Category: Marvel

Superhero Movies Aren’t The Problem; Poorly Written Screenplays Are

Image of an alien in the middle of the image wearing a red t-shirt. A 6-8 year old boy is on his left and a girl about the same age is on his right. Both the boy and girl are looking at the alien who has one digit extended as if pointing.
Source: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/worst-movies-of-all-time/

In the past 2-3 years, the success of superhero movies has not gone unnoticed by the film industry. And just like anything that has become popular, critics have emerged to try to knock down the leader because it doesn’t fit their aesthetic of a good movie (Martin Scorsese) or now, and the reason for this post, because their own movies can’t get traction in the marketplace (i.e., make money/find an audience) anymore due to the shift in the audience’s tastes (Roland Emmerich). Now, I respect both Scorsese’s and Emmerich’s opinions–they are welcome to have different opinions than I do. I also respect that they are accomplished directors–in Scorsese’s case, one of the greats of the last half century. However, as a writer, I understand something that they don’t seem to for all their accomplishments–it isn’t just about the tale, but also about how the tale is told.

Martin Scorsese

Let’s take on Scorsese’s point of view first as it is the quickest. Basically, Scorsese loves the crime drama and I do not. There, simple. Now, of course, I’m going to complicate it a bit, but fundamentally Martin and I see the world in two different ways. I see the world as mundane and look to movies for fun, spectacle, and excitement. He sees the world as a “knot to be untangled” through understanding what drives people (especially criminals as he’s known for Crime/Gangster films). I don’t see the world that way, and I don’t like his movies (the worst movie I’ve ever watched is the one that the Academy gave him an award for: The Departed).

He and I don’t agree and that’s okay. We’ll (well, I will at least) agree to disagree. The Oscars thinks that his work is brilliant, while I vehemently disagree, but at least someone thinks he’s doing a good job, even if I don’t. However, he also wants commercial success along with the critical success without understanding that people don’t spend money, time, and energy to go to the multiplex to watch people untangle their problems. That’s like going to an amusement park and never riding the rides and only “people watching.” There are only a limited number of people who are going to find that at all entertaining.

Roland Emmerich

Now, Mr. Emmerich is a different beast. My tastes do often align with Emmerich’s tastes. So, then, why am I passing on his latest movie, Moonfall? In a word, not only is he using the same “formula” that he slams Marvel and Star Wars for with his own movies (Mr. Emmerich–you do know that the genre of the “disaster movie” is full of tropes that aren’t “original anymore” right?). However, he’s even “cribbing” from his own movies. Looking on IMDB, I’ve seen about 1/3 of Emmerich’s output and so, you’d think I would be the target audience for Moonfall.

Well, you’d be wrong. Just take a look at this review from noted critic Mark Kermode:

Roland Emmerich Slams Superhero And ‘Star Wars’ Films: “It’s Ruining Our Industry A Little Bit”

This review intimates that Moonfall is one of those movies that it is so bad that it has to been seen believed. Well, I’ve seen enough Emmerich movies to know that this one is not for me. After watching good sci-fi like The Expanse and Foundation, I’m not interested in “wavy-hand science” (as in waving the hand whenever what the director wants to do for spectacle doesn’t make science scientifically, but is waved away by pseudo-science/no explanation). I want stories that make sense. Star Wars makes sense (at least when Rian Johnson isn’t writing it). Marvel movies make sense. Heck, even DC movies (when Warner Brothers executives don’t interfere) make sense. Why can’t yours, Mr. Emmerich?

The second thing I’ll take issue with is that according to Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer (who looks at the business of movies) the polled reaction to the movie–it’s “Cinema Score“–is low: C+. It is very rare for a movie to receive such a low score because, according to Randolph in past videos, people paid for the movie and are reluctant to say negative things about movies they’ve spent money on. This is one of the lowest Cinema Scores that I’ve seen featured on her Movie Math videos (not the lowest, just one of the lowest).

This tells me that it isn’t Star Wars or Marvel that’s the problem, but the script. Having a “conspiracy theorist” as an integral part of the story is a “hard sell” for me (and he’s done it before with 2012, by the way). Add to that what seems like paper thin characterization and plot that exists only string together VFX sequences, and well, that’s a hard no–even for me.

You’re Not Obligated to My Time or My Money

Again, Scorsese and I just see “art” having a different purpose. And again, I’ll simply agree to disagree with his point of view. He can go make his “crime” movies and I’ll write my sci-fi/fantasy stories (& hopefully scripts). However, Emmerich has no excuse. Just because I like the genre of sci-fi/fantasy, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to give you a pass because you directed a movie in the genre. Like any other medium, you have to compete for my money and time by putting out a compelling product that I want to see not that you want me to see. In other words, you have to earn my time and money.

And based on what I’ve seen through the trailer and through reviews, Mr. Emmerich, you didn’t do that with your latest film. So please, for your next movie, look at some of the science fiction that people are enjoying (books, films, and yes, video games) and use that as a basis for your next movie/movies. If the trailers look good and the reviews are good, then, and only then, will I perhaps consider purchasing a (metaphorical) “ticket.”

It isn’t Marvel’s fault, it isn’t Star Wars fault. I respectfully submit that the fault lies elsewhere.

Sidney

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Falcon and the Winter Soldier Season 1 Review

Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV Show Poster with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier against a gray background.
Image Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9208876/

So, I’m going back in time and review the two Marvel shows that premiered earlier this year and that I watched. While WandaVision premiered first, Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the one that I most recently watched and is the fresher of the two in my memory, so I’m going to review it first. I’m going to try to avoid major spoilers, but be aware that it is almost impossible to create a review of these Marvel TV shows without getting into some details (unlike a movie, these shows have quite a bit of plot that happens, so it is much harder for me to talk about generalities here than it is for my movie reviews. However, I will try to keep everything as spoiler-free as possible.

One thing I’d like to note: Disney has said that these will not be required to understand upcoming Marvel movies. While I mostly agree with that assessment, I’d also note that these series are almost like the Post-Credit scenes that Marvel has made famous with its movies–while not required, per se, if you are at all a “passing” Marvel fan or higher, then I’d suggest watching these at some point before the new movies arise. At the time of writing, Disney+ allows for up to 4 active streams on one account, so if you have a friend, roommate, family member, etc., I’d highly suggest communicating with them to see if you can use their account for a limited time (perhaps making your own profile so as not to mess up their shows/viewing recommendations), just to view these shows.

Sequel to Avengers Endgame: The Cap Storyline

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (F&WS) is a continuation of the Captain America storyline from Avengers: Endgame. I won’t be specific here in case anyone reading hasn’t watched Endgame (both parts) yet (what are you doing? Go watch it NOW as it is one of the most relevant “Popular Culture” events in recent memory). However, this show acts as a sequel to that storyline and presumably sets up what will be an upcoming storyline at some point in the future movies.

This show is an Action show. As I understand it, this show was supposed to debut first, but the Pandemic got in the way. You can tell it from the action sequences as the budget is high and the action is intense. While not as consistently inventive in terms of set pieces as a movie might have been, the action is still the high quality and is at least on par with a lot of action shoes, and actually goes beyond what many other action shoes can do because of their budget and their mythos. This show has a least one or two very good sequences in it every episode.

They “Went” There

The show actually does try to inject some fairly realistic discussions about race into a superhero action drama, just as Lethal Weapon 2 made a fairly incisive comments about South Africa and its (former) system of apartheid. They actually discuss the legacy of the Shield as relates to a symbol of America and the way that America’s ideals have not always fairly represented All of its Citizens. The show doesn’t belabor the point, but there are definitely scenes that bring this to fore in order to try to get viewers to see the hypocrisy behind some of America’s grander ideals and statements, especially in regards to the notion of racial equity and systemic structures/institutions that value certain groups over others.

This show actually “goes there” and asks you to think about it–and for people who only want to believe that system is perfect, then this may not be the show for you. For those who are willing to engage with complex ideas where people aren’t always right even as they struggle to be “good,” then this might be up your alley. It asks the audience take a different point of view than one might normally be accustomed to and view the central problem–“who is worthy of the Shield”–through the ideas of some is actually worthy versus someone who looks like they are worthy. It is an embodiment of Erskine’s ideas from Captain America The First Avenger that a hero is one with a good “heart,” not an impressive military background or the “traditional” American look.

And yes, I know there are a fair amount of haters online — which I’ll address at a later date. However, to those haters I would say this: Tom Cruise is a fine actor (& who I love in the Mission Impossible franchise), but even he can’t be (& shouldn’t be) the “hero” of every movie (as his portrayal in Mummy can attest). Neither should any one race, nationality, culture, etc. always be the “star” of every media property. To those haters out there who might stumble across this blog entry, I humbly submit that the problem isn’t with the show, but with you.

The Shield

Captain America’s Shield is a complex tool. It represents many things to many people, both in the fictional Marvel world and outside, in the real world. There are too many things to list here, but one of the most important images is that it symbolizes the American “Ideal” as imagined by the Constitution, where we are the “best part of ourselves” able to freely choose and determine ones actions and the ability to do the “right” thing as opposed to the “expedient” thing. Without spoilers, this was exactly the argument articulated in Captain America Civil War.

However, as with anything that has to with people, who are by nature, fallible, we see that the “promise” doesn’t always match up with the actuality. Parts of America, even with its Constitution and high-mindedness, once owned slaves. In World War 2, America asked its African American soldiers to fight for “their” country and then when the war was won and over, stuffed them right back into the “Jim Crow” segregation and discrimination of the era.

The Shield, while intending to represent the best of us, can actually represent the worst of us as well. There is an episode that deals with this iconography and really puts into context how a symbol can function and change the way a country, an ideology, or a belief is seen across the world with one stark image. This episode changes the entire story and really lets you see that the creators really want you, the audience, to think about the power of a symbol, in general, and the Shield, in particular.

Overall Rating: A (100)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This series is something that I think Marvel should make sure to build upon in the future. While I don’t want to see a homogenized Marvel TV show (as I like the way WandaVision came together and I suspect that I’ll like Loki), but I really like the way Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes a “real world” approach to its story and that it doesn’t shy away from a “hard” topic, even though there are a small segment of vocal people who can’t seem to stand anyone else who doesn’t “look” like they do being the hero of a mainstream property. However, this isn’t just a cultural oddity, but is a major storyline in the MCU and while not required to know what’s going on in the movies (as Disney has stated), you’re doing yourself a real disservice if you haven’t watched it yet and you’re a Marvel fan. It was the highlight of my week when it was on!

Great work to the creators for this show!

Sidney

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Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

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Wakanda Forever

A picture of Chadwick Boseman in a black suit with silver designs standing in front of a white wall with golden Oscar statues with his arms cross in front of his chest in the "Wakanda Forever" salute.
Image Source: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/08/28/chadwick-boseman-who-embodied-black-icons-dies-of-cancer

Like others, I would like to take a moment to remember Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played the role of T’Challa/Black Panther and who tragically passed away from colon cancer a few days ago. While I never met Chadwick Boseman in person and only saw him in his Marvel Universe role, I have to say that I was impressed by both his on-screen persona and his off-screen demeanor.

Chadwick Boseman, The Actor

It is no secret that my favorite movie in the MCU is Black Panther. While I’ve not updated my rankings for Marvel movies in a while (I need to go back and do that now that I’ve finally seen all of the movies to date), Black Panther is still my favorite (spoilers: yes, Infinity War and Endgame were fun, but I don’t think they had the same narrative cohesion that Black Panther did and so I rate them slightly lower). I like quite a bit about the movie, but it was Boseman’s quiet intensity that I found so captivating. While not given to outbursts of emotion, the quiet dignity found in the character was refreshing when compared to traditional Hollywood portrayals of African Americans (or even most Anime portrayals). Boseman allowed T’Challa to be funny (“I never freeze”), angry, or sad, but never in the overly bombastic way that is stereotypical in many films. All these emotions, Boseman filtered through the lens of the character’s quiet reserve. Even a vengeful T’Challa/Black Panther in Civil War was still in control throughout and able to see through Zemo’s ultimate plot to destroy the Avengers. His character was a major reason why I believe the movie worked so well and his talented portrayal of the character will be sorely missed.

Chadwick Boseman, The Man

I watch YouTube a lot, or rather, I should say that I watch a lot of YouTube content. One of the types of content that often gets posted are interview segments with celebrities (usually from the longer, full length show that is shown on air). I remember seeing quite a few of the interviews back in 2018 when Black Panther was released and I remember seeing some of the more fun things that he did, such as surprising fans who had stopped to “record” a message thanking him for all that he’s done. I remember watching some of the outtakes of him from the Black Panther movie, and I can dimly recall some of the other fun stuff that came out about that time. Chadwick Boseman appeared to be both genuine and fun-loving. Again, while I’m watching from afar, some of the things that I remember were laugh out loud funny and were really awesome. I just saw a segment in which Chadwick was telling a lady who had stopped to record a thank you to him for his T’Challa/Black Panther role that she was genuinely funny and had she considered working in show business. Even there, where the event was focused on giving his fans a surprise “treat” to see him live and in person, he took a moment to encourage a kindred spirit who, in his eyes, had talent enough to be in show business. He seemed like a great guy, and while I’m on the outside looking in, perceptions do matter.

Chadwick Boseman, The Inspiration

While I’ve only really seen Chadwick’s Marvel movies, I’ve been inspired to try to seek out some of his older work. I knew of 42 (Jackie Robinson) and his other movie about James Brown, Get on Up, but I’ve not yet seen those films. I tend to go for Science Fiction and Fantasy films first, with Action movies and Thrillers, second and third. However, historical movies, while I don’t actively avoid, tend to get less attention from me and I see them when there’s little else to watch or I make myself watch them. I fully intend to see 42 in the near future, and I had intended to watch Chadwick’s latest movie, Da Five Bloods, on Netflix this past weekend, but moving out my Murfreesboro apartment before the last day of the lease took precedence. However, I’m older than Chadwick was when he passed away, and he was able to accomplish so much in the time he was given, and he has inspired me to try accomplish my dreams as well–even if they are ridiculously high, because Chadwick was able to scale to heights I never dreamed possible and he was a gracious person while doing so.

I also have to say I feel the loss particularly keenly as my own uncle also died from colon cancer. Unlike Chadwick’s long struggle with the disease, my uncle felt ill in the Spring and Summer of 2000 and finally went to the hospital in the late fall time-frame. By the time my uncle was diagnosed with colon cancer, it was already too late and he, too, died of colon cancer a few days before Christmas in 2000.

However, the best way that I can honor the memory of both of these fine people is to work hard, finish my education, continue to write, and teach with empathy, and do the best that I can, every day to be and do better, so that I might be, someday, even half of the bright shining lights that both of these men were while they lived.

Sidney

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Darkness Cannot Drive Out Darkness: Why Killmonger (Blackpanther) Was Wrong

Killmonger and T'Challa (Black Panther) face off against each other.
Image Source: https://medium.com/@wyattdonigan/why-killmonger-was-quite-possibly-the-greatest-villain-ever-on-screen-2a1288413065

A quick update on the weekend–I had planned to write a blog post of Friday, but due to how busy I was in the Writing Center and the fact that I also went home for the weekend made it nearly impossible for me to get a blog post written that I would have been happy with, so I just didn’t write one for Friday. Monday was an off day for me, and I spent the day doing (and recovering from) yard work. So, even though I mentally planned this blog entry, it just didn’t get done due to yard work. Now with that out of the way, on to the post . . .

Killmonger as a Hero?

As I’ve been reading through articles and texts on Afrofuturism, there has been quite a sentiment that I (also) heard when the movie first played: Killmonger could have been (and in more radical comments–should have been) the hero of the movie. Now, long-time readers of the blog know that I hate the new (although at this point, it’s fairly old) trend of trying to make the “villain” into the “hero” and vice-versa. I could only shake my head during the time. Despite my “anti-hero”/”villain” bias, I still knew that there was something wrong with that sentiment. I couldn’t put my finger on it, nor could I successfully articulate it (even to myself). However, as I’ve read more and more articles, I’ve finally discovered why I dislike this idea/ideology so much: to take Killmonger as the “hero” and to take his view is to ignore the actual theme of the movie–hate or love, which is more powerful?

Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate; Only Love Can Do That

In many ways, the Black Panther (T’Challa) vs Killmonger debate offers a rehash of the Martin Luther King, Jr/Malcolm X debate that occurred historically, which (although there were other more fundamental differences) boils down to violent vs non-violent protests for civil rights. Flash forward, and you still have that debate–now, T’Challa wonders if things done in the past can be forgiven (made right–and how does a “good” man/king do that) vs. Eric (who is bound by the past and can’t push forward). Eric wants to continue to fight the battle of the past and just cannot move forward. While he has a point–slavery (and injustices it engendered were wrong and horrifying)–he now wants to use violence to retaliate for past atrocities. One article that I read, while admitting that Killmonger’s violence is a problem, rationalizes that he is bad because he uses the violence indiscriminately–against both the “colonizers” and his own people. In other words, the authors had no problems that he was violent–just that he was violent to people of his own color/kind as well as to those out of his race.

The thing that T’Challa does that makes him a hero is that he can acknowledge the wrong, but then he can figure out how to try to find a solution and then to move on. Eric is all about revenge/avenge the past. He wants to perpetrate the same fear, the same destructive behaviors, just to a different group. In essence, Killmonger is all about flipping the dynamic on its head, while T’Challa is interested in changing the paradigm in a positive and helpful way. He is not interested in fighting the old battles or (more importantly) turning the same old tired paradigm upside down. Ultimately, the point I’m trying to make is that the avenge/revenge angle is one that is not correct, no matter what the authors of the articles (and popular sentiment) may want. In this case, T’Challa’s message parallels that of a Jedi–“Defend, never to attack.” Sure, you can remember the wrong, so as not to allow it to happen to you (or anyone else). Killmonger’s attitude is a “Do Unto Others as They Have Done Unto You” and this negatively affects both the man and the message–which is why the movie (and the hero) is ultimately T’Challa and his worldview.

Sidney

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Ant-Man and Wasp Mini-Review (No Spoilers)

Marvel Studios ANT-MAN AND THE WASP..L to R: The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) ..Photo: Ben Rothstein..©Marvel Studios 2018
Marvel Studios ANT-MAN AND THE WASP..L to R: The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) ..Photo: Ben Rothstein..©Marvel Studios 2018
Image Source: http://time.com/5327169/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/

I liked the movie, though not as much as the original Ant-Man movie. I thought the movie was entertaining and interesting. It had some action (most of it was back-loaded, however) that was really good and fun, but the beginning of the movie can be a bit of a slog to get through–especially, if you’re not a Marvel movie aficionado.

Character Over Action

So this movie is one of the reasons why I like “plot” over “character” because they (the filmmakers) take too long in setting up the various characters, their current backstories, and motivations before really getting to the heart of the story. While I enjoyed this, it made the first half of the movie seem more like a typical Hollywood “rom-com,” than a true Marvel movie. While there are “rom-com” (rometic comedy) elements in the original Ant-Man, they were expertly balanced with the heist elements and the discovery of the character’s “powers.” Here, everything seems unbalanced, and character/jokes/”rom-com” elements dominate until the “plot” kicks in gear about half way through.

A Ghost of a Chance

I liked the villain in this one (“Ghost”) and I liked the actor playing her role. I just think that Ghost’s backstory needed work–it never really clear as to why she had to do what she needed in order to survive (vague here to avoid spoilers). There’s an element of Star Trek like “jargon” in the explanation that seemed to serve the plot (to make her the villain) rather than her character (she has to do this thing or else). The filmmakers present it this way in dialogue (that her character has to act this way to survive and has become a “monster” because of it), but it still felt as the motivation was a bit of “hand-waving” on the filmmakers’ part to justify her actions in the beginning of the movie. Had the motivation been better and had the action started sooner, I think I might have liked it more.

Ghost’s motivations aren’t the only things that don’t make sense. There are several scenes, played for jokes, that seem out of place in the overall plot–the “school” scene, in particular, is one of those scenes. Yes, its cute in a mildly amusing way, but does the movie really have time to digress in that way? For me, not really, and it could have been cut (or included as an “extra scene” for an “extended cut” of the movie.

Overall Grade: B-

This one could have been outstanding, but slow pacing and a confusing villain motivation really hampered my enjoyment for this one. I still like it, but it is on the lower end of the spectrum of Marvel movies for me. One thing that kept it from being a C is one of the “stingers” at end of the movie was really well done! That alone bumped it up into the above average category for me.

Avengers Infinity War — Mini-Review (No Spoilers)

Avengers-Infinity-War-Trailer-1-44
Image Source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/09/03/avengers-4-where-are-the-avengers/ (Possible Spoilers-tells where everyone ends up AFTER the movie, click at your own risk!)

Not Your Typical Marvel Movie

So, I’m just going to assume that most people who are interested in Marvel movies or comic book movies has already seen this movie, but just in case people haven’t, this is a Marvel movie like no other.  It has been setting up since the very first Avengers film.  It is essentially the entire Marvel universe (with exceptions) in multiple storylines fighting against the “big bad” of the movie, Thanos, to keep him from getting the Infinity Stones (various items that have been teased in Marvel movies like the Tesseract).  However, this movie doesn’t follow the typical Marvel formula because it has multiple heroes in multiple places trying to keep Thanos (or his agents) from getting the stones. While some times wildly inventive, these multiple storylines are also wildly disjointed and make the movie feel more disjointed than it probably should be.

People Keep Dying

For me, I’m just going to come right and say it (don’t worry–no spoilers), people just keep on dying in this movie.  Here’s the thing, deaths in movies are sometimes justified (such as the death that occurs in Star Wars.  Each death of each of the characters (both major and minor–I’m thinking of the Death Star scene and the “Trench Run” scene especially) either propel the movie forward or increase the tension and make us feel that the main character’s lives and mission are in serious peril.  In this movie, characters keep dying, but it doesn’t feel earned.  It feels like the filmmakers wanted to be shocking and provocative.  See, look who can kill, now just wait and watch who we kill next.  While guaranteed to keep you glued to your seats to see who’s dying next, it doesn’t really make for compelling drama, nor does it really engender repeat viewings (I’ve owned the movie for a week now and I’ve not rewatched it once–by this time with the other Avengers and the later Captain America movies (which are essentially Avengers 1.5/Avengers 2.5 movies), I would have rewatched them multiple times by now.

Avengers: Infinity War (part 2)

Next year, we will have the resolution to this story with part 2 of this movie.  I’m pretty sure the “solution” to the movie was sown by “seeds” planted in this movie (pay particular attention to the scene where Stark and Doctor Strange discuss possible outcomes after Strange looks into the future), but it is possible that this is a misdirect by the filmmakers.  Either way, I’m not sure how much “fun” I’m going to have with the second part based on the “bad taste” the first part left in my mouth.  Unfortunately, this isn’t a case of Empire Strikes Back, where the second entry is by necessity darker than the first, but rather one where I feel the filmmakers tried to use shock value to enhance the tension rather than going with heroic and meaningful deaths.  In closing, I also have to say I wasn’t a fan of Thanos’s motivation. Genocide, for any reason (and that includes population control) is still Genocide.  While he was “a bad dude,” there was a surprising amount of sympathy given to the character for this movie that 1) wasn’t earned, 2) other movies featuring him in scenes didn’t show/highlight and 3) wasn’t actually relevant to the character. Sure, you don’t want a scene chewing villain, but in my mind, Thanos lacks the cold, calculated terror of a Darth Vader, who while there is good inside of him, does some personally horrific things to get his motives accomplished.  Thanos is from the newer, Kylo Ren school of villainy, where he has to whine, emote, and act like a petulant child before he can enact his twisted schemes because, by golly, we (the audience) gotta’ feel sorry for the poor slob as he’s only trying to do the “right” thing by his way of thinking.  Oh, boo hoo.  Sorry, I (personally) don’t care for this particular type of villain and it throws me out of the movie every time I encounter one like that (Syndrome from the Incredibles has a similar effect on me).

Overall Score: B-/C+

Okay, so I’m being charitable with the B- as there are some very inventive and terrific fight scenes (as usual for the Russo Brothers).  However, some characters do some pretty dumb things (especially for Marvel movies) and I really didn’t care for the way Thanos was sometimes handled/depicted.  It is a spectacle, no doubt, and is pretty much required viewing to stay relevant with popular culture, but as a movie, it isn’t nearly as strong as several other Marvel movies.  I’m not sure where I’m going to place it on the list, but I can give you a preview here: it will not unseat my top 3 Marvel movies currently.  Not slagging on the movie per se, but it just didn’t connect with me. Too much emphasis on cheap, unearned deaths, not enough on true characterization and story pretty much sums up my reaction to it in one sentence.  This is the first Russo Brothers Marvel movie that has been a swing and miss with me.

Updated Marvel Universe Movies

marvel_cinematic_universe_wallpaper_by_theincrediblejake-d8lx9om

This is a super short post to let you know that I’ve updated my Ranking of Marvel Movies post with the addition of Thor Ragnarok. 

Sidney

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Thor Ragnarok: Mini-Review (No Spoilers)

Thor_Ragnarok_openaircinemas
Picture of the Thor Ragnarok movie poster featuring Thor, Hulk, Loki and other Marvel Universe Characters.  Image Source: Open Air Cinemas (Click for more info).

Nope, no writing done over the 3 day weekend.  Tragic.  This is what I’ve got to get better at as a writer who wants to be “professional.”  Yes, I had another real-world “project” that I was working on (changing rooms in my house), but it doesn’t take that long to do 250 words.  I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of setting up the computer for just 20-30 mins of writing–but the cost to that was, no writing done at all.  250 * 6 days = 1,500 words.  I one week, I could, if I could get my act together, essentially finish a “section” of a short story, or the basic “outline” of a chapter.  So the word I used above is actually something I need to tell myself when I don’t get my 250 words in–tragic.

Finally Saw Thor Ragnarok

Okay, so over the Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S., my family and I gathered together after the holiday dinner to watch Thor Ragnarok.  I have to say upfront that it was a fun experience–it isn’t the best Marvel movie that I ever seen, but it also isn’t the worst.  I guess that’s what, after having a night to sleep on it, I would say–it was a solidly fun experience.  Unlike Star Wars, which at the moment that I write this, is having a “moment” (and not in a good way as Kathleen Kennedy seems determined to remake the brand into something that she wants and not something that the fans want), Marvel movies know what they’re audiences want: quite a bit of action, some humor (quips and some physical comedy), characters having to some (light) soul-searching, an inventive and eventful ending, and (a bit) of moral relevance (theme) and they’re golden.  This is what Thor Ragnarok delivers to its audience.  Is it flashy, like say Civil War or Winter Soldier? No.  But is it good?  Yes, yes it is.

God of Humor

So, the comedic elements in this one are super strong.  Whether they be visual gags, banter and quips, or downright physical humors, a lot (but not all) of Thor Ragnarok is played for laughs.  I happened to have liked that, but if you’re looking for (or liked) the grim seriousness of Thor The Dark World, then you’ll need to look elsewhere because they play this strictly as an action-comedy.  When there’s action, there’s a lot of it, but when there’s no action on the screen, they’re either setting up a joke or actually paying off a joke.  There’s very little else here, although to be fair, there is quite a bit of light character development of Thor, Loki, Hulk/Banner, and the new character, the Valkyrie, whose name wasn’t really used all that often in the movie, but who both Thor & Loki recognized as a Valkyrie, so that’s (at the moment) how I remembered her character.

Not the Worst, but Not the Best

Again, I have to say that I really liked this movie quite a bit, but based on the high praise that it was given by some of the reviews when it released, I’m a little surprised that it wasn’t a stronger movie.  I suppose when you get right down to it, this may have to do more with me and my expectations than the movie itself.  While I like comedies and like to laugh (who doesn’t), my favorite genre is action.  While there’s no denying that Thor Ragnarok does have action set-pieces, for the most part, this one lent itself to comedy (think the comedy sketch of Thor sitting out Civil War that made the rounds on YouTube last summer, and you’ll have an idea of what the creators of Thor Ragnarok were going for).

Having just re-watched this vignette, I just realized that they referenced the “email” joke in this vignette in Thor Ragnarok, so this is very much a “tone-piece” for the movie.  If you like this vignette, then you’ll probably like Thor Ragnarok very much.  I was mildly amused by this, so while I really liked the movie, it probably won’t make it into my Top 5 Marvel movies.  Not to say it isn’t good, but I feel there are other Marvel movies that are stronger.

Overall Grade: B (Above Average)

My take: Hey, it’s a Marvel movie.  They’d have to really misfire (Thor Dark World) to get much less (Marvel gets me as a fan in a way that Kathleen Kennedy and the “new” Star Wars doesn’t seem to anymore).  I love what they are doing right now.  Even the movies that I feel are perhaps “weaker” entries in the Universe are still above the quality of many other movies of competing franchises.  My mother said the movie was better than she expected it be based on the other Thor movies and my step-father laughed all the way through, and myself was at least amused through most of it, but sat up and took notice through the extended action sequences.  This was, while not my favorite Marvel movie, still one that I would gladly re-watch anytime.

Missing in Action: Why I’m Probably Not Going to See Avengers Infinity War in the Theaters

Avengers_original
Captain America, Thor, Ironman, Hawk-Eye, Black Widow, and Hulk from the original Avengers film.  Image Source: SlashFilm (Click Image for more info)

Stop Signs

So, remember a couple weeks back when I posted that sometimes life gives you “stop signs” and you just have to be cognizant of them and learn when to listen to them in order to stay sane.  I discussing it in the vein of writing, but it looks like it applies to other areas of life as well as it turns out that Avengers: Infinity War is one of those “stop signs” for me, at least when it comes to seeing it in the theaters.  Without going into a long essay on the matter, simply put, car problems is the ultimate reason why I’m not going–my car, which had always been so reliable, now has decided to gift me with an intermittent starting problem which happens to me, but not the mechanics.  Yeah, I know, right.  I get stuck and it won’t start and have to get it towed (twice now) and then they start it up with no problem and charge me for diagnosing it.

If there was a digital equivalent of a “scream” emoji, I would be using it right now.

Thor Ragnarok

Actually, I’m not really all that concerned about missing Avengers: Infinity War in the theaters.  My mother and I have already had some of the movie spoiled for us and I’ve even encountered a couple of more spoilers in the two weeks since it has been released (despite my care of limiting my social media use).  My local theater wasn’t showing it in 3D Imax anyway, just regular 2D Imax, and (most importantly, to me, anyway), we haven’t yet seen Thor Ragnarok.  I’m sure that it isn’t essential to TR before AIW, but we’ve pretty seen every mainline Marvel entry in order and their are some character changes to Thor (obviously) that occur in TR which seem to carry over to AIW.

While I have seen movies out of order, I much prefer to see them in order, if that is an option.

Memorial Day & Labor Day

If you are wondering, we’re planning on seeing Thor Ragnarok on Memorial Day.  For those outside of the US, that’s a big holiday that happens on the last Monday in May (this month, as I write this) that is the unofficial kickoff of the Summer Season here as most schools are either out for summer break at this time (or will be out in a week or two afterwards).  We’ll probably purchase it (as opposed to renting it) as a movie to watch after the holiday dinner).

I’m hopeful that AIW will be out on Bluray/Itunes by Labor Day–our complementary holiday that ends the summer.  If so, then we can bookend the summer with Marvel movies and catch-up.

I’m not going to stress over things I simply cannot control.  I’d like to see AIW, but since it doesn’t look like its going to happen for a while, and since I have no control of the situation at the moment, I might as well just wait patiently until circumstances work out and allow me to see the movie.

Sidney

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Potpourri May 2018

potpourri_wikihow

So this (short) post is just a little bit about everything that I’m currently doing right now.

  • Watching The Expanse: I’m not really feeling the show all that much, but I need a “spaceship” show at the moment to get me through Final Exam week and help me as I get my car repaired.  Will probably do a mini-review of it after I watch all the seasons (there are 3 total, but only seasons 1 & 2 are currently “free” on Streaming via Amazon Prime.
  • Project Poet (Rough Draft): Two-Thirds (⅔) way complete.  Not really happy with the way it is turning out, but then again, I guess that’s what rough drafts are for.  There’s no magic in this one, so it doesn’t really seem like a Fantasy story, but it is one that I really like the idea for.  I may have to find a way to add in a “magic system,” however, because it seems really slow and boring otherwise.
  • Recently Watched Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: I’m putting this one on the list to remind myself that I need to do a mini-review of this movie as I saw it about 2 weeks ago.  I didn’t much care for The Fifth Element (never actually managed to ever get through the whole movie), but I thought this might actually win me over.  Spoilers for the mini-review: it didn’t. 🙂
  • The trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp has just been released.  Now this is a Marvel movie that I think I can get behind this summer.  It looks really fun!  And best of all, NO SPOILERS ANYWHERE IN SIGHT!  🙂  🙂

 

  • Finished the OUTLINES for two (2) new Projects: Project Paradise and Project Independence:  I finished the plot outlines for two new stories.  Both are science-fiction stories that I’m really excited about writing over the summer.  More on these projects as when I finish the Rough Drafts for them.

Well, that’s all I have for right now as I need to work on finishing several small school-related projects.  Talk to you later!

Sidney

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