MCU Rewind #1 - Iron Man - Review

MCU Rewind #1 - Iron Man - Review

Release date (US): May 2nd, 2008

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gweneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrance Howard

MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned. 

Previous Rating: 8.5/10

Expectations/Background: I had not seen this film in awhile, but do remember this film being a good one. With time, however, this film faded from my memory as more and more Marvel movies came and went. I always remembered this movie fondly as having some of the coolest suit scenes in the MCU, with the first suit ups with Mark 2 and Mark 3. And this was the first movie to kick this entire MCU off. But to be honest, I had no idea what to think going into the movie. I expected to like it - but I wasn’t sure how much, because I didn’t remember much of anything at all. Robert Downey Jr. never disappoints, so I knew that something good was in store. 

The Movie: I was blown away by this movie, even more than I had expected. This movie is brilliant - and yes, there are ups and downs, but overall, this movie is revolutionary and there is a reason that this film was hailed as the beginning of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think that this film has more subtle undertones that it lets on at first, and by the time the film is over, you feel completely satisfied and ready for more to come with Tony Stark.

Positives: There’s a lot of great things in this movie.

First of all the cast; I think every single one is spot on. Robert Downey Jr. Was born to play Tony Stark. And that’s that. Whether or not Marvel decides to recast him or not, he IS Tony Stark and will forever be that way. Gweneth Paltrow, playing Pepper, has such great chemistry with him and such witty banter that it works great. Jeff Bridges, for the MOST part, is excellent as Obadiah Stane. And even Terrance Howard, who was eventually recast, is also great in the role of Colonel James Rhodes.

What surprised me most about this film upon repeat viewing was not the story per se, which is great and we’ll get to it in a moment, but the dialgoue and the direction. Jon Favreau does an incredible job just shaping this movie into something so unique and special, and his direction and the way that he directs these actors into what is just such an engaging film is truly something to behold. 

Another great thing about this film is the character development and the journey that Tony Stark goes on throughout th emovie is wonderful as well. You truly do see the progression of a human being as he goes through certain experiences that shape who he is, from the cave in Afghanistan, to back home where he begins to design his Iron Man armor.

What I really appreciated about this film is that you get to see Tony Stark actually experiment and tinker with his technology, and you get to see little things such as the holograms that he uses to design what will become one of the most iconic characters in film history.

And most of all, this film has heart. This film’s heart and soul lies in the characters that it has built and the beautiful story and action that is being told. Through all of the set pieces and all of the twists and turns this movie takes, there is a true heart behind it and it is clear the Jon Favreau made this movie with a passion for the material, and that, as a film fan, is all I can ever ask for. 

Negatives: Being completely, honest, the first two thirds of this movie are nearly perfect. IN fact, if this movie had ended with just the first two acts and had a third act that is just as good, this movie would have been nearly perfect.

However, let’s talk about the third act. This is what drops the film from a higher score than it already was. I think that the story team and the director had set up such a great two thirds, but didn’t know how to close it out, that they just tacked on a huge explosive robot fight.

And look, being seriously, on its own man this fight is pretty awesome. Seriously, this fight between a behemoth robot and Iron Man is cool (was not so cool in IRon Man 2). But it just did not fit in the movie that it had set up. 

And come on; Jeff Bridges screaming maniacal cliche villain dialogue in a weird gravely voice felt like it fit in a cartoon more than a feature film. But seriously, other than that, and a couple minor complaints, this film is great.

The Villain(s):  Jeff Bridges is much like the movie. The first two thirds sets up a screwed business man who has the company’s best interests in mind but lets himself get carried away. In fact, I really enjoyed the first two thirds of the film with Obadiah. But again, when he gets into that Iron Monger suit, it just becomes a little too silly to be believable. 

The Verdict: This really is a special film. There is a reason that MArvel was able to take this and jumpstart it’s Marvel Cinematic Universe with it. And seriously, without that last fifteen minutes of nonsensical robot punching, this would have been a near perfect film. As it is, even with the third act, this is still a fantastic, amazing movie.  Letter Grade: A-. Number Score: 9.0/10


Should I Skip?: Nope - this is a film worth seeing (unlike the next two).

TLDR: Tony Stark, a billionaire living the life selling nuclear weapons, is trapped in a cave where he escapes by building an early version of an Iron Man suit. He shuts down his weapons programs and begins building more suits as the head of the company, Obadiah Stane, begins to go insane and builds his own giant Iron Man suit called the Iron Monger. They fight it out at the end, and Obadiah dies. Tony holds a press conference announcing to the world that he is Iron Man. Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD later comes to talk to him about the Avengers initiative.  

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.

A- to A+: Amazing

B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed

C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed

D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws

F: A Failure of a Film

9-10: Nearly Perfect

8-9: Very Good

7-8: Good

6-7: Okay

5-6: Average/Mediocre

4-5: Apparently Flawed

3-4: Heavily Flawed

2-3: A complete and utter mess

0-2: A Failure of a Film

The Greatest Showman - Review (Non-Spoiler)

The Greatest Showman - Review (Non-Spoiler)

Release date (US): December 20th, 2017

Directed By: Michael Gracey

Rating: PG

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson

Expectations/Background: I will completely honest in a couple areas - I was very late to this film, and I had listened to the entire soundtrack before having seen the film itself. Hugh Jackman is by far and away my favorite actor working today, and I will see almost everything that he is in. And I had seen a couple trailers for this movie, and thought it looked pretty decent. However, someone had recommended I listen to the soundtrack - on Christmas day, I listened through the entire soundtrack and have never gone back since. I can say with certainty - this is one of the best musical soundtracks the tI had ever heard. I listened to it nonstop, and as a result, I was so looking forward to seeing this film. However, being late to the film, I saw that the rotten tomatoes score and the critical response to this film was not the best. It had me worried - I knew the music was amazing already, but I wondered how the film would be. I hoped that I would like the film, and a friend had told me that I would, but I wasn't sure what to make going into the movie. 

The Movie: Short disclaimer - before writing my own review, I went online to Rotten Tomatoes and some other credible newspapers and read their reviews of this film. The reason I did this was because I can say now with complete confidence; this film does not deserve a 53 percent on RT and all the critical "hate" it gets. This film is "good".

Positives: Why did I put good in quotations marks? Because to many different people, good can mean different things. I think Star Wars: The Force Awakens is good. I also think The Greatest Showman is good. But in two completely different ways. 

When reading other reviews for this film, the main complaint that critics are giving is that this film isn't deep, the story is shallow, and pacing is uneven. I only agree with one of those things.

This is not a film that will blow your mind - this is not The Dark Knight or Moonlight. But I think that the emotion that the film conveys in the music and the characters, as well in the thematics makes for a very sufficient "feel-good" movie. 

Again, perhaps it helps that I listened to the music before the movie, but I think that the film can be enjoyed listening to the music for the first time. 

As for the actors, I think that almost every single one gave a great performance given their material and given the music. Hugh Jackman gives it his all. You can tell that during the entire runtime of the film, Hugh Jackman is having a blast and doing the film that he signed up to do in the first place. This is HIS film, and he completely owns it. Michelle Williams playing his wife also does a great job, as do Zac Efron and Zendaya in their limited screen roles. But this film is Hugh Jackman's. 

And again, going back to the central point - I do believe that when you exit the movie, you will feel good. This is the definition of a "feel-good" movie. If you're looking to sob your heart out, or feel emotionally shaken, this is not the film for you - but that's not what this film intends to do. 

Negatives: However, from the sound of my review, it may sound like I'm gushing about this movie. But there are a few things that I did not like, or particularly enjoy.

I will say right off the bat though, and some may disagree with me which is fine because film is subjective; there wasn't anything in the film BLATANTLY cringe-worthy or offensive to me. 

I do agree with many people in saying that the story is the weak part of the film. I do think that music is amazingly strong, but the in-between parts of the film feel rushed. This film is RELATIVELY short clocking in at an hour and forty five, but I strongly believe that this film could have added twenty extra minutes. 

Hugh Jackman's performance was brilliant, but his character, PT Barnum, felt extremely rushed at times. He went from a nice guy, to a selfish guy, to a nice guy, and back and forth again. And this could have worked very well, but what didn't work about it was the fact that it felt extremely rushed. There wasn't enough development given to his character, which was sad because there is a ton of potential there. 

And again, the transitions between the musical numbers were not the smoothest.There were also some pieces of dialogue that were rather bland, and sometimes the child-actor's delvery wasn't the greatest, but other than that, there isn't anything glaringly negative to me.

Character Ranking (By actor)
1. Hugh Jackman
2. Zac Efron
3. Michelle Williams
4. Zendaya
5. Rebecca Ferguson 

The Music/Score: TREAT. YOURSELF. TO. THIS. SOUNDTRACK. This soundtrack elevates this film from a 5 to a 7 and a half almost. Seriously, this music is incredible. I knew before seeing the film that the music itself was great. But seeing it in the film itself, with the dance sequences and choreography was absolutely incredible. It was almost all one-shot, no cut, which I really appreciated. And what I appreciated even more was the way it was integrated into the story. Every song (except for one I think) had a purpose for being there, and they all served to build characters up and show exposition in a different kind of way. I. ABSOLUTELY. LOVE. THE. MUSIC.

Song Ranking (just for musicals)

1. Tightrope
2. A Million Dreams
3. From Now On
4. Rewrite the Stars
5. Never Enough
6. The Greatest Show
7. Come Alive
8. This is Me

The Verdict: On its own, this film is pretty average. There's really nothing special about this film and that's neither here nor there. But this film is highly elevated by the amazing music that it integrates, and I think that the performances give this film the boost that it needs. Walking out of the theater, I felt good, and I think that most people will, regardless of what the critics say.  Letter Grade: B-. Number Score: 7.4/10

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.

A- to A+: Amazing

B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed

C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed

D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws

F: A Failure of a Film

9-10: Great to nearly Perfect

8-9: Very Good

7-8: Good

6-7: Okay

5-6: Average/Mediocre

4-5: Apparently Flawed

3-4: Heavily Flawed

2-3: A complete and utter mess

0-2: A Failure of a Film

Top Ten #8 - Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2018

Top Ten #8 - Top Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2018

2018 is finally here, and it's time for me to rank my most anticipated movies of 2018. 

10. Aquaman - I would've been looking forward to this film more, had it not been for Justice League. To be quite honest, I was underwhelmed with Jason Momoa's performance as Aquaman in the film, but with the cast and crew involved, including director James Wan, as well as the fact that it's set apart from the DCEU, I do have some hope for this movie. 

9. A Wrinkle in Time - The stellar cast and crew behind the film is what elevates it to the top ten list. However, the trailers have been slightly underwhelming for me, but I Have complete faith in Ava Duvernay. The source material that they are drawing form is so rich as well, that I have faith they will make a satisfying film. 

8.  Ralph Breaks the Internet - When I first saw Wreck-it Ralph, I didn't think much of it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the brilliance and creativity behind the movie, and now that  sequel is coming out, I can't wait. The main cast is returning, and from the footage description from D23, this is something to get excited about. 

7. X-Men: Dark Phoenix - X-Men: Apocalypse wasn't the best film in the world, but the cast is all there and with the X-Men finally tackling the Dark Phoenix storyline, there is much to be excited about. With Simon Kinberg taking the reins, there is much to be curious about, but again, the cast has been proven to be very talented and I believe this can be a good film. 

6. Ant-Man and the Wasp - The only reasons that I haven't put this higher on my list is because nothing has been heard about it so far. All we know is the new cast additions which are very good in Lawrence Fishburne and Michelle Pfeiffer, but other than that, we know nothing about the film. Perhaps that is for the better, but all we can go off of is our excitement from the first film which was a delightful surprise form the MCU. With the same cast and crew coming back, I think that this will be a great sequel. 

5. Mowgli - This film is somewhat of a mystery. The fact that there is going to be another Jungle Book film after the truly successful adaptation by Jon Favreau. However, Andy Serkis is directing the film and he is the master of motion capture. With this film boasting another immensely talented cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Christian Bale, there is reason to get excited about it. Fingers crossed that we can get another great Jungle Book movie. 

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story - The reason that this film isn't higher on my list is because of the huge production troubles. With the firing of the director and the reshooting of the entire film almost, it has me worried. But, it is a Star Wars movie, and I do think that this film will be at least "oaky". I do think though that it will be the least good of the new Star Wars films, but again, it is a Star Wars movie. 

3. Black Panther - The entire marketing for this film has been spectacular with the heavy focus on the African culture in Wakanda. After seeing Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, I knew that this character was in the right hands. I think that this has the potential to be one of the best MCU movies to date, as it is truly a political film about the throne. It has tones from The Lion King, which really excites me, and I am truly hyped to see Chadwick Boseman in the film. In just two months by the way. 

2. The Incredibles 2 - This film embodies my childhood. This is the film that I have been looking forward to forever. With the entire cast and crew back for this film, I think that this has the potential to be an amazing sequel to an amazing film. This is my list, and since this film holds such a special place in my heart, it's up here a number 2. 

1. Avengers: Infinity War - And of course, the juggernaut of all films, Infinity War is up top at number one. People have their concerns that this film will be overcrowded, but to me, I know that the Russo brothers can handle it and I believe that it will be one of the best MCU films ever, being a satisfying conclusion to the MCU as we know it and a great launching pad to Avengers 4. 

Black Panther Potential Runtime Revealed

Black Panther Potential Runtime Revealed

As we eagerly anticipate the King of Wakanda arriving on the big screen in his own solo movie, a report has apparently confirmed the films runtime.

According to a report, the film will clock in at 2 hours and 15 minutes (135 minutes). This puts it in between Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (136 minutes) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (133 minutes). However, with two months left to go, it remains to be seen whether or not this is the final runtime of the feature film.

Black Panther will be released on February 16th, 2018. It is directed by Ryan Cooler and stars Chadwick Boseman as the titular hero. 

Weekend Box Office Report (December 29th - December 31st)

Weekend Box Office Report (December 29th - December 31st)

Disclaimer: Every Monday, I will post the top five movies that grossed the most money DOMESTICALLY (in the United States), with some brief thoughts about each film. Today it is out slightly later due to the New Year. 

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($52.66 Million): In a heated battle for the top spot, Star Wars: The Last Jedi maintains its streak and remains atop the rankings at number one. While it may not be performing quite to the expectations that many had, it is making huge amounts of money for Disney, having just recently crossed the billion dollar mark worldwide. Whether or not this remains at number one this weekend remains to be seen, but it will continue to make money for at least another month.

2. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($50.36 Million): In direct opposition to The Last Jedi was Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The film that nobody saw coming to be a success has now been making money at the box office amidst the critical praise and popularity. It remains to be seen whether or not it will remain in the top 3 for next week, but as the drops aren't that large, it will continue to be in the top five for at least another week.

3. Pitch Perfect 3 ($16.85 Million): This movie has its fans, and regardless of the critical bashing its getting worldwide, this film continues to make money. The fanbase will continue to come out and support this film for awhile, but eventually, it will drop from the top five and fade into obscurity. 

4. The Greatest Showman ($15.55 Million): A film that has a soundtrack worth the price of admission, it's nice to see that at least the film has broken even worldwide and continues to remain in the top five for now. A film divisive among audiences, it remains to be seen how long this can maintain its streak. 

5. Ferdinand ($14.40 Million): An animated film in its third week running, Ferdinand has quietly brought in some money behind juggernauts such as The Last Jedi. This film will probably slip and fade out soon however, but given the recent success that it has had, it would be safe to calll this film a success.

Top Ten #7 - Worldwide Box Office Totals 2018

Top Ten #7 - Worldwide Box Office Totals 2018

As 2017 warps up, we look ahead to 2018. 2018 is the year for sequels as we have Avengers 3, Jurassic World 2, Incredibles 2, and Deadpool 2 hitting cinemas. But which of these films, regardless of critical acclaim, will rule the box office? Here are my predictions. 

10. Mission Impossible 6 - 660 Million - The newest installment in the Tom Cruise led franchise is still moving full steam ahead. With most of the cast from Rogue Nation returning, and with new addition Henry Cavill as the mustachioed villain (to DC's lament), I think this has a reasonable shot to make a good bit of money worldwide. The popularity is there, it's how good the film will end up being. 

9. Ant-Man and the Wasp - 670 Million - At this point, I'd be remiss if I didn't include an MCU film as almost all of them end up making the top 10 every year anyways. Even a film with Ant-Man as its lead. To everyone's utter surprise, the first film went on to make a healthy 513 million at the worldwide box office. I think given the talent involved, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Lawrence Fishburne as well as Randall Park, this film can easily add another 150 million to the total that it made last time. 

8. Bumblebee - 700 Million - I really wish I didn't have to put this movie on the list, but the facts don't lie. The international market loves these movies, although less and less and less. The reason this is so low on the list is because it doesn't have the name "Transformers" slapped in front of it. But I think that a majority of audience members will see the Autobot Bumblebee and will go out to see it, unfortunately. This film also is not going to be directed by Michael Bay, which is working in its favor. It's going to make money - just not as much as the others. 

7. Aquaman - 700 Million - Let's face it; DC is going nowhere at the moment. They're basically tanking. HOWEVER - this film has a lot going for it that the others did not. This film will be directed by horror icon James Wan. This film will also be primarily isolated from the other movies. Remind you of anything? How about Wonder Woman? Which grossed over 200 million dollars more than Justice League did. I think that this film has potential to be a good movie, and especially coming out in an empty market such as December where Star Wars is not, I think that this is going to make more than Justice League. 

6. Black Panther - 790 Million - Again, another MCU. And for what it's worth, if any of these movies is going to have the highest Rotten Tomatoes score this year, I believe it will be this one. I think this film is being portrayed as a wealth of diversity with political undertones. Plus, it has all the makings of a good comic book movies; fun acting, good jokes, and great action. This movie's going to do well at the box office, and I think it can do even better given a high critic approval. 

5. Deadpool 2 - 820 Million - When Deadpool first came out, did anyone really think that it was going to make as much money as it did? Yet here we are. Deadpool was beloved by fans and critics and was hailed as one of the funniest movies of that year. With Ryan Reynolds back again as the  titular character, this has all the makings to be as good, if not better than the original. And you know what that means; more money. 

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story - 850 Million - A Star Wars film at number 4? If you had asked me where I think this would've landed about a year go, I would've told you about 2 maybe 3 at worst. Yet, with all the controversy surrounding this film, I don't think that it's going to land that high. It also has a few other things working against it - for one, the recasting of Han Solo in Alden Ehrenreich. Another is that there hasn't been a trailer or so much of any promotional material for this movie yet. We'll have to wait and see until the first trailer releases, but this film has a tough climb ahead of it. 

3. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - 1 Billion - While the film was beloved by fans and tolerated by critics at the time, the hype around the film has slowly died down since its release in 2015. I had previously thought that this film would do much better as well, but I realize that after seeing the trailer that this film probably won't be near as good as the original or any of the Jurassic Park films. Again, we said that about the first film, and it made so much more money than we had thought - but I do see a decline for this film. 

2. The Incredibles 2 - 1.05 Billion - Yes the first one didn't make a ton of money (a ton....as if it didn't make 600 million dollars). So why do I think it can climb to a billion? Simple: nostalgia factor. This film has received a massive fan following after the first film. Many people have grown up seeing the first film over and over and over again, and all signs are pointing to this being a good film. I believe that the nostalgia and the quality of the film will push it up there and it will be able to crack the billion dollar club.

1. Avengers: Infinity War - 1.85 Billion - Did anyone think this wouldn't be number one? The only question is how much will it make. I thought about putting it at two billion, but I don't think that this film is capable of making that much money. I think it can get very close, but I don't think it will join the 2 billion dollar club. Still, this film is going to make tons of cash for Disney and Marvel, and deservedly so. 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Review (Non-Spoiler)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Review (Non-Spoiler)

Release date (US): December 15th, 2017

Directed By: Rian Johnson

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie-Tran, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Benicio del Toro, Gwendoline Christie, Domnhall Gleeson

Expectations/Background: Let's not kid ourselves. This is Star Wars we're talking about. One of the biggest franchises in the entire world is releasing a sequel. How can you not be excited? Especially after the success that was Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For all the complaints and the comments of how the Force Awakens was a rehash of A New Hope, I enjoyed the film nonetheless. But I knew it was time - it was time for a new Star Wars movies. We had established the universe again with these new characters, and now it was time to branch out and gives a movie that was deserved of the phase "continuing the saga". And when I stopped to think about it, the idea that this saga was this rich and yet it was 8 films deep truly amazed me. When Rain Johnson was brought on to direct the film, he told us that he was not going to be making a remake of The Empire Strikes Back, which relieved me in so many different ways. He told us we would be seeing a new, fresh take on the Star Wars world. Accompanying that were Mark Hamill's comments of how he was so shocked after he read the script because the direction that they took Luke Skywalker was totally different than what he had imagined, and I began to become very excited. Would this be another prequel let down? Or was this worthy of the original trilogy? 

The Movie: While I understand exactly why some of you may think otherwise (more on that later), I enjoyed this film immensely. This film is so radically different yet so similar to other Star Wars saga films the tit's eerie. You have parallels being drawn to things that happened before, and yet Johnson takes these characters and spins them out in whole new directions that I loved for the most part. The fans will be divided and already are; but as for me - I can say I loved the film. 

Positives: This film is bold, both visually and narrative-wise. It takes so many different risks. The one word that describes exactly how I felt after the credits began to roll: exhaustion. When the end-credits music that we all know and love began to play, I could physically feel my body slump over and my heart beat beginning to pound faster and faster. This film takes you on a journey and wraps you up in this universe that you become so invested into what's going on. But you don't even realize it until the very end, at which point, you're just overwhelmed, in the best way possible. 

I'd like to start off with Rian Johnson. Some, perhaps many will disagree with me, but I think the script, which he wrote, the direction, and the storyline were all uniquely him while fitting into a larger context of the Star Wars universe. And I think he was the right choice to fill in the second part of the new trilogy. We needed someone who could say, "Let's take these characters and drive them forward" and he did exactly that.

Visually speaking this film is stunning. There is one shot in particular that everyone will know when they see it, but it takes your breath away in the audience, it really does. It will become one of the most iconic shots and scenes in the entirety of Star Wars, I guarantee it. And the visual lighting and camerawork he does on Ahch-To as well as other planets we visit is just gorgeous to look at.

Talking about actors and characters, not a sing one gave a bad performance. I have some disputes with certain storylines that certain actors and characters were given, but that's a separate issue. Each actor brought their A-game to the film. Starting off with Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, they do such a great job at playing two sides of the same coin as the story progresses. The remaining of the Big 3, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace) give the performances of their careers I believe, especially Mark Hamill who has gone on record to say that this is not the Luke Skywalker that he had envisioned. The rest of the supporting cast, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern, John Boyega, and Kelly Marie-Tran deliver on such a profound level that they meld right into the Star Wars universe. 

And the humor in this movie - let's talk about it. There are some jokes that didn't quite hit home for me. There were song that I was wondering to myself, "Is this really Star Wars?" But as the film continued, I began to enjoy the humor more and more and when the film ended, I thought that the humor worked and fired on all cylinders. 

What Johnson is able to do with these characters though is spectacular - for the most part. What Rey, Luke, Leia, and Kylo in particular all go through in this movie feels like a natural progression of their characters, as well as an evolution - not just staying stagnant but moving forward and pushing the boundaries of what we know.

This film does explore some abstract ideas (though not as much as I had hoped) about what the Force is and what it really does mean to the a Jedi or a Dark Side user which is wonderful.

Also - and this may be one of the things I love the most - the film shows characters who are vulnerable. Characters who make mistakes. In fact, I would argue that the trie film exists because of a couple mistakes made by various characters which is great. Many will complain and say that they want their Star Wars movies to have the hero on Tatooine who can do no wrong, but even he made mistakes that led to Han being frozen in carbonite. This film explores how mistakes and failure are not downfalls, they are lessons. That was awesome. 

And on a couple final notes - porgs are adorable. They are used in just the right amount to where they're not annoying and they're just cute. C3PO, R2D2, and Chewbacca are used very well - Chewbacca actually has one of the best scenes in the entire movie (he has two great scenes - I enjoyed the dramatic one over the comedic one). 

And yes - if you have no seen the film please stay away from spoilers. There are so many twists and turns in this film that you DO NOT want spoiled for you. They'll take your breath away when you watch  it in the theater.

Negatives: Now, I did say that I enjoyed everyone's performance in the film. That is not to say I enjoyed everyone's character in the movie. 

Let's talk about Finn, Rose, and Benicio del Toro's character. 

In true Star Wars fashion, the characters begin to split off around the end of the first act and are on their own separate missions. Finn and Rose end up needing to go to a casino like planet called Canto Byte. Now, the concept of the planet itself was a very cool on - the idea of a gambling, rich planet in Star Wars had never been done before. But when they first do the wide shot of the inside of one of the casinos, it looked exactly like Las Vegas. Almost to a tee, with a couple aliens here and there. 

The entire sequences just felt so contrived. And what frustrated me the most was that this entire sequence could have been taken out and explained away in a different fashion.  It felt so different and dare I say it, prequel-like, that I just found myself being rather bored throughout the entire sequence. 

The film was also a tad long - perhaps Johnson could have taken out a few scenes here or there, but other than that, the pacing was very good. 

Character Ranking
1. Kylo Ren
2. Luke Skywalker
3. Rey
4. General Leia
5. Snoke
6. Poe Dameron
7. Finn
8. Rose Tico
9. C3PO and R2D2
10. BB-8
11. Vice Admiral Amyln Holdo
12. Benicio del Toro's Character

The Villain(s):  First of all, right off the bat, sorry to you Captain Phasma fans because she is utterly wasted yet again. Johnson took a great character and pretty much wasted her. But then again, there just wasn't much time for her in this tory. Domnhall Gleeson's General Hux was a pleasant surprise for me. I did not expect him to be so likable and charismatic, but he was given some great dialogue and some interactions he had, especial with Kylo Ren, were great. Moving on to Snoke - I was genuinely surprised with the way he looked. When he first appeared, I was taken aback in a good way - I could barely tell if there was any CGI. Did the gold robes look a little goofy? Yes, maybe, but I thought that it fit his character. And the arc and character development he has in this movie, I think many will enjoy - it's different from what we thought; you'll just have to wait and see. 

And Kylo Ren. Adam Driver floored me. What an amazing, understated, subtle performance. I did not expect that at all - I walked into the film ready to see some great character development and acting form Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley, and I got that, but Kylo Ren and Adam Driver completely overshadowed them both. The way he plays such a conflicted villain throughout the film just makes for one of the best villains Star Wars could have had. Perhaps not the best (Darth Vader anyone?) but one of the most "human" and conflicted characters in the galaxy. 

The Music/Score: It's been awhile since I've heard a score by the legendary John Williams. It's been awhile since I've heard a truly memorable score for the matter. But by God, he did it again. This film's score is absolutely phenomenal. Now, I'd like to preface this by saying that it wasn't as if he introduced new themes that were instantly iconic - but what he did was incorporate old themes from all of the other saga films and weave them into the narrative. And when the film needed that "Oomph" he brought it with his music. Bravo. 

The Verdict: Again, I do understand why this film may be divine. But for what it's worth, those of you who don't like this film just because it's "different" need to rethink that. This film was bold and took risks. Did every single one pay off? No of course not, but the fact that it had the audacity to go out there and make bold moves floored me. This is not a perfect film, and perhaps not the best Star Wars film, but it is a worthy addition to the galaxy far, far away.  Letter Grade: A-. Number Score: 9.2/10

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.

A- to A+: Amazing

B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed

C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed

D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws

F: A Failure of a Film

9-10: Perfect, or Nearly Perfect
8-9: Very Good

7-8: Good

6-7: Okay

5-6: Average/Mediocre

4-5: Apparently Flawed

3-4: Heavily Flawed

2-3: A complete and utter mess

0-2: A Failure of a Film

Justice League - Review (Non-Spoiler/Spoiler)

Justice League - Review (Non-Spoiler/Spoiler)

Release date (US): November 17th, 2017

Directed By: Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Ciaran Hinds, Robin Wright, Jeremy Irons

Blurb/Synopsis: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), to ace an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes - Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and the Flash (Ezra Miller) - it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions. 

Expectations/Background: All anyone needs is hope. The tiniest spark of hope can make the difference between being excited and completely disinterested, even apprehensive. And I had hope. I had been let down by Zack Snyder once, but I knew that he had learned from his mistakes after the disaster that was Batman v. Superman. He had to have - the fans responded and he should have known. Then, tragedy struck and Joss Whedon was inserted to finish the film. But again, I had hope. This was Justice League. Not some B-list character. Not even two A-list characters. SIX A-LIST CHARACTERS with great development, histories, backstories. And after seeing the promotional material, I thought it would be enough to have Ben Affleck (who I didn't mind as Batman) lead a league with Superman in it. This was going to be the film that brought the DCEU up to competitive level. This film would at least get a 70 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and show the world that Warner Brothers knew how to make quality movies. This was going to be the one. I thought it would be enough.

The Movie: I was wrong. In a big way. This film was one of the biggest disappointments that I have ever seen. First of all, I do think that this film is better than Suicide Squad (by a fair margin) and better than Batman v. Superman. That being said, it's only slightly better than Batman v. Superman, and realistically, it's hard to be worse than that film. What astounded me was that Zack Snyder made some of the same choices he made with Batman v. Superman that I wish he would have learned from. 

Positives: Having read that, one may think that this film was a total disaster. And while disappointment was the word to use, disaster is not. This film does straddle the line, but there are many redeeming qualities to the film.

First, let's talk performances. Actually, on the whole, I thought almost ever single member of the League was very good on their own. The team dynamic really shined through and their chemistry really worked in many instances. There were times in the film where I began to feel a slight attachment to this band of heroes (slight). 

Ben Affleck as Batman was good (not great) and yes, half the time he did look bored out of his mind. But at the same time, he did give a good enough performance as did serve as the leader of the League. Gal GAdot again was great as Wonder Woman. Ray Fisher's PERFORMANCE was good as Cyborg (much better than I had anticipated) and Ezra Miller and Aquaman worked pretty well as well. 

And like I said, there were moments in the film where I really felt the connection between them. And those were the moments that I found myself having a good enough time with this movie. The moments where perhaps they were sanding around bantering among themselves (perhaps Whedon?) and the moments when they were fighting as a unit and using each other's skillset to help each other out. Those parts were great. 

And I will say there is one scene in particular with the entire League that is pretty awesome. If you watched that clip alone, you would think this movie was really great. 

That's about it. 

Negatives: There is quite a bit that went wrong with this movie. Quite a bit.

First of all, more on him later, but the villain was garbage. Both his performance, character, motivation, and the way he looked.

Secondly, let's talk briefly about Superman (if you consider this a spoiler, I'm not quite sure what to say. We all knew he was coming back). I won't go into detail until the spoiler section, but I will say the way he was brought into the movie felt so convenient. There was literally a scene where someone in the League says something to the effect of "I have an idea!" and it's as if a lightbulb actually floated above his head as he said that. The way they do this feels so forced and feels like "We need Henry Cavill alive again". 

Thirdly, and this is something I had hoped would work but it didn't; the humor. To put it into perspective, I could count the number of times I audibly laughed in the theater on one hand (and yes I have 5 fingers). Firstly, and perhaps this is not a discredit to the movie itself, but most of the major jokes were revealed in the marketing. But even so, there was only one joke that I felt I would've laughed at if the marketing had not shown it. Only one. The humor felt dull, it felt forced, and it felt like a cheap attempt to get back at Marvel. It was not original, and felt very contrived. 

Fourthly - the script. There were some lines that felt like they belonged in the 1960s, they were so campy and cheesy. There was one in particular that was such a blatant reference to the team name (which is never anywhere else referred to in the film) that I almost gagged. It felt like it belonged in one of the old Batman films with George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly (and unfortunately) - the story was a complete disaster. While this film itself wasn't a disaster (mainly because the cast was holding the film together) the storyline was. We jump from Earth to the home of the Amazons, to some weird red dystopian future looking place. The tone felt jumbled, it felt lost, and it felt misguided and directionless. It really did feel like the studio and the creative team were on completely separate pages - I imagine a board meeting where the studio sat down and said "We want this, this, this, and this in the movie" figure it out. And from there, the creative team tried to connect those points by some convoluted, boring, and stupid manner. 

And final side note - half the time the CGI looks good but the other half to he time the CGI was horrific. Utterly unacceptable for a film released in 2017 with a 250 million + budget. 

Character Ranking
1. Wonder Woman
2. Batman
3. Superman
4. Alfred*
5. Flash
6. Aquaman
7. Cyborg
8. Lois Lane
9. Steppenwolf

*isn't it sad when Alfred was better in this film than 3 members of the Justice League? I think so

The Villain(s): Steppenwolf is atrocious. You thought Doomsday was bad, at least he was only in the last twenty minutes of the movie. I don't understand in the slightest why Snyder went with this piece of garbage as his villain. He could've picked anyone else for the League to team up and fight - Darkseid even. But he picks who? Steppenwolf? This C-List side character that no one really cared about. And I speak as someone who had never read the comic books before, but I can tell you - he was awful in the film. He was like Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, except Ultron was at least charismatic and had a small backstory and motivation. Steppenwolf has no reason to be in the film except to have someone for the League to punch around. And the CGI looked horrific on him. 

The Music/Score: Danny Elfman went around talking about how his score was revolutionary and how he thought that he reused old film scores in a new way. And while I didn't hate his score, I barely noticed it. So I have no idea what he was talking about. It wasn't terrible, but it was completely forgettable. And maybe it's because I have no nostalgia for the older films, but I shouldn't need to in order to enjoy a film's score. 

**READER DISCRETION ADVISED - SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS SKIP TO "VERDICT"**

Spoilers: Going to Superman for a second, I enjoyed his character quite a bit. I really did. This was the Superman we should have had from the beginning - a light, hopeful, optimistic Superman. But the way they revived him, with Bruce Wayne literary saying something to the effect of "What if we could use the Motherbox to bring Superman back to life!" had be cringing and face palming in the theater. There are better ways to reintroduce the Man of Steel than having Flash run super fast at t box and having to touch it at exactly the right moment  - that felt very video game like to me.

And really there isn't much else to spoil in the film. It's almost all in the marketing and you can essentially guess the story from the beginning. I didn't like the part about Bruce Wayne saying at the end "We're going to turn the Wayne Manor into a hall of Justice". What? That makes absolutely no sense. 

The line I really did think was funny was when Superman was lying on the floor and said, "Nope, now I want to die." That was 100 percent Whedon and I ate that line up, because at that point I was so dehydrated form the lack of creativity this film ahd.

And when Superman said, "I like Justice." I cringed so much in the theater. That line belongs in the 60s. 

SPOILER ALERT OVER

The Verdict: For what it's worth, Justice League is a huge disappointment. The story was barely coherent and the villain was absolutely awful. But, what saves this film from going completely down the drain was the characters. They were likable for the most part, and they held the film together. On the whole though, DC needs to step up their game big time.  Letter Grade: C-. Number Score: 4.2/10

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.

A- to A+: Amazing

B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed

C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed

D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws

F: A Failure of a Film

9-10: Nearly Perfect to Perfect

8-9: Very Good

7-8: Good

6-7: Okay

5-6: Average/Mediocre

4-5: Apparently Flawed

3-4: Heavily Flawed

2-3: A complete and utter mess

0-2: A Failure of a Film

Ranking All Major Comic Book Movies (2017)

Ranking All Major Comic Book Movies (2017)

As 2017 winds down and comes to a close, the superhero film industry seems to be doing no such thing. With the release of six major comic book films this year, nearly all of them were huge critical and financial success. Today, I'm going to be ranking them in order of what I thought of them based on quality of film - let's begin. 

6. Justice League - I had so many expectations for this film. This was supposed to be the one that DC learned from their mistakes and made a film that was worthy of the cast of characters. A film with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman should not have been this subpar. And yet, here we are, in 2017 with DC still struggling to produce quality content. While it did have many redeeming elements, such as performances by indidvual cast and some good action set pieces, the storyline dragged the film down, both in the theater and to the bottom of this list. 

5. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume II - Much like Justice League, though to a lesser extent, this film was somewhat of a disappointment. That is not to say that this is a bad film by any stretch of the imagination - however, after the monumental success of James Gunn's original, this film had a lot to live up to. And while the film was hilarious about 80 percent of the time, the jokes felt rushed and forced often and the storyline felt slightly convoluted. Yet, what held this film together and still made it as entertaining as it was was the cast and characters; their chemistry together is what made us love the first film and what excites us so much about seeing them in next year's Infinity War. 

4. Wonder woman - These films from here on out are almost on the same level - all excellent, quality films. It was very hard to make this ranking because of how good each one of these next four films are in their own right. Wonder Woman was a huge leap forward for the DCEU until Justice League took two steps backwards. The fresh, bright and simple take on a wonderful character (Diana Prince) was such a great thing to see. Chris Pine's Steve Trevor stole the movie. The only reason that this film was ranked below the next three was because of the third act; the third act felt so anti-climactic after having seen such a great film. But on the whole - this is EASILY the best DC has had to offer since Christopher Nolan and I cannot wait to see Wonder Woman in other properties.

3. Thor: Ragnarok - Ragnarok signaled the end times for the characters in the film, but for us movie fans, we saw the rebirth of an Avenger that had previously been sidelined by mediocrity and lack of depth. Thor came to the forefront in a huge way with this film as Taika Waititi delivered on a film that was chalk full of comedy and a warmth that is not seen much today. This film brought such fun to the comic book genre and proves why this genre is not stale in the slightest. While it may not be the most substantial film in the world, with a slight lack of depth and heart, this film fires on all other cylinders. 

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming - When people heard that Spider-Man was again being rebooted for the third time the last fifteen years, people were skeptical. Yet, after seeing Tom Holland's brilliant performance in Captain America: Civil War, we began to think " Maybe we do have the right Spider-Man." And after seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming, I can gladly see that our faith in the wall-crawler has been restored. This film was so youthful and energetic as it follows a high school Peter Parker struggling to balance his life with what he really wants to: become an Avenger. And perhaps what elevates this movie above the other ones - the excellent villain. Vulture, played by the great Michael Keaton brought a gravitas and a real set of stakes to the film not seen in a long time in the MCU. 

1. Logan - What can we say about this film that hasn't been said before - Logan, in my opinion, i s modern masterpiece and completely subverted the entire genre. Instead of big blockbuster action with the world at stake, this film deliberately decided to focus on the idea of growing old and having to give up your dreams. This film brought Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart to the top as they gave their performances of their lifetimes as these two characters. The real emotion and heart felt throughout the film, as well as the real desperation that we saw through the characters is undeniably what makes this film so amazing. This film will be remembered for a long time to come.