Tag Archives: MCU

The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – The best Fantastic Four film by a country mile.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

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

The Fantastic Four in a row.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review –

Well, it is time for another try at bringing the Fantastic Four to life. This would make it the third reboot of the franchise in my time. To catch you up, I liked the camp fun of Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but it has been decades since I watched them, so I am not sure how well they have aged. But also, 2016’s Fantastic Four was an amazingly cast failure at almost every level. Which gives us a wide range to be working with even before we take into consideration the current rocky ground the MCU is standing on. But there is always time to find your feet, and I hope that today is that time as we dive headfirst into Phase 6. 


So, to set the scene, we are on Earth, but not as we know it because this is Earth-828, and four years ago, a tragic accident in space created heroes by cosmically changing their DNA. Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) who can stretch his body, his wife Sue Storm / Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) who can manipulate light, her brother Johnny Storm / Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) who can turn into flames, and good friend Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) has turned into rock. Their emergence has changed the world, but for their family, the only thing that matters is that Sue is pregnant. It is a moment that brings them all together, which is when a harbinger of doom arrives in the sky. The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) announces to the world that it has been chosen for destruction at the hands of Galactus (Ralph Ineson). The Fantastic Four want to save Earth, but what happens when the price of salvation is too high?

Continue reading →

Thunderbolts* (The New Avengers) – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – It is a perfectly fine film, with strong performances and an interesting villain. Unfortunately, it feels like it is constantly being held back from reaching its potential.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

A Humvee gets yeeted into the air.

Thunderbolts* Review –

I think it has been no secret that the MCU has been struggling to find its way in a post-Endgame world. It has had more misses than swings, which has forced a course correction into safety in many places. Thus, Ant-Man loses its charm and Captain America becomes just okay. It is in that space where they announced: what if the MCU did their version of Suicide Squad with a bunch of characters left over from the other films but also make it PG for some reason? It honestly sounds like a poor pitch, but then the first trailer dropped, and all of a sudden, there was a ray of hope. Now we see if that hope was warranted.   

So, to set the scene, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is the head of the CIA and totally not still working for her own company that is up to so many illegal activities that she is now under impeachment from the US Congress. Knowing she has to clean house, she sends her undercover agents across the world to destroy any evidence of what she was working on. However, then they are the only link between the illegal stuff and her, so what do you do? Oh, maybe you get Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) & Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) to go to the same secluded warehouse, each with the mission to kill the other and then incinerate all the evidence one there are just bodies left … what could go wrong … Oh, and why is Bob (Lewis Pullman) down here?

Continue reading →

Captain America: Brave New World – Movie Review

Posted on by
4

TL;DR – It is a perfectly serviceable film saved by a strong rapport between the cast and perfectly fine action sequences, but it was aiming for a level it did not have the strength to reach.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

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

Celestial Island.

Captain America: Brave New World Review –

There are some films where you walk in with a healthy amount of trepidation, and for me, this was one of them. The Captain America films were always one of the highlights of the MCU for me, with Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Captain America: Civil War all scoring high on my best of MCU lists. I even enjoyed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series, even if it was a bit uneven. But something about the production just felt off, and the need to drop the Red Hand into every trailer made it feel like they didn’t have much else to go with. Having watched it now, I think this was both a fair and, luckily, unfair suggestion.  

So, to set the scene, it has been several years since Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) took over the mantle of Captain America, and while things have been going well, they are about to be tested with the election of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) to United States President. We open in as Cap flies a mission in Mexico, recapturing a container captured by mercenaries led by Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito). The mission was a success, and Sam, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) were invited to the White House to see the Celestial Island Treaty be signed. It was a perfect night right up until Isaiah stood up and tried to kill the president. Chaos erupts, and suddenly, the world is on the brink of war.

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
5

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.    

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
1

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.    

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
2

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.    

Continue reading →

Agatha All Along: Familiar by Thy Side – TV Review

Posted on by
2

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.    

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
3

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.    

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
1

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.    

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
2

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.    

Continue reading →