Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse: The Power And Glory Of The Animated Medium

Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse

5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

For all those who doubt Sony Animation this film is undeniable proof of their talent on a huge scale. The animation is beautiful, the emotions and family dynamic are heart warming and complex, and there are enough easter eggs, nods and appearances from Elseworlds Spider-people to keep even the biggest Spider-Man fan happy.

This film shows what the animated medium can do, the story is powerful and moving and works both in a way to appeal to children who are drawn in by the bright colours and the name of the hero, but also as a reward for long time fans.
I enjoyed that the film was not a direct adaptation of the Spiderverse comic, but instead did something new with it. As a comics fan I enjoyed seeing all these different versions of Spider-Man interact on screen, Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir was of course my favourite, of those featured prominently; though that should not be a surprise to anyone who reads my reviews regularly.

My favourite moment of the whole film was of course the cameo at the end with Oscar Issac’s Miguel O’ Hara as he is my favourite Spider-Man, and I was glad to see him included.

Overall, a magnificent film.

Pros.

The animation

The cameos and nods

The emotion and the story

The ending

The originality

Cons.

None

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Truth

Falcon And The Winter Solider Episode 5: Truth

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I think that this may have been the best episode of TFTWS, so far, though not a lot happened in terms of action, which would usually be a complaint for me, the episode was incredibly impactful both in terms of the wider MCU as well as to dissect and discuss real world issues and there implication in this fictional world.

The easily angered sort, who complain about the show every week yet keep coming back, will not be happy with this episode as it is the most ‘woke’, to borrow their phrase, so far. Personally, I think this show has felt far more personally impactful and meaningful because it has addressed these racial issues rather than ignoring them as previous films and tv shows within the same universe have done.

I thought the character journey of Anthony Mackie’s Sam was near perfect, not only do we entirely understand the trouble his character is having in taking up the mantle of Captain America, but we can also see why it is important that he does. I think the scenes between Sam and Carl Lumley’s Isaiah Bradley are perhaps some of the most moving in the entire MCU.

There is a cameo in this episode, that has been hyped up since last week, that really isn’t as big as you would hope or expect it to be. Julia Louise-Dreyfus feels shoehorned in, it feels akin to the Ed Sheeran cameo in Game Of Thrones, awkward and clunky, and I hope they bring her back and use her in the future or this has been a big misstep for Marvel.

I thought the continuing descent of Wyatt Russell’s evil Captain America was fascinating to watch, he truly believes he is Captain America despite everyone agreeing he is not right for the role. I see him heading up a future Thunderbolts team possibly as soon as the end of the final episode.

Overall, though the episode does not push the boat out in terms of action, it is an incredibly moving episode that makes you feel, question and appreciate the world of the MCU and those behind it that bit more. Just ignore the cameo.

Pros.

The history of the shield

Sam and Isaiah

The opening fight scene

The post-credits tease

Cons.

The awful cameo

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier: The Whole World Is Watching

Written by Luke Barnes

Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 4 The Whole World Is Watching sees Bucky (Sebastian Stan) Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) hot on the heels of the Flag Smashers. Moreover, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), is pushed further to the edge.

This was a solid episode; it was better than 3 and probably on a par with 2 (the best episode so far). I enjoyed the action scenes particularly the ones featuring the Wakanda Royal Guard and the final fight between Walker and the flag smashers.

Walker’s arc is given a very interesting twist here, that will have huge universe wide implications. Despite creatives saying things to the contrary, I think you are supposed to hate Walker and this episode goes out of its way to make you do just that.

We see more of Karli (Erin Kellyman) and her turn to full on villainy, and I have to say I don’t fully believe it. The actor is doing her best, but I don’t really see her as a viable threat, moreover her motivations seem too noble for us to want to see her defeated, but this episode did make her a lot less likeable for sure.

Finally, this episode does show us some of Bucky’s time in Wakanda, but it doesn’t give us anywhere near as much as you would like and honestly the flashback creates more questions than answers.

Overall, a very intriguing cliff-hanger, plenty of solid action, but a few familiar issues drag it down.

Pros.

The action

The cliff-hanger

Walker

Zemo is great again

Cons.

The villain is weak and unbelievable

It throws away a side character that needed to be developed more

The Wakanda flashback

3.5/5

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Falcon And The Winter Solider: The Star-Spangled Man

Written by Luke Barnes

The Star-Spangled Man is the second episode of Marvel’s Falcon And The Winter Soldier. The episode revolves around the introduction of the new Captain America (played by Wyatt Russell), as well as further developments with the Flag Smashers, and an exploration of the ideas around the super soldier serum and it’s continuation beyond Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

I was deeply disappointed with the first episode of TFTWS, but I have to say this episode was a lot better and really got the series going in the right direction.

First off I want to say how excellent the Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) twist was it showed us a whole otherside of the super soldier project, which helped us recontextualise it in our minds whilst also expanding the wider mythos of the MCU to an interesting new dimension.

Secondly, the series is greatly helped by now having Sam (Antony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) on screen together. After watching this episode it only becomes clearer to me that one of the biggest issues with the first episode of this series was keeping its two main men separated. Luckily this episode fixes that and brings them together. Mackie and Stan have terrific on-screen chemistry together and really make the show what it is, their easy banter and shared pains make you want to watch the show and give a damn about the characters.

Thirdly, I enjoyed how this episode showed us the new Captain America in a wider light, we get to see him as both a villain to Bucky and Sam (the former takes an immediate dislike to him), as well as a hero in his own right. The ending of the episode teases us with bigger things to come and no doubt the new Captain America will have his character explored in further depth, but this is a nice start.

My only issue with this episode is that despite marking a quarter of the series being over, (as it is only 6 episodes), it still feels like it is arranging the pieces, which really should have been done in the first episode. An example of what I am talking about is that Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), was said to have a large role in the series yet now we are a quarter of the way through it, and she is yet to appear. The pace should either have been quicker or there should have been more episodes commissioned to better fit this slow style.

Overall, a much, much stronger episode, however pacing still remains an issue.

Pros.

Bringing Bucky and Sam together

The reveal of Isaiah Bradley

Zemo

The new Captain America and his character work

Cons.

The pace is still too slow

4/5

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier: New World Order

Written by Luke Barnes

Falcon And The Winter Soldier is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the second Disney + offering. The plot sees Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), existing in a post Endgame and post Captain America world.

As far as first episodes to event TV shows go this one is quite slow. There is a fairly tame opening action set piece to start with, but the main purpose of this episode entitled New World Order is to function as a character study of the two leads- and to clearly define where they are at, both as heroes and as people.

This episode delves into some quite deep areas, such as loss, accountability and self-loathing and is far darker than most content coming out of the MCU in recent years. The show feels mature, and the themes and ideas explored further this as they feel very real and lived rather than fantastical.

Moreover, this episode also has a socio-political/ racial message to it, which again is a first for the MCU. Whilst not being overt and choosing to use the returned people after the blip as a standin for oppressed Black Americans, the metaphor is clear. Sadly, this will make the episode polarising as there will be those asking to keep real world politics out of this action/ fantasy show.

In terms of wider lore building this episode introduces us to the new Captain America (Wyatt Russell), who will factor into the events of the show heavily going forward. Likewise the new villainous group the Flag Smashers are also introduced, and this is important as comics wise this group has ties to the New World Order, The Masters Of Evil and The Dark Avengers- so might be an indication as to wear the MCU is heading.

Overall, not what I was expecting, far slower and more introspective, however it does do some great character work and sets up a series of interesting events to come.

Pros.

Bucky’s arc

Sam’s arc

Setting up battles to come

Cons.

It is very slow

It might be too political for some

The new Captain America reveal feels a bit rushed

2.5/5