The Marvels

I just saw "The Marvels" on Monday night and I wanted to write about it as soon as I could. To not bury the lede, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is easily the best Marvel movie this year. I have more in-depth thoughts about the state of the MCU that I'll share at the end, because they are emblematic of something far worse and it's nothing to do with this movie itself.

There is an undeniable fun chemistry amongst the three leads of this movie. If you hate strong female leads, you better go elsewhere. The lynch pin is definitely Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan. She was so damn likeable in the Ms. Marvel TV show and she's equally, if not MORE likeable here. Instead of being a useless third wheel, she holds her own in all the action scenes. Her family also makes the transition to the big screen and they bring some lightheartedness and grounding to the movie.

Brie Larson actually gets to show a personality in this movie, something that had been missing in all her appearances as Captain Marvel to date, which is refreshing because she has it in her and Marvel was not bottling that correctly. Finally, Teyonah Parris rounding out as Monica Rambeau adds an additional dynamic that also helps to ground Carol Danvers more. Everyone gets something to do here. Like 75% of these Marvel movies, this movie suffers from a one-dimensional villain, but I forgive that because these ladies just needed someone to punch anyway. It's about the friendship between these the trio and how they play off each other.

The most enjoyable part for me, is that there was a lot of creative and careful thought put into the fight choreography that plays on the central conceit of the movie. The three characters switch places whenever they use their powers at the same time, something that is explained in a hand-wavy way that you shouldn't think about too much.  It makes for a lot of fun moments throughout the film.

The jokes hit the right notes and I was not groaning or wanting things to move on like I did in Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man earlier this year. Yeah, both those movies came out this year. I forgot too. This movie was also a short 105 minutes, a luxury we do not usually get with Marvel movies. Things didn't keep escalating to like five different endings, so that was also surprisingly refreshing. Side note, if you liked Goose in Captain Marvel, you will get more of them here too. Cats!

The special effects, beside the one-dimensional villain, were the only weak spots in this movie and I can forgive those, because everything else is so much fun.

The only things you need to watch to prep for this movie are: Captain Marvel, Wandavision and Ms. Marvel. Each one gives you insight into the trio of ladies in the film. This movie basically picks up where the Ms. Marvel series ended.

So with all that being said, there is a much larger problem here. This is the part of my review where I will pivot away from this film and talk about what really pisses me off with Marvel's direction with this phase of movies/shows. Sorry everyone, Secret Invasion is about to catch some strays.

So WHEN exactly in Marvel's now convoluted timeline does this movie take place? All we know is that it is after Endgame, because Monica talks about things that occurred to her after the blip and after Ms. Marvel's show. We just had Secret Invasion a few months ago that dealt with Skrulls and Nick Fury. This movie ALSO deals with Skrulls and have Nick Fury. Both things seem to be independent of each other. Did Secret Invasion come before this movie? Afterwards? We see happy Nick Fury in this movie in his space station, giving the kind of energy we usually expect from Sam Jackson. He clearly had more fun making this than the other show and it is evident. 

What happened to the Skrulls in this movie and in Secret Invasion are big deals, but they both just kind of happen in their own bubbles. They wasted Telos in that show instead of having him appear in this movie, so now our most recognizable Skrull is just gone and there is zero mention of him. This movie and that show felt like they were in two different universes, they were so different. Maybe Marvel can explain it away with all this multi-verse nonsense they've been going on about lately.

Marvel clearly has been making shit up as they go after Endgame and it couldn't be more evident. Everything they got right with this movie, they got wrong with everything else this year. It was concise. It was fun. It let it's stars bounce off each other. It didn't bathe in it's own sadness. I hate that this movie comes at the end of the year, when super hero fatigue has set in. There are a few things at the end of the Marvels that makes us feel that good stuff is on the way. A thing the other movies this year didn't do either. There was little connective tissue to tie stuff together.

Finally, I feel the need to get on my soap box. The movie hasn't done great at the box office and some have celebrated that. This movie suffered from not being marketed well. Like, at all. Who knew it was even happening? The strike meant that the actors could not talk about it, but that shouldn't have stopped Marvel from doing a full court press with their marketing. 

I guess a female driven movie by a black director is not worth the extra press it could have used. I'm sure the straight, white male, comic nerd contingent is happy about the news that this movie had the lowest opening for a Marvel movie. This film was left out to die on the vine and it deserved better than that. I hate that we're seeing all these lazy think pieces about why this movie has bombed and whether or not we are suffering from hero fatigue. We've been in that for years prior to this movie. Let's not get it twisted.

So I say go see this movie. It is is an accomplishment and something to be praised. It is the most fun you will have with a Marvel property this year. For you true nerds, there's a mid credits scene that is there to make people like me salivate.

My Adventures with Superman

My poor, beleaguered blog. I swear one day I'll consistently post to you. And post on timely topics. Today is not that day for ONE of these items. 

It is no secret that DC has been destroying Marvel when it comes to animated features. I mean, does Marvel even make them anymore? Other than this year's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (which I will talk about soon) I can't even think of anything. While there is adult fare, like Harley Quinn, we skew in the other direction with this new show on HBO Max. Well, it's not new anymore by the time I got around to reviewing this, but whatever. You get my drift.

We've been subjected to many different versions of Lois and Clark over the years. This show has to be the most wholesome thing I have ever seen. It has an anime look and some of the anime sensibilities, but when you get past all that, you have a wholesome versions of the early days of Superman that you will ever get.

Some may be upset at how they play fast and loose with the character designs by making Jimmy Olsen and Perry White black. If that stuff still bothers you, I don't know what to tell you. It's a small thing, but I like the design of giving Lois more of a pixie cut than the long hair we're used to. Also, Superman isn't some barrel chested brute who acts nice. Here, he is legitimately trying to find his place in the world and how to use his powers.

This show makes it fun to watch him try and figure it all out, while trying to lead dual lives. We also get to see him act like a news reporter, which you would be surprised how little you see that these days. The voice acting is very good and I love the redesign of lower tier Superman villains like Livewire and Parasite. If you want to argue that Parasite is top tier....come on. Superman has one of the weaker rogues galleries, so they picked the best of them without reverting to using Lex Luthor right away.

I thought this season was paced very well and I like the conceit we're getting with American animated series like this were you get ten episodes in a season and that is it. Story threads like, will Lois find out Superman's secret identity are resolved quickly. Real quick, on that note. It was both a fun and heartwarming reveal when Lois discovers who Superman is.

The trio of Lois, Clark and Jimmy are a lot of fun and I can't wait to see them on more adventures. Each of them brought a little something to the table, so Jimmy and Lois don't seem completely useless. It helps that all the voice acting is completely endearing. If you're a Superman fan or just want a light hearted, not anime to watch, I highly recommend this. 

Blue Beetle

I could come up with a million excuses why I'm late on my review for this movie. You've heard them already, so it doesn't MATTER. Let's get into it.

Blue Beetle. Let's be honest, this is not the movie any of us asked for. But it is the movie we deserve. What do I mean by that? We deserve a fun, super hero movie that isn't about saving the world, but a personal story with our main character. You can be reductive and say it's like Iron Man's origin movie or Ant-Man's, but that is going to make you miss out. Also, other than the fact that all the heroes where a suit of armor, that's the only similarity. Don't get forget that Tony Stark and Scott Lang were assholes before they put on a hero suit. Jamie Reyes is none of that and is instantly more likeable. 

Okay, let me also say this. The trailers for this movie do it a huge disservice. They make it seem like Jamie (Xolo Maridueña) is this poor down on his luck kid. In actuality, he just graduated from college (in pre-law?) and just can't find a job. We've been there. He's also trying to do right by his family because they are not doing well. Miles above what those others were. So again, I hate the misleading trailer. 

I found him absolutely charming and I shockingly liked George Lopez in this movie as the wacky uncle. The thread the needle on conspiracy theory believing and bumbling with a true heart and sounding board for Jamie. I didn't expect this and it was welcomed. In fact, I enjoyed his entire family and how they pull together. Also, my hot take. This movie was more about family that Fast X was. Just cause you say the word family about 100 times, doesn't make fetch happen.

One other note. This is the best we could have hoped Blue Beetle as a character would appear on screen. Ted Kord would NOT work. I like that he is referenced here and some of his gadgets, costumes and vehicles show up. This way the toxic fan boys might complain less about seeing their white super hero replaced by a Latino. Who am I kidding? They'll still complain. Ted Kord is trash, y'all. There, I said it.

If you saw the Flash movie, I'm sorry. I did too. I bring that up because the special effects here are GOOD, unlike that other movie. The only issue I have is the super hero movie trope of the good guy fighting a bad guy version of himself (i.e. two dudes in armor like in Iron Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man). It's the only complaint I have about this movie.

Oh, real quick. Susan Sarandon is straight up the villain in this movie, y'all. I feel like she had a lot of fun with it. She got to ham it up and it is something to behold. She's also so good at it you want her to get what's coming to her.

Finally, the musical score is really good. The marketing and the logo has this 80's vibe and all I could think is, "Here we go again with this 80's nostalgia bullshit". It works here, so my cynicism is not always on point. 

I absolutely recommend this movie. Of course, right before the power shifts at DC, they start making some enjoyable movies. I have no idea what to expect from James Gunn and the upcoming Aquaman, but at least for a shining moment, DC has made a few movies I've liked these past few years.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Look, I am always behind in how long it takes me to post about what I watch. It's now become a feature, not a bug. So let's just get right into it without you accusing me of ANYTHING.

Over the years, I have come to realize that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are probably my favorite property. It is easily top four with Transformers, Dragon Ball Z and Power Rangers. I can't explain it, nor WILL I. It's my prerogative. I have figures all over the damn place in my room and my favorites, by a mile, are my 1/4 sized set of the Ninja Turtles from the first live action movie. The property has been rebranded, rebooted so many times, it's hard to keep count. And I've watched nearly all of them. I enjoy each iteration.

When I heard this movie was going to skew the turtles on the younger side of their teenage years, I half rolled my eyes. I go hot and cold on Seth Rogen. I feel like I've aged out of most of his humor and I can find him very annoying. All that being said, I love this property, a movie was going to be in the theaters, so of course I was going to see it and give it a shot.

So what did I think? I loved it. It took me a while to get used to the animation style, it's like, Diet Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. We can see that this street graffiti look is here to stay and hang out for a bit, so we might as well welcome it into our lives. Once I got over the initial ugliness of some of the humans (Baxter Stockman for example), this movie really settles in. Also, before we go any further, the look of Splinter is oft-putting to me. 

I was not expecting an actiony movie like Turtles movies of the past. The action we did get was appropriate for teens just starting to get into real fights. I liked that they struggled against normal guys because they had not been in real combat before. It's a perfect example of what happens when you learn from watching videos, but then have to apply that in real life.

I also liked the arc of the characters and how they grow. It was fun watching Leonardo finally gaining the respect of his brothers as a leader. I also loved the choice of having him, not Donatello in recent iterations, fawning over April. Watching the other brothers finding their places on the team with their dynamic was also fun. There was also so much chemistry between them and it was good to not see them constantly bickering.

I was initially worried when they announced the cast of this movie and just how many characters were in it. I felt that for the first movie, they would take away too much screen from the turtles and just oversaturate the whole thing. Fortunately, they are not the focus and show up in chunks throughout the film. Honestly, they get a lot of big names for bit parts. Kind of a waste if you ask me. 

The voice acting was strong in this and I never knew that Ice Cube as himself, playing Baxter Stockman is what I was missing in my life. This was 90s era Ice Cube, which I think a lot of you would appreciate. I mean, he straight up talks about molly whopping people. Ice Cube was being Ice Cube and I'm here for it. Jackie Chan was a surprise choice, but he's had enough experience in the game that he can emote with his voice very well and he comes off as the caring father that he portrayed.

Just the theme of family and wanting to fit in definitely resonated with me, so I felt something watching this movie that I didn't think I would. I've grown softer in my later years.

Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely. Do I want to watch it again, absolutely. I feel like I might have missed some bits because I was distracted THE WHOLE MOVIE because Alamo was having an off day and I didn't get my food until 15 minutes before the movie ended. Why does this matter you say? Because I ordered ten minutes BEFORE the movie started. So I had to wait the whole damn movie to get fed and I came to the movie hungry. So I was in a MOOD and distracted, not able to fully enjoy this like I wanted to. Anyways, go see it... on demand somewhere because the shelf life of movies in theaters is obscene these days.