Kraven the Hunter – Movie Review

TL;DR – An abysmal end to the Sony Spider-Man universe filled with tepid dialogue, poor action, and confused priorities.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – Thankfully, there is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains themes that may cause distress.

Kraven looks into a broken mirror.

Kraven the Hunter Review –

Well, we have come to the end of the Sony Spider-Man universe without the Spider-Man experiment. We got Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance and now Kraven. Unfortunately, there were more misses than hits, and some of those misses were a disaster. But can the final film in the experiment stick the landing? Spoiler alert: no, no, it cannot.

So, to set the scene, after the loss of their mother, brothers Sergei (Levi Miller) and Dmitri (Billy Barratt) are whisked out of school by their assorted criminal father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). He took them to Ghana to learn how to be men by hunting. But when the lion finds them first, Sergei is attacked and dragged off. Left for dead, things looked grim until a young girl, Calypso (Diaana Babnicova), gave him a potion from her grandmother that was mixed with the lion’s blood in his system to heal him and give him powers. Escaping from the clutches of his father, Sergei, now going by Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), makes his mission to hunt down poachers and other criminals, including mob bosses hidden away in Siberian gulags.

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Venom: The Last Dance – Movie Review

TL;DR – The Venom films have always had a tension between wanting to be fun character works and needing to fit into this weird franchise they are building. This is the first time that I think the franchise won.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Venom.

Venom: The Last Dance Review –

I know when people think about film franchises, the ‘Sony Spider-Man Universe’ that can’t use Spider-Man is kind of a joke. They have not really helped themselves anyway with entries like Morbius and Madame Web. However, I have always had a bit of a soft spot for the Venom films Venom & Venom: Let There Be Carnage. If for no other reason than it was fun to watch Tom Hardy play off himself in the two roles. But I think we might be at the end of that road today.

So, to set the scene, Eddie Brock / Venom (Tom Hardy) is currently hiding out in Mexico after getting blamed for the deaths in the last film. They make a plan to sneak back into America and head to New York, where Eddie knows a judge that they can bribe to make this all go away. However, while they make their plans, little do they know that out in the universe, Knull (Andy Serkis) is posturing from his jail cell and may have found the way out of his eternal damnation. Oh, and the military wants them too.

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Agatha All Along: Maiden Mother Crone & Full Season – TV Review

TL;DR –  The season finale trades in the bombast for the emotions as it resonates with its story and pushes forward for the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Death Approaching.

Agatha All Along Review –

Well, Death makes it clear that all good things must come to an end, so it is time for us to dive into the final episode of the season for Agatha All Along. After that, we will take some time to explore how the season went as a whole and some of the wild choices that they made that I am still thinking about now.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Follow Me My Freind / To Glory at the End, we were left reeling when Billy (Joe Locke) escaped the clutches of Death (Aubrey Plaza) because Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) gave herself up in his place. It is a perfectly selfless act that is also profoundly unlike the witch. However, as Billy arrives home, he starts thinking about things and realises he is the one who made the Road come to life, which is when he hears a cackle in the distance. We then jump back in time to 1750 with a heavily pregnant Agatha in the woods about to give birth, when in the distance, a certain green witch arrives. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Follow Me My Friend / To Glory at the End – TV Review

TL;DR – Our penultimate episode takes some big swings, and I think it nails them all.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Death approaches.

Agatha All Along Review –

We are fast running to the end of this. Well, if the viewing numbers are any guide, it will probably be the first season. However, we have been luxuriating on the road, but time is running out, and it is still an open question if this series can tie up all the many loose ends before those credits roll.

So, to set the scene, we open with Death (Aubrey Plaza) overlooking a sleeping Alice (Ali Ahn), but she is not there to wake her but to take her to the other side. Meanwhile, while Jen (Sasheer Zamata) and Billy (Joe Locke) lament over Lilia’s sacrifice, Death finds Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) alone and gives her a bargain, but only if Teen dies. But before they can process their loss, they come to the final trial and discover that the road is not a path but a circle. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Death’s Hand in Mine – TV Review

TL;DR – This was an oddly poignant yet slightly unsettling episode that I am not quite sure how I feel about.   

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Lilia falls.

Agatha All Along Review –

We are looking down the barrel of the endgame for this series, and I always get a bit nervous when there is a lot left to explore and not that much time to do it in. There becomes a point where you don’t have the luxury to saunter around and have to hem those dresses and start running like Princess Diana at a children’s sports carnival. Thankfully, I think we are getting that today.

So, to set the scene, back in Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power, we discovered that Teen (Joe Locke) was actually the reincarnation of Billy Maximoff, who was killed at the end of WandaVision. We found that when he forced Jen (Sasheer Zamata) and Lilia (Patti LuPone) to cast Agatha away and then jump off the road. But some witches just won’t be stopped, and even off the road, there is a chance to find the answers to what you seek. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Familiar by Thy Side – TV Review

TL;DR – It is flashback time, which might have been the most expected position the show could take.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Willian finds Lilia Calderu

Agatha All Along Review –

If you are a Disney show and you just made a significant character reveal before you move into the closing episodes, you better believe that it is time for a flashback episode. I am not sure that this is a particular Disney choice, but it feels like one. But the question is: is this a good flashback episode? Well, that is what we will look at today.    

So, to set the scene, William Kaplan (Joe Locke) was just a normal kid in Eastview when his Bar Mitzvah was evacuated during the final battle in WandaVision. Chaos ensues everywhere as his parents, Rebecca (Maria Dizzia) and Jeff (Paul Adelstein), try to get the family home. But, little did they know that this day would forever change the family in ways no one could have predicted. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power – TV Review

TL;DR – It was a frustrating episode, but maybe that was not its fault.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Witches fly in front of a blood moon.

Agatha All Along Review –

Well, so far, I have been enjoying my time with Agatha All Along. The hijinks, along with the fun tone, are the sort of show that I need at the moment. However, we are starting to get to the pointy end of the season, and I wonder if we will start getting some of these questions answered before the closing credits?

So, to set the scene, in the wake of death, the Coven needed to find a new Green Witch, and much to Agatha’s (Kathryn Hahn) frustration, the universe sent her Rio (Aubrey Plaza), one of the many witches that she had crossed with over the years. But The Witches’ Road is proving to be a perilous place because not only is it testing the witches, but it is also shining a light on their past, something that many a witch would like to avoid. Especially since bringing in Rio may have opened a doorway for more things to enter The Road. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You – TV Review

TL;DR – What Agatha nails is that fine line between fun and concern.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

the house on the hill.

Agatha All Along Review –

There is a lot of space within the Supernatural genre for where you can locate your show. You can terrify all the way to making it a straight comedy. Well, Agatha All Along does fall mostly towards that latter category, but it also shows how much space you can work with, even if you are trying to have a fun romp.

So, to set the scene, there was a feeling of triumph as the coven of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), Teen (Joe Locke), Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), and Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) made it through the first trial during Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials, but that was until someone noticed that Sandra (Debra Jo Rupp) was dead. The death of one of them put a stark pause on everything, especially given Agatha’s callousness. However, as they still need a green witch, they do a bit of summoning. If Agatha had a choice, I don’t think she would have summoned Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials – TV Review

TL;DR – The first trial is here, and it very much sets the tone for the show going forward.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

The Coven arrives on the Road.

Agatha All Along Review –

After last week’s Seekest Thou the Road and Circle Sewn With Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate double opener gave us the foundation of this world, it was going to be interesting to see where they would go from there. Everything was building to that road, and by the end of episode 2, we were there. Now, we need to find just what trials will appear along the road.

So, to set the scene, when Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) combined the powers of Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) & Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), oh and Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp) and Teen (Joe Locke) are also here, to open the door to the Witches Road, she seemed surprised the most that the door opened. But attackers were there, and Agatha had no choice but to run down the staircase. But now that they are all on the road, the dangers start hitting home because even straying off the path can be deadly. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Agatha All Along: Circle Sewn With Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate – TV Review

TL;DR – It was time for Agatha to get the gang back together, that is, if she had ever had a gang before.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Teen looking out with a gag on.

Agatha All Along Review –

Well, I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first outing of Agatha All Along, but the first episode, Seekest Thou the Road, was kind of a blast. But that left me with some high expectations for the follow-up. Thankfully, with some clever cast compositions, I think this might have landed even better.

So, to set the scene, after Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) gets her memory back but not her mojo, she is hit with a realisation: she has less than a day to live. Some very powerful people are after her, and thanks to a snitch witch, they know where Agatha is and that she has lost her power. What do you do in a situation like this? Well, maybe it is time to get a temporary coven together, but then Agatha is not historically known for playing well with others. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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