mental connection” with Falcon in the comics, so the interpretation in this movie made sense. Falcon has become one of my favorite Avengers to watch on the screen as I feel Anthony Mackie loves the role. The use of his wings as shields also foreshadowed what could happen as him being a future Captain America. Even if he doesn’t I liked that they did this because it pays homage to the comics.
James “Rhodey” Rodes/War Machine – Again I’m reminded why Don Cheadle was the perfect replacement for Terrence Howard. While Howard seemed arrogant and boring in the role, Cheadle has always showed character. I liked his take on how many missions he’d flown, and that this was his first real crash. Despite his injury he affirmed he’s not giving up anytime soon because he believes in the cause. It shows that no matter what he fights for what he believes in.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye – Okay Clint, I have a serious problem with your placement here, but not because I didn’t think you were awesome. On the contrary, this movie needed Hawekeye. His entrance was unexpected and I loved the role he played, even if a small one. My problem is he doesn’t seem to care much about his family. At one point he even admitted that he needed to get away. Well, now he’s on the run from the authorities, so what good did that do? Marvel either needs to make him a full time Avenger or a family man. One doesn’t really work with the other, and even Tony alluded to that with his relationship with Pepper.
T’Challa/Black Panther – Newcomer Chad Boseman was a total badass. We even got a brief origin story with the mantle being passed to him once T’Chaka was killed. While they didn’t say T’Chaka had been running around in Wakanda as the Black Panther they didn’t need to. His son T’Challa was the focus. My question is how long he will be able to hide the refugee Avengers and still stay allied with the main group. Talk about playing both sides in the end. His reasoning is decent, but it was really unclear where he stood in the end. I’m now more eager to see his solo outing.
Vision – Not much can be said except that I hope Paul Bettany continues on in this role for many years. Every scene with him was fun to watch even when not in combat, and I loved that we got a glimpse of what he feels for Wanda. He also mentioned that he didn’t know exactly what the Mind Gem was in his forehead. It seemed to fascinate and frighten him. He operates on logic which made sense that he was on team Ironman, even if the logic was flawed by the lack of details on the rushed government program.
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch – Just how old is she supposed to be? Cap almost belittles her by calling her a kid all the time, yet she’s proven to be a complete asset to the team. Yes, she made a few mistakes along the way, and some of those caused death. She’s forced to struggle with this ability that goes beyond anyone’s in the current Marvel movie Universe. I really think she will be one of the people who will pose a threat to Thanos as no one can really compare at this point. I’m glad we aren’t going to get the classic spandex costume she wore in the comics, because this goth version sits perfectly in a modern day world.
Scott Lang/Antman/Giantman – Poor Scott turns his life around and becomes a hero, gets his criminal history expunged, and now is on the run again. Seeing him as an Avenger and back as Antman was fun enough, but his decision to grow into Giantman made it that much more enjoyable. That whole scene I could watch over and over again, and I couldn’t help but laugh when he fell over asking if anyone had any orange slices. I could imagine the toll on his metabolism would happen in real life, so it was smart to thrown the one liner in there.
Sharon Carter/Agent 13 – I still find it weird that Cap dates his ex girlfriend’s great neice, but who cares. haha. Glad we finally got to see her kick some ass briefly in the Winter Soldier fight scene.
Peter Parker/Spiderman – Tom Holland is my new favorite Spidey. I never really enjoyed Garfield’s portrayal, and while I liked Tobey Maguire in the first two movies, he got too whiney for me. This Peter Parker was easily the highlight of the movie. I’m glad Marvel got him back. From his wisecracks to his personality it’s spot on. We even got his spider light at the end, which is something I never thought I’d see. Oh, and anyone complaining about Tony Stark making him the costume that has eyes that move, well they obviously didn’t pay attention. Parker addressed this when meeting Stark the first time about his senses being on overload. It’s a new twist, but one that is warranted. While he unmasked in the comics, I’m glad the Russo’s decided to eliminate that part of the story. It takes away the risk factor of being a hero, and would sincerely hinder any future solo outing for webhead especially. Another bonus is that Aunt May is now eye candy in the form of Marissa Tomei.
Brock Rumlow/Crossbones – I was shocked at his fate, but killing him off was a good thing. No longer will Marvel have to hear fan theories about him killing Captain America. His role was small, but smart. I hate to see him not used again, but am glad to see him go if that makes sense. He served his purpose already in both movies, and it would get redundant really fast.
General Ross – Hooray we finally get Thunderbolt back. It’s only been how many years since Incredible Hulk? My only surprise is that it took him this long to get involved. Yes he mentions he had a heart attack, but that doesn’t seem like something that would keep him down for the better part of a decade. It makes one wonder what he’d been doing in all that time.
Baron Helmut Zemo – Quite possibly the best and worst marvel villain to date. He manipulated the heroes into nearly killing one another. That gives him the best title. But then he tries to kill himself. Bad move Russo’s. It didn’t fit in with his motive. And then we see him in the cell at the end and he’s back to being a clear thinking villain. All they had to do was eliminate the two second pulling of the trigger and had him aim it at Black panther instead. It would have made a little more sense to the character to me. I do hope we see him again, even if he pops up in Agents of SHIELD.
Overall the movie was spectacular. The impact on the Marvel Movie universe is both minimal and large. It won’t really affect any of the solo outings coming up. Doctor Strange, Spiderman Homecoming, and Thor Ragnarok probably won’t need to reference the events if at all. Even Black Panther’s solo outing won’t really be an issue. What WILL be affected is Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and the next Avengers movie. Time will tell what is decided, but I can’t wait for more. I give it a full 5 out of 5 sCrypt Coffins for being one of the best comic book movies to date. What were your thoughts? Were you team Cap or Ironman?
Review: Batman v Superman Dawn Of Justice
Let’s start by saying that the reviews from critics sent me into this movie expecting to be upset at something. I was bothered by a couple of things, but before coming to conclusions on someone else’s word, go see the movie yourself. Many of the complaints out there are flat out wrong and made by people who either weren’t paying attention to what was really going on or just like to cause problems by hating on something; or they just need to complain like so many do.
With that out of the way I will say that the movie could have been better, but by no means did it even come close to being bad. What I thought would bother me actually surprised me in good ways, so let’s get down to my breakdown of what went on per character. Yes, there will be spoilers, so if you want my numerical rating without knowing what will happen, then scroll down to the last paragraph. Here we go:
Batman/Bruce Wayne: Ben Affleck is the best Batman and Bruce Wayne combo I’ve ever seen. Yes, I dare say it is even comparable to Kevin Conroy’s animated character. He embodied everything the character should be from extraordinary fight skills, personality, intimidation, detective work, and gadgets. People complained that they didn’t like him using guns and murdering in cold blood. Those people obviously didn’t watch the movie. He did not once murder anyone. Yes, there were a few guns he’d used while grappling with thugs, but it was in their hands, and it didn’t look like he was shooting to kill. Even the guy he stabbed was still alive and you could see that. There was a dream sequence in the dessert where he was using firearms, but it was also a nightmare of a future (similar to that in the Injustice Gods Among Us video game) where drastic measures had to be taken. The bat armor and suit were perfect visually and integral to the story.
Superman/Clark Kent/Kal El: Henry Cavill picked up the character right where we’d seen him last. You saw his struggles internally and that was important to the whole picture. There were similar complaints with him which blows my mind because he chose the path Superman always chose. He wanted to do the right thing. Even when it came to the hero duel, he was trying to convince Batman to help him. I was shocked at his death, but I’m glad it went down as it did. I will post my thoughts on where that will take us towards the end of the article.
Lois Lane: Amy Adams seemed more like Lois Lane in this one than in Man of Steel. It shows how important she is to the mythology, and my issues with the way Man of Steel was handled with her were rectified.
Lex Luthor:I was probably the most skeptical person going into this. I never liked Jesse Eisenberg as the choice to play the villain, and while many people compared him to Heath Ledger’s Joker I’d say they just didn’t get it. He is completely different than the Joker in every way. No, he is not the Lex we’ve gotten used to since the Superman animated series in the 90s. He is more of a cross between the scientist he originally was in the comics, and what Gene Hackman did in the original movies. I am now in a position of wrong because my skepticism was blown away. Eisenberg did an outstanding job and I am sold on this new/old take on Luthor. Can’t wait to see more of what he will do. My complaint would be that his overall plan (although well thought out) didn’t make total sense. Did he have a backup plan if Doomsday beat Superman? How would Doomsday then be stopped from destroying everything else? It wasn’t explained, and there I see a fault.
Alfred Pennyworth: Like Affleck, I feel Jeremy Irons fully brought Alfred to life. I’m eager to see the universe unfold as the older characters have already dealt with Batman’s rogues (as evidenced by references in the movie).
Anatoli Knyazev/KGBeast: although this was more of a glorified cameo, it was worth noting in the review. He wasn’t exactly like his comic counterpart, but what was there was all that was needed. Anything else would have been overkill.
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Is anyone still complaining about this casting because Gal Gadot kicked ass! She was written into the plot well, and utilized as necessary. Without her the whole movie wouldn’t have had the same outcome.
Perry White/ The Kents/The Waynes/Senator Finch/Mercy Graves: Small roles, but integral to the world. I like that Perry was a bit grumpier than he’d been in MOS. It seemed more his part. The killing of Mercy was a shocker for me, but it shows Luthor’s determination to meet his goals regardless of the cost.
Doomsday: His origin may have been altered, but it was only done so slightly. In some parts the CGI looked a bit off, but overall he made the perfect villain. Here is my major issue with the film though. The fight was superb, but the emission of those nuclear type blasts were overkill. Doomsday is powerful enough, but Zack Snyder decided to demolish everything in existence. The mass destruction is understandable, but it was too much this time. Doomsday doesn’t need eyebeams and explosive pulses. I did however really enjoy the character’s evolutions. It could have utilized 1 more just to make him appear exactly like his comic book self, but I might be getting too picky there. Despite my complaints I think he was done well for the most part, and by him killing Superman it made the whole struggle throughout the movie make more sense.
Summary: Both sides of the argument for and against Superman’s god like power were presented evenly. The buildup to Justice League was paced out well. The Easter Eggs galore weren’t unnecessary and thrown in there, because they play into the whole picture. People need to realize that there is over 70 years of material to work with. There have to be creative freedoms in making such a movie. Even with that freedom, I don’t think Snyder strayed too far from source material (The Dark Knight Returns, Injustice GAU, Death of Superman, etc etc.) If anything I’m more eager now to see where it goes. Aquaman and Cyborg look awesome, and I can’t wait to see them. Ezra Miller is a terrible choice for the Flash in my current opinion, but that could change.
Theories on where it could lead: I have many thoughts on where everything is going, and I could be wrong, but from a writing perspective I think this would be wise. We know Wonder Woman’s outing will be a WW1 setting. It’ll be good to have that back story. Cyborg was definitely created with a Mother Box, not to mention the Parademons and Omega sybmbol in Bruce’s dream, along with Lex’s dark predictions inevitably lead to Darkseid being the villain for at least 1 part of Justice League. How? Did you notice at the end the soil rising from Clark’s casket as if some antigravity field occurred? I feel that Darkseid may be using Superman’s body as his earthly host. This would make sense as it is strong enough to withstand the evil being. It would stray from the comics, but would work for the movies, and is a way to ultimately bring back the good Superman for part 2. Who would part 2 involve? Brainiac. If you noticed inside the Kryptonian ship there were not only three circles of light in a formation, but the ship said that it contained knowledge throughout the universe. Brainiac is already on Earth. It just is a matter of time. Flash was in Bruce’s dream as well. The breach of time and dimensions has been addressed in DC’s tv universe. It only makes sense that at some point DC’s answer to Marvel’s Infinity War would be to make a Crisis movie. Crossing over ALL DC properties would blow minds and be a huge way to even the Marvel/DC competition.
In the end there are many ways this could go. Dawn Of Justice could have been better in very few ways, but it also could have been much worse. I give it an 8 out of 10 on my rating scale. What were your thoughts? Theories? Complaints? Comment below so we can discuss.
Review: Ant-man
I’m a bit late on this one as I’d seen it weeks ago, but got tied up with multiple projects. I’ll post some spoilers in here, so if you just want the basic review, scroll down to the final paragraph.
At first I’ll admit (much like I did with Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy) that I wondered how they were going to make a movie from a background character and make it work. I have always loved the character of Ant-Man, but to stand alone in a feature film was another whole story. I had faith in Marvel, and was pleasantly surprised with one major problem in story writing. Here’s my breakdown:
Scott Lang / Ant-Man II: Paul Rudd did an amazing job. He was a criminal with a purpose. He stole in order to pay child support so he could see his daughter. Sure this seems like something a derelict would do, and does, but in this case you could actually see Lang cares immensely for his little girl. She’s his world. Once he is unexpectedly in this micro sized world of Ant-Man it takes a lot for him to become a hero. I like his struggles and lightheartedness despite the serious situation. It was also set up for him to become Giant-man later down the line because of the fact that he was able to make it to the feared micro-verse and come back. Supposedly there was an easter egg hidden in the microscopic world, but there was so much to take in I missed it. The visuals were absolutely stunning.
Hope Van Dyne / Wasp II: Evangeline Lilly played the part well, and I echo her words in the mid credits scene “It’s about time.” This is in reference to her becoming the Wasp, much like her mother before her but in an updated suit. I have no problem that this skips over the whole original Wasp for the most part. It makes sense in this movie universe.
Paxton, Luis, Kurt & Dave: The Paxton character made sense and was a welcome part, but Luis and Dave seemed a bit too goofy for me. Sure I know it was supposed to be (and IS) humorous, but I couldn’t take them seriously… especially Luis. Kurt also bothered me because his accent seemed off. They were fun supporting characters, but short of Paxton I could have done without the others. They DO work in the lightheartedness of it all however, so its less a complaint than it is an observation.
Sam Wilson / Falcon: Anthony Mackie’s surprise appearance in the film tied it in perfectly to the rest of what has happened so far. The fight between Falcon and Ant-Man was epic and a great tease to letting the fans want to see more hero vs hero… He not only setup Civil War in that way, but with Bucky and Captain America at the end it all fell in nicely. Mackie’s character was the perfect choice to take the role here.
Hank Pym / Ant-Man I: Michael Douglas said a while back that he wanted to be in a Marvel movie. I’ll admit at first that I was skeptical of him being Hank Pym. Not because of his acting, but because that meant the Ant-Man I grew up with was going to be much older. They appeased me however by doing some flashbacks. We saw Peggy Carter and Howard Stark in the beginning of the film, and even Pym working along side a costumed Wasp I / Janet Van Dyne. The passing of the torch was played well, and the reason for Janet’s absence was well written.
Darren Cross / Yellowjacket: I thought originally Yellowjacket would be the villain way back when this movie was still in development, but I figured it’d have been Scott Lang in the role with Hank Pym defeating him and making him realize the err in his ways. While I enjoyed the way the character looked in suit and the epic final battle between him and Lang, I was really disappointed. Here we got another repeat villain. A bald mad scientist who is trying to take over a corporation by his own means, and becomes the villain. We saw this in Ironman 1 & 2 practically. We see it in countless other superhero films as well, so why did they go this route? To me it felt lazy. Were the effects and both Ant-Man incarnations not in it, this would have ruined the movie for me. Darren Cross was too predictable and unoriginal for me.
Stan Lee: Probably the briefest cameo he’s ever had, but still fun to see his face. This was for me one of his worst cameos though. This is not a complaint at all. I’m just stating that it wasn’t the best use of such an icon.
All in all Ant-Man was a fun ride. Aside from the villain it felt like a fresh and original movie that still fit in with the rest of the Marvel Universe. I can’t wait to see him link up again as an Avenger in Captain America 3. Scott Lang is the new Tony Stark as far as wit and personality, and it’ll be good to see the onscreen interaction among them all. Marvel does it again! 7 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins for a fun and visually stimulating time.
Marvel TV shows review: Daredevil, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I decided this year to review all of the live action shows related to Marvel Comics in one article, so it will be more brief, but will contain some spoilers. If you just want my ratings then scroll down to the final paragraph of each break, which will be spoiler free.
First up, Daredevil. What is there to say? A lot, but so little. To me, this is the best Marvel live action thing to date, and that is saying a LOT. Never once have they nailed a character and realism as well as they had with this series. It also opens up opportunities for so much more, and yet still pays tribute to that which is already established. It connects the existing cinematic universe without using it as a springboard and does it tastefully. So, on to the characters:
Daredevil/Matt Murdock is played by Charlie Cox. From the acting, the abuse that the character takes both mentally and physically, and the way he perceives the world through his senses, you can really get a feel for what it is like to be in his shoes. His first costume is on point with one of the comic versions, while his final costume and why he dons it are closer to what we all know and love. Cox really takes us on the ride of not just knowing DD’s origin, but why he does what he does. He’s not just a hero because he has to be… he’s a hero because he WANTS to be.
Wilson Fisk/Kingpin , played by Vincent D’Onofrio, is believable from the start. This isn’t just Murdock’s origin as the hero, but moreso Fisk’s origin as the Kingpin. The look into his childhood says a lot as to why he is who he is, and what he goes through in these 13 episodes shows us why he will become what he has by the end of the season. He is cunning and powerful in more ways than one, and I doubt those bars will hold him for long.
Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, & Ben Urich: These three drive the series home, and while Foggy was quirky at times he grew on me. Ben was absolutely outstanding and I wish we could have seen more of him in the future. Karen proved that she will do what is necessary to survive, and support her friends. Daredevil would not have been complete without these three supporting characters.
Vanessa & Wesley: Like the above 3, supporting characters I can’t stress how much these two were needed for Fisk. Vanessa although falling a bit too fast has a dark side that is well balanced with a lighter side, making the perfect compliment for the lead villain. Every scene that included Wesley was enjoyable because of his dedication and coldness.
Leland Owlsley/The Owl: Bob Gunton always seems to play the same character no matter what his role, but his acting perfection in that role gave Owlsley the life he needed. My only regret is that we didn’t get to see the full comic book adaptation of The Owl, but I understand why. There was no room or need for him to become his better known comic half other than to serve the role he already did in the series.
Claire Temple/Nightnurse played by Rosario Dawson was utilized to the perfect amount. She didn’t need to do anymore than what she was there for, and I’m glad that they got away from the romance between her and Matt that I thought was going to begin.
Stan Lee: Yes I have to include his cameo, because he’s the man. I can understand if you missed it but he’s there in spirit. Behind the main desk of the Police office building there is a framed photo on the wall of who might be the chief of police or some retired police hero. The photo is of Stan Lee in uniform. His cameo and the avengers references were enough to make any fan boy smile.
Stick: Aside from the brief cameo we see by his partner Stone, Stick was crucial to the history of the man who would become DD. His persona is countered by the Catholic Priest and I believe it is both of these things that shape our hero and allow him to know what is right and wrong and which lines to cross.
Madame Gao: There are many speculations as to her actually being the Crane Mother, and they are justified. She knocked DD on his ass and barely had to break a sweat. Then she claimed that she was from a place much farther than China, so the only thing that could be is another realm… not to mention the symbol that is known to be part of the Iron Fist background. All of this aside, her role, and the brief Hand ninja appearance became ground work for the future of this series, and others to come.
All in all, I have to rate DD with a 10 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins. This is definitely NOT for young children, evident by the language and violence, but I think us adults needed something more mature to enjoy in this amazing universe. Kudos to the writers, producers and cast for an outstanding job.
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Marvel’s Agent Carter is our second review, and while I was very skeptical at first, I found myself surprised by this 8 episode series. Here are the highlights:
Hayley Atwell breathes life once again into Peggy Carter. From coping with the “death” of Steve Rogers to dealing with the sexism of the time, she proves herself worthy in so many ways. With Edwin Jarvis and Howard Stark there to support her, she rises against the odds, kicks ass, and all while feeling real.
Doctor Faustus & The Black Widow program prove to be the perfect villains for the series while The Howling Commandoes become a wanted sight to assist Carter.
Stan Lee once again appears as a guy getting his shoes shined, and again you can’t help but smile at his presence.
All in all I found the series to be unnecessary, but enjoyable. The cast and setting were a decent escape from the norm, and it provided an origin to the organization that would one day be called SHIELD. That being said, I wish this was a one shot. There is no need to further tackle this subject in another miniseries, but ABC has officially announced season 2. Overall I give Agent Carter 6 out of 10 sCrypt coffins.
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And finally Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2…
It began with a bang, progressed on to more boring issues, then got interesting, but not necessarily great. Then the ending came and the finale went out with a bang. Here are some of the more notable things:
Phil Coulson has become less interesting, and while I’m a fan of everything Clark Greg does, I’m convinced the newly appointed director of SHIELD may have his days numbered.
Carl Creel/Absorbing Man was easily the BEST thing about this season. He was given a mention in Daredevil as well, so I think the powers that be know his worth. The special effects and interesting way that they made him appear (yes even with his ball and chain) had me convinced that this season was going to be absolutely amazing.
The second best thing about this season was the introduction of Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird. She is what the SHIELD team needed to feel more connected to Marvel’s universe. She’s an enjoyable character to watch and more likeable than most of the characters.
FitzSimmons is annoying on a whole different level than they were last season. Fitz has become more likeable, but his memory issue seems to have been a bit overdone. Simmons on the other hand; for the love of God, she needs to go. There was no point to her even being there other than being a very annoying character.
Agent 33 is a mystery. I’m not sure where I stand as of yet on her reliance with Ward, but could she be Madame Masque? If she isn’t I dont see much of a point to her either.
Raina took a back seat through most of this season, but I like that they introduced her as the Raina character from the comics. Sure she may have been a C-rate character, but the usage was done nicely.
Daisy/Skye/Quake is the primary focus of the season, and while she has been revealed as being one of the Inhumans, she is not up to her full capacity yet. This needed to be done with Skye, because if not she’d be another person that would have felt forced if anything at all. I’m interested in seeing her develop more especially since she will be on a team of powered people working for SHIELD next season (at least that’s what they led you to believe).
Cal/Mr. Hyde Definitely one of the most enjoyable aspects of the season. He’s a bit nerdy, a bit psychotic, and a bit melodramatic, but I’d never in a million years have thought I’d see him in a live action adaptation. While I hope for more known characters to appear, Hyde is what this show needs. It is a less than perfect show, so why not use less than perfect characters that will enhance it? He is exactly that but it works well.
Deathlok 2.0 is still meh. I like Mike Peterson, but he is still not the Deathlok I want to see. I only hope that this version of him will continue to evolve into what he should be. We know they can pull it off, so they need to make it happen. I’d much rather see him and mockingbird than the lesser inhuman people.
From characters, to Age of Ultron and movie/tv show tie ins, to the Kree and SHIELD rising and falling, this season had a lot going for it, but also a lot of room for improvement. It has been renewed for season 3, but if they don’t do something interesting fast then it will get the boot. I give it 5 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins for season 2. There was enough to make me interested, but much to forget about.
DC TV Shows Review 2015: Constantine, The Flash, Arrow, Gotham
As with the Marvel TV review, I included all the DC shows I’ve been watching for review in this article. It will be broken down into 3 sections: Constantine Season 1, The Flash Season 1, Gotham Season 1 & Arrow Season 3. There will be spoilers, so if you’d like to avoid them, then scroll down to the last paragraph of each section for my ratings. Also feel free to add your own thoughts/speculations. Here goes:
First up is Constantine Season 1…
While I was familiar with Constantine I had not read the comics at all, so my knowledge was limited. With any comic series or characters I always tend to research them. So I did, and soon after I realized how much I enjoyed the character and setting of his world. For DC this is a very unique world in which to delve, and I’m happy that they have.
The show began a little too cheesy in places for me, but I soon grew to really enjoy it. The jumpy horror feel aside, the characters and appearances of other DC universe things made it worth while.
John Constantine could not have been done better IMO. Matt Ryan is the perfect person to play this role, and he set the tone for what the show was. With a supporting cast featuring Chas, Zed, and Manny (an angel), they work well protecting the world from supernatural threats, all while making it an enjoyable watch.
Papa Midnight was an extremely fun villain to watch, and I’m glad that he was a recurring role.
Unfortunate however were the uses of Felix Faust and Dr. Mist. Faust’s story was great, but I don’t feel they chose the right actor (though he did a decent job) to play the part. I felt Faust should have been more intimidating, but that might just be me. Mist (Nommo) was almost forgettable.
The only other comic book persona that was present was Jim Corrigan, who (as forseen by Zed), will one day become The Spectre. To me he stole every scene and I’d love to see his eventual death and reveal at becoming that entity.
Other notable references were Dr. Fate’s helmet and Astra. Both of which were utilized wisely for the fans.
In all, I’m upset that they cancelled this. Well NBC did. It appears as though there is a push from Stephen Amell and others to get another network to pick it up and include it in the “arrowverse”. I don’t think it was given a fair run. It took ten of 13 episodes to really establish what it was, and just when it got really interesting it was taken away. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for some sort of renewal, but for Season 1 I’ll give it 5 out of 10 sCrypt coffins.
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Gotham season 1 was equally frustrating and fun. I love that they are tackling the origins of Gotham city, but at times it feels too forced. Let’s break it down.
GCPD is the most incompetent police force on the planet, and Gotham just made it more unlikeable. They are corrupt beyond belief, and yet somehow still manage to make you feel bad for them.
Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock are the two likeable things within the department. As partners they compliment and contradict each other well. Two sides of the coin seem to come together and balance each other out. Harvey pushes Gordon to do things a little less moral, while Jim pulls in on Bullock’s rebellious reigns. Every scene with these two is what really makes this show enjoyable.
Bruce Wayne’s detective skills already surpass that which was shown in the dark knight trilogy, so he’s well on his way to becoming the man he one day will. He is portrayed well and its fun to watch him develop. Alfred Pennyworth is oddly done here however. While I like the portrayal, I’m hoping to see a more laid back butler soon. He’s a bit too harsh for me but I can see it as he’s a standin father for young Bruce.
Falcone and Maroni are two sides to a mob war that have me constantly cheering for the former. Maroni is unbelievable in his delivery and is somewhat offensive to any Italian. He seems more wannabe than a threat, and I’m glad he met his fate. Falcone on the other hand is the real deal, and while he leaves for better ventures, I feel we haven’t seen the last of him.
Easily stealing the show is Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot. To see the rise of such an underrated villain is interesting to say the least, but it makes one of my least favorite Batman villains very likeable. His struggles and how he comes to manipulate and in the end achieve his goals is one of the more compelling story plots going on in the series. The same can be said for Edward Nygma “The Riddler”. His final scene in the finale was a bit rushed in my opinion, and it almost felt like scenes were cut out before that, but overall he’s highly entertaining to the point of cheering for him (almost).
Now onto the parts I hate about this show, and I don’t want to sound sexist, but for the love of God, the females are horrible! I don’t know what the writers are doing here. In Batman the females are always the more likeable people, but they are shown as annoying and incompetent at the least. Poison Ivy (Ivy Pepper) is the exception but she was shown little. At first she felt forced, but it works the way she is used. Sarah Essen also tends to work really well, as did Renee Montoya (and her partner Crispus Allen), but there wasn’t enough of them in the season to make noteworthy. Barbara Kean, Leslie Thompkins and Selina Kyle are downright hard to watch at times. Barbara seems like an immature college girl, Thompkins is an obsessive controlling person, and Selina is a snot nosed brat. My skin curls when these three appear because they don’t at all echo their comic book counterparts. And don’t get me started on Fish Mooney. I hope she’s dead. Jada Pinkett Smith is a horrible actress, and her terrible mannerisms are enough to make me want to puke. Am I being too harsh? No. She doesn’t seem realistic, and while we are dealing with a non realistic show, it doesn’t matter. She’s as forced as Maroni if not more.
But alas I digress. Easily I can say that appearances by Mr. Zsasz, Harvey Dent, Lucius Fox, Copperhead, Richard Sionis, Electrocutioner, Amygdala, Jonathan Crane, The Graysons, and The Ogre were all well done, especially The Ogre and Crane stories. Should I even mention the outstanding performance of Jerome (The Joker)? He isn’t the iconic villain yet, but to get a back story is exciting.
My last complaint is that the visual effects are terrible, but these are purely budgetary restraints. The Dollmaker’s experimental Frankenstein like person was only briefly seen, but it didn’t look believeable. Neither did the people who were using the precursor to the drug that will one day be known as venom (used by Bane). The CG just didn’t line up.
Was the show enjoyable? Yes, but I don’t hold out much hope unless it stops feeling forced and starts focusing on the world they have to work with. I want to see this last until Bruce becomes the man he once will, but for that to happen they really need to stop cramming things in. An older Gordon appearing in the “Arrowverse” or finding the right story for Barry Allen to travel back in time into this series is a fanboy wish I’d like to see. I’ll give season 1 of Gotham 5 out of 10 sCrypt coffins. It is more interesting than annoying, but barely.
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Now onto something a bit more appetizing. The Flash is a pleasant surprise worthy of any fan of the character, and I may go as far as saying it had the best season finale of any tv show I’ve ever seen. It was emotional on so many levels, geektastic on so many levels, and the cliffhanger will make the summer months feel longer.
Grant Gustin IS Barry Allen/The Flash. From his debut in Arrow last season to constantly proving he is right for the role, Grant has gone above and beyond any expectations for the character. DC casting other characters in their movie universe is flat out stupid, because we’ve got perfection here.
Candice Patton as Iris West is not only a gorgeous person to watch on screen, but she really helped to establish the hows and whys of Barry Allen. At times, she is naïve and slightly irritating, but she’s overall a likeable and great character.
The same can be said about Detective Joe West and Eddie Thawne. The moments that they are on screen are perfectly executed. My only complaint would be that Eddie doesn’t really convey a feeling of true “love” toward Iris until the final episode. His exit was shocking to say the least, but after seeing him get pulled into the black hole I wonder if that means we’ll see him in some form as Cobalt Blue.
Caitlyn Snow and Cisco Ramon are bound to become Killer Frost and Vibe at one point (as foreshadowed and hinted at in the finale), and it Is great to see their destinies unfold. Cisco, while a bit dorky, is perhaps THE BEST character on TV. He is very relatable and doesn’t take his work so seriously that he’s a recluse. That role is better saved for Snow, who has quite the (pardon the pun) cold demeanor.
Tom Cavanaugh as Dr.Wells/Reverse Flash/Eobard Thawne is every bit what makes Hannibal Lecter and The Joker fun villains. YOu almost want to see this guy succeed and continue to be a thorn in Barry’s side. The way his story unfolded was unpredictable in details and I hope we see a lot more of Tom in the future. (yes, another pun)
Ronnie Raymond & Martin Stein becoming Firestorm is also a plot point that worked. While Robbie Amell’s stiff acting as Firestorm leaves much to be desired, this version of a great character has a lot of potential. My complaint would be that we need to see his true abilities of rearranging matter. Otherwise he’s just another human torch with dual identities.
Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold is the same as Cavanaugh in terms of stealing the show. He’s made to be much more than his comic book counterpart but in a respectful manner true to source material. His often team ups with Heatwave and Golden Glider click well together and make for a threatening force. I can’t wait to see where they take Cold.
Other villains who appeared in lesser but still likeable rolls were General Wade Eiling, Prism, Blackout, Mist, Multiplex, Simon Stagg, Plastique, Bug Eyed Bandit, Girder, Deathbolt, and Peek-A-Boo . It didn’t feel jam packed with comic references and really gave the opportunity to focus on lesser known characters. I like being introduced to them on some level because it creates more freedom for the show writers to bring to light some of these often overlooked villains.
The Weather Wizard and Gorilla Grodd especially were pleasant surprises that I didn’t think would be doable on TV (especially in the latter’s case), but I was proven wrong. It wouldn’t be a Flash show without them. Instead it would be more like the less than notable 90s Flash TV show. Speaking of that… The 90s show was a childhood favorite for me, and while it wasn’t too true to the comics, I liked it because it brought one of my favorite characters to life. So, when I saw that Tina McGee was going to return with the same actress, as well as John Wesley Shipp, and the ever awesome Mark Hammil reprising his role as The Trickster I was over excited. Without crediting or discrediting the 90s series they made great efforts to pass the torch to this new show.
Rip Hunter and Jay Garrick also got shout outs in the finale.
From the crossovers and the buildup to what could be a potential Flashpoint Paradox storyline (look it up if you’re unfamiliar), I’d say we have a series that will last a decade. The foreshadowing, time travel, and references to the Crisis could make any fan giddy. I’m giving this show a 9 out of 10 with sCrypt Coffins. There is room for improvement, but it isn’t far from perfection.
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Finally we get to Arrow. This is the show that started it all and established the term “Arrowverse”. While we still have yet to get the true version of Green Arrow and others, the cast is beginning to take a step in that direction. The third season had its ups and downs. At one point I even worried that The Flash was getting all of the writers’ attentions because Arrow slipped mid to late season in my opinion. Then the finale came and while the final fight seemed a bit sub par, I think it ended on a high note for everyone.
Black Canary/Dinah Laurel Lance finally came upon her destiny. Laurel was not just likeable this season, but badass. And when she finally gave her “canary cry” I couldn’t help but smile at the greatness of it.
Ray Palmer/The Atom was introduced in a great way, and he even dubbed the city “Star” instead of “Starling”, but I’m not sure why that wasn’t mentioned again. While he was awesome addition to the cast I hate what they did with his heroic side. I don’t want to see an Ironman rip off. I want the Atom that I know and love. Of course I went through 2 and a half seasons waiting for the Black Canary, so I can hold out until next season to see the inevitable shrinking abilities come about.
Thea/Red Arrow/Speedy was finally given a usefulness. She was pivotal to everything this season and with the departure of Arsenal, it’s nice to see her pick up the reigns. Plus her outfit is perfect.
Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer had a less than perfect role, but it was substantial and a good enough set up to see what he will do now that he is the new leader of the League of Assassins.
Ra’s Al Ghul was no way near as good as Liam Neeson’s version of the character. I feel that he and Nyssa were just a plot point used to turn Oliver into more of a Batman figure than anything else. It was wrong and irritating every step of the way, but the Lazarus Pit and mythology surrounding the characters made up for it.
And of course with that mention I’ll rant about our hero. When is Oliver Queen/Green Arrow going to stop being Batman? He’s not Batman! It frustrates me that the writers are taking the personality of Queen and making it something else. My only hope is that season 4 now has the opportunity to correct this.
Which brings me to Felicity Smoak. I love the girl, and she’s stunning to look at, but what a cry baby. It seemed all she did was cry or sleep with someone different every episode. The ending with her and Oliver seemed misplaced and I hope they start next season well, because this really felt like a series finale. Diggle has become a favorite of mine, and I’m hoping that he comes back with an even fuller role, perhaps battling H.I.V.E. and bringing the team together again.
While Ted Grant/Wildcat had a nifty little arc it was also great to see other known characters crossover and make their debuts. New additions to Arrow were: Komodo, Manhunter, Captain Boomerang, Brick, Cupid, Katana, and the mention of Damien Darhk who is bound to be the villain of next season. There were also numerous references to Green Lantern that were made in both this and The Flash.
I still think Arrow is one of the best comic book shows on TV, but if they really don’t define who he is supposed to be in season 4, then what’s the point? I’ll give season 3 of Arrow 6 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins.
Review: Marvel Universe Live On Tour
What do you get when you mix comic book characters with a circus, a motocross, and a martial arts tournament? Marvel Universe Live. This week sCrypt comics was able to attend the event here in Philadelphia. The tour is currently hitting major cities across the United States, so check http://www.marveluniverselive.com for tickets and dates. Okay, now let’s get down to the review. I’ll avoid major spoilery material, as the plot to the show isn’t what I want to focus on, though I will touch on it.
Attending for sCrypt Comics was myself (Rick Pipito), co-founder and lead artist Dan Pipito, my 4 year old son and my 5 year old daughter. When I say that this is a show for all ages, I’m not lying. It is aimed at a younger audience, but has enough other fantastic elements that visually alone it is fun for anyone.
Sound Effects and Dialogue: Okay, so some of the dialogue was cheesy bad, but not bad in a repulsive way. Bad like in a comic book way, where certain things were done just to appease the audience. Who doesn’t like a laugh? Thor saying “It’s Hammer Time” was a bit much, but the campiness works as if it were a stage play. The voices were prerecorded as the 
characters acted the lines out (sort of in an exaggerated Power Rangers type of way). The best part about the voices was that they literally sounded EXACTLY like the actors who voiced these characters in the 90s animated cartoons. For any fan of those, and lets face it, who isn’t a fan, you will be quite pleased at the nostalgia it brings. Sound effects wise, the lasers and explosions were as expected to be, and not hard to make perfect. The soundtrack itself was also impressive, and JARVIS as the narrator to introduce the beginning of the show and after the intermission made a lot of sense.
Acting and choreography: The acting was as mentioned above with an exaggerated movement of the characters speaking. Although visually seeing this is somewhat distancing from real life, it has to be done to show who is the one doing the speaking. I mean you can’t have a show like this and not; otherwise there would be dead space. That being said, the acting isn’t what makes this show amazing. I cannot express how exciting and action packed it 
is. The fighting sequences were as if you were watching it on the silver screen, and while the punches and kicks didn’t literally connect with the other characters, the distance from the stage makes up for that. Remember that scene in Ironman 2 when Black Widow kicks a dozen asses without batting an eyelash? Yep… the actress playing Widow in this tour does those moves in the same manner. Even the aerial fights (Green Goblin vs Spiderman) were well done. What made my jaw drop was watching these stunt people drop a good fifteen to twenty feet after being “punched” off of balconies or catwalks. There were no ropes in those sequences, so they freefell onto inflatable mats. I can’t emphasize how much coordination this must take because one small misstep and they’d be splattered all over the floor.
Visual effects: Right from the beginning we get Thor using his hammer to smash the Tesseract. As he does, lightning comes down from above and the cube shatters outward in a dazzling display of particles. From Ironman’s repulsor blasts, to Aldrich Killian’s fire body of extremis virus, to Spiderman’s webs, it was stunning and breathtaking. The fight with the sinister six at the Statue of Liberty was especially 
exciting because while there was a battle inside the head of the statue, there was more in the air outside, and the transition back and forth between the two scenes was seamless. The highlight of the show was perhaps the Hulk element. A green light focuses on Bruce Banner when he is getting angry, but when Hulk finally shows up he is a good ten feet tall. The actor in this huge Hulk costume obviously walked on stilts but that was hidden by the design of the legs, and although his facial features couldn’t move, it was the sheer power you felt having him on the scene and destroying things, smashing and raging out.
Motorcycles and stunts: Kudos to the man who is Spiderman. He didn’t stay put for five minutes. Most of his stage time was either from a high wire, swinging above or him doing flips on the ground, running up walls, and just being the best acrobat around. Coordination and balance are both an understatement when it comes to him. The motorcycle and vehicle rides were impressive with the space they had on stage, but what made me gasp was the unexpected 
backflips and long jumps across “chasms”. This part of the show alone could have stood by itself.
Stage: The design of the stage, the shape of it, and its ever changing scenery leaves no room for complaining. It worked well for every part of the show, and some of it made me wonder exactly how the hell they break down and set up after each city tour. It’s a lot of moving parts.
Character usage and costumes: While each character had an equal amount of show time, and looked great in their comic cloned costumes, there were some issues I had. First, the costumes: Ironman’s suit looked entirely too bulky, Red Skull’s head looked a bit oversized, and Captain America’s shield bent during one of the shield throwings, so it was a bit odd. In the case of underwhelming characters, I choose three: With all of the visual effects and build up of the show, I really wanted to see Storm go crazy at the end and summon some of her weather abilities. I also wanted to see Cyclops unleash his optic blasts. I got neither, and I don’t understand why. Ironman had plenty of lasers going off, so a few shots of red light from Cyclops would have been easy to do. Smoke effects and lightning were abound, so making some smoke look like a tornado or have Storm firing lightning or wind would not have been that much of a stretch. To me, the lack thereof of these elements made me feel as if the creators of the show got lazy in the last five minutes and wanted it to end. Captain Marvel also only flew 
and fought. In the scenes she was a part of, her comic book counterpart would have blasted the thugs around in seconds. Instead they focused on her fighting, which made her a useless character. If they wanted to focus on fighting, they could have used Punisher or someone else like that.
Concessions and Other attractions: Like any of these type of shows, the ticket prices are through the roof at times, but worth it. The price you pay to see this show goes to making it happen, so I can get by that. What I can’t get by is how outrageous concessions are. I’m not talking about popcorn or anything like that, because we all know at these events you spend ten dollars on a hotdog. What I AM talking about are the plush toys and cheap gimmicks. Light up toys that twirl around and the plush dolls look like something that you’d win at a carnival or buy at a five below, but the price of one costs between 20 and 25 dollars! And the program would have been nice to have, but I wasn’t spending that money either. Sorry. I’ll go spend half the price somewhere else and get something four times as good. One cool thing is that (and you can see from my pic of Dan and my kids) you can dress up as characters and stand in for pictures. There are a few of these lying around, so you can take your pick of which to do.
Overall, this show is something new and fresh. You’ve never seen anything like it before. Sure, there are elements you have probably scene, but the combination of everything together is out of this world. Marvel Universe Live on Tour is an event that you do NOT want to miss. The sold out arena was proof of that alone, and I hope that this leads to many more similar incarnations. A Marvel Universe Live sequel focusing on X-Men, Fantastic Four, or other heroes than the Avengers would have me grabbing tickets right away. With over 32 characters from the comics it is a job well done. For an arena performance, I give it 8 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins.
What did you think? Feel free to comment if you saw it. I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts.
*MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE is a production of Feld Entertainment (C) 2014
Review: The Flash (2014) TV Pilot
The CW network has really convinced me of quality programing in one of its shows (Arrow). Now with the backdoor pilot set in the Arrow universe, Barry Allen will become the Flash in his own show. I was able to catch an early screening of the pilot that will air in the Fall, and let me say that it has already begun much better than most pilot episodes for a series. Here is my review with minor spoilers included. I will not spoil anything from the plot itself, so the spoilery info will be kept to the minimum.
Plot:
To cram all of this in 42 minutes is impressive when it doesn’t feel rushed. We have Barry’s lab accident that gives him superspeed. A reason for his suit to be what it is. His mother being murdered when he was a child, and you most certainly see the reverse flash (Professor Zoom) in the chaos that kills her. And a search for other meta-humans who have powers or abilities beyond normal. Oh, and we also have the Weather Wizard (kind of). Overall, it flowed well. Some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy in parts, and the easter eggs seemed forced, but it was pleasing above all else.
Flash/Barry Allen: Grant Gustin IS Barry. His presence on screen, really personifies the role, and though I was skeptical at first, I’m convinced they made the right choice. I also really like how he analyzes the crime scene. It is a unique take on visually showing what he has in his mind. I hope we see a lot more of this. As far as the costume goes… I’m glad that they referenced it was a prototype design. This probably means that it will evolve over time.
Iris West: Eventually Iris and Barry will be married (if we assume they follow the comics). Like any CW show however, they had to put in a different love interest to make it soap opera-y. That annoys me to a certain extent, and though I also hate when they change the race of a character, Candice Patton works well for this role. She’s attractive, and has great on screen chemistry with Gustin.
Detective West: I’m hoping that they don’t make him another Detective Lance (from Arrow). It seems like they might be doing that a little bit, but since Barry is a cop, we have to have some sort of veteran on the job. He came off as a bit of a prick but in a good way.
Caitlin Snow & Cisco Ramon: Their roles seemed to be placed forcefully into Barry’s life, but I think it will work. We already see a dark side to Caitlin (who in the comics becomes the villain, Killer Frost)… And Cisco has an overeager nerdy side, that you would only see in a protagonist character. He of course becomes (Vibe) in the comics, and of all the justice league characters I’m not sure why they’d choose him as a focal point, but I guess they are trying to push sales with that character. It’ll be interesting how their fates pan out.
Dr. Harrison Wells: Speaking of fates…wow, what a twist at the end. All I’ll say is that his purpose is of a much grander scheme, and like Malcom Merlyn in Arrow, I think that he will serve a similar role. And not to say too much, but his name is not really Harrison Wells, but I’ll bet that wheelchair really moves fast and I wonder how much tech Star Labs has gotten from the future (Yes, you comic fans might know what I’m saying here).
Henry Allen: Seeing John Wesley Ship in this role was awesome from the moment he appeared on screen. Sure it is minor, but I enjoyed the original live action Flash series in the nineties, so to see the original Barry Allen in a Flash series again is nice to see a passing of the torch in a way. I can’t wait to see what sort of person he will be as the series progresses.
Eddie Thawne: Okay, so I originally thought this was Eobard Thawne (Professor Zoom) from the comics, but apparently he may be a great great ancestor or something. I’m not sure, but all I know is he will definitely be connected to the twist at the end of the pilot episode. It’ll be interesting to see his placement and purpose.
Clyde Mardon: He’s the brother of the Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon), but exhibits the same powers. His role as villain of the week was only a minor part of the episode, but to see Barry racing against a tornado was pretty awesome. With him dead now, I am only assuming that his brother Mark will take over the role of the true Weather Wizard. The effects for the weather abilities looked pretty natural too, so it was quite welcome to see this.
The Easter Eggs (Hidden things):
Some seemed forced, but here are the ones I caught… Caitlyn referenced something called the ATOM SMASHER… could this be a forshadowing to the character of the same name being on the series? Of course there were the ZOOM tributes and presence in the beginning and end… A cage in Star Labs was bent out of shape with a tag on it that said GRODD… I only assume that we will get Gorilla Grodd in the show at some point soon…. In the futuristic newspaper that was during the twist at the end, one of the headlines said “Waynetech and Queen Consolidated”… It talked about a merger between the two companies, which means that Bruce Wayne (hopefully Affleck) may appear in one of these two shows at some point. In the same paper, we also see a hint at Barry Allen’s fate during the Crisis. Could this 10 year forshadowing be a way of thinking ahead. Smallville ran for 10 years. If The Flash has the same strength in its legs, could we get a series finale with a crisis storyline? Or perhaps this could be tying in to the thoughts of a Justice League movie with similar plots? Finally, I had to include Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. It’s more of a cameo than an easter egg, but having him in it with words of encouragement for the new hero was really cool. I’m not sure about his swan dive over the edge at the end, but hell, it was awesome to see that they will maintain that crossing over to some effect.
There are so many what ifs and what will happen running amok in my head right now as I still spin from a really delightful first episode. There are flaws in dialogue, but for a first episode, this really hit the ball out of the park. I’m going to give it an 8 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins. Did you see it? If so, what did you think? What are your speculations and hopes for this show? Comment below.
Review: Hannibal Season 2
Here’s a brief review of the second season of the hit series Hannibal, based on the novels and character by Thomas Harris. I’ll keep the spoilers to a minimum, but to avoid any spoilery, you may want to scroll down to the last paragraph for my rating. Here we go.
Hannibal Lecter shows his true colors in this season, and what a season it was. My mind was blown on multiple levels. To say the word “MindF&$(” would be an understatement. Season 1 was a lot of fun to watch, but this really established a lot from the novels. There were slight nods and deviations, and overall just disturbing and fun visuals.
My complaint is two-fold. Doctor Chilton dying wasn’t a good point for me. I thought he’d be there to have the show continue into the Silence of The Lambs territory eventually. His character will now have to be replaced, and this strayed far from the book. My second complaint is that there were times when things seemed too easy. Like how did Will know that Hannibal sent the one guy to kill him? There were times when the solving of the crimes and adding pieces together were just too simple.
It was often a stretch to believe that the characters were that intuitive.
On a good note, as Hannibal brought a complete mental psychosis to the plate (pun intended), Will Graham did an equal job. There were times when I almost believed that Will WAS going to become like Hannibal. If they did make him that way, I’d have been upset because that would also stray too far from the source material. I like how they had the origin of Mason Verger too. The man was as creepy as the creepiest person in the show, and he got what he deserved.
Everything that happened in this season properly set up the events from the novel “Red Dragon.” We are left with Will and Jack dying, and Hannibal escaped. Obviously Will or Jack (if not both) will survive the encounter, but what about that post credits teaser at the end? Hannibal’s own psychiatrist, Dr. Du Maurier, is his accomplice. This shocked me more than Abigail still being alive.
We now have an entirely new setting and fresh start for season 3, and my pallate can not wait. The best part about watching this show, perhaps more than the show itself is that when I’m watching it with my wife, who is a well known foodie personality, she is watching the dining scenes and saying how disturbing it is, but how Hannibal knows how to plate a meal. She of course doesn’t cook humans, but her eye for plating a dish is part of her specialty, so she can point out to me how wonderful the visuals look (despite the horrid nature of them).
All in all, I hope this series continues and goes through all of the books. I understand we will get more back story to Hannibal in season 3 as they touch on events from “Hannibal Rising” while delving deep into the “Red Dragon” mythos. I’ll rate the season with 8 out of 10 sCrypt coffins. It would have been higher if not for my two complaints, but overall, this was a wild ride and I can’t wait for more. Now to fill the season void by going back and rereading the 4 novels. What were your thoughts? Did you enjoy it? Did I miss anything? Add your comments below. Bon Appetit~
Review: X-Men Days Of Future Past
Fox studios has just released its seventh movie in the massively popular X-Men franchise, and it looks to be another hit based on ticket sales. One of the biggest complaints by comic book fans about Fox’s version of the X-Men is that it strays too far from the comics and there are so many continuity issues. I’m tired of going to blogs and hearing someone say “Marvel needs the rights to X-Men back”. I’m telling you right now, that while I want to see X-men with Marvel characters on screen, if they do this it wouldn’t be a good thing at this time. Why? Because everyone who isn’t a comic fan knows what the movies have brought to our eye. Don’t forget that Bryan Singer brought us X-Men and X2: X-Men United at a time where comic book movies were just becoming popular. X-2 is one of the BEST of the whole franchise.
Then X-Men The Last Stand came along. I enjoyed that movie for its high points, but I do acknowledge its flaws. Of course at the end of that movie, the only confirmed “Death” was that of Jean Grey. We never saw Cyclops’ body, and his glasses were left floating in the air. To me, this always meant that she never killed him. Everyone got their powers back that lost them, and Professor X transferred his mind to a new body.
Of course, this was followed by the X-Men Origins Wolverine. Again, there were parts that were strong, but what they did with all these characters left a bad taste in most people’s mouths. X-Men First Class and The Wolverine finally came about and reinstilled energy in the franchise. It gave faith back to those who had lost it, except for the whiny die hard X-Men comic fans who can’t imagine that the movies won’t be EXACTLY what they read in the pages. Those are the same people who claim that the Avengers is a perfect comic movie, and yet don’t realize that most of what Marvel has put on the screen has strayed from core source material.
I’m one of those fans who is a comic fan AND a movie lover. I go into these with a very open mind, and yes I get upset when I see certain things that don’t do justice. When I saw some of the trailers for Days Of Future Past I shook my head. Then I started hearing talk about it and became enraged. “Why would they do this and ruin it more?” I learned my lesson however to NEVER assume anything from a trailer. Everything this movie presented corrected most of what people whined about, while creating another flaw that is gladly accepted over the appaling other ones that were there and are now gone. From here on out in this review there will be MAJOR SPOILERS. I’m also going to speculate where this will take the franchise. If you want to know my review, scroll down to the last paragraph for my rating.
The future we are given to kick off the movie is dismal and dark. We are shown over and over how deadly the sentinels are, and presented with some moderately graphic death scenes. It is everything that I pictured the future to be in this story. Then we go to the past, which picks up a few years after the First Class movie. It’s the 1970s, and the X-Men aren’t even together anymore. Two different periods of time, and both very effective. Let’s check out the characters involved.
Wolverine/Logan: One flaw I found with Wolverine is that they don’t explain how, after the events of The Wolverine, that he has metal on his claws again. We can only assume from a comment made by a young Magneto, that the older Magneto put the metal back. It makes sense and probably would have confused anyone that didn’t see The Wolverine as to why they just let this go. It’s implied, but not flat out explained. Regardless, Hugh Jackman continues to own this role. He’s at his largest in body size, and you can tell he genuinely cares about the role. Whether talking about the old Logan or the pre-Weapon X young counterpart, Wolverine is cleverly used here. In his future version we see yellow and blue in his “costume” as a little nod to his classic comic book outfit. Another Easter egg thrown in was when Magneto impales him with the rebar and bends it around his body. This closely resembles the scene in the comics when Magneto stripped the adamantium from Logan’s bones. My only issue with Logan here is that he is pulled out of the water after what is obviously a few hours at minimum, and he suddenly just starts coughing the water from his lungs. Does his healing factor just do that? Every few minutes the lungs try to work? If so, then that could be an eternally painful death for Wolverine were that the case. I don’t know what it is, but it is a scary thought.
Professor Xavier: Patrick Stewart’s portrayal in the future is classic. He’s always done well in this role, and I loved that he had a hover chair as well. James McAvoy not only could pass off looking like a younger Patrick Stewart, but he equally owns the part. I was kind of turned off at first by the self pity he was wallowing in, and the fact that Hank made a drug to help him to walk might explain how Xavier could walk in his brief cameo at the end of Origins Wolverine. Then again, because his face was so badly CGIed in Origins, perhaps it was supposed to be a projected image of himself just like he did with Mystique in the airport. DOFP was more of an established origin for Professor X than first class was because he also accepts that he will become the man he was meant to be.
Magneto / Erik Lensherr: Ian McKellen had little screen time in the future, but like everyone I felt he was utilized well. If he had a little more dialogue I’d have been happier, but maybe less is more, and they sent him off well. Michael Fassbender easily became the villain in this more than almost the sentinels. I liked the nod to him being Quicksilver’s father, and the plastic prison that will again become a part of X2. I am wondering how far magnetism can go however. Does he have an engineering background where he suddenly knows how to control robots? I can see him gaining control of the sentinels (he did often in the comics), but he sort of just let’s them loose on the “mutants”. He’s a mutant too, so why wouldn’t it just attack him? I also thought it was flawed that he was just able to leave at the end. Xavier should have stopped him. Wouldn’t the government people who watched Mystique stand up against him suddenly believe that they helped him escape if he could have been stopped? Or did Xavier place a thought in their minds?
Raven Darkholme / Mystique: Jennifer Lawrence is a MUCH better Mystique than her predecessor, and she looks equally as menacing. The fight choreography of the character and her becoming the unpredictable “hero” really had me smile. I was glad that they did what they did with her. My question is this…. does her appearance as Stryker at the end mean that she killed him? I have a theory about this that I’ll mention in my speculation at the end.
Storm: Of all the characters in the X movies, Halle Berry was never one of my favorite choices to play a role. Storm was sent off well here as well. She didn’t need much dialogue. They gave her shorter hair (a mowhawk would have been a good nod, but what she had was nice). Her taking out the Sentinel carriers the way that she did showed how powerful she really can be, and her impalement by the sentinel’s spear hand was a relief. My favorite part is that Logan flat out tells a younger Xavier to remember Storm and seek her out along with Scott and Jean. That means most likely a recast as younger versions in the next movie.
Rogue, Cyclops, & Jean Grey: Their cameos as well as Kelsey Grammar as Beast was a great way to acknowledge all of the past mistakes. It means that them being there confirms that the everything is open for the future. Origins Wolverine, X-men, X2, The Last Stand, & The Wolverine will no longer happen. They can literally do anything with a younger cast and the results of this movie give us a fresh beginning, only keeping First Class & DOFP (the past elements) as something that is continuity.
Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat: Ellen Page had a minor, but significant role. Her time phasing powers are not part of the comics, but being as she was the one to go back in time in the comics instead of Logan, I felt this was a good way to include her in the whole segment. There was no other way to do this because of all of the prior continuity errors, and adding a mental time phase to her existing phase powers felt naturally logical. I also liked the slight nod at the end to her and Colossus’ relationship from the comics.
Hank McCoy / Beast: One of my issues before seeing this movie was hearing that Hank would be very “Hulk” like and only turn to beast when he became angry. The way they explain it is redeemable though. He created a serum to give him the appearance, but he obviously will embrace his inner beast as Grammar is in full Beast makeup at the end. It’s a good tool to use, but I hope they get rid of this for the next movie.
Bolivar Trask: Bryan Singer explained that this is not Trask from X2. So who is Trask from X2? Is he Peter Dinklage’s son? Doubtful. I guess he is just another Trask. Aside from this continuity issue, Trask was perfect. His purpose and usage was not over or underdone. The slight change from the comics is that the future is caused by Senator Kelly’s assassination. In this case, they had to change it to Bolivar Trask because Kelly was already established in X-1, and there couldn’t have been a better substitute for character swaps.
William Stryker: He is only a major in military rank in this one, and there IS a continuity flaw with him. In Origins Wolverine, Stryker and Logan met during Vietnam. Here it is a few years later and it doesn’t seem like he knows him at all when he sees him. The mention of his son Jason was nice (Jason Stryker was the mutant “Mastermind” in X2 who cast illusions into Xavier’s mind). His purpose could have been filled by any other military character. Why they chose to throw him in and cause another continuity issue is beyond me, but at this point I’ll bet they were just trigger happy with the cameos. I really wish they hadn’t used him.
Quicksilver / Pietro “Peter” Maximoff: Nightcrawler was my favorite in an X-film so far, but Quicksilver has replaced him. At first I hated the costume he wore from the ads, but now it makes sense after seeing it. His main scene was so beautifully executed and the nod to him being Magneto’s son was awesome too. As much faith as I have in Marvel for cinematic excellence, I don’t know how their Quicksilver will top this one. I can’t wait to see more of him in Apocalypse.
Cameo X-Men: While most of these had no or little dialogue, they were all utilized well. Bishop was awesome! Colossus finally got some epic battle time. Blink’s powers looked awesome, so much so that I made sure I wasn’t blinking so I could fully capture what was going on. Sunspot and Warpath were nice additions, though were of very little use. The same could almost be said about Iceman, but we finally got to see his ice slide move, which gave plenty of chills I’m sure. Havok, Toad, Ink, & Spyke had a fun little scene and I wonder where they will be headed off to.
Mystery mutants: If anyone knows who the white haired guy was at the beginning, who found the X symbol and then was killed, please let me know. I assumed this was a young Cable, but it could have just been a generic mutant. Also, Bryan singer confirmed that the little sister with Pietro was NOT his twin, Scarlet Witch. But if not her, then perhaps it was younger sister, Lorna Dane? I know that might be a stretch, but it is the movies, and since Polaris (Lorna Dane) is also the daughter of Magneto, maybe they planned that.
Sentinels: This was just plain awesome. The Sentinels in the 1970s reminded me of watching the old cartoon from the 90s. They were fun to watch destroy and I waited for the “Surrender Mutant” line of dialogue somewhere, but it never happened. In the future, the Nimrod sentinels were downright terrifying. Just plain amazing!
The Chris Clairmont (He wrote DOFP storyline in the comics) cameo, and mentions of other characters here and there were fun easter eggs for any comic book fan, but my favorite was En Sabah Nur. I have wanted to see Apocalypse as a villain since Xmen 1. Now we are getting him. His post credits scene had my jaw dropping, and I noticed that his 4 horsemen were sitting in the background while the young mutant pharaoh built the pyramids. I cannot wait til Apocalypse.
My only real regret with this movie is that they killed Azazel and White Queen. The problem isn’t with Azazel, because he could have impregnated Mystique somewhere along the way and still had Nightcrawler. The issue is with Emma. With her dead, there is no way she’d ever be a part of the X-Men later down the line. It’s nothing that will make me lose sleep, but they could have thought of another way.
Now that I’ve exhausted my opinions of the characters and plots, I want to speculate on where this could all lead based on what we know as fact from where we stand at the end of Days of Future past. X-Men Apocalypse will have Xavier’s new recruits taking on Apocalypse and his horsemen. Who will be with Xavier? They set it up for a young Storm, Cyclops and Jean Grey to accompany Professor X and Beast. It is also confirmed that Quicksilver and maybe Scarlet Witch will play a role somehow, in addition to Gambit, played by Channing Tatum. We also know that it takes place in the 1980s. Who will the horsemen be? Here’s my theory… I think Mystique killed Stryker and rescued Logan from the water. Why? She is working for Apocalypse who has been watching from the sidelines. Wolverine will get metal back on his bones, but not from Weapon X now… instead he will become the Horseman of death. There was a brief stint in the comics where this happened. Making Logan a bad guy would be so smart because it will really put the team to the test, and he finally won’t be a hero. Wolverine, Mystique and two others as horsemen (sorry, no archangel, because he’d be too young in the 80s). I also believe that Nathanial Essex would be a servant to Apocalypse, setting up the next movie where he could be Mr. Sinister and take young cyke and jean.
Wolverine 3: With no weapon X program, he’d probably (after being released from Apocalypse’s control) join up with Alpha Flight. They could take on Omega Red and have Sabretooth return to turn against his “brother”, Jimmy (Wolverine’s birth name).
Deadpool: MAKE THIS MOVIE RATED “R” and Give Ryan Reynolds the chance to show what he has as this character.
Sorry for such a lengthy review. I’m sure I even missed stuff, but there was just so much scale to this movie. After just over 2 hours, I felt I could have watched another 2 hours and not gotten tired. This was non-stop action and suspense from the beginning until the end, and executed really well. While fixing a plethora of mistakes, they created only 2 real flaws, and neither of them matter. I have to rate this at a 9 out of 10 sCrypt coffins. What did you think of the movie? Did I leave something out? Where do you see it going from here? Fox has earned the rights to use these characters and I am not disappointed by the scope of what they’ve accomplished. Well done, Singer and crew.
Review: The Amazing Spiderman 2
If anyone has caught my previous review for The Amazing Spiderman 1, then you know I gave it high praises; except for the fact that it didn’t feel very fresh and original because it was another origin story. Now before I go ripping this apart or commending it for being a delightful movie, I have to state that I was a huge Spiderman fan growing up. He is one of the iconic memories of my childhood. Therefore, I am both very critical, AND acceptant of what is presented on screen. I realize things can’t be exactly from the pages of comics. This review will be loaded with Spoilers, so if you don’t want to see any, then scroll down to the last paragraph for my score.
The overall darker tone of this series is not something I enjoy. Spider-man is a lot like Superman in many aspects. I want to see a bright and colorful display. I don’t want to see a whole lot of night battles. If I wanted that, I’d watch Batman or Blade. The whole parents of Peter Parker storyline seemed to flesh out in this one, which made for an interesting reason why Peter being bitten by the spider would have altered his DNA that way. I enjoyed this very much, and am glad they sort of put an end to it. It served it’s purpose so let’s move on. My character breakdowns from previous reviews seem to be attracting attention, so I’ll review the movie like that.
Spider-man / Peter Parker: Andrew Garfield is a wonderful actor, but I still don’t like him as Spiderman. I hate to compare, but overall, the more I watch this series, the more I want Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi back. Don’t get me wrong, there was tons wrong with the original trilogy, but Garfield’s Peter doesn’t seem right. It’s almost like they don’t know what to do with him. Parker is supposed to be a nerdy kid who wise cracks cheesy lines with his enemies. It is his staple. Instead, in this series, we get a punk Brooklyn kid who seems more like a douchy bully than anything else. At times he conveys what Spiderman should be, but I am not sure where they are going with him. This parker is a punk, then loveable, then wise cracking, and then emo. PICK A FRIGGIN’ EMOTION ALREADY! Everyone has mood changes, but this is ridiculous. It’s like he is four different characters. I was however happy with the updated classic look of the suit, and WHY he had a new suit. Spidey’s outfit here is the BEST costume overall in ALL the existing Spiderman films. I still can’t fathom how he can fit so much web fluid in those little cartridges, but I can suspend disbelief because it’s a comic book film.
Gwen Stacy: Emma Stone is a major highlight of this film. Or should I say was? Her purpose was meaningful, and although her dialogue was often horrible (As was most of the dialogue in the film), she was believable. My issue would be that they decided to make this genius level student a complete idiot in the end. She thinks she can help Spiderman take on Electro, and that’s just moronic. Yeah okay she overall did, but it’s not a smart move. She was that annoying girlfriend that just doesn’t go away. This leads to her ultimate death at the hands of the Green Goblin. In the comics she was thrown from a bridge by the Goblin (Norman, not Harry), and Peter tried to stop her fall with a web, breaking her neck. Here, she was thrown from a clock tower by Harry’s Goblin, and Peter snapped her spine with a sudden jerking stop. The scene was VERY effective and one of the best recreations of comic book lore to date. You felt the impact before, during and after her death. Gwen really is the one who let’s Peter know posthumously that he is destined to be Spiderman (even if those exact words weren’t used).
Max Dillon / Electro: Jamie Foxx really played this role well. I feel that this WAS the electro from the comics, despite the fact that they made him a genius engineer with obvious social and mental disabilities. The lack of social and mental normalcy made him seem like the dimwit from the comics. The fight scenes and effects with him too were just visually stunning. Is he dead? No I doubt it. He’s probably reserved in that little battery that was strapped to his head, at least as some kind of spark. I wouldn’t mind them bringing him back at some point in a lesser capacity.
Green Goblin / Harry Osborn: Dane Dehaan played the role of Harry well. He even played Goblin well. Let me say this though. Aside from the design being utterly horrible, I’m sick of seeing Green Goblin. This one is more akin to the ultimate version, but its just overdone. If you use a goblin, then for the love of God, please use hobgoblin or even demogoblin, because this is just getting redundant, and that is probably one of the biggest flaw’s that director Marc Webb has in these films…. nothing is NEW. BTW, I’m not believing that Norman is dead. His hands and look in his “final” scenes made me believe he’d be back as the Ultimate “hulking like” version of the character. Only time will tell.
Felicia Hardy: She has a minor role in the movie, but you can see that she would practically do anything for Harry. This is a perfect setup for her to become BlackCat in the next movie. I really think that is the way they need to go. Make her a villain who will eventually pick a side and team with Spiderman.
Rhino: SMH. I love Paul Giamatti, but his Russian accent is overplayed and not believeable here. AND I’m sick of seeing mechanical exosuit villains. WHY did we get a giant robot rhino with guns? All I have to say is that for the next movie or sinister six, he better have an updated form of the suit that is more akin to the comics, because this is just the WORST design EVER! Instead of the headfirst charging Rhino, we got a walking tank with machine guns, and a tease of a fight.
Aunt May, The Ravencroft Institute, Richard and Mary Parker, The head of Oscorp: all of these were delightful to see on screen and had a clear purpose. Nothing much can be said because they were practically flawless.
Alistair Smythe: An awesome cameo that I didn’t expect. In the comics, he creates the Spider Slayers. this is all a setup for future I believe, and since he was placed in a cryo type freeze tank, I believe he will be back (maybe with some cyber enhancements).
The man in the shadows: okay, so we still have no idea who this is, or do we? He showed up in the post credits from the first film. Now he shows up at the end to assist Harry in putting together a “team”. Who can he be? They called him Gustav Fiers. He must be none other than Chameleon, who was a key player in the comics in forming the Sinister Six. If this is the case, then perhaps we will actually have more than six villains. Here is my speculation as to where this will all go….
There are more films coming. It is confirmed that we are getting: The Amazing Spiderman 3, Venom, and Sinister Six movies, followed by The Amazing Spiderman 4. It is also confirmed that Andrew Garfield is playing the character through the year 2020. Now, with that being said, here is where I see it going.
TASM3: Felicia becomes Black Cat. She breaks Harry out of prison, and he and her team up to take on Spiderman. He is still coping with the death of Gwen, but this is where Felicia and Mary Jane being introduced into his life will cause conflict. He won’t know who to trust. In the end, I believe that Black Cat will turn against a super charged (more ultimate form of the goblin) and Harry will probably die. This movie is all about conflict… Felicia choosing a side, Peter moving on, Harry realizing his best friend is his worst enemy. There will also be setups here to the spinoff films.
I know I said that I don’t want to see Green Goblin anymore, but this is the only logical way to go at this point. To make him different, his DNA could be altered further to really fit that Ultimate Goblin look. Black Cat will be the first female villain for spiderman, and everything will feel a little fresh.
Venom: there were some easter eggs in the film. We had the mention of the Spidervenom which is the arachnid’s blood. In the ultimate comics, Venom isn’t an alien symbiote… it is instead a derivative symbiote from Spiderman’s blood. There is also a Morbius easter egg, but that probably wouldn’t apply. In the venom movie, we could see a classic Eddie Brock taking on the mantle of the villain, and going up against his own offspring, Carnage. This HAS to be a venom vs carnage movie. it has been something the fans have wanted for years. It could be a one and done movie, where in the end, Eddie Brock either becomes anti-venom for a future film where Flash Thompson takes over as venom, or something else.
Sinister Six: Chameleon will take on the reigns of moving forward with Harry’s original plans. Who should be in this movie? TASM 2 set up: Doctor Octopus, Vulture, and Rhino. Smythe would be a good add on, while bringing in Scorpion or Kraven the Hunter. actually, there are lots of things that they could do…. I could speculate for hours on what the GOOD thing to do would be. If only they’d hire me to correct the issues, I’d be able to set them straight.
TASM 4: could be a whole fresh start. The spiderman verse is fully established at this point and we can go back to one villain only…. bring in Mysterio. He’s a big enough threat on his own.
Sorry if I strayed with my speculations, but this is something I’ve been mulling over, and I’d like to hear your comments. All in all, with TASM 2, we had okay plot, GREAT character setup and building, HORRIBLE dialogue, and AMAZING action scenes. It wasn’t by any means a bad movie, but it certainly wasn’t a great movie. I have to rate it with a 6 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins. What did you think? Good? Bad? Did I miss something? Where do you think the series will go? One final thought. I felt gypped by the post credits scene. It was a scene from X-Men Days of Future Past, and while I’m excited to see the movie, an advertisement serves no purpose to the fans unless there is a potential crossover at some point… I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Spiderman and The X-Men on screen together?
Review: Arrow Season 2
The comic book geek in me is ecstatic from watching the 5 minute Flash trailer that debuted during the season finale of Arrow. So what better fitting review than to talk about the show it is spinning off from? Be warned… there are spoilers ahead. If you want my review without spoilers, scroll down to the last paragraph for my rating. Begin spoilery now…
This show keeps getting better. It still has minor flaws here and there. The forced CW mushy romance still rears its head, and just an excuse to have Stephen Amell’s shirt off during each episode seems to be a bit over done, but there is a good balance. Here is a show that started off sub par and made its way to becoming the BEST adaptation of a comic book TV series. The writers of the show aim to throw in easter eggs for the fans, and a good compelling story for those who are not fans of the comic books.
Let’s take a look at who we got to meet this season, and touch on our main characters:
Team Arrow (Oliver, Diggle, Felicity): This trio works well together and keeps each other on their toes. Felicity has proven to be a key in the team. Diggle being the muscle, serves more of a purpose with his connections, while Oliver is out in the field. Felicity though, she is the one who verbally gives Oliver a reality check when he needs it most.
Canary / Sarah Lance: Okay, so she only had the canary cry once, using a device to do it, but she didn’t need it. She kicked ass when it counted, and her dark history drove part of this story along. I’m glad to see her go back to the League of Assassins at the end. She basically passed the reigns on to Laurel (who will become the real Black Canary). To me, Sarah never felt like Canary except when she was fighting. Her attitude was off, and I didn’t like her being Oliver’s love interest. It wasn’t a good pairing.
Laurel “Dinah” Lance: Aside from needing to eat a sandwich and gain about fifteen pounds, Laurel was an annoyance most of the season. It wasn’t until she got her head out of drinking and drugs that she began to prove her worth. At the end of the season I was glad to see the Laurel I loved from Season 1 return, but in a better way. She is set up to take on the mantle she is destined as Black Canary. Sure she needs some combat training and a Canary Cry, but that’s what season 3 is for.
Detective Lance: Finally! After being a complete dick in season 1, he stepped up to the plate and became a great guy who was good at his job. Of course I will be sad to see him go if they kill him off. The season ended with him bleeding internally from an injury. If he does die however, this will set Laurel on her path of destiny.
Sebastian “Brother” Blood: Running for mayor of a city is a big enough task, but when you are a villain working for Deathstroke in the process, well things become more complicated. His role was a supporting one at best, but necessary in what was happening throughout the season. I am not sure I liked his “conscience” decisions in the end to help out, but I guess he realized how evil Slade really was. I did NOT like his mask. It screamed too “scarecrow” for me, but I’m glad he had some sort of attire to work as Brother Blood. I was surprised to see him killed off, but in the real world, people have to die at times, and his death was played well.
Barton Mathis / Dollmaker: As a guest villain, he was perhaps the creepiest of the season. We won’t see him again because of his death, but the way he was making people into “dolls” was downright terrifying and had me on the edge of my seat.
Sin and Roy Harper / Red Arrow: I paired these two because they were part of each other in a way. Sin’s role was just there to assist Roy in his troubles and be a friend to Canary. Roy’s Mirakuru injection sent him down a dark path just like in the comics. I loved the “Don’t ever call me Speedy” line when Arrow called him that, and seeing him suit up as Red Arrow was a giddy moment to say the least. Now that he is back to being a normal human without Mirakuru, I think we will see him move more on to being Arsenal soon.
Professor Ivo: I’m not sure I liked the use of Ivo in this way. His ship being called the AMAZO is a nice nod to the comics, but pretty much confirms that this is all we will EVER see of AMAZO and Ivo. The part was played well but the role felt forced.
Cyrus Gold: Okay, it was a small role, but why was it important? Because he died with the serum in his veins. What does this mean? Well, comic book fans… Cyrus Gold comes back from the dead as Solomon Grundy. The little poem was even recited in the episode, so I hope to see him back from the dead in season 3.
Barry Allen: We saw overeager police scientist Barry talking about his past and referring to the yellow storm (Professor Zoom) that killed his mother when he was a kid. He’s all about heroism and is the one to give Oliver his mask. Not only that, but we actually see the origin of the Flash. He gets struck by lightning that will give him the powers from the chemical bath he landed in. And yes, he is in a coma, but it was all set up for Flash TV show. I loved every moment of him on screen.
Mark Scheffer / Shrapnel: A very minor role, but it was nice to have a second rate comic villain appear, albeit briefly.
Nyssa Raatko: I had only ever thought that Talia was Ra’s Al Ghul’s only daughter, but then I did my research. Nyssa was a daughter as well, and her role as an assassin felt real. She was deadly with a lack of emotion (except her fascination with Sarah). I give her extra kudos for saying Ra’s Al Ghul the way it is supposed to be pronounced.
William Tockman / Clock King: Like the Doll maker, the Clock King was a welcome guest villain. He was much more manevolent than I’d have pictured him to be from the comics, but they had to do that to make him work. I’ll be excited to see more of him hopefully soon.
Bronze Tiger: Does Michael Jai White ever age? He looks the same as he did in that horrible Spawn movie from the 90s. His purpose in season 2 was equivelant to China White’s in season 1. Not much was said, but he is a trained killer, so dialogue isn’t something needed. His fight scenes were fun to watch too.
ARGUS, HIVE, Suicide Squad, Task Force X: All of these were mentioned and linked together. Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, & Shrapnel kicked ass on this team with Waller in charge. The episode where they went out on their first suicide mission with Diggle was a change of pace for the show, and I’m glad. We needed that episode in there. Best part though is probably that Harley Quinn’s voice was heard and you catch a glimpse of her hair. We now know that she is a potential for the show at some point.
Amanda Waller: What can I say? Other than I’m glad that she’s an attractive woman instead of the overweight one from the comics (I never bought an overweight government agent of her power). She was exactly what her comic book counterpart was. A pain in the ass, with good intentions, but a messed up thought process on how to go about delivering the goods.
Birds Of Prey: Okay, sort of. Not really. It is just that Helena Bertinelli (Huntress) got to meet Canary. No they didn’t get along, but they didn’t always in the comics either. Let’s just say this was a good set up to what might eventually appear as a trio (Canary, Huntress, Oracle). By Oracle, I can only assume Felicity at this point, UNLESS, they definitely tie this in with the movies, in which case Batman Incorporated is supposed to be part of Man of Steel, and Barbara could be a part of that in some form. That’s straying from the review though so I won’t elaborate.
Ravager: I thought Isabel was just an annoyance for most of the season, but knowing she worked for Slade the whole time, when they revealed that I immedately knew who she was. Her costume was cheesy, but matched the comic book one to the details. Her death was priceless in mid sentence.
Slade Wilson / Deathstroke: His army of super soldiers was a nice addition, but Slade himself is just the perfect villain. He is Oliver’s Lex Luthor. Slade will escape from his prison I’m sure. The classic costume and his updated one were nice touches. I have NOTHING negative at all. Every moment that Manu Bennett is on screen as Slade is priceless. You just want to see what he is going to do next.
So there is your character breakdown of season 2. I believe this show keeps getting better and better. Moira’s death, Malcom Merlyn (Dark Archer) coming back as a season 3 regular, and Thea Queen joining him are drastic points for the series. I believe (and this is just a theory of mine) that Thea will take her mother’s maiden name since she really isn’t a queen. She may also change her name. What am I saying? My theory is that she will become Mia Dearden and be trained by Merlyn. Mia in the comics is a sidekick of Oliver’s at one point and takes on the mantle of “Speedy”. Also, not to forget that Oliver did knock a girl up in the past. I’ll bet that her last name was Hawke. At some point we may see his son in a few seasons showing up. Connor Hawke took over the mantle of Green Arrow for a while in the comics, and was a sidekick.
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. Like it? Hate it? Think I was wrong or have something to add? Speculations you have for season 3 or the Flash series (since it is technically a tie in). Did I leave something out? Chime in. I’m giving Arrow Season two 8 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins. I’d like to give it more, but there are just certain things that don’t make it perfect in my opinion. It does however remain one of my most anticipated shows to watch and I can’t wait til september.
Review: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1
After 22 episodes I decided to do a brief review of the season as a whole. Having faith in Marvel has proven to be a good thing, because in all honesty, the first nine episodes of this season were utter garbage. Then there was a break and someone woke the hell up on the writing staff. Warning… Spoilers ahead, so if you want my rating skip down to the last paragraph.
Low budget effects? yes for the most part, but that’s what to expect from a television show, and they got better sans a few, toward the end of the season. When this show started, I actually could not stand most of the characters. Clark Gregg’s Phillip Coulson was the ONLY reason I hung on. The tie ins with the existing universe really only worked with Captain America The Winter Soldier, because for the most part, all of the name drops felt forced. That being said, there are some exceptions to that rule. Let’s look at the characters, both main and guest spots.
Agent Coulson: Clark Gregg is easily the highlight of this show. He has proven his adaptability from bad scripts to good ones, and plays the role well. Sure, there were a few moments that felt off, but I don’t think this was him more than it was the direction of the show. The huge build up to find out how he was still alive after Avengers, came at somewhat a relief and a let down; but now I’m more intrigued to see where this will take him as a character. Something in his brain is obviously amiss, based on what happened at the end of the season finale with him writing on the walls. There is still something mysterious about him, and I’m eager to find out what.
Agent May: When she kicks ass, she is fun to watch, but her dull lack of emotion for the most part, didn’t seem believable at all times. Thankfully, in the last few episodes, she lightened up slightly.
Ward: I don’t put agent in front of his name because he has been revealed as part of HYDRA. I liked this turn because he was a likable character with a seemingly good heart. I do see that there is internal conflict there though. He NEEDS to stay as a bad guy. His actions are not redeemable, so if they decide at one point to have him back on the team, then I will be really pissed off and probably lose interest all together.
Skye: Easily the best looking person on the show, she is gorgeous and intriging. I didn’t buy into her becoming a member of the “team” at first, but I don’t mind it now that they made up for that. There is obviously something about her that is super powered, but we don’t know yet what it is. I just hope they don’t hold onto this information for too much longer. My guess? Her real name will be revealed soon enough, and we will find out she will become Spider Woman. I think this because it fits her profile for the most part.
Fitz and Simmons: Ugh. In the first half of the season I just wanted these characters to die off. They are NOT government like agents. Honestly they sucked bad. By the end of this season I at least have grown to like Fitz. Simmons… not so much. I just don’t think her quirkiness works.
John Garrett: Bill Paxton probably saved this series. I was NOT happy with the lackluster reveal of him being the Clairvoyant that was a huge buildup to another disappointment. I AM happy that he is John Garrett from the comics, who is a cyborg. We see the full reveal of his comic book costume at the end of the season finale, but his life is quickly ended. This is a good thing. He played his purpose, and we can move on.
Viktoria Hand: For the little screen time she had, it was enjoyable. She WAS her comic counterpart. I was just shocked to see her killed at the hands of Ward. IF this is somehow a “faked” death, then I’ll be pissed at that too. They’ve used the fake death enough. It’s overplayed. Let it die… literally.
Deathlok / Mike Peterson: I predicted him being Deathlok 2 episodes before it happened, and I’m glad he is there. He is finally free with his own will power after Garrett’s death, and I want to see more of him. His costume however needs to evolve. I want to still see the real Deathlok look, or at least some of it. This gaudy chest armor does nothing for me. The leg is cool, but update his face to half cyborg. Make him look the part, because he plays the part well.
Agent Triplett: The PERFECT replacement for Ward on the team. He’s a much better character as a hero, and is likable as well.
Raina and Ian Quinn: Both of these characters have similar antagonist roles, but I only find Ian Quinn as enjoyable. The Raina character bothers me and I can’t quite figure out why. She feels forced where she is at. Quinn on the other hand is serving a purpose.
Blackout / Marcus Daniels: His role, while a small guest spot, was awesome. I liked what they did here, though honestly, I’d rather him have been the Blackout that is Ghost Rider’s enemy, but all the same, it was done well.
Blizzard / Donnie Gill: His origin as the Ironman villain was set. Now bring him back as Blizzard full on. I want to see it.
Graviton / Franklin Hall: Same as Blizzard. origin featured, but we need a return and with him as the comic villain.
Maria Hill and Nick Fury: I LOVED both of these cameos, especially toward the end of the season and in the finale. Nick handed the reigns over to Coulson to reform SHIELD, but I’d love to see him back at some point. Maria will definitely be seen again, probably in Avengers 2 as well.
Lorelei: This was the BEST guest villain to date. She was right spot on with the comics, and believeable as well. It was refreshing to say the least.
Lady Sif: Similar feel that I got with Lorelei. Best hero cameo, and a shift of pace for the show.
Sitwell and Koenig: I’ll put it this way… I was glad to see Sitwell as a member of HYDRA in Cap 2. I don’t want to see him again, because he isn’t believable. Koenig is just annoying and I was excited to see him die in the show…. but of course he had a twin brother, so we are stuck with him for at least another episode. SMH. NOT a good role… NOT a good character… NOT a convinceable agent of SHIELD.
Colonel Glenn Talbot: I hope we see more of him in the future. They have the perfect actor for the role, and although his appearance was limited, it made me think more about the possibility of seeing Bruce Banner in a future episode… after all, they did mention the Leader & Abomination’s statuses after the events of the Incredible Hulk.
So what did you think? Am I wrong? Do you have more to add? Did you give up on the show and if so, will you muscle through to earn back your respect for what will come of this show? All in all I have high hopes for season 2. If they don’t continue with better scripts and get rid of stupid characters like Koenig, then this show WILL fail. I think they are smart enough to correct their past mistakes however, and I’m highly anticipating season 2. All in all I have to give it a low rating. 4 out of 10 sCrypt coffins because of a really crappy first half and a redeemable second half. Trust me… the redeemable part is worth it. Just because I gave it a low rating doesn’t mean the show sucks anymore. In fact I think it has become actually really good, but the first half and quirkiness, plus lack of actual comic book “looking” attire, I had to give it a low score. Remember, this is rating for the WHOLE season, not just the last half. Were I to break it down by halves, I’d say first half of the season would score a 1 out of 10, while the second half would get a 7 out of 10. Here’s to hoping for season 2 to go above and beyond with more comic related material.
Review: Once Upon A Time Season 3 (& Wonderland)
There is a LOT to cover here, but I’ll make it as brief as possible. First off, if you AREN’T watching Once Upon a Time, then you need to stop reading and start at season 1. I guarantee you will get so wrapped up in the characters and stories that you will not stop until you are caught up. There will be spoilers in here so skip to the end paragraph if you want my rating of both shows. Yes, I threw Once in Wonderland in here because to me it is part of season 3 albeit on its own.
I’ll start with part 1 of season 3 Once Upon a Time. The main villain here is Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. The reveal of who Peter truly is in relation to Rumplestiltskin really shows why Rumple is the way he is. Wendy’s story arc is good here, and Peter as a villain works surprisingly really well. He was the villain you loved to hate.
We also see a turn for the better with Rumple and Regina here, that leads to them being more heroic than ever. In fact, it is safe to say they are now heroes for season 3, and likeable ones at that. Neil (aka Baelfire) however becomes the ultimate hero by sacrificing himself to save everyone.
What took me by surprise is that at the mid season break, it finished up that storyline, so instead of one long season arc, we actually got 2 shorter arcs, but I think this was a good thing to keep the show fresh. The episode with Ariel and Eric was satisfying, and seeing that the Evil Queen Regina took on the form of Ursula the sea Witch was fun as well.
Now we get on to Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. It really is ashame that this didn’t get renewed for a second season. I think the time slot was a bad choice. This should have aired at the mid season break slot of Once Upon A Time, but instead was on a different night where not many people tuned in. It DID however give us a good look at Wonderland and those characters, and they wrapped the whole storyline up. Basically, they didn’t leave us hanging to wonder what happened, and they left it open to include the remaining characters in the main show at some point.
Anyway, so we have Alice being taken back to Wonderland to save her lost love, who is a genie. Now keep in mind that this genie, AND the Sultan, are NOT the genie and Sultan from Aladdin, BUT, Jafar is the main villain. Speaking of which, Jafar is one of the best villains on this or the main show to date. His portrayal and agenda echoed what is known of the character, and he is not limited by simple morals. There is a soft side to him, however, which keeps the human part of him real.
Anastasia/The Red Queen was an annoyance at first, but the last few episodes had me liking her. The White Rabbit, Caterpillar, The Bandersnatch, The Knave of Hearts (Will Scarlet), and Alice herself all had great purposes in the series and I enjoyed every moment they had on screen. We even had a little back story with Robin hood and his merry men, which was a break from the norm of the show. The character of Elizabeth “Lizard” was odd at first, but a welcome sight…. until she died, which choked me up a little (I’ll be honest… I never like seeing a pretty woman die).
Cora appearing as the Queen of Hearts was expected, and she lived up to the menacing person she portrayed in the main series. Of course this was all in flashback here, but it was needed for back story. The Well of Wonders and the genies had a nice little plot thrown in there, but we could have probably skipped over that whole angle (though the demon of the well was creepy as hell).
At first I was disappointed by the Jaberwocky, but five minutes after her first appearance on screen, I grew to really like her as a creepy, fear inducing villain, and I hope she comes back at some point.
My only problem with characters here are the Tweedles. I didn’t like how they looked, and I felt they were used inappropriately for the most part. Their roles could have been better planned. As far as overall plot, Jafar trying (and succeeding) in rewriting the laws of magic seems to directly affect the events in the main series. In other words, despite the connection being little to both shows, they seem to acknowledge the events of one another to some extent. One last thing to mention is that there were definite ties to Storybrooke and the real world. I doubt we will ever see Alice again or the Genie, but Wonderland will be back in some form in the main show, I’m sure of it.
Returning to the main series, let’s talk about part 2 of Season 3. Here is where I was highly interested, perhaps more than I’ve been in the whole series. Why? I’ve personally read all 15 of the original L Frank Baum Oz novels, so bringing that in here was more than a welcome sight for me. Before I get into the main plot of this half, I’ll touch on the characters. Aurora, Phillip and Mulan were underused as usual. I almost don’t even want to see them in the show anymore unless some kind of good use 
for them is found. Rapunzel’s addition felt rushed, and I HATE when they change the race or sex of a character. (IE I don’t want to see a Black Indiana Jones or a white Blade). It annoys me, and especially with Tangled being so fresh in my mind of Disney movies, I had an image of Rapunzel in my head. Other than that, I don’t have an issue.
The new take on Lumiere (the candleabra) was interesting and refreshing. Blackbeard and Glinda, though minor roles, served their purposes and worked well in the story. Dorothy Gale coming to Oz was both hit and miss for me. I liked what they did with her, and how the fairy tale was twisted, but again, this felt rushed. I only hope we see more of her and Oz characters because in the long run, there is a lot of Oz that could still be used (even from the original characters we all know and love, that have yet to appear).
Now on to Zelena (The Wicked Witch of The West). She truly was wicked. I like the explanation of her green appearance (envy) and why she was so wicked. She had similar goals as Jafar in Wonderland, but for different reasons. The use of the flying monkeys and even the great wizard of Oz himself helped her to achieve her goals, but she still met her demise at the hands of Rumplestiltskin.
Of course, then we had the whole Captain Hook and Emma going back in time, but they sorted out the past and returned to a wonderful future. Charming and Snow White named their newborn son Neil. Emma embraced her magic and purpose and decided that her and Henry were going to stay in Storybrooke. Rumplestiltskin and Belle married. Regina and Robin Hood were happy together.
It was all a peaceful ending that made me worry. I worried because I thought “This is it.” Everyone has a happy ending. There is no need for another season. I’m so glad I was proven wrong, but now I have to wait until the Fall for more episodes. Like Once Upon a Time normally does, we are left with massive cliffhangers. In the last two minutes of the show’s season, we learn this. Rumplestiltskin still has his own dagger, even though his wife believes that she is the one that has it. This is sure to cause a problem in the future. Regina, finally void of her Evil Queen status is suddenly screwed by Snow White’s family again, because the one person that Emma saved in the past was supposed to die. That person was the Maiden Marion, who was married to Robin Hood and mother of his child. This then takes Robin Hood away from Regina, and her vengeful “Evil Queen” may or may not emerge to exact vengeance upon Emma for ruining her happiness.
Somehow I think they will avoid this mostly. Why? Henry still believes and loves his step mother, Regina, as a good person now. His love for her will stop her from being as vicious as she used to be. Also Tinkerbelle predicted that Regina is destined to find happiness with the man with the wrist tattoo. Now of course, this could have been redacted because of the whole time travel alteration, but I think that somehow they will work on getting Robin and Regina back on track. After all, he can’t just ignore the feelings he has for her.
Let’s see. What else? Other than a fun Back to the Future reference, and a cameo by a stuffed Mickey Mouse doll, there was perhaps the biggest reveal of all. Regina tells Emma that “You better hope you didn’t bring anything else from the past back with you.” We find out that one of Rumplestiltskin’s artifacts came through the portal. From it escapes a woman in a flowing blue dress and pale skin. We don’t know what her face looks like, but if anyone has seen Frozen, then you know it is the Snow Queen herself, Elsa, as she freezes and shatters the artifact from which she emerged.
Other than the Frozen story coming to season 4, it has also been confirmed that the Knave of Hearts will be making his way onto the main show, and that Disney’s Brave and Princess and the Frog (retelling of the Frog Prince) will all be included in some manner.
This show keeps getting better, and I’ve learned to expect nothing except greatness and frustration on waiting for the next episode. I give season 3 of Once Upon a time 9 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins, and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland gets 6 out of 10 coffins. The reason I rate Wonderland lower is because of the obviously limited budget for the effects, and it really didn’t get compelling enough for me until the last 7 episodes. What did you think of these shows and what do you speculate for the future of the series?
Review: Son Of Batman
After the abomination of Justice League War, my hopes were teetering with this dc animated movie. Thankfully, I found that they redeemed themselves here. This review will have some spoilers, so if you are looking for my graded rating, skip down to the last paragraph, because spoilery begins here. Animation and sound seemed flawless, so I’ll break the movie down by character and focus on the plot points with them as a whole.
Ra’s Al Ghul: I have to say that I was slightly disappointed in his arc. I had always been under the impression that the Lazarus Pit could heal any wound. Yet he dies in the first five minutes of the film. His grandson and daughter show up minutes after he is burned to death, mere feet from the Lazarus pit, and they didn’t push him into it. Okay, maybe Damian tried, but I don’t see why Talia wouldn’t have. Instead, she stopped her son and said that Ra’s is dead. I found this as a flaw that isn’t forgivable. Otherwise, his swordsmanship was fun to watch in his battle with Slade. It just would have been nice to see a little more back story between the two.
Damian Wayne / Robin: Damian is the perfect material to be a Robin right off the bat. (Pun intended). He’s got an attitude, skills, and the brains suited to make a great sidekick to Batman, but he still needs guidance as he lets brash decisions take over his actions. He grows in this movie from being a rebellious child into understanding (slightly) the error of his ways. Arguably, you could say that Damian in this movie is on his way to becoming the best Robin yet.
Slade Wilson/Deathstroke: Slade has become one of my favorite characters of all time. Between watching the original Teen Titans cartoon from a few years back, and now with Arrow, Deathstroke time and again proves to be a mastermind villain. He takes down the League of Assassins with his own league of mercenary ninjas, and single handedly defeats his old master Ra’s Al Ghul. My only problem here is that I really wanted to know more about WHY he wanted to take over the league. He could have just formed his own, or perhaps come up with another plan, but there really wasn’t much as to why he was doing what he was doing other than he thought he was more worthy of the mantle that had now been passed down to Damian by Ra’s.
Killer Croc: okay so he was only in it for five minutes, but I’m sort of glad. Don’t get me wrong, I love Croc as a character, but this design is downright awful. I understand he was on a new steroid that caused him to grow a tail, but it was just bad. Was he a problem for Batman? Yes. But I just can’t get the fact that he looked like Lizard from The Amazing Spiderman.
Alfred Pennyworth: After seeing what they did with Alfred in Beware The Batman, I’m glad they took a step back and made him what he is known for in this movie. He played a great supporting mentor role to both Batman and Robin.
Dr. Kirk Langstrom / Manbat: More like Man Bats plural. Langstrom being kidnapped and forced to work by Deathstroke was a great story line, but I have a slight issue with the many Man-Bats. I was hoping to just see the one best Man-Bat as him, but instead we had ninja MenBats. I’m not saying this was a bad thing, it just wasn’t up to par with how I would have liked to have seen him portrayed.
Dick Grayson / Nightwing: His role here is perhaps just as important as Damian’s. He arrives as sort of a guide to Damian, even though at first he believes he is one of the badguys. They butt heads quite a bit, but being the original Robin, for him to finally accept Damian in the role just proves that the younger of the pair is meant to be in that costume.
Commisioner Gordon: For the first time in a DC animation, I didn’t feel like the Gotham Police department were all that useless. Did they do much? no. But Gordon seemed to have his head on his shoulders realistically and I can’t wait to see if they continue down this route with future DC animations.
Talia Al Ghul: Talia has always been a problem for me, but not necessarily all in a bad way. In this movie she hasn’t changed the way I feel about her, so here are my thoughts as a whole. I HATE the fact that she kept Damian from his true father for all this time, and then just leaves him in Bruce’s hands. BUT I love the dedicated and badass person she is. The scene in the beginning where she is just kicking ninja ass all over the place shows why there is such an attraction between her and Bruce, but still I’m torn. Part of me likes her and part of me can’t stand her.
Bruce Wayne/Batman: We didn’t see too much of Bruce to judge his role, but as Batman the part was nailed. There isn’t much else to say here. Batman lived up to his namesake yet again.
All in all, I was pleased by Son Of Batman. Deathstroke escaping from his fate might be impossible, but We’ve now got a suitable Robin in the DC animated universe, and Nightwing as well. If they were to do a Batman Incorporated movie, this is the way to kick a few stones in that direction. I give Son of Batman 6 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins mainly for animation and voice direction, but also because it was enjoyable. It would have been higher if those few plot points were tackled in a different manner. I recommend it to any Batman fan.
Review: Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
This review will be filled with spoilers and major ones at that, so if you just want my overall non-spoilery review, scroll down to the last paragraph, otherwise you’ve been warned 🙂 Also, if you are a fan of the Agents of SHIELD show, then I advise you stop watching it now until you see The Winter Soldier. It changes everything. On with the review.
Where do I even begin? Great comic book movie? yes… Great action movie? yes… Greatest action movie of all time? Maybe… You can tell where I’m going with this. There is not much (other than the suspension of disbelief) that is not great about this movie. Sound, music, dialogue of characters, plot, Everything was nailed perfectly. Slight issue? well, let’s just say some of the things like Captain America breaking his fall with a skylight and his shield probably wasn’t realistic… let’s just say that the pounding his brains took from Winter Soldier’s bionic arm probably would leave his brain in mush… let’s just say that Falcon jumping from a building and perfectly landing in a tilting helicopter without being chopped into a million pieces, falling to his death, or breaking any bones is probably not realistic, BUT… it is a comic book movie, so that kind of nitpicky stuff is allowed in small doses.
Let’s touch on the characters:
Captain America/Steve Rogers: Chris Evans really makes this character likable and realistic. It is as if Cap has jumped straight from the books onto the screen. His dedication to his country, and defending what is right, while maintaining his core values is what makes him so perfect. Some of his fight scenes were a bit too “Bourne Identity” for me, where the camera was too shaky or close, but there was enough choreography in them, that you still got to see plenty of great action shots. What really hit a soft spot for me was that this out of place guy finally begins to feel at home and make new friends (Sam Wilson), and then his past comes back to haunt him. What he deals with physically only shadows in comparission to his mental struggles.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanov: Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous, yes, but she really stepped up the game here with her acting ability. I originally was opposed to her being in this role, as I didn’t think she fit the profile, but she has redefined the character while staying true to the comic book roots. Her role in this movie alone put her on an almost equal playing field with Chris Evans. She was basically the sidekick with tons of screen time and a great purpose for being there. If you even noticed, she had an arrow necklace around her neck that she wore, hinting at the relationship her and Hawkeye have. It will be interesting to see where she goes in future movies now that everyone knows about her shady past.
Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes: Sebastian Stan had such a minor role in the first movie, but now that purpose has been revealed. They did the Winter Soldier justice by making him a deadly threat. A little foreshadowing to the character’s future was even thrown in when he stood holding Cap’s shield. (in the comics Bucky becomes the new Captain America after Steve Rogers “dies”). He plays a deadly villain, and his look was perfect. The bionic arm was really cool, and better than what I’d pictured from reading the character, and his realization at the end of his past was the perfect set up for the next movie.
Falcon/Sam Wilson: Anthony Mackie took a second rate character and amplified him to stand with the top brass. I always liked Falcon, but after this movie, he no longer stands as a B character for me. The lack of red and white in his “uniform” is fine with me because the wings he had were designed like a military design. Since they were destroyed, and he is moving on with Cap to the third movie, I only assume they will probably paint his wings a more vibrant color. Time will tell, but the hunt for Winter Soldier is on.
Maria Hill and Nick Fury: Faking deaths, finding the moles, and doing what they do best all came into play here. Fury’s “death” was a bit far fetched for me, as he is very lucky to be alive. I do like that he programed (I only assume) his bad eye into the system as a backup plan to take down Pierce’s operation. Hill’s role, although smaller, supported him, and at the end we even get a glimpse of her at Stark Towers. Maybe they are setting up a new SHIELD now that it has fallen. And what can I say about Nick Fury without a patch now? I’m cool with that. He doesn’t need it with the shades. Oh, did anyone else notice the Pulp Fiction quote on his headstone?
Sharon Carter/Agent 13 & Peggy Carter: I’m glad they closed Peggy’s story here. Hayley Atwell is a wonderful actress, and the makeup and CG of her elderly self was convincing 100%. Sharon being introduced as a potential love interest for Steve was a welcome addition too.
Alexander Pierce: I half expected Robert Redford to rip his face off and reveal that he is the Red Skull, but I’m SOOO glad they didn’t go that route. Skull still exists, we know that. The character of Pierce was a good way to show a reflection on today’s society. He reflected as many politicians in office do today. people think they are good, but have ulterior motives. To hear Redford say “Hail Hydra” sent chills of excitement down my spine. It was perhaps the BEST moment of the movie because of delivery alone (and the fact that Redford will not say any lines that he feels are ridiculous). Clearly he approved.
Arnim Zola: Okay, his role was brief, but that’s all it needed to be. Like his comic counterpart, he uploaded his awareness into machines. Yes they were destroyed, but do you think he is dead? I don’t. Remember, they grabbed the flash drive, and I’m sure he downloaded himself onto there or somewhere else. He was connected to a network after all. The way he was designed was really cool too. I do believe he will be back in some form.
Agent Sitwell and Senator Stern: I never liked Sitwell as a character, and Stern was Gary Shandling’s character from the second Ironman movie. I’m glad they were revealed to be Hydra operatives, because I most likely wont have to see them again. (no offense to the actors) I like Shandling a lot, and I think Hernandez acts well, I just was not keen on the characters.
The Leaper/Georges Batroc: Remember what I said about Falcon being a B rate character upgraded to an A? Well it applies here too. The intense fight scene and brief subplot with Batroc upgraded this lame D rate character to a B in my opinion. I’d like to see him appear in Agents of SHIELD to follow up with his role. I don’t think he belongs in any more big budget movies, but they should follow up with him.
Brock Rumlow: He was badass, and dedicated to Hydra. With him being badly scarred at the end, I can only assume that this was a setup for him to return in part 3 as Crossbones. (Crossbones btw was the one who killed Captain America in the comics). It is fitting for him to do so in Cap 3 so that Bucky can take over.
Stan Lee: Always a welcome cameo, so I had to include him. Do you think he lost his job at the Smithsonian?
Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver & Baron Wolfgang von Strucker: What a mid credits scene this was. The Baron apparently has been trying to use Loki’s staff to control others with abilities. He mentions the others died, and that the two in the cage were Miracles. Trial and error to make the staff work right? Who knows… all we do know is that this sets up all three of their roles for Avengers Age Of Ultron, and after seeing this scene, I am even more eager to see Age of Ultron.
Stephen Strange: Okay, so Doctor Strange is not IN the movie, but his name was mentioned as a potential future threat to Hydra, hinting at what we are going to get at some point in the near future. Awesomeness.
So there you have it. My little breakdown has come to an end and definitely had an impact on EVERYTHING in the Marvel Movie universe. If I gave Avengers the score that I did, then I can only rate this on even playing ground. Avengers was the perfect movie, but a lot of that thrill and excitement I think comes from seeing all of those characters on the screen at a time. With Captain America The Winter Soldier, it not only redefined an entire movie universe, but set a standard for action movies and comic book movies alike. Will the sequel stand well against Batman vs Superman when they are released on the same dates in 2016? I absolutely think so. I personally will be seeing both, and can’t wait, but DC really needs to step up their game to keep up now, and I hope they do because I enjoy DC and Marvel. Cap 2 gets 10 out of 10 sCrypt Coffins from me. I’m not sure anything could have been done to make it better.
Review: Avengers Confidential Punisher and Black Widow
I won’t get too wrapped up in spoilers, but there will be some spoilery things in my review, so if you just want my rating, skip down to the last paragraph now. Unlike MOST of Marvel’s animation, this one looked and felt great. I’m a huge Punisher fan, and enjoy the way that he was brought into this and represented. That being said, I’d still like a solo Punisher animation that really does him justice.
Animation breakdown – The animation in this was outstanding. The Japanese style art flowed well and although the characters had certain characteristics that felt different from the traditional versions we are used to, everything worked. One flaw I did find was that in the beginning of the movie, the Punisher broke a man’s arm and hand violently… Two scenes later, that man’s arm was in a sling, only it was the OPPOSITE arm that had been broken. I don’t know if the frames got reversed or what, but this was an amateur mistake that was very noticeable. There were also a few scenes where Black Widow’s breasts looked extremely large and not fitting with her look in other scenes, but that was brief.
Voice acting – I’ll just say that I was convinced that these were real character voices. Excellent job by the cast and voice direction.
Plot – The story was original. It was refreshing and really showed the turmoil that goes through Frank Castle’s (and even Black Widow’s) minds. They are a perfect team up because their pasts are so hazy on the “right side of the law”. My big problem?… The campiness in parts. The hacker kid working for SHIELD was stupid. I didn’t buy it, and it was unnecessary and annoying. As for the Avengers showing up, that annoyed me too. It felt forced. Sure, there was a need for them at that point, but it seemed more like a SHIELD operation than an avengers gig, and yet there they were. Oh, and the kid was dangling from Hulk’s back too like a school bag. dumb. I also felt that the villains were forced as well, but on a good note at least they forced both sides and it balanced out. They also didn’t overshadow what Punisher and Black Widow were doing either. They both got to take down the main threat. Just when I was getting irritated at Natasha telling Frank not to kill anyone, he did deliver the final blow in tradition Castle style.
Music and sound – meh. I’m neither happy nor upset. It seemed like a metal techno soundtrack, but it worked.
Overall rating… This is perhaps one of the BETTER Marvel animations yet, despite its flaws. If you don’t like the two main characters though, you won’t like this movie. I’d like to see if they continue on with it from here and do more Avengers confidentials or a follow up Punisher animation. Call me satisfied, with some complaints. 6 out of 10 sCrypt coffins get awarded to this one. What are your thoughts?
Review: Justice League War
DC comics has put out some of the BEST animations dating all the way back to Batman The Animated Series. Sure there have been a few duds here and there, but overall they’ve been nice. Here’s how I believe Justice League War fared. Be warned… There ARE SPOILERS AHEAD! If you don’t want to be spoiled, scroll down to the final paragraph for my rating.
Where to begin? How about voice acting? Batman was a bit different than normally, but I liked what was brough here. The new voice is easily catchy and works well. Darkseid’s voice was perhaps the BEST in a long time. I loved how the gravelly look of his skin sort of echoed through his booming voice. Other than those two, I didn’t feel anyone stood out as different enough to mention or necessarily bad, so once again I give Andrea Romano my approval for voice casting.
Animation: The new 52 outfits were okay. I didn’t mind the modern look, but I did have a few things that bothered me. Parademons looked like garbage, as did Cyborg’s initial design. I wanted to know what was going on. My son was confused as well, and said, “Daddy, that’s not Cyborg. It’s a giant robot.” My daughter, more fascinated with Wonder Woman wondered a few things as well. One of her comments echoed in my mind before she said it. Wonder Woman didn’t look all that beautiful. I’m not saying she has to be a sex symbol, but Wonder Woman is supposed to appear pretty. I get the amazonian warrior thing, but to me, her face wasn’t animated all that well. At least not as good as past interpretations. Some of the CG didn’t gel with the animation in parts of the battle, but overall the animation wasn’t bad. I had more of a problem with the designs than anything.
Story: Sigh. I now know why people despise the New 52. This was NOT a good story, and had many flaws. First off, why was a Parademon dressed like Batman in the beginning? It made no sense and was ignored throughout the rest of the story. Then Wonder Woman again. I know she’s new to our world and customs, but damn if she didn’t seem like an idiot. If a tempermental and ill educated 16 year old (not an Amazonian leader) wore the wonder woman attire, that is what you’d have here. Flat out? She seemed like a moron with a teenage crush on Superman because he was “so strong.” Green Lantern’s outbursts were another thing. I know Hal Jordan is a sarcastic and cocky guy, but this version of Hal was not very bright despite his emerald glow. Even with an untended broken arm, he was going to go back into battle against Darkseid… oh, and since when did he know how to set a broken limb? I didn’t know that the green Lantern ring could perfectly set broken bones too. Then there is Superman….
So Superman now just attacks people he doesn’t know? Green Lantern and Batman were immediately perceived as threats, and he damn near tried to kill them. Speaking of, he killed Desaad (the Emperor Palpatine look alike) with a neck snap. WTF?! And Billy Batson is now a punk thief who just so happened to shout “Shazam” as he was going to bludgeon a parademon. Oh, right, I guess Captain Marvel (Shazam) is now just an accidental origin that suddenly knows how to be a hero. Wisdom of Solomon or Wit of bad writers? I’m going with the latter. I wasn’t aware he could shoot lightning from his hands now either.
Flash, Batman and Cyborg were all good in the movie, but as I mentioned I hated Cyborg’s initial design. Darkseid was less threat and more destroyer however. I enjoyed seeing him destroy everything, but he seemed too powerful to allow a stab in both eyes. Yes, they stabbed his eyes out. Common sense would tell you that Wonder Woman’s first sword thrust into his right eye would also shish kabob his brain judging by how deep the blade went, but I guess Darkseid has no brain now either. The other question is if Wonder Woman and the others don’t hesitate to kill the Parademons, why wouldn’t then they just kill Darkseid too. They could have at this point… instead they stuck a crowbar in his other eye. Ugh. Should I continue?
Oh yes, then Cyborg (who basically is one of Darkseid’s computers at this point) closes the portals to Apokolips, but upon closing them, they act as black holes, but they only suck in the Parademons.. nothing else. No cars, nothing. Just Parademons. The final battle against Darkseid was weak too. I felt as though I was watching 7 Ghostbusters try to wrangle a ghost into a trap with their combined crossing of streams. Oh wait, that’s another franchise. And don’t get me started on that Super 7 comment.
Yes, I’ve become increasingly angrier as I’ve written this just thinking about it all. Maybe it was because I just reviewed JLA Trapped In Time as well. One GOOD thing that can be said is that there was a post credits scene that showed Ocean Master rising from the depths with a dead Atlantean in his arms. I guess this means we are getting a New 52 shared dcanimated universe now. I am eager to see an Aquaman stand alone animated movie that follows this up, but I really don’t care to see this League again on screen unless something is done to correct the monstrosity that was War.
I feel as if DC has hired a bunch of high school kids to do their work at this point. Poor dialogue and a shoddy plotline scream inexperience and lack of care. Call me extremely disappointed. 3 out of 10 sCrypt coffins is all I can give this one, and the animation is really why I rate it that high. What did you think? Did you agree or do you feel my review is too harsh?
Review: Thor The Dark World
Review by Rick Pipito, with input by Dan Pipito
It’s Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings in another epic Marvel movie. I could just tell you what I think of the film, and give it a rating, but then I wouldn’t be able to explain a few of the things I picked up and speculate on it. If you want my rating, and no spoilers, then skip to the last paragraph; otherwise, you’ve been warned… There are Major SPOILERS ahead.
The characters are a great starting point. We’re already sold on Loki and Thor. Hiddleston and Hemsworth are these characters incarnate. I cannot (nor do I want to) see anyone else fill their shoes (at least for a very long time). Hemsworth’s commanding posture and voice mirror the pages from the comics, while Hiddleston’s smirks, his emotion, and sly comments are ones to make you cheer for the badguy. Aside from them, the rest of the cast performed as well as they. Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith was a wonderful choice for villain; especially with Kurse at his side. I particularly love how their “origins” (at least for how they look in the comics) was shown. I thought it was creative, and thrown in quick enough without focusing on it. Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Renee Russo, as well as the Warriors Three were of an average performance (certainly not under or overwhelming, but decent). Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif I felt was underused, but I’d assume she’d play a larger role against an enemy like Enchantress in the future. Idris Elba as Heimdall is always amazing, and although the portrayal of Erik Selvig was cheesy at best, it somehow worked.
The Plot was interesting and made the audience feel the seriousness of the situation at hand. It flowed well, and I don’t feel that there were any unnecessary nods or side steps. From the opening scene until the credits rolled, I was glued to what was happening, and didn’t miss a beat. My only problem is that I figured out the Loki not being dead from the moment it happened on the battlefield (this I’ll explain in my theories in a few paragraphs). I was also shocked during a few moments of the movie with things I wasn’t expecting, which was good. There was a perfect blend of humor and action as well.
Sound and Visuals: I have no complaints about the score of music. Even the visuals were great in most places, but there were a few spots where something didn’t look right. In the scene where the two jets are flying, as well as when the realms were aligning, something just felt off there. It almost looked fake, but for a mere second. It’s probably just me being nitpicky, but it was something I noticed. Also, the scene where Thor jumped from the balcony and shed his robe to fly off in the distance looked a little cartoony, but overall not bad. Keep in mind, this was a very visual effect heavy movie, so if these are my only complaints, then it isn’t really an issue beyond me being stubborn.
Easter Eggs and Continuity: The Avengers was referenced nonchalantly multiple times, so it is well established when this takes place. Stan Lee’s cameo was hilarious yet again (I love that man). The surprise of Loki’s illusion of Chris Evan’s Captain America was both exhilarating and funny. The Infinity gems are now pretty much established as part of the whole saga, obviously leading up to an infinity gem war with Thanos in Avengers 3. The Collector appearing in the mid credits was a lot of fun especially since it will lead right into guardians of the Galaxy. All in all, the film was full of them, and done well. Hell, even the end credit scene brought some closure to the story, and though it wasn’t needed, it sort of showed that some “cleaning up” needed to be done on earth. Not necessary, like I said, but welcome being there.
Overall feel and speculation: Thor the Dark World fit well, it stood equal to what the Avengers and prior movies already established, and it more than made up for some of the faults of Iron Man 3. So where do we go from here? Here are my thoughts…. Keep in mind, this is just speculation, but I think a semi intelligent deduction.
1) Loki DID die. Before he died on the battlefield, he told Kurse “I’ll see you in Hel.” Anyone familiar with the comics knows that this is HEL, not HELL. Asgardians die and go to Hel, which is run by Hela. In the comics, Hela and Loki were related. I think Loki was not fearing death. He had a plan. Remember, he is the god of mischief and trickery. He died, and in Hel, he made a deal with Hela. This deal was to allow him to return to life, but in exchange, he would give Hela a more powerful entity for her realm. So as he returned, he killed Odin. Hela gets the most powerful Asgardian, while Loki gets the throne he always wanted. BTW, I turned to Dan during the end when “Odin” was speaking to Thor. I could see from his stance, and his manner that this was in fact Loki; so when the reveal came, I wasn’t at all surprised, but pleased.
2) The gems. So far we have the Mind Gem (which was in Loki’s staff in avengers). This is in SHIELD’s possession. Then we have the Space Gem. I didn’t think the Tesseract was anything more than just a cosmic cube, but apparently now we know (from the mid credits scene) that it is a gem. It had the ability to open portals to anywhere in the universe. What does this mean? Well Red Skull just teleported away, as I previously assumed, and he isn’t dead. Neither are anyone else who was “vaporized” by it in Captain America The First Avenger. The Space Gem is in Asgard’s vaults. Finally there is the Aether from this movie. It was in fact the Soul Gem. Sure the colors are all off, but that doesn’t matter. It infected the Soul, and the soul was referenced by the Asgardians. The Collector mentioned the 6 gems. Three have been covered. Guardians of the Galaxy is rumored to be taking place in the future (at least part of it). This could explain the Time Gem, which leaves the Power Gem, and the Reality Gem. It will be interesting to see where this all fits.
3) Enchantress, Surtur, Hela… there is plenty of room for more Thor movies, and I’m sure we’ll see it.
4) Agents of SHIELD… okay, so this strays, but it’ll be interesting to see how this movie affects the series, which I believe will tie in around episode 8 of this season.
Final Rating: If I rated Thor a 7, then I have to give Thor 2: The Dark World 8 sCrypt Coffins out of 10. It was a better sequel, it opened up more comic mythology, and it stood as a sequel and standalone movie to ALL of the Marvel Universe movies. Intelligent, funny, and action packed, this goes up high on my list of Great comic book movies.
What did you think of Thor The Dark World? Do you have any predictions? Comment below, and thanks for checking out our review.
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