Outlaw King: The Fight For An Independent Scotland

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The film follows the struggles of Robert The Bruce as he rebels against the English crown and fights to become the King of Scotland.

Though there are a lot of historical epics, this one managed to stand out to me. I thought the pacing was tight and it covered a lot in an interesting way. The film could have easily felt slightly xenophobic and even as anti-English propaganda but honestly I think the film feels far more balanced than that and I found myself easily rooting for Bruce and his cause.

I thought the battle scenes were well done and very weighty enough to leave an impact. Moreover, I thought the performances were strong across the board, with Chris Pine being a dependable leading man throughout, only being upstaged by Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s James Douglas and Florence Pugh’s Elizabeth De Burgh. Truly everyone who said something to the extent of ‘oh Black Widow is Florence Pugh’s big breakout role’ are so deeply ignorant to a well of great performances from her.

Overall, I felt for a Netflix action film this was very standout.

Pros.

Pine

Pugh

Taylor-Johnson

The battle scenes

Cons.

Perhaps just a tad bloated

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Loki: For All Time, Always

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Loki and Sylvie meet the man in the castle and learn a lot about the multiverse. Meanwhile Mobius and other rogue TVA agents bring down the organisation that has proven to be a lie to them.

I called this a while ago, though Wandavison was being billed as the project that would effectively bring on the Multiverse of Madness, I had guessed that in fact it would be Loki– I was right.

I think this could be the best episode of the series, it delivers on nearly every front. The only reason I didn’t give it full marks is because I thought the TVA resolution with Owen Wilson’s Mobius was a little weak and that Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Renslayer also gets short-changed by the episode: I would assume both of these things will be made up for by a later movie or TV show, but I was hoping we could have got that here. Really the episode could have done with being about half an hour longer.

However, on the other side of things the Loki Sylvie plot line totally delivers. We get Kang, played wonderfully by Jonathan Majors or at least a multiverse version of the character and the promise of far more to come. Though this section of the episode is a little exposition heavy, I did find it all interesting as it sets up the next few years of the MCU, if not beyond that as well.

The ending of the Loki Sylvie romance is as heart-breaking as I was expecting it to be, but luckily neither of them died so it can be continued in future. I thought both Hiddleston and Di Martino gave very strong performances here that really resonated. I hope we get to see far more of Di Martino going forward in the MCU.

Finally, I wanted to mention the end tease wherein Loki finds himself in another dimension one that has already been conquered by Kang and say that I am very excited for season two I think the show is heading in a very interesting direction.

Overall one of the best episodes of a Marvel Disney + show to date.

Pros.

Kang

The multiverse

The ending tease

Sylvie and Loki

Cons.

Mobius and Renslayer

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Rick and Morty: Rickdependence Day

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Morty uses a piece of surgical equipment for elicit means and creates a worldwide disaster, that leads to humans having to patch up their long standing feud with the subterranean CHUD people.

This was a fun episode of Rick and Morty,not too heavy and mostly just throw away fun. The premise of the episode is a little icky for my tastes, but I enjoyed how they built the reveal of the sperm monsters origins as a point of tension between the titular pair as Rick did not know what Morty had done.

Moreover, I thought Summer and Beth really stood out as characters here. Their comments on sexism and how women and their ideas are often overlooked and basically ignored were both insightful as well as humorously delivered.

I thought the episode had a few funny moments such as the joke at the expense of Marvel frontman Robert Downey Jr, but struggled to keep that comedy up throughout. For the most part a lot of the jokes in this episode just left me cold and were a little bit too gross out for my tastes.

I thought the CHUD people were an interesting addition to the episode, and it made for a great Rick moment at the end. However, I am starting to become perturbed by how this show keeps creating new characters and civilisations and then never references them again, it feels a little throwaway and I prefer it when the show builds up a character or group and makes them important to the wider narrative of the show.

Overall, a fun episode of Rick and Morty that struggles to be anything more.

Pros.

The Robert Downey Jr joke

Summer and Beth

The tension between Rick and Morty

The ending/ The CHUDs

Cons.

Some of the characters feel throwaway

Not all the jokes land

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The Bad Batch: Devil’s Deal

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

We leave the story of Hunter and Co, as we instead follow the series return of Hera Syndulla.

This is the first episode of The Bad Batch to barely feature the titular heroes themselves. Instead the gang play second fiddle to the origin story of a young Hera. We see her early experiences with the Empire that would be instrumental in forging her into the Resistance warrior we know and love.

Surprisingly, I thought the change of pace worked quite well for the series, showing that maybe we don’t need to follow the Bad Batch every week. This episode has a lot of stakes, perhaps the most of any episode of the series so far as we see a whole planet on the brink of war, with no doubt the Batch having to come in next week to save the day.

I would say that is the big issue with the episode, though it is nice to see Hera and her family return this whole episode just feels like set up for next weeks’. Furthermore, this idea then suggests that Hera and her family are basically being used as plot devices within the driving heroic narrative of the Bad Batch themselves. I would like to see the situation resolve itself with minimal involvement from our heroes.

Moreover, this episode brought back Crosshair which is always a good thing in my book. The series is at its best when he is around, and they should use him more rather than just ignoring him for vast numbers of episodes at a time.

Overall, an interesting episode but one that ends up feeling like filler.

Pros.

Crosshair

Hera’s Origin

Less involvement from The Bad Batch themselves

Cons.

It feels like filler

The Omega ‘friend’ sequence felt awkward and forced

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Loki: Journey Into Mystery

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Of the episodes so far this is definitely the most emotionally impactful episode of Loki. There were a number of moments here that both made you want to cheer whilst also bringing a tear to your eye, the two that particularly affected me were the hug between Owen Wilson’s Mobius and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and the admittance of feelings between Loki and Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie.

I enjoyed seeing all the other Loki variants that exist beyond the void and I thought there antics were fun enough for the short amount of time they were on screen. I would have liked to see them be more developed and have more to them then very surface level treatment they are given. I thought that Richard E Grant’s older future Loki was easily the best and had the most going for him in terms of character work: I would have liked to see more of him but sadly now that looks unlikely.

I thought the ending tease was interesting and sets up for one hell of a finale. All signs look pointing to the arrival of Kang The Conqueror, though I wouldn’t be surprised if the show pulls a fast one on us and subverts that. I do think this episode has very much of a waiting for the finale vibe to it, which is certainly a draw back at times.

Additionally I don’t like what they have done with Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer, as they have basically made her cartoonishly evil and stripped the character from any wider subtlety or nuance and just made a generic bad.

Overall, a good episode for the most part though the foundation is weak.

Pros.

Loki and Sylvie

Loki and Mobius

Richard E Grant’s Loki

Cons.

The other variants really don’t get much to do

The episode feels like it is just passing time till the finale

Renslayer

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The Bad Batch: Common Ground

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Bad Batch finally get to set out on their own for a mission without Omega that takes them right into the heart of Separatists space.

I have been excited about the prospect of the clones setting off on an adventure of their own, without Omega, for a while. Sadly, the chosen adventure for this outing is one of the tamest and most boring of the series so far.

I think the group works better on missions without Omega, and here it is nice to see them back in their element again. Although the idea of having the clones have to help out their former enemy may look good on paper as a character growth storyline the emotional pay off here just doesn’t land at all and it all feels very inconsequential.

Whilst away from the Batch Omega has a side story about how she isn’t useless, though she is and the only reason she often saves the day is because of blind luck rather than skill. Anyway, this storyline finishes with her paying off the groups debts and having a bonding moment with Hunter, which as I have said before and will say again does not work, they are trying to do a Grogu esque father/child bond and it is not taking at all.

Overall, this is very much a miss-able episode.

Pros.

Seeing the Batch do what they do best

The idea of the clones having to help the Separatists

Cons.

The episode is dull and boring

The emotional pay off doesn’t work

Omega is still dragging the show down

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Black Widow: The Young Live To Right The Mistakes Of Their Parent’s Past

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Natasha Romanoff, Scarlet Johansson, returns to fix the mistakes on her past and finally undo the red in her ledger.

The first Marvel release back in cinemas had a lot riding on it, and I think it delivered.

Spoilers ahead.

The first thing I will say about this film is that it is very personal. If you are going in looking for the film that will set up the next Avengers this is not it. There is some connective tissue thrown in, but more or less this is quite self-contained. Which I feel is both a good thing and a bad thing, it is good as it allows for Natasha, her story and her world to stand on their own, but it is also bad as it can feel underwhelming at times especially if you go in with crossover expectations.

Moreover, those that did not like Falcon and the Winter Soldier because it was topical and was heavily influenced by racial issues will almost certainly not like this either- but who cares what they think? The beating heart of this film is an angry comment on women’s place not just within the MCU but also in the wider world to, the widows in this film have their literal free will taken away by the villains, they are entirely controlled by the evil man in charge. The commentary isn’t subtle, but it is strikingly accurate, and it does make you aware to how some men/parts of society treat women.

I felt as a swansong for Natasha within the MCU the film works well and gives her ‘final story’ a lot of power and impact to make sure the character goes out on a high. To that end I enjoyed her ‘family’, I thought Florence Pugh was terrific, I don’t like the notion that this is her breakout film as she has been doing great things for a while, but she really knocks it out of the park here and is a scene stealer. Furthermore, David Harbour’s Red Guardian is also a lot of fun and he gets the best jokes in the film. If I had to pick an odd one out of the family quartet it would be Rachel Weisz’s Melina who really doesn’t get much to do and spends a lot of the film as a glorified side character.

Additionally, the film does feature Taskmaster as the film’s sub-villain and though I won’t spoil the identity reveal here, I will say the film flips the character on it’s head and it does not go the way you are expecting. Personally, as someone who is a fan of the comics Taskmaster character I found the new version this film gives us to be sorely lacking, but you know what they say about villains in the MCU.

In terms of the wider big bad of the film that role goes to Ray Winstone’s Dreykov. As a sleezy tough guy type the role is perfectly cast, Winstone doesn’t get a huge amount to do when he is on screen beyond generally being evil, but he does manage to leave an impact. In that regard I just want to say that this may be at times one of the darkest films in the MCU so far, and the opening sequence of the sisters early days in the Black Widow program is particularly troubling, child friendly? I honestly don’t think so.

There is a post credits scene at the end of the film, and it sees Julia Louise Dreyfus’s character from the aforementioned Falcon and the Winter Soldier return to recruit Pugh’s Yelena to go after ‘the man who murdered her sister’, as I predicted setting up for a clash between her and Hawkeye in his Disney + series later this year.

Overall, a strong return to the cinema for Marvel though one that is not without issues.

Pros.

The social commentary

The poignant emotional goodbye

The new characters established

The post credits scene

Cons.

Slightly underwhelming at times

Taskmaster and the return of Marvel’s issue with villains

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Ant-Man: The Hero Who Turned Thomas The Tank Engine Into A Weapon

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cat Burglar Scott Lang, Paul Rudd, has his life change in ways he would never expect when he steals a suit that allows him to shrink down to the size of an ant on one of his jobs.

When I first watched this in cinemas years ago, I remember being unimpressed. This feeling is reflected on my ranking lists for best films of the MCU with this film always coming near the end. However, the other night I decided to give it another go to see if it was as lacklustre as I remember it being, and I found myself feeling entirely changed on it. I like this film a lot more now, it is no Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is one of my all-time favourite Marvel films, but it is good all the same.

I found this to be the beating heart of the MCU, the relationship between Scott and his daughter is touching and sweet and I also enjoyed the romance building between Scott and Hope van Dyne, Evangeline Lilly. There are enough warming character moments and interactions in this film to make it worth watching on its own without all the Marvel goodness thrown in as well.

Speaking off, I found this to easily be the most fun to rewatch of the MCU films as its light and breezy tone made it fun to watch and it was okay if you missed something here or there as you don’t really need to pay attention. Moreover, I found myself laughing quite a lot at the jokes as well as at some of the more silly slapstick action such as the Thomas the Tank Engine fight sequence.

Furthermore in terms of acting everyone is on top form, and the only thing I would say critically in this regard is that Yellow Jacket, played by Corey Stoll, is perhaps one of the weakest villains in the MCU and the film gets just a little bit worse whenever he is on screen. Stoll is trying his best he just has nothing to work with.

Overall, a rewatch greatly changed my mind on this film and made me see it for the breezy, funny, charming film it is.

Pros.

Rudd

The back and forth between Rudd and Lilly’s characters

The emotion

The jokes

Cons.
It has some pacing issues and a very bloated first act

Yellow Jacket is an awful villain

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The Tomorrow War: More Emotions Less Bland CGI Shootouts

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A high school science teacher is conscripted to fight a war against aliens in our near future that could spell the extinction of the human race.

Chris Pratt usually brings a certain level of charm and likeability to his roles: his role here however was devoid of this. Indeed, any number of actors could have played Pratt’s part, some to a far better result as honestly Pratt seems bored for most of the film.

For the most part this film is a deeply average science fiction film. There is nothing here that you haven’t seen before and the premise feels a little overly familiar. Even the aliens look like a retread.

Although the occasional moment of pure and very real feeling emotion in this film helps to elevate it beyond mediocrity. The moments between Pratt’s character and his daughter feel very impactful, they effect you and if you are anything like me they make you well up a bit as well. Moreover, there are also moments between Pratt’s character and his estranged father played by J.K Simmons that also bring a tear to your eye. For an action film this is surprisingly emotional.

The cast, with the exception of Pratt excel here. Yvonne Strahovski, Simmons and Betty Gilpin all have scene stealing moments that really help to make the film and to standout against all the CGI shootouts.

Overall, a rare misfire for Pratt, but one that is slightly elevated beyond mediocrity by a strong heart.

Pros.

The emotion

Strahovski

The ending

Cons.

It is overly familiar

Too much of the film is just generic CGI shootouts

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The Bad Batch: Bounty Lost

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

The episode starts out by ditching Crosshair once again and instead focusing entirely on Omega, a very bad decision. The reason why this is bad is because it loses all the tension and excitement from the previous episode and immediately makes the situation easier for the heroes as now they are just free to track Omega down no bother- which makes it less interesting.

We spend most of the episode with Omega as we find out more about her origins and watch her try and escape from Cad Bane. None of this makes you warm any further to the character, and the point still stands that without Omega the Bad Batch as a show would be much more interesting.

The best thing that comes out of the kidnapped Omega storyline is the bounty hunter fight between Bane and Fennec Shand, which is entertaining to watch as each tries to out do the other with some nice set pieces thrown in for good measure.

The series still seems directionless, yes we know that Omega is wanted and is valuable as she is a perfect clone of Jango Fett, but other than that we have no idea where the series is heading. Are we going back to more villain of the week episodes now that Crosshair has been sent back into the ignored void? Or are we going to get more origin story for Omega? Both prospects seem equally bleak.

Overall, Omega has easily become the worst part of the show and it needs to ditch her as soon as it can- she is no Grogu.

Pros.

The bounty hunter fight

The ending tease of intrigue

Cons.

Omega is a weak character and worse still annoying

They forget about Crosshair once again

The tension and build up from the previous episode is lost almost immediately

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