(film review) [STREAMING] - Rebel Moon part 1: Child of Fire

Trash? I would not say trash, but maybe I am giving one of my "favourite" directors a pass? Maybe I am being too lenient on Zack because most of his movies, I have seen and enjoyed. This film has a few problems, but the problems it does have, are major problems. Everything else is fine and in some cases, great. True Zack Snyder storytelling, but the problems stick out like a sore thumb and some people may not be able to cast that aside. I am not saying that I happily cast aside the problems, not at all, but I feel I can identify the problems, separate them from the other good/great moments and give my opinion on what I think of the movie overall. I'll explain.

Kora is an ex-soldier, who defected from the Imperium, an infantry, part of The Motherworld a militaristic empire who seek to rule the universe through centuries of conquests and war. Living a quiet life on a distant moon on a farm helping out the locals, the imperium comes knocking and Admiral Atticus Noble seeks out the moon and it's dwellers. Knowing how Noble will operate, Kora decides to help the farmers out by rallying a team of warriors to help her take down the Motherworld and stop their tyranny.


Very cut and dry. A simple story of good vs bad. We have a protagonist and we have an antagonist. Before this movie was released, I heard that this film was proposed to Lucas Film (now at Disney) as a Star Wars movie and Lucas rejected it. Netflix took it and allowed Zack to make the movie he wanted. There is a very high possibility that nobody oversaw his work and let Zack get on with it because if I am honest, it shows. Zack is a great storyteller with a visual flare that dwarfs Michael Bay. I have said this many times here in many reviews. I am not a Zack fanboy but I do like his movies, so maybe I am being a bit biased here, but I would not say the movie is straight-up trash. It just feels like a movie made specifically to be a part 1, than a movie that happens to be a part 1. If that makes any sense! For example, this year alone we have had two movies I can draw from that felt like a whole movie but ended on a cliffhanger because they were part 1 of 2; 'Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse' and 'Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1'. Both films were lengthy, told a story with minimal flashbacks and were split into a three-act structure. You are introduced to the characters, we are told as to what is to be done and how to do it, and we go about trying to achieve that goal. This movie does not quite do that. We are introduced to the characters, we are told what is to be done, we spend time looking for more characters and given even more back-story of the main character (exposition) and then a fight ensues, finished, the end. The entire film felt like a first act including part of a second act with nothing but flashbacks and slow motion. Or better yet, more accurately, the film could have been a series and this was the end of Season One. The film generally felt unengaging because of this, slightly disjointed, and rushed, although still operating at a slow pace not really getting anywhere and everything simply felt surface level. It spends a lot of time trying to get somewhere but ultimately getting nowhere. The film reminded me of playing an RPG game, you've got your main character and they are on a quest, they pick up an assortment of different characters who will help you in your fight and each of them look very different from each other with different skill sets. Not terrible, but not executed in a way that made the characters stick out. The characters do not really sit with you either. It is very exposition-heavy for the main character. These are the issues with this film, along with the main actress being OK and the dialogue also being, just OK. The villain was trying to be menacing, but...was not that menacing at all, the film just felt very brief and chopped.


The music, and the action, are all superb. It is funny how a lot of the action is in slow motion so you can see the detail and what is going on, a Zack Snyder staple; the problem is, it was just a little overdone in my honest opinion, just a little too heavy-handed. Visually the movie is great though, something you can never take away from Zack. The music is also really good as it gave me Man of Steel vibes in places. The special effects could have been a little better considering 'The Creator' looked amazing on a shoestring budget, but it is Netflix, I am not going to cry over the special effects here. The acting from most of the characters was good. Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein and Charlie Hunnam were the standouts, but I just feel these characters could have been given more. Maybe if there were less slow-mo and more and better dialogue, the characters would have connected with the audience better, but then this leads me to the part 1 of it all.

Of recent, I have heard that Zack has a director's cut of this first part which makes me think 1 of 2 things happened here. Netflix stepped in and was actually involved in overseeing his work and told him to strip the movie down to a respectable time (because we all know Zack cannot make short films), so Zack did a lot of chopping and what he cut out of it, IS in fact in the directors cut which will tell more story OR, Zack and/or Netflix came to the decision of having a director's cut because "Release the Snyder Cut" was a movement and maybe Netflix thought they could capitalise off the back of that, either way, the film feels rushed and it ends awkwardly. The characters are touched on at a surface level, if that and the story hardly had any meat on its bones. It would have been nice to have the characters more fleshed out and memorable because the movie simply comes across as a fetch quest.


But did I enjoy the movie overall? Yes and no. I made 3 attempts to watch this movie and each time I tried, I was tired and I did fall asleep. All. Three. Times. Being ill and tired is one thing, but the main character is cool, but not really engaging. All the flashbacks and exposition got tired and boring. The slow motion, the visuals and the coolness of the film does not do enough to keep your attention because, well...we have seen it all before, you know. Sophia is nice and all, but they tried too hard for her to be badass but could have done more with her character if they took her in another direction. Like, she was the reluctant hero, with the charisma of a grape, but giving out forced speeches that had the weight of a feather which was meant to influence people to help her with her plight. Maybe it is her delivery. Maybe it is just how it is written. Maybe Part 2 will be better (because the trailer actually does look better) and maybe this film should have been one long 7-hour movie (I kid). Zack is a great filmmaker, but he does really need to know how to use better executions when directing. He is not trash by any means, but his misses are usually centred around the same things, all the time. Where is 300 Zack or Man of Steel Zack? There were glimpses of him here, but not enough. More Suckerpunch Snyder I'm afraid. Good but not as engaging with the characters overall lends to the film feeling hollow. The visuals, action and music are good though, but just not enough.

(trailer review) - Mr. & Mrs. Smith

 

Let me get this somewhat straight. The film Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were about two secret agents who did not know each other were secret agents and find out that they were both secret agents when they were tasked to take out each other and other secret agents or mercenaries were sent to their home to kill them both...from their own secret agency? Am I accurate? I pulled that from the deep depths of my brain and I really feel I am on the money with it. However, this trailer seems to have taken the name of Mr & Mrs Smith, to have two people who do not know each other, who are from the same agency, working together to carry out a mission but they need to pretend that they are a married couple whole they fulfil their assignment. Why not just call it something else?

There was a part in this trailer that made me laugh, and that was when they were sitting at the table and the woman across from them asked, "what is your sexual life like?" I am not utterly sure why I found that funny but I guess I have my own reasons. Donald looks amazing in this, dress and body-wise. Is that a white polo neck? Giving me Archer 'The Wind Cries Mary' vibes. If I am honest, the series looks cool and this is only a trailer, I am simply caught up in the name at this point. Also, I just need a little more to be fully interested because as of right now, I just feel like they are banking off the name/title itself to give us something that is lacking. With that said though, Donald Glover I'd producing and has helped to create, I can only assume as it is a action, drama-comedy, spy thriller, with other great actors such as Parker Posey, Ron Pearlman, John Turturro and Michaela Coel, I should have faith in this from these actors alone? I'll wait for another trailer.

(series review) - Blue Eye Samurai

 
I love anime, but if I am honest, I am the anime watcher of yesteryear. I loved Manga when I was growing up. I collected Guyver on VHS, New Dominion Tank Police, I had Project A-Ko and Akira is an absolute classic. Unless I am mistaken, Anime is the "new" Manga and I am not really into it. I am not caught up and I do not watch them all some interest me and some don't. I simply want something to capture my attention and satisfy my anime-watching needs occasionally. I used to watch The Boondocks and Afro Samurai. I got into Attack on Titan (but fell off), I watched Castlevania and watched Troll Hunters (but fell off), I don't know. I just need something a bit more engaging. When I heard about Blue Eye Samurai, I kept hearing good things so I decided to give it a go.  It is great!

In the time of the Samurai around the 1600s and the Edo period of Japan, a mixed race/bi-racial child was born. Frowned on by the locals, discriminated against, bullied and called names like demon and monster, the child was seen as an outcast which left them bitter and resentful. Not knowing who their father was, they made it their life-long mission to seek revenge on the man who made them this way, no matter who gets in their way.

I do like samurai movies and anime. There are a few Samurai-inspired games I am also interested in such as 'Ghost of Tsushima', 'Black Myth: Wukong' and 'Rise of the Ronin'. Afro Samurai was great and this series also reminded me of that, in some ways. A tale of revenge, not unlike most samurai stories, but this one is told through a few flashbacks here and there through the different stages of the warrior's life, what led them to where they are, what they are doing and what the warrior did in a challenging situation. I kid you not, there is a long sword fight which leads to the best long sword build-up I have ever seen in life. It was absolutely amazing, as well as clever. I want to go into it, but I also do not want to spoil it. Long Sword fight!

What I also liked about the show, was the characters. Well thought out and well voice acted. The way the story is told, you have a bad-ass samurai and you are shown how bad-ass they are, but you are also shown that the samurai is not invincible and I loved that. Getting a few punches here and there is one thing, but when your character is shown to be human rather than achieving the impossible, you tend to like and connect with the character more, well at least I do.

Clever, and witty with great music and animation. There is a top-down view I have NEVER seen in animation before and with the lighting and movement of the characters, I can only stress how visually entertaining and stunning this show is. They also took a few liberties in how they would also tell the story with the flashbacks, some were told in puppet fashion whilst others were in "black and white" with splashes of blood, a lot of blood. This series is gory, so expect to see blood splash everywhere. I am hoping for a season 2 because, I can only assume (due to the storyline) we can have 3 seasons, but if any of the other seasons are like this one, I will definitely be back to watch it. Bring on that trailer!!!

(trailer review) - Dune: Part 2

 

Star Wars is one of the best "sci-fi" franchises out there, next to Alien, Terminator and Predator. However, Dune is something that came out back in the day as well and if I am honest, nobody really talks about it? Was it well received when it came out? Maybe, but people talk about Blade Runner which came out 2 years before. Alien 5 years before that and Terminator, a year after Dune. So, why didn't Dune do well? I could not answer that as I have not seen it and I am not sure if I really care to, but I have watched the most recent remake and it is phenomenal. Denis Vilenue directed something I feel, is just short of a masterpiece. Maybe it is my bias towards sci-fi, but everything in that movie was simply, well told, well acted and well visualised. It was a long movie, but you did not feel it. The ships looked amazing and the shear size of them. A story that is only starting to begin with the sequel. The film did a lot to show us who the main characters are, the side characters, the "villains" and the world/universe we are inhabiting while we watch. This trailer is simply no different. 

This trailer elevates the previous film. This trailer looks amazing. The last trailer, wow, but this is the third trailer and although I do feel a third trailer is a bit much for a movie coming out in March (but the strikes and such), this is a nice reminder to what will be in store so the film does not slip by us. It looks like we are going to see a divide between Paul and Channi. There are more players involved and people who will challenge Paul who is trying to fulfill his destiny which will bring about a prophecy he does not seem to be ready for. The fighting, the war, the sand worms. The first trailer showed Paul calling for a sand worm and riding it, this trailer, has the fremin riding them and it simply looks awesome. Do not get me wrong, this movie could face plant and be terrible...but, I think I trust in Denis to deliver at this point. I mean, if everything with the prequel went soo well, how can you lower the bar?

(trailer review) - The Boys: Season 4

I tell you what is interesting, there has been a lot of talk about Superhero fatigue, that people are tired of superhero movies, shows etc, it is everywhere. However, if this was correct, a show like this would not have the buzz and hype surrounding it. No, it isn't just the blood and gruesome kills. It is not the adult language or sexual content, it is the storylines. It is the drama behind the visuals. The Boys find a way to teach/say or even address issues other comic book shows and movies would not even dare to even think about. So with that said, there is a quality and execution issue and The Boys, three seasons deep and a spin-off show, Gen-V, does not suffer from that.

Numan is running for Presidency, Billy is dying, Homeland has his kid back and it also seems he is going to trial due to his behaviour back in the previous season, not to mention that large crowd of Homelander or Supes supporters. With new superheroes emerging as well, season 4 of The Boys seems as though it is going to take us on another 'The Boys' ride. If we are lucky, maybe, just maybe we will also have some people from Gen V come and join this season, especially when Homelander showed up in the last episode of Gen V. The showrunner behind this series knows what they are doing and they have not dropped the ball yet!

(trailer review) - Fallout

I got onto the game series Fallout when I purchased Fallout 3. I did not see a Fallout 1 or 2 on the Xbox Elite, so I took the game as it was and I played it. A Role-Playing game unlike others I had played before (Final Fantasy) and if I am honest, it might have been due to some good words about the game, plus the box cover looked cool enough which led me to purchase it. I played the game and I really enjoyed it. Your character is part of a colony who have chosen to live in an underground bunker to protect themselves from a nuclear fallout. After many years, you decide to leave the bunker and step into the world which is now a wasteland. You are essentially a wanderer travelling from town to town meeting and helping various people and also trying to stay alive within a hostile environment. This trailer seems as though it has captured (to an extent) what the game is about. I say to an extent because there are many people in their vault onesies whereas in the game, there are not many vault people left alive.

Now from my understanding, Fallout 3, 4, 76 and New Vegas were different stories with different people in different cities/states who leave their vaults and go on adventures. The creatures, ghouls (people who lived in and through the nuclear fallout), mutants and such are essentially the same in each game with minor changes here and there. There are robots, people labelled raiders and different factions and groups such as the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave & Brotherhood Outcasts etc, so all games are different although they all tend to start the same.
What I will expect from this show, is exactly what I have seen in regards to what I have mentioned above, but a brand new story from the perspective of this female protagonist. Seeing the robots and the ghouls looked cool, but it would be interesting to see how far they take it, with Feral ghouls, mutants, super mutants, Mirelurks and Death claws. Let's see what this show has to offer. So far, a little dodgy looking in regards to special effects, but it does look like it will be pretty decent, if executed well, of course. That Power Armour though, wow! Spot on.

(trailer review) - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I remember hearing George wanted to do a Furiosa movie and that Anya Taylor Joy was going to be cast. I might have even heard Chris Hemsworth as well, but honestly, I feel the news since, had disappeared into the sandstorm for a few years only to spit out this trailer. If you recall from my Mad Max: Fury Road review, I said "This film is AMAZING. What a spectacle. Vibrant colours, camera angles and visuals, explosions, insane looking vehicles, characters and appendages. The film is soo insane with soo many moving parts, you can't help but follow Max in his journey." And it seems as though George Miller has done the same thing, AGAIN! Have you not watched this trailer? Whilst I have not seen the other movies (and I have mentioned that before so please do not scould me - and yes, I did say I will watch the others since Fury road, I tried, I really did. I'll try again), I am not sure if some of the styles used in Fury Road was used in previous movies, but I can see them here in this trailer and it looks amazing. When I saw the trailer before the trailer yesterday, I was happy. As some people will know about me, nothing gets me excited, but this trailer, THIS TRAILER! Remembering how the first film left me, I simply feel that this movie is going to do the same thing and from this trailer alone, I do not believe I am going to be wrong. As the kids will say, "I am gassed". Do they still say that? Anyway.

From the trailer, it looks like Furiosa will get caught or she will try and save a kidnapped girl from that evil guy with the pipes (Immortal Joe) and his goons. She will be on the run and taking out as much people as she can whilst trying to get back to her home. Well at least it seems that way. This is a prequel (obviously) and it also looks as though Chris Hemsworth's character will be the main antagonist after Furiosa, just like Nicolas Hoult's character Nux in Fury Road. I think it is hilarious that Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a red cape and there is a point in the trailer where he looks like he is riding a chariot, very warrior/gladiator-like. The visuals, the colours, the imagery, the angles, I can tell this is going to be great. What I will say, I will be slightly annoyed if the film seems loosely, beat-for-beat as Fury Road since there are a lot of similarities regarding style, colours and shots, but as long as the story is somewhat decent, who really cares. If you have seen the artistry that is Fury Road, if even half of it is replicated here, I am totally down with that. The opening shot reminded me of Fury Road's opening shot with the angle, Max standing there and stepping on a lizard, whilst with this one, it has Furiosa stumbling off in the distance with her bike behind her, but the bike is closer to the camera and Furiosa is in the distance. It also looks like we will see how she gets her arm too. Bring on a second trailer so I can get excited again. Do you remember the guitar guy and the speakers and flames? Bring on the weirdness and wildness. Bring on the creativity. Bring on Furiosa!

(trailer review) - Madame Web

I will start off by saying, my exposure to Madame Web was from the Spider-Man animated series back in the 90's. Peter Parker looked like a grown man in his striped polo shirt and jeans and Madame Web teleported him to her realm where she would put him on trial to teach him and give him clues on how to be a better Spider-Man. She was blind. She was old. She wore a long sleek dress and she sat on a throne which looked like it was made from spider webs. She had skills and was clairvoyant. This Madame Web seems to only predict the future and not only is she a lot younger, she is also, not blind. I heard this is meant to be a origin story for Madame Web, but upon watching this trailer, I cannot help but ask, "What is this?".

This woman seems to see things before they happen, in a diner, on a train, in an ambulance, and each time (well most times) in this trailer, a man they later call Ezekiel Sims is trying to kill these girls and he is wearing some sort of Spider-Man suit. Later in the trailer, we do see these girls as different spider people, Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl etc, and it seems as though there might may be some sort of time travelling element to this movie, but one thing I definitely know for sure, I am not sold on this at all. Maybe it is because I would have preferred an older Madame Web, maybe I cannot see past the "fake" Spider-Man suit, like why is he wearing that? Toys? I googled Ezekiel Sims and he looks nothing like what we saw in that Spider-Man-ish suit. The pics are saw were a man in a business suit and barefooted. I am simply conflicted and I need another trailer to sell me on what Sony are trying to do, again.

(trailer review) - Rebel Moon

It goes without saying, whilst I have said this, time and time again, Zack Snyder really know how to visualise a movie to simply look beautiful. Style over Substance, but his substance does indeed hold more weight, if you were to compare against someone else "like-for-like" like a, Michael Bay. I will say it time and time again and I will always continue to sing his praises, Zack Snyder, where he may not be a Christopher Nolan, he is a very capable director and this trailer is a display of that. 

I heard initially that this film was a "Star Wars" movie, but as it was rejected, we now have Rebel Moon that seems almost and very close to a very good Star Wars movie, a Star Wars adjacent movie that looks really good.

We have farmers living and making a honest living and this "Empire" of sorts has come to flex their empiric muscle and this young lady, an ex-something, has a past in which she will now need to bring to the surface and gather other allies to her cause to fight to topple the Galactic Empire, I mean, these pesky do-badders. Yes we have seen it a thousand times but who cares, this looks great. I am just hoping the story holds as much weight as the visuals. Man of Steel was great. So was 300. Let this be something we will want to rewatch again and again on Netflix. I hope this movie spins off into a decent franchise (providing it is good) so Zack can get a win.

(trailer review) - Masters of the Universe: Revolution

[FIRST LOOK TRAILER]

So this is meant to be the official teaser to Masters of the Universe: Revolution, but to me, it feels like a trailer, considering how much they have given us. If you have not watched Masters of the Universe: Revelation, you are surely missing out. Yes, you cannot please everyone and while you might have some things to say about what you wanted from it, I really enjoy the fleshing out of Eternia and the supporting characters to He-Mans plight.

Skeletor seems like he may not be the person who is going to be the main antagonist for He-Man this time around because it seems there is a new and possibly even more powerful villain who may want Eternia and Skeletor, I do not see him sharing. Maybe Skeletor and He-Man may join forces to take out the greater threat. That's Keith David's voice! Although I enjoyed season 1 and the 5 episodes and would definitely come back for more, hearing Keith's voice had sold me again. Let's just hope this first proper trailer tells us more of what this second season is about. 

(trailer review) - The Marvels

 

Whilst I try not to watch multiple trailers due to information overload, I cannot help but pick out the differences as well as compare the trailers apart from one another. Sometimes that goes against a backdrop of rumours or speculation along the way, but I do try to keep an objective and open opinion in my reviews. With that said, I would definitely not say this is a terrible trailer, but I will say it is a better trailer, albeit lacking, but something they should have initially led with, including highlights.

This trailer starts with Ironman (where it all began) and shows us the Star Bangled man with a plan, Captain America, making us remember where the MCU started and what heroes look like. They touch on Thanos and what he did, telling us their would be more people like him with sinister plans and Nick Fury seems to be asking Carol to come in and help on something equally world destroying. We get glimpses of Kamala Khan from Ms. Marvel and we also get some dialogue with Monica Rambeau from WandaVision. We are illuded to what the threat might be and the implications. This is what the first trailer should have been. The highlights would have been the interaction with the different characters and the dancing and the cats. The second trailer could have expanded on that and the final trailer, more of that and a lil more story plot points, and there we have it. Something that shows the characters, the stakes, the action and the fun. This trailer removed the fun and piled on the stakes and action and whilst there is nothing wrong with that, why didn't Disney lead with that with sprinklings of fun. Marvel needs to spend more time reading the room but also balancing out what they are promoting. It is a hard enough battl when Brie Larson isn't liked for whatever reason, women are leading a film, I mean how dare they? And to top it off, two of the characters are from TV shows the majority of the audience would not have seen. I think this will be a decent film, but Marvel right now, needs a great film and unless Marvel pulls this one out of a hat like a rabbit, they will not have great word of mouth and repeat viewing. There is too much stacking up against it and during a time where people are generally falling off of Marvel due to mediocrity and not being consistent at reaching THEIR OWN BAR THEY HAVE SET, this needs to be decent. Thankfully, the series Loki Season 2 is really good, so maybe that can carry the MCU on it's back and assist by being the true MVP for the MCU ATM.

(series review) - Loki: Season 2

Phase Four of the MCU does not seem to make much sense, nor does it gel well with the other films and shows around it. Having a global pandemic was surely going to mess things up for the well-oiled machine that was Disney's MCU. Phase One, Phase Two, Phase Three and the Infinity Saga was concluded with a big nice bow around it. We were told of another villain, Kang the Conquerer and how he would be the big bad of the Multiverse Saga, Phase 4, 5 and 6 and that everything would lead up to Avengers Kang Dynasty and then Avengers Secret Wars. Interestingly enough, I heard that the reason they wanted to go the Kang Dynasty route, was due to the performance of the actor, Johnathan Majors, how he wowed everyone at the end of the first season of Loki. The MCU found their guy and found their story arc. Johnathan played Kang the Conquerer in Ant-Man Quatumania and it was going to be a wonder, how he would factor into the second season of Loki due to the events of the first season.

After the events of the first season, things have now changed, like He Who Remains said it would. He Who Remains is now dead, Sylvie is gone and Loki remains at the Time Varients Authority, but things are different this time around. Instead of the Time Keepers, we now have statues and iconography of He Who Remains and Loki is terrified of what has been released. Loki discovers the Temporal Loom is collapsing and has to find a way to fix it by not only partnering up with Mobius and some of the other agents of the TVA, but also travel through time to find the only person they think could help fix the loom and stop all the other variants of He Who Remains from causing a multiversal war.

I do not want to defend Disney and the MCU, or harp on about Disney's decisions etc, but I do try to put things into perspective. Since the pandemic struck, there has been a huge push for Disney Plus and for more MCU content. Some show's release dates had to be switched around, and stories had to be changed due to the similarity of real-world events, the MCU was simply trying to find its feet due to the current global environment and the decisions and changes made. I personally feel that, with the new direction and push, a lot of the MCU's most recent content has been lacklustre (in MCU standards) due to this, but only a handful of projects have been really good and have been as close to the bar or at the bar Marvel has set for themselves. With that said, whilst the really good to great films and TV shows are very few and far between, the Loki series is by far, one of the best MCU TV shows and content the MCU has put out in a while or, frankly, period.

Loki season 2 not only seamlessly continues from the first season, the transition is simply unrecognisable. The two seasons play as one long movie and if everything was filmed at the same time and simply broken up into bite-sized episodes. The story, superb. The writing and script, incredible. The special effects were not spared and looked amazing for a TV show. To be fair, yes, the special effects were used sparingly but practical sets helped with budgets, so when the special effects were used, it looked amazing. The show seemed to have as much love and attention put into the show like the first season and a handful of other MCU TV shows. You can tell the attention to detail was there. It was all in the writing, script, story and performance.

The performance from Tom Hiddleston as Loki, will go down as one of the best story arcs in Marvel acted out by a single actor who simply owns the character. Like Robert Downey Jr. is to Ironman, Tom is to Loki. If you follow the story arc from the very first Thor, then Thor: The Dark World, The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, going into this series, you will love what they have done here and what the MCU has done with the Loki character. As for Jonathan Majors, the actor is incredible, simply incredible. The artistic vision he is able to put in his performance is soo good, when you simply look at his body of work and his performance in the last season, you see why they chose him. Not to get into his personal life, but should he not beat his trial, I do believe Marvel should replace the actor, but the new actor will have some huge shoes to fill. Without getting into any spoilers, seeing Johnathan continue in the MCU would be great, simply put. Ke Huy Quan, Sophia Di Martino and Owen Wilson are top tier next to Johnathan and Tom. I do feel Owen and Sophia had a slight smaller role in this season to make way for Ke and Ke knocks it out of the park. Every single moment he is on the screen, you gravitate to him and his energy. As for the other supporting cast such as Wunmi Mosaku and Rafael Casal, they were also good, but it would have been nice to have a little more from Wunmi as she is another great actress who has also worked alongside Johnathan before.

Lastly, the music by Natalie Holt is amazing. The music for the first season also by Natalie Holt is on a playlist of mine, so to know she has come back for season 2 brings comfort to me and she does not miss. I am yet to sit down and listen to this season's score, but from what I heard in the show, especially near the end of the last episode, the scene with Loki, simply sounded amazing and I will definitely Identify that and add it to my list. While the MCU is not in the best place right now, us fans want consistency, but we also want great storytelling. A vision, love, time and passion put into the writing, the stories will help the MCU going forward, this series is a testament to that as this is, as I have said, is by far, one of the best MCU TV shows and content the MCU has put out in a while or, frankly, period. Get to watching it.

(film review) - The Creator

He came on the scene and a lot of people were wondering, "John David Washington, is he as good as his father? Is he trying to ride the coat-tails of his father? What is he going to bring to the acting table?" You could say, he has big shoes to fill, but with everything I have seen him in, JDW seems to be carving out a filmography for himself where, some may not hit well, but he is really good in the role. This would be his 13th film role. Starting in Malcolm X with his father, then Devil with the Blue Dress and then Book of Eli as a co-producer. Since then, JDW has been in BlackkKlansman, Tenet, Malcolm and Marie, all great films, so JDW is starting to become a household name. The Creator though, this is something different. And if I do say so myself, JDW was great in this. Joshua is an undercover operative in a war between humans and artificial intelligence who is tasked to seek out and locate a new weapon created by Nirmata, a mysterious chief architect of the AI machines and a machine called 'Alpha O' which is believed to have the capabilities of taking out a USS orbital weapon named the North American Orbital Mobile Aerospace Defence (NOMAD). When Joshua discovers Alpha O on a mission, Joshua discovers the simulant to be a little girl and must decide whether he should kill the little girl or follow his heart. Gareth Edwards has not done many films at all, Monsters, Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and now this. While I do recall things being said about Rogue One regarding his involvement with Tony Gilroy, The Creator shows us where we are with Gareth and exactly what he is capable of. The Creator is a few films fused into one, but delivered in such a great way in regards to storytelling and visuals. Yes, the story is not groundbreaking, but it is told in a way where it is upto the audience to decide who is the bad guy? Morality. Ethics. What we do as people, humans on this earth and how we treat each other, view each other and behave when we do not understand or wish to understand. The film is masterfully crafted giving us breathtaking visuals and special effects which simply looked amazing considering the budget. I have watched movies that were a lot more money and the special effects and graphics were nowhere near as clean as this. The character designs were amazing and some of the designs added lent to some comedic moments in a film that is fairly serious in tone as it tackles the subject matter of trained/learned behaviour. The music is great, Hans Zimmer has a catalogue of scores that pair well with his films and this is simply just another one to add to his ever growing catalogue. The acting, superb. John David Washington's performance here is great and whilst you can close your eyes and hear his father, John exudes confidence and charisma that gels well with the actors around him as well as Madeleine Yuna Voyles who plays Alpha O. She is great and helps to carry the emotional moments within the movie throughout. Seeing Ken Watanabe is always great, along with Gemma Chan. Short roles but they did a great job with carrying the story. This film reminds me of 'A Quiet Place' for the sheer fact that, while the events of this film takes places mostly in Los Angeles and New Asia, what are the other stories across the globe? Are there other pockets of factions fighting wars on their turf? Is it simply just the Americans being Americans (in films like this) or is there a British Army, Korean Army, German Army fighting "Rogue A.I" as well? I would love to see a sequel where Alpha O possibly meets another version like her who is the exact opposite built from the same schematics and raised in a way where they continue to perpetuate the war. There are soo much possibilities with this movie and considering the movie was made for a quarter of what movies are made for these days, hoping the studio make their money back, I am hoping they can push forward for another excellent movie. Something a little longer. Something with a bit more tragedy and moral dilemmas. Something that challenges the audience and pushes us to feel emotions about the things we do. Whilst this film did some of these things, they were considerably light and with the rise of AI and all the stories which have already been told, I feel we could have a great franchise here for the ages.

(trailer review) - Napoleon

 

Ridley Scott misses sometimes. Every now and again, Ridley Scott will direct something and it would crash and burn, but Ridley Scott did not get his name from crashing and burning. Sir Ridley Scott, might I add, responsible for directing 27 movies including, Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, Body of Lies, The Martian, just to name a few. Sir Ridley Scott knows how to direct a quality movie so his misses are very far and few. He is definitely up there with the greats and it looks like he has done it again. This trailer looks epic. It is giving me "Gladiator" vibes. And to think he is directing a sequel to Gladiator, Ridley, might actually be in the zone. While House of Gucci and The Last Duel was divisive among the audience, Ridley might have caught his stride and this film might be a small taster of what to expect from his directing going forward.

The first trailer for this movie was good and the cinematography captured me. The visuals look superb and the acting looks top notch. The music! Everything just seems epic. Vanessa Kirby? Joaquin Pheonix? what is there not to love about this movie already. It simply looks beautiful. Some people may not like that it does not seem like a single person will speak French in this movie, but who cares. We want great, compelling and entertaining movies, right? An epic historical drama with quality actors and a great director producing nothing but quality. I am on board.

(trailer review) - Argylle

I try to keep my ear to the ground when it comes to movies, actors, what is coming out, who is involved in what, when etc and while I think I am doing a decent-to-okay job, something exciting sometimes slips past my radar that leaves me surprised. This trailer for Argylle is something I never even heard of, but with this cast, wow! With the writers and actors strike of recent, things have been fairly quiet because nobody could talk about any projects coming up, if they were supporting the guild, but I feel like, as soon as they came to some sort of tentative agreement, the floodgates have opened and BOOM, trailers after trailers after trailers have dropped! Netflix, for a start... Check my reviews on what they are up to! But I thought I would have heard something about this movie considering a lot of talk in recent months have centred around Henry Cavill due to his role in Black Adam etc. 

This trailer definitely gives me a Kingsman/Man from U.N.C.L.E/Bullet Train vibes and I found Bullet Train soo entertaining and wild. Clever writing, brilliant acting, clever use of the camera and when everything seems to be hitting on all cylinders, sometimes you can have a really great and entertaining film. For example, a few moments in this trailer made me smile or laugh, for example; when John Cena's character took the woman off of the bike as she was riding it, brilliant! The moment Sam Rockwell opened his mouth on the train to Bryce Dallas Howard (I knew it was him) and then the fight ensues, excellent!  Seeing Samual L. Jackson, was a little bit of a roll your eyes moment for me, of course he would be in this movie, of course. I love me some Samuel L. Jackson but his presence did not surprise me. Seeing Sophia Boutella as well as Bryan Cranston, already I am highly interested, not to mention Superman himself, Henry Cavill and Catherine O'Hara. The premise from what I can gather from the trailer, a woman writing a novel plays out actions with real people in real life, so someone wants to kidnap her to help them to achieve their goal. Interesting indeed. This already looks great, nothing else needs to be done to sell me any more.

(trailer review) - Masters of the Universe: Revolution

If you are a He-Man fan, you are definitely missing out if you have not yet watched Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Yes, your criteria may vary in regards to what you will want and what you will expect to see in the show because everyone and their mother has an opinion about something or other, but if you are open-minded to the storytelling like how I was, you should have yourself a good time. I stated in my review that there were some creative liberties taken and some characters felt side-lined to push other characters to the forefront, but while people were screaming woke (because they do not know what that word really means), the people behind Masters of the universe (to me in any case) were being progressive and trying to tell a well thought-out story and have made attempts to flesh out the world of Eternia to make it richer with lore. I am guessing some people may have just wanted Adam swinging his sword and chopping down foes, but that would make He-Man one dimensional and flat.

What you can definitely expect when they do occur, are great fights. This one against Scare-Glow is merely a sample of the might of He-Man and the epic fights that make him who he is, aside from all the other characters. It is just cool epic bad-assery, something we all loved to see interwoven in storyline. I may need to watch it again because I cannot remember if Adam's dad knows if Adam is He-Man, but I also do not remember a power suit for the dad. I mean, it has been a while. What was definitely cool and something I would love to see them expand on, were the other "He-Men" from the past, maybe? These guys are digging deep and expanding the lore creating great story telling. Let's just hope this is better received than Revelation because I know I enjoyed it, but there were people who did not and voiced their thoughts. I am sure Kevin Smith has addressed as much as he could without compromising on his vision.

(trailer review) - Devil May Cry

Me and Devil May Cry goes back to the very first game. Why did I buy this game? I am not sure why if I am honest. It might have been the games box cover art. A guy holding two pistols with white hair. Devil May Cry written in joined up writing and a silhouette of a woman holding two guns. I don't know, but the game just called to me. The games cover art called to me as well as the title, I guess. I purchased and got into the game and while the camera angles could prove to be a little difficult at times, the game reminded me of a Resident Evil game (due to camera angles) and having two pistols, one named ebony and the other named ivory, the game was fun. Fighting weird puppet-type monsters, fighting giant spiders and other floating or flying enemies as well as difficult bosses. But what made the game different was the fact that you also had a big long sword you could slash enemies with and often, if not all the time, you could use your guns and sword interchangeably during battle and create combos whilst fighting in a stylised way. If that was not enough, you collected a range of other weapons along the way and you could turn into a demon, wrecking shop when things got a bit hectic! It was a really fun game. When the sequels came out, the game went into the lore of the world and Dante's story which was briefly touched upon in the first game but expanded in the second and third games.

So what do I expect from this show? Everything I said above! Weird monsters, swordplay and gunplay with insane juggling fighting combos in a stylised way that would be over the top, backed up by heavy rock music and a story that delves deeper into the story of Dante and his business 'Devil May Cry'. The trailer is soo short, it does not really give us anything, so another trailer would help sell it to those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, but what I will say, of the fighting, if it is anything remotely close to the games, the fighting is going to be top notch. The story is decent in the game so I am not sure why they would deviate from it, but learning the backstory will also be entertaining. I just hope they start from the beginning and not bring in any of the later characters from the ganes in just yet. Keep the suspense and the twist, dig deeper into the history and I think you will have a Castlevania-type show that can be very entertaining.

(trailer review) - Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

I honestly want to believe, I knew about this but I had forgotten. Like who knew about this? Who? You see Tomb Raider for me goes back several years to when it first came out on the PlayStation. A woman with seemingly big boobs and holding duel pistols discovering tombs and shooting bad guys and (likely) endangered species. I was young, she looked cool. A puzzle with a touch of survival, game which told a story of a woman from a wealthy background who tries to follow in her father's footsteps to discover ancient artefacts. After several game releases and the excellent re-release, upon playing that trilogy (but more from the first game), I labelled Lara a 'Spider-Monkey'. This was because you could run, jump, scurry and climb, so when you were fighting and trying to defeat enemies, Lara would often look like she is running on all fours when you would scurry along and possibly even roll to avoid danger. When used well along with her arsenal, Lara is a formidable character, which brings me to this trailer.

This trailer is excellent and it seems as though they are either picking up where the last reboot trilogy of games left off or telling a brand new story off of the back of the rebooted story, either way, this not only gives me Korra vibes, but has the potential to be an anime/cartoon version of the Indian Jones-type to possibly dig into deeper lore and a bigger story. I must say, I have a soft spot for Tomb Raider as I had fun with the first two games, Angel of Darkness was ok, but with Underworld, Legend and the Anniversary edition, I fell back in love with the character. The rebooted trilogy was also great and I have been waiting on a new game ever since, but this cartoon may even tide me over until the new game drops, either way, I am watching this without hesitation. Having Hayley Atwell as the voice is simply, class!

(trailer review) - Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

I have mixed feelings about this movie because overall, I am concerned with the direction of the old guard. I have heard that the test screenings for this movie have not gone over well with audiences but at the same time, there has been a lot of reshooting, chopping and changing and I can only assume the movie must feel a little disjointed. Jason Mamoa is an excellent actor, but all actors are only human, so with the drama with Amber Heard, similar to the drama surrounding Ezra Miller before The Flash came out, I'd imagine the negativity has taken a little wind out of the sails. Also, with the change of direction in Warner Bro, James Gunn shepherding the new DCU, I will point out that he said something amounting to, the old guard is not gone, but he is doing something new and there could be space for the old guard to return in some capacity in the future. I need to find the quote really, but with the events of The Flash and what The Flash can do, maybe the DCEU is not fully gone after this movie? It is hard to say, but this is where everyone and their mother and grandmother will want to know, after Henry Cavill, is Jason Mamoa's Aquaman finished after this since it seems the world/universe is? Like, who wants to participate and "enjoy" a world where the characters do not mean anything to anyone anymore? I didn't get to see Blue Beetle. I didn't get to see Shazam or Black Adam, but the general consensus around those movies was, they were ok. I think Blue Beetle may have had the best response from the audience out of those three but Black Adam did the best although people thought it was good/decent. So, if Aquaman is not at least really very good (kinda like how I felt The Flash was [I don't care, I enjoyed it]), then the DCEU is definitely down the pan.

This trailer looks decent though and it seems the movie has some promise. I wouldn't say I am excited but I enjoyed the first movie and James Wan did a fantastic job. It was crazy, in places it was dark and somewhat scary in others, but it was very entertaining and if this movie is able to keep the same energy, it will do well. A billion, no, but it will do well. But with the cannibalization of the DCEU by way of WB, their reactionary ways and the introduction of James Gunn and the statements that have been said, the question now becomes, "who is going to watch this movie, because who cares?" And that IS the problem. Black Manta was a fly in the ointment in the first movie that seemed to not really go anywhere but overall, the movie was good and Yahya was great in the role, he is a phenomenal actor. Here, he looks like he is about to cause all manner of issues for Arthur Curry and it seems he needs to seek the help of his brother and another person and a huge fight will ensue. Colourful, entertaining, comical and as long as the story is good and not just ok, I can see this movie as being successful in the sense that, people will go to see it just to see it, but to get that repeat viewing, this movie will need to be soo good, people will forgive the fact this might be a one and done and go back to see it because they had fun. WB need that and even if they do or do not get it, a new DCU is on the way anyway, so again, who cares? We like Jason, we going for Jason, right?

(trailer review) - Rebel Moon

  

(TEASER TRAILER)

The Teaser! What was THAT garbage? Sorry, but seriously, what WAS that? In my last review, I said "I cannot say that this teaser trailer blew me away" and that was one of if not the very first thing I said. This trailer though, WOW! Lead with this! If you have read any of my Zack Snyder reviews, plus, I also said in my last review of this movie's trailer, "...I am a Zack Snyder fan" but fan or not, this trailer looks epic. I know it was a teaser but unfortunately, I do not believe that the teaser trailer helped to sell this movie to me or anyone at all, especially if you compare it to this. They definitely held back because if you look at these two trailers back to back, this trailer tells you everything and nothing about this movie, while the last trailer just gives us some very clean visuals and a whole lot of nothing. While I will say the visuals do somewhat still look fairly clean in comparison to Dune, for example, I am actually blown away by this trailer.

Whilst the last trailer intrigued me (and let's be honest, likely because of Zack Snyder), this trailer gave me 300/Gladiator vibes, Star Wars (obviously, considering), Dune, and maybe even a little Game of Thrones. I am totally down with this movie and the cast alone is excellent. Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Ed Skrein and Anthony Hopkins. All the quality stylised imagery we expect from Zack is here. The sci-fi AND the fantasy is here. The music sounds great and I can only hope, Zack has crafted a nice little movie he can build a franchise from even though it was initially meant to be a Star Wars story. Seeing those "glowing swords/batons" felt a little forced, but other than that and the legions of soldiers standing to attention like stormtroopers, I hope this film feels nothing like Star Wars. We need something different. We need new IP and this might actually be it. The second trailer should give us a little more, but so far, this looks great.

(series review) [STREAMING] - Secret Invasion

There comes a point where you simply throw in the towel. There comes a point where you reach great heights, but the "ceiling" of your own making prevents you from soaring to new heights. The MCU has gotten to a point where, while I would have stated, they are only competing against themselves in film, yes, but in TV shows, no. With numerous other TV shows from different IPs out there creating great content, the juggernaut of comic book movies' clumsy transition and decline in TV show production is starting to dilute the brand for the fans and we are very close to throwing in the towel. With that said, the MCU's movies of late have not been great also, so we fans are maybe, closer to giving up on the franchise because mediocrity does not enthuse us, the fans. This might sound harsh and it also might paint an ugly picture of how I ultimately feel about this show, but I kid you not, this show was actually, really really good, in places...but that is the problem, in places. I'll explain.

Secret Invasion picks up after the events of 'Endgame' and we are seemingly in the middle of a Skrull invasion. Skrulls are shapeshifting aliens last seen in the 90s when Carol Danvers fought off the Kree to protect the Skrulls. Nick Fury made them a promise to find a new planet for them to live on, but several years later, the leader of a group of rebel Skrulls decides to fight for his people and lead a group of Skrulls in a fight to take the planet for themselves.

A really good premise, excellently acted by Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Ben Mendelsohn and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Emilia Clarke was decent but was not given much to do. However, Charlayne Woodard was really good for the little screen time she had and Olivia Colman was absolutely superb. And here lies the issue. With a premise like the one it has, why were only some actors written great and had some excellent conversations and interactions where they were brilliantly acted, but other characters' dialogue and interactions were not as good or well thought out. It is the execution of the storyline and the setup of some of the scenes that are simply lacking. The show had the potential to be just like Captain America: The Winter Soldier but darker with more espionage and paranoia especially when you are dealing with shape-shifting aliens who could be anyone, but the show falls short of its potential.

There is a conversation between Nick Fury and Colonel James Rhodes which was excellently written and acted out. There was a conversation between Nick Fury and Talos on a train and that was excellently written and acted out. Every scene with Sonya Falsworth, Olivia's acting to dialogue was simply a standout and stole every scene she was in, so it begs the question, how come the show ended up being as lacklustre as it was? There is a conversation between Nick Fury and Gravik, but the whole scene falls a little flat in the end and does not really make any logistical sense. The climax in the end was simply nonsensical and has left us, the viewers and especially the fans with more questions than answers for the MCU going forward.

As I have stated earlier, it is a good premise, excellent even. Great actors in great roles with amazing scenes. The dialogue in some places was excellent and the special effects were great, although limited not to mention the climax. The show touches on some points and has something to say. The music, scenes and settings are all great. So with that said, this is not a show that is trash, but it is a show that was good but could have been great and it makes you wonder what is happening at Disney. If I am honest, the show was good but was a disappointment or it is quite possible that I wanted too much from the show because I saw the potential, but I did not get the tone of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and if anything, this show is more of a letdown, an enjoyable let down, unfortunately.

(trailer review) - Loki: Season 2

I am not sure how I feel about this at this rate. I say that because the trailer for Secret Invasion looked great, gave me all the feels of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but upon watching the entire series, it was not as close as I would have liked it to have been. So in turn, this is giving me all the feels of something really good, or at least something reasonably decent like the first season of Loki, but Marvel's track rate at present is very hit-and-miss, which does not fill me with enough confidence to fully feel excited about a Marvel property, just like if I were watching a DC trailer. Harsh I know, but am I right or wrong? I have tried to stay open-minded over Marvel's Phase 4 and I do simply boil it down to Phase 1 and how nothing made any sense until we got closer to the pieces connecting, but Phase 4 just simply seems like pieces with barely any connections or loose connectivity. Where are we going? It's just confusion really. I am adamant that there is a bigger story to be told here and that the pieces are coming together, albeit very slowly, but my confidence in Marvel right now is waning 

This trailer looks authentic though. And I mean authentic in a way that, season 1 looked a specific way, was a specific way and was executed a specific way. It was simply consistent in tone and everything. This seems to be a mirror to that and at least that is a great thing. Do not try to fix what is not broken. The trailer does not give away much and most importantly, maybe this show will give us a bit more of that connective tissue 'us' Marvel or comic book fans need to help piece together this phase since Kang in Ant-Man Quantumania was great and all, but let us see where we are going with this now. Bring us into the room Marvel so we can understand better where you are heading. Tom IS Loki at this rate, so there is not much to write home about here, but Owen is just excellent. Seeing Ke Huy Quan is lovely, especially after watching a film about a Multiverse with 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', It is about time we see him everywhere because 'The Goonies' and 'Indiana Jones' among a few others is simply not enough. I think Marvel also needs to let us know where and when these events are happening in the timeline because I think all this ambiguity is also not helping us. The trailer looks solid, the acting looks solid and I sincerely hope, the writing, the story and everything about this show is up to snuff, or Marvel will have a problem on their hands.

(film review) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

It is definitely a surprise to not at all be surprised (when I really think about it) that I went to watch this movie. My earliest memory of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (I am pretty sure they were called "hero" turtles in this foreign market for a while back in my day) was when I vividly remember my mum coming to meet me after school and she was running late, walking towards me with a big Argos bag. I could see through the bag a little and see the Nintendo Entertainment System logo and the outline of the box, I was soo excited. I could not wait to get home, set it up and play the game that came with it, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (the PAL Version of the game was different). Up to this day, I have not completed it and the sound of drowning, I am pretty sure has been implanted in my brain ever since. It's either Sonic, Turtles or Earthworm Jim, the sound I cannot shake. I watched the cartoons and had a T-shirt and possibly jeans too, I loved the Turtles when I was a child, but having watched this movie, I have come to realise in my many years on this planet living, that I am indeed a selective purist. And what I mean by that is, there are some things in life in regards to lore and accuracy regarding characters or IP (in some cases) that will not bother me. I do not subscribe to the nonsensical "woke" rhetoric these people are spewing these days because they do not understand the meaning of the word, but when they change specify characters to appeal to a broader audience, I am not that fussed about it. For example, having Michael B. Jordan as a Johnny Storm and having a black father was interesting. It did not take away from the character of Johnny Storm at all. Potentially, more black people went to see the film because of it, representation, it matters. In that version of the Fantastic Four they were adopted, so...why not. What about Johnny Storm must be blonde haired and blue eyed? Nothing! However, having a white person play the Black Panther (for example) is simply nonsensical and would not make a bit of sense at all; do you get my drift? The character of the Black Panther is intrinsically linked to who he is and where he comes from. So having a black April O'Neil was ok-ish, meh. Making her a teen, was ok-ish, meh. But the Turtles and some of the other characters, I actually do not know how I honestly feel about the changes they made. But did I enjoy the film overall? Yes!!!! I bloody well did.

This story revolves around the Turtles, Leonardo (the leader), Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael who are teens who live in the sewer with their Rat father figure, Splinter. Splinter took the Turtles into his care and raised them to whom they are and warned them to stay away from humans because humans will not accept them and will most likely hate them for what they are. But when the Turtles stumble across a budding reporter named April O'Neil, the Turtles also discover that not only are there good humans out there, there is a bad guy who has a devious plan to change the world as they know it and that they are not alone in this world as they had first thought.

They took creative liberties with this franchise, but there is an argument to be made that, the Turtles as a franchise has been going for almost 40 years with soo many different incarnations, how can they differentiate between this story and the twenties of others; make creative choices. And creative choices, they made. I cannot say I agreed with all of them, but so what. The film was still good, in my eyes. It has only been in the last few months, I have found out that the lore to the Turtles is extensive. There is a 5th and 6th turtle, Venus and Jennika, in whom I think are girls, I remember there is a rabbit with a sword or something named Usagi, so seeing a lot of other characters in this film was a breath of fresh air, honestly.

I believe having actual teens than a bunch of twenty to thirty something's voice act the characters was also great and refreshing. The turtles felt like teens. They acted like teens. They thought like teens. They behaved just like teens to a point where, Splinter does something and the turtles completely abandon him with not a care in the world. Not to be spiteful, hurtful or inconsiderate, but teens for the most part have not a care in the world and can be caught up in just being a teen, the world at large among other things, so being an adult who is old enough to have teens, I felt sad for Splinter and I personally felt hurt. The voice acting was superb. I actually think this may be my first voice acting work from Ice Cube I have heard, and he was just phenomenal. He has a voice and sound that is very distinguishable immediately and his voice gave his character a lot of weight. It fit and it felt natural. He needs to do more voice acting.

The art direction was bizarre, different, but very very cool and unique. Other than possibly, the turtles and Splinter, nothing really seemed perfectly drawn. The finish was a slight unfinished look with most of the characters oddly drawn or as if they were drawn by a teenager. While some might think the art style is close to the Spider-Verse movies, it really is not, so in a way, that was also refreshing. At times, the drawn characters almost looked like claymation.

While the storyline is something we have seen a thousand times, the creative decisions and directions taken simply lent itself to be a great watch especially when you factor in the music. Whilst I felt it was very hip-hop heavy, it did not feel as forced like the recent Transformers movie, 'Rise of the Beasts'. All in all, great movie. While I did not particularly like some of their choices due to the purist in me, a sequel could lend itself to being really good especially if they bring in loads more characters. I want to see more characters, only because I recently found out about them, but also a spin on the villains would be another great edition. Maybe the Turtles could be six of them and they could write that into the backstory somehow. This would definitely differentiate it from previous incarnations in a very good and inclusive way. Yes, there will be some backlash, but who cares...write the characters well and people will get over it. Maybe the sequel can be the Empire Strikes Back of the Mutant Mayhem Franchise. Come talk to me Seth, I got ideas man!

(series review) [STREAMING] - Atom Eve Special Episode

I heard murmurs regarding this show having already been out. I thought people were getting the TV show, (well episode) confused with the trailer. You see, Amazon Prime dropped the trailer, but a friend of mine told me the special episode was out too. Of course, I did not believe it, but I had a look for myself and low and behold Invincible: Atom Eve Special Episode was out and I really did not realise how much I was chomping at the bit to watch it. As stated in my trailer review, Atom Eve is a side character from the TV show Invincible and she helps Invincible be part of a team and become a better team player. This show is a prequel to the events of season one of Invincible and it dives deep into the background of how Atom Eve came about. But is it just as good as the Invincible series? Yes, yes it really is!

We start off with chaos and destruction as a team of super-powered people are wreaking havoc, but they are stopped by The Guardians of the Globe. We see how the team fights with one another, not as in-sync as we have seen them before as they are bantering to one another and fighting for hits rather than working as a team, but just when things were looking good for them, the roof begins to collapse in and it is caught by Omni-man. Around this time, a woman is pregnant and about to give birth, we later learn this is the birth of Atom Eve.

We get a short but visually descriptive montage, which soon leads to a young Atom Eve discovering her powers, figuring them out and wanting to do good in the world. This leads to her creating her secret identity, stopping crime and fighting figures who seem to know her and want her dead. At the same time, Atom Eve is being pursued by other figures who have their own agenda.

Not to drag the MCU through the mud and dirt, but if you do something successfully, you can keep on repeating that success if you understand what you have, what you are doing with it and how to deliver it. You can add to it, you can enhance it, you can explore and expand on it whilst continuing to deliver everything you did before. Season one of Invincible is just that. This special episode is just that and it is also, quality. I just feel when you do too much, you lose track of which plates are spinning and the quality dips and the plates begin to fall.

The music was decent in this episode, nothing too recognisable as season one of Invincible, but the voice acting was amazing. Hearing the late great Lance Reddick got me a little emotional because I didn't realise I could recognise his voice until I did. I looked it up and I was filled with sorrow. Such a great actor. The animation is simply top notch and when it comes to the fighting scenes, I feel the people behind this show have not missed a single step. Beat for beat and pound for pound, the show simply feels as though it picked up where season one left off as everything felt so fluid unlike the noticeable difference in quality when comparing Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse with Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. With the latter, everything went up a level where although I do not think that has happened here, that does not make it a bad thing, at least it did not dip in quality. Moreover, seeing the Guardians of the Globe was a refreshing touch, considering, and this taster simply makes me look forward to season two which ultimately upsets me as I want it now. If you have not seen the first season of Invincible and you are into cartoons/anime, get on it. Both this and season one is just great storytelling and I can only assume, season two will just be bigger and better. I wonder if Robert is going to give us more one-shots like this? I'd definitely not say no!

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(trailer review) - Gen V

 

I try to keep my ear as close to the ground as possible and I hear of a lot of TV shows and movies and for the most part, I remember them, even when I am not fully invested, but this one caught me off guard. I wasn't shocked as if I just didn't know, but it was definitely a wow, I forgot about that moment when I saw the trailer. And this trailer looks really good.

It seems as though the main character is the girl in it surrounded by supporting actors with a few guest stars from 'The Boys' universe which is brilliant for world building. I never watched the cartoon they did because I simply had to draw the line on that, but this looks like it could be quite good, I am just hoping that a lot of the scenarios are not simply gratuitous just for gratuitous-sake because the TV series sometimes feels like that, but there is heavy dramatic and moralistic themes and scenarios that ground the show to make it more relatable even though we are talking about super powered beings. I would say, a lot of people tune in because we are looking at super powered people being regular people even if that means the person is scummy or has zero values, the fact they are super, does not make them a better person and I think this show can stress this especially from a teenaged perspective. So far, from what I see, this looks interesting and while this has me intrigued, this will need to grip me more with a hook that makes me come back for more weekly because there is nothing like something riding the coattails of something else expecting to be great just like it's predecessor and it is garbage, so we shall see.

(trailer review) - Invincible: Season 2

There has been a lot of talk over the years regarding superhero fatigue but here is a reason as to why that is not accurate. Saying there is such a thing would imply that people are tired of comic book mediums, TV shows, movies etc. When shows like 'The Boys' come out and people love it or a cartoon comes out (like this) and people love it, what does that say? Are people bored of DC movies or the MCU? While there are arguments to be made surrounding this at present due to a number of things, especially with the "lacklustre" phase four of the MCU, I'd like to be specific and state, it is the mediocrity of such movies and TV shows that are NOT pushing the boundaries or applying anything new to storytelling so the experience feels samey. And I say that to say this, those who watched the Invincible TV show when it came out (which is a cartoon), a great number of us loved it. So to understand that, you must understand that, we fans have patiently waited for season 2 of Invincible and we are simply happy that it is almost here.

There is not a lot to see here due to it being a teaser trailer and it is likely they are still working on it currently (the animation, that is), but damn, with the little we got, I am filled with anticipation. I absolutely loved the way they opened the trailer talking to the students at graduation, but it kind of speaks to us, the viewers and fans who have been waiting patiently for season 2. Touching on not knowing who Omniman was and now the secret organisation Mark fights for, are maybe watching him closely because, at present, Mark is the strongest person in the world at this point. With his dad gone and I am guessing more enemies will come to Earth as the main Viltrumite "defender" has gone, Mark and his "team" will need to do what they can but it also seems like there will be a lot of drama and Mark will be tested this season, especially with that zinger at the end where (and I cannot be certain if he is talking to Mark, because Omniman has no manners), You should have died at birth, but I feel this season will pack a punch. I hope it delves deeper into the many other characters like Robot and Atom Eve. The cast list looks incredible and the music in the first season was also incredible, so I can only assume, if they are just simply going to build on what they did for the first season, this season is going to be amazing and let's just see if Mark can get through this season and if he really is Invincible. *Cue intro music* Also, they need to keep that up! So original.

(trailer review) - Atom Eve Special Episode

This is for the fans. This might even be for women, ladies, girls or simply the female audience to latch onto and bring them into this franchise. I cannot quite say, but if you know about the show Invincible and loved the show like many others, then yes, this is definitely for you and this trailer helps to flesh out the world of Invincible just a little more by giving us a little background on one of the popular characters going forwards. For those who are unaware of who Atom Eve is, the show and other, here is a quick synopsis of the show Invincible. Invincible centres around a teenager named Mark who comes into his superpowers and is taught to hone them through his father. Whilst trying to juggle schoolwork and his relationship, Mark decides to take on the responsibility of trying to become a superhero like his father. Atom Eve, a fellow high schooler who is also a superhero and a part of her own team, tries to assist Mark, helps him to become part of a team and how he can juggle his superhero life along with his school life and relationship.

This trailer looks great and is just a reminder to those who watched the Invincible show, how great the animation was for the character and the action. Watching this trailer transported me back to watching the first season and how great it was from the voice acting to the music to the storyline. Learning Atom Eve was a government experiment might play a part in how she is as a person later on in life regarding her decisions and it may give us an idea as to what might/could happen in season 2 of Invincible. Considering this is also a "flashback" it is possible we will see characters which may appear in season 2 of Invincible or even younger versions of the characters we got to know in season 1. Definitely, something I will be interested in as Atom Eve is a cool character among many and considering this might just be one episode, I will not be losing out on anything, as long as Invincible season 2 is not, let's say 10 episodes, but we get 9 episodes and the 10th episode is this one. I'd be pretty upset.

(trailer review) - The Marvels

 

You know, Phase 4 seems to be limping along. Whilst I will definitely say the MCU is struggling to meet the very high bar they themselves have set, the MCU's mediocrity is starting to show BUT the MCU's low, is still higher than most of the other comic book attempts at quality, it is wild. And whilst I'll take this opportunity not to bash the MCU, because we did have a whole pandemic between the ending of Phase 3 and throughout the entirety of Phase 4, I will not pretend that decisions were made that have intrinsically changed the MCU for somewhat, the worst, at the moment. I do feel that at the very least, this trailer for this movie should explain the new charcters a little more rather than leaving it to the film. We need to understand, why we should care for them and why we should watch the movie or better yet, be drawn to the TV shows that birthed them.

This trailer seems like it is an expansion of the teaser trailer. It is giving us a little more of what the film might actually be about, but it does not seem to let us know who the villain is and why they are doing what they are doing, other than the fact she calls Captain Marvel 'The Annihilator' and how she wants to "return the favour". More entanglement with the three main characters swapping places like a comic book version of Freaky Friday with three characters from the MCU. I think the main gripe I have with this trailer, is introducing characters and not explaining who they are to the non-MCU followers. With the MCU limping and not a feeling of any build up, why should we care to watch this movie? The trailer needs to do better. The Beastie Boys track is great and compliments the movie, it would seeme. Let's just hope the trailer is much better.

(trailer review) - The Creator

(TEASER TRAILER)

First of all, this looks incredible. This is now the second trailer for this movie, The Creator and as I said in my previous review, this is the type of sci-fi I love. Ex-Machina was great, District 9 was great and if you throw in some old school films such as The Terminator, we are onto a winner, right? Don't get me wrong, this movie could crash and burn a disastrous and horribly tragic death but it does look incredible. For the most part, this trailer does not really show anything too different from what we had already seen in the previous trailer, so while we understand that Joshua decides to protect this little child for, reasons, we do not necessarily know why other than maybe, children are inherently innocent and he thinks he might be able to teach this young child the good in humanity.

Whilst watching this trailer, there is a part where someone says to the child, "No we don't have that here, do you want Ice Cream"? And the child looks up and smiles happily to the thought of having Ice Cream. I will tell you this now, if Mr Edwards is able to finesse this movie in such a way, to evoke a lot of emotion through the bond between Joshua and this child, you are going to cry. Just witnessing the innocence of youth along with a "species" trying to defend itself from a threat, lends itself to some great storytelling where if done right, might actually just rip your heart out. The big vehicles, guns and warfare, it seems we could get the perspective of both sides to this war but I do wonder if this is something that could be resolved by the end of the movie or will there be sequels? Like, how do you stop the machines? An EMP? I would not think they are alllinked to a hive mind or something central, destroy the central "processing unit" and they all shut down? It will be very interesting as to where we go with this.