Tag Archives: Comic Book

VisionQuest: Reboot [S1:E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – When you introduce a villain in the same show as Ultron, you need to do it as well as this.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

Pixelated fire at the heart of Vision.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

We have now moved into the next batch of episodes with VisionQuest, and after some solid set-up, it is time to get into the meat of the episode. Is what I would be saying if this was not another set-up episode, but when you are setting up such a solid villain, well, I will allow it.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Theseus, things are looking really bad for Vision (Paul Bettany). Paladin (Todd Stashwick) just shot him full of adamantium rounds, breaking his unbreakable case and leaking vital fluids all over the place. He would be dead if not for the fact that Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) does not like to listen to such advice. But Paladin is under a contract and is not going to stop just because his third attempt to catch Vision failed. But while everyone was watching Vision die, they should have been watching the news for all the murders going around. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Clayface – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there are moments of brilliance and a real commitment to body horror, a flaw in the central premise and some very clunky dialogue hold it back.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen looking at his reflection.

Clayface Review Introduction

In today’s review, we are looking at a film that is in many ways an experiment: are audiences willing to sit through a hard body-horror exploration of the comic book world? That might indeed turn out to be a hard sell. Indeed, the character of Clayface has gone from being completely off my radar to having two or three different versions in the last few years alone. However, the DCU is not afraid of some experiments, but will it be the Joker or Joker 2?

So, to set the scene, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is the talk of the film scene in Coastal City, even earning his first Academy Award nomination. However, when he is back in Gotham City for publicity, the city he and his best friend (Joshua James) grew up in, they head out to the club. The music is bouncing, the lights are flashing, and the dancing is good. But while his friend tries to warn Matt, nothing stops the actor from dancing and spending the night with Theresa (Ruby Sear), the girlfriend of local crime lord Markos Szabo (David Dencik). After finding them in bed together, he promptly rips Matt’s face apart before bribing everyone involved to make the problem disappear. Matt is ruined and without hope when he sees a news report of the work Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) is doing with nanobots, and maybe there is hope for him still.

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VisionQuest: No Strings [S1:E1] – TV Review

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

W+V.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

While I have been keeping up with the MCU movies, over the last few years, I have fallen off the Disney+ TV shows. However, when you see Terry Matalas come in to land the Wanda trilogy, that breaks through, and you need to check it out.

So, to set the scene, since the events of WandaVision, Vision (Paul Bettany) or at least the white rebirthed version of Vision in human form, has gone into hiding in Edinburgh, where he and Wanda hid leading up to Captain America: Civil War. But Vision is not alone; he downloaded many of the old Stark AI programs, including JARVIS (James D’Arcy) and stored them in his quantum processes, where he visits each night. Working with them to become human, well, more human, human-er. But one stored program might come back to bite him: Ultron (James Spader). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Lanterns: Dirt and Stars [S1E8] & Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The finale does not quite end in a big crescendo, but in the slow release of stress, almost like a pressure cooker being opened after cooking dinner.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

End Credit Scene – There is no end credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

John and Hal walk across a dead alien planet.

Lanterns Review Introduction

As we come into the season finale of Lanterns, there are a lot of unanswered questions sitting around. Such as: Who is the murderer? Who is the jailbreaker? Who committed the genocide? Who is worthy of the ring? Are the Lanterns the good guys? And potentially the most important question: can the show stick the landing?

So, to set the scene, back in 2016, in the ruins of Rushville, Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) finds Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) collapsed under the ruins of the motel. He is sorry for all that he has done, and not done, but also aware that he is about to be hung out to dry by the Green Lanterns. A neat way to sideline him without killing him. In 2026, he has been released from jail, and Kerry is there to pick him up. But Rushville does not forget, and soon that danger will catch up to Hal in many ways. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Lanterns: The Jordan Boys’ Legacy [S1E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is all preparation for the season finale next week, but still, it engages you at every level.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a making-of and trailer after the end credits.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

A Navy cap.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Well, we are getting precariously close to the season/series finale next week, and I am surprised at myself that I am not quite ready to let all these characters go. Each week has been almost like a new tapestry being unveiled or a new part of a quilt being added, all building to the final picture. Today we dive deeper while muddling things around the edges in a fascinating way.

So, to set the scene, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) dead, long live Hal Jordan, for John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) remembered a trick Hal showed him one time to etch 5% more power out of a ring. That 5% was just enough to summon the backup of Hal that Hal had stored there. Though it had not been activated in 10 years and his first sight is his dead body lying in a grave. It’s a lot to take in. John needs Hal’s voice to activate the safe he left behind, but Hal will only do it if John takes him to see Sheriff Kane (Kelly Macdonald). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Lanterns: Bad Optics [S1E6] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A slow burn is a choice given the end of last week’s episode, but while we still come out swinging this week, the slower pace lets the show breathe, and the performances shine.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a making-of and trailer after the end credits.

The Green Lanterns logo in the sky.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Well, what a season of television we have had so far. In any other show, last week’s episode, Lights Out, would have been the season finale, but no, not here. Not only is it not the season finale, but it was also just a stepping stone on the way to the endgame. Oh, to have such strength in your writing, and also, oh, to back it up each week.

So, to set the scene, it is 2026, and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) has moved on to his real passion of architecture after giving up the ring, which is why he was surprised when his mother (Jasmine Cephas Jones) calls to say that not only is Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) out of jail, but that he now lives in Rushville and wants to apologise. One long drive out, and no apology later, John is at his wits’ end when he gets a call from Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald). Hal is dead, murdered. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Lanterns: Trust Fall [S1E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – I feel that this episode is a good encapsulation of the style of story that we will be getting for the rest of the season, and if that is the case, I will be very happy.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is a trailer after the end credits.

Hal Jordan walks into a town hall meeting about himself.

Lanterns Review Introduction

Well, the Pilot of Lanterns certainly landed a whole whack of mystery on us, intriguing at every turn. It is the kind of episode that says, “trust us, we know what we are doing”, and given the creator’s past work, you kind of believe them. But today we start getting into the weeds and seeing if that does start to pay dividends.  

So, to set the scene, at the end of Pilot we were hit with a flash forward to 2026 with a very dead Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) sitting on the high school stadium at Rushville, Nebraska. We start today back in 2016, with Hal berating John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and sending him on busywork back to Coast City to get his Lantern. Meanwhile, Hal starts exploring the town, wondering why William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) knew to kill those four aliens, because that is not something you do on a hunch when he discovers the whole town in a meeting. This meeting is probably very much about him. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While there are limitations from a narrative perspective, the core strength of the characters shines through in a compelling way.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is an end-credit sting.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Spider-Man sitting upside down on a skyscraper.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review Introduction

This was a bit of an odd film for me, because of a number of factors. The first being my love of the MCU has been waning; I have not had the time or strength to keep up with its Disney+ outputs, and some of its recent films have been profoundly lacklustre. To add to this, I found the resolution of the last film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, to feel more like corporate maintenance than compelling storytelling. But given half the cast of the Odyssey is here, I thought it prudent to give it at least a go on its own terms.
 
So, to set the scene, it has been a hard couple of years for Peter Parker (Tom Holland), while Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has been out there becoming the hero of New York as he always wanted to be. Peter has lived a closed-off life, as the memory of the loss of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) looms large. It doesn’t help that his two best friends, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), both forgot who he was and went off to live their own lives. But when an unknown entity starts attacking the Department of Damage Control by jumping between people, Peter realises there could be a dangerous enemy afoot, unless the imbalances in his own body take him down first.

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Supergirl – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Not a bad film, but still a completely forgettable outing, saved by its lead, who is doing all of the heavy lifting.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

A chunk of Kypton protects itself.

Supergirl Review Introduction

Today, we begin our next instalment in the very interesting DCU, not a full-reboot, but definitely more than a soft-reboot. An odd feeling all around, without the hard cut of a proper break-up. However, we have gotten some good out of it already with Superman, so let’s see if they can land another goal.

So, to set the scene, it is coming up to Kara Zor-El / Supergirl’s (Milly Alcock) birthday, a sensitive time for her, given she has no place that feels like home. To help her deal with this, she has taken herself off to a system with a red sun so that she can get absolutely wasted. However, on this planet, the brigand Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) has just made Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) an orphan, and she is after revenge, but also completely in over her head, which drags Kara into a whole world that she is not ready for.

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Peacemaker: Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A very oddball second season filled with genuine earnest moments, topped off by a profoundly rushed ending.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max subscription that viewed this series

Post-Credit Scene – There are end-credit scenes in each episode.

Top Trio mural.

Peacemaker Introduction –

Back in 2022, one of the oddest moments in the modern comic era happened: in the midst of all of its serious problems, as the DC Studio was falling apart, film after film, they decided to put out a TV series around one of the less-liked characters from the Suicide Squad films. What made it even odder is that it kind of worked, with a level of charm that managed to undercut its many issues. Well, it may have helped get James Gunn the job in the big chair and changed the direction of a multi-billion-dollar media empire, but after a cameo in Superman, it is time to dive back into Peacemaker.  

So, to set the scene, in the time since the end of the first season of Peacemaker, things have not quite worked out for many of our characters. Many of them had been blocked and couldn’t get work anymore, and Chris Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena) is still working through the trauma of having to kill his very racist and unpleasant father, Auggie (Robert Patrick). But what happens when you are at your lowest and temptation strikes? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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