Despicable Me 2: Adding In Kristen Wiig And A Fair Few Cultural Stereotypes

Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me 2is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), as he now tries to fight for the otherside becoming a member of the Anti-Villain League. There is also a subplot about Gru searching for love.

The antisemitism of the character designs is still present here, but now only in Gru himself, however this film also adds in a number of hurtful cultural stereotypes which further puts me off the film.

I think in many ways, from story to execution, this film was weaker than the first. Really, it is just more of the same, the slight difference being now Gru makes Jam for half the film and there is a serum that turns the Minions evil. Neither of these plotlines are particularly interesting and that same can be said for the film as a whole.

I thought the introduction of Kristen Wiig’s Lucy Wilde helped the film somewhat. Wiig is not as cringey as she normally is here, though she is still to a degree, and her character pairs with Gru quite nicely. Do I buy their romance? No. Do I buy their snap immediate wedding? Again no, but I thought it was suitably sweet and easy to turn off your mind to.

My feelings towards the Minions themselves remain quite unchanged in many respects, my complaints from the previous film’s review still stand, however, I did find them slightly more entertaining this time around.

Overall, more of the same in both a good and bad sense, Wiig’s addition marginally improves the film, but it still lags behind its predecessor.

Pros.

Very watchable

Any scenes between Gru and his daughters

A strong emotional core

Cons.

Wiig’s character only marginally improves the film, and really the film did not need the subplot

The casual racism and continued antisemitism

3/5

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Despicable Me: Troublesome Character Design

Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), a supervillain who is trying to prove he still has what it takes.

Before I get into it I just want to point something out. Personally, I thought it was a little suspect that all the characters in this film who are supposed to be supervillains, including Gru, have stereotypically over the top Jewish features in their designs. Now, I don’t know if this was done deliberately and I have asked others what they think and not everyone seems to notice it, but to me it reeks of cheap and fairly blatant antisemitism; if interested I advise you to look into the racism of the Despicable Me series as there is a fair bit written about it.

Setting that to one side for a minute, the film can actually be quite charming when it wants to be: the scenes between Gru and his adoptive daughters, particularly the scenes when he is reading to them with the cat finger print book are adorable and heart-warming.

The minions themselves seem to be love them or hate them, at least in terms of the online discussion. I found myself mixed. I did not like the fact they talk in gibberish, it reminded me of something like Shaun The Sheep which I also didn’t like for a similar reason- I prefer characters that talk. They do have some moments that allow you to warm toward them, but I was still indifferent to them by the end of the film.

Overall, there is some promise here, sadly the rather overt antisemitism spoils it.

Pros.

Some warm scenes between Gru and his daughters

The Minions have a few strong comedic moments

It is easy enough to watch

Cons.

The clear anti-Semitism

The Minions

3/5

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Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Power Broker

Written by Luke Barnes

Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 3 Power Broker is the third episode in the Marvel Disney + series. The plot sees Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan), break Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), out of prison so that he can help them find out more information about the super soldier program and the Flag Smashers.

I thought this episode was on the whole good, not as good as the previous episode however, for reasons we will get to later. I thought it moved the story along and introduced some interesting new elements and locations to the MCU that I hope to see again in other films and Disney + series.

It was nice to see Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) return. Though she did not do a lot, really she was just there to spout exposition and to remind the audience she was alive. However, she did manage to make an impression due to one very graphic, for the MCU, and well-choreographed fight scene.

My issues with this episode are twofold. Firstly, I think the two separate storylines, the boys hunting down answers about the super soldier serum, and the stuff with the fake Captain America (Wyatt Russell) are starting to clash. Personally I think the stuff with the fake Captain America is going in a very obvious direction and I would rather they just get it over with so we can focus on the more interesting matters at hand.

Secondly, and this is linked to the previous point, the idea of Bucky and Sam going rogue and the Government coming for them for freeing Zemo feels very phase 3, very Civil War era and I get that it is a stylistic inspiration for the show, but personally I think the MCU is past it and I don’t really want to see it go back.

Overall, still a strong episode, but some of the tonal and plot issues are starting to show.

Pros.
Zemo

Bringing back Sharon

The ending

Cons.

They do use Sharon for anything interesting

The storylines are starting to clash

A bit too Civil War like for my taste

3/5

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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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Godzilla Vs Kong: A Pretender To The Throne

Written by Luke Barnes

Godzilla Vs Kong is a science fiction film directed by Adam Wingard and set in the Monsterverse. The plot sees the two Kings do battle, as there can only be one.

As many of you know, I was not a fan of King Of The Monsters, I thought it was loud, dumb and devoid of charm. However, whilst to a point that is still applicable here, I am please to say I enjoyed this film far more.

The logic of the film is still very dumb, the humans turn on Godzilla almost immediately despite realising how much they liked him at the end of the last film- only to later realise they like him again. There are a ton of plot holes, and broken plot threads that go nowhere, but you aren’t watching this for the plot.

The monsters fighting is quite well done and does not become repetitive as I had feared it might do. I think that this was far more of a Kong film with the odd appearance from Godzilla here and there, and I didn’t mind that.

I thought the emotion was spot on; that is my biggest compliment of the film. Firstly, you cared about the human characters, which is shocking, and not only that but they have impactful emotional arcs both between themselves and with the titans which greatly enhances the film as a whole.

Overall, a step up from the previous film that manages to do the impossible and make you care about the human characters.

Pros.

The human characters

The emotion

Fun monster fights

Cons.

It is dumb and the logic doesn’t make sense

It feels a little underwhelming after all the titans featured in the previous film

3.5/5

The Tangle: Bleak Visions Of An AI Future

Written by Luke Barnes

The Tangle is a science fiction thriller film directed by Christopher Soren Kelly. The plot sees two agents investigate the death of one of their own in a futuristic setting.

I admire the worldbuilding of this film, they really do paint a picture of their version of the future; despite the fact that we don’t actually see a lot of it. I thought the story as a whole felt rich and ready to be explored with enough depth to keep you engaged throughout. I would say an issue on the writing side of this film is that a lot of the twists and turns were fairly easy to guess, and I could easily predict what was coming next.

However, despite this I still found the ending satisfying. I thought the ending of the film, that I wont spoil here, answers a lot of the films questions in an interesting way and opens up the door for a lot more fun in sequel films, that I would be very here for. Personally I enjoyed the characters and would like to see them come back in future films either prequels or some kind of sequel.

Overall, a very interesting high concept science fiction film that could have done with tighter writing.

Pros.

The concept

The world

The characters

Cons.

The predictability

A little cliché

3.5/5

Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Prequels Were Actually Pretty Rad

Written by Luke Barnes

Star Wars The Clone Wars is an animated tv series created by George Lucas that explores the events in between episode 2 and episode 3 of the Star Wars prequels trilogy ending with the final moments of episode 3 and the order 66 purge.

I remember watching this when I was a kid and enjoying it a lot. However, for one reason or another I never ended up finishing it. Recently, I have been reconnecting with the Star Wars franchise, and my rewatch of this as well as the Mandalorian have been front and centre in that process; as I have always preferred Star Wars outside of the films, books, games, tv shows etc.

I enjoy the focus this show has on building up the wider lore of the prequel trilogy, with most of the interesting characters and events from those films being explored in a lot more detail here. I particularly enjoyed the Mandalore plot line and the return of Darth Maul: I think it was an inspired move that really adds to the wider Star Wars mythos.

Moreover, the new characters created for this show are also very welcome and serve to only boost the pre existing material.

Though it is nice to warmly reflect on this show from my childhood I would be deeply remiss if I did not point out the issues with it. Firstly the episodes are not in canonical order and are spread all over the place, this can be annoying when trying to work out what happens when, but it is widely ignorable. More egregiously however is the padding. Seasons are padded out with nothing b storylines that go nowhere and add very little, and this is a consistent problem throughout. You will break away from an interesting storyline about the wider war or universe and instead be given a plot about Jar Jar Binks or Padme doing something dull; suffice it to say this gets old quickly.

Overall, it is a fun animated show that fills in the blanks of the prequel trilogy nicely, however the padding and the episode sequencing do prove a challenge when binging.

Pros.

Developing the wider lore

Great character moments

An infectious love for all things Star Wars

Cons.

Multiple episodes of padding per season

The episode order is all wrong

3.5/5

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: The Day Is Finally Upon Us

Written by Luke Barnes

The Snydercut or as it is sometimes more formally known Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, serving as a remastered cut of the 2017 Justice League film that Snyder had to step away from due to personal reasons. The plot focuses on the formation of the Justice League in an attempt to fight off the invading forces of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and Darkseid (Ray Porter).

So as many of you know, I have thought for a long time that this film was going to be bad, or at the very least unnecessary. However, I can admit when I am wrong and am pleased to tell you this film is a vast improvement over what we got in cinemas 4 years ago: now I am not saying it is perfect, but I am saying it is a marked improvement, buckle up this is going to be a long one.

Firstly I want to address something that for me was a glaring issue with the film and that is the overly sexualised nature of the female characters. Sorry Snyder fans this is going to upset you, but there is a recurring theme in Snyder’s work of ogling women and that is very much here as well. Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) skirt seems shorter, the Amazonians are basically just wearing fancy metal underwear in some cases with their midriff fully exposed, because that is wise in battle? Iris West (Keirsey Clemons)is included just as a plot device and a damsel to be saved by Barry (Ezra Miller), and of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the camera’s fascination with Gadot’s behind.

Though Cyborg (Ray Fisher), is given more to do, his look and crucially the CGI aspects of it are still quite a ways off and are distracting throughout the film, if they could remove the light in his forehead it would look infinitely better. The same can be said of Steppenwolf the other major CGI character who looks like he has come straight out of a videogame and is again distracting.

The film does benefit from better pacing with the 4 hour runtime allowing the film to feel grander and more epic. I feel that by stretching the film out more a lot of things that didn’t make sense the first time around through lack of context suddenly do, and the world as a whole feels better explored and created.

Oddly enough despite the sexualisation Snyder seems to understand Wonder Woman better than Patty Jenkins, and after watching this I think the reason the first Wonder Woman film was so good and the second was so bad was Snyder’s involvement. Snyder gives Wonder Woman a lot of good character work that makes her feel far more central to the narrative, and also far more interesting. Moreover, by redoing the bank scene and the Amazonian battle scene Snyder it able to make both more inspiring and appear better on screen; the shortening in the Whedon cut really hurt the film.

Similarly, Snyder finally seems to understand Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), here as well, moving away from some of the edgy aspects of their characters from his previous films and giving us a more comics accurate portrayal.

I think the tone is much better here than it has been in a lot of the other DCEU films as there are moments of levity amongst an otherwise serious affair, but they aren’t treated like dumb cringey jokes like in the original version of Justice League here they feel far more natural to the characters and importantly work.

I think this film is improved by being a Snyder film and from having his sensibilities applied to the project, I think his trademark use of slow motion is often used to great effect especially with the Flash stuff. I also feel like this film could be viewed as somewhat of a spiritual successor to Watchmen,also directed by Snyder, and think it would make for an interesting double bill.

Ezra Miller’s flash does still stand out for all the wrong reasons, and I do hope in future films they tone down the character and his awkwardness as it does become cringe at times, but not as much as in the previous version. Likewise, I also found the amount of problematic people cast in this film off putting as you have Miller (who choke slammed a fan allegedly), Amber Heard (who is the internet boogeyman) and Jared Leto (look it up), all rubbing shoulders with each other in a troublesome trifactor. Though I will give Snyder the benefit of the doubt the incidents involving two of them didn’t come out until it was too late to change it, but it is a shame.

The score by Junkie XL is terrific and really does bring the film together, with the music really adding a lot to the fight scenes in particular; with the new motif they have for Wonder Woman probably being my favourite.

Sadly, there is a large amount of product placement in this film that really does cheapen the film to an extent, admittedly only brief sections feel almost like adverts within the film.

The things added that have made this film R rated are a mixed bag, the blood does add to the intensity of the battle scenes, though the swearing really adds nothing and on the whole the film does not need to be R rated.

Moreover, the reach around line from Joker, is creepy and needless and should have been left out of the film.

Finally, I just want to talk about some of the stuff from the end of the film. Batman’s attempted self-sacrifice does still feel needless though it is handled better here, and the Nightmare section feels forced in at the end for no real reason. With the nightmare section it is clearly Snyder setting up for another film that he does deserve but most likely won’t get. Furthermore, the film does not really neatly address the Flashes’ warning from the previous film, and there are a number of other outstanding questions left to be answered as well.

Overall, a moment of triumph for the DCEU, something far better than the recent offerings (BOP and WW84), though sadly let down by sexual objectification, poor CGI and product placement.

Pros.

Solid world building

Good character work

The battle scenes are far more intense

A lot of the scenes flow better with more context which is allowed for with the longer run time

Cons.

The sexualisation and using of women as a plot device

The reach around line

The poor CGI

The product placement

3.5/5

7 Theories About Upcoming Marvel Projects

Written by Luke Barnes

Hey Guys! A little something different today, I have decided to write a list of my seven Marvel predictions for the upcoming films and Disney + shows. How I have structured it is, one project one theory. Some stuff in my entries will have been assumed from leaks, rumours and set photos, and the rest is my own wishful thinking; so take it all with a pinch of salt. I hope you enjoy.

7 Marvel Theories For Upcoming Projects

1. Falcon and The Winter Soldier + Black Widow

Yes despite the fact that Falcon and the Winter Soldier is coming out before Black Widow, I very much believe they are tied together. That connection will be Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. It seems very much from some of the rumours we have been hearing that Phase 4of the MCU is introducing the Thunderbolts, which is basically Marvel’s equivalent of the Suicide Squad, and is often led by or feature prominently Baron Zemo- who will also have a large role in this show. Moreover, General Ross will appear in both projects and he too is a major part of the Thunderbolts line up even serving as a leader when he is the Red Hulk, my theory and this crosses over between both projects is this: at the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Pugh’s Belova, who comics wise is a far more vicious Black Widow will appear as a member of the Thunderbolts to recruit Zemo, with her storyline in Black Widow serving to explain how she got there. Most likely with Ross recruiting her and Taskmaster in the post credits scene of that film.

2. Shang Chi and the Ten Rings

By all accounts Shang Chi is going to be a very real world Marvel flick focused on the terrorist group the Ten Rings from the Iron Man films. However, my theory goes right the other way with it, I think this will be the first MCU film to explore dragons, yes dragons have already been teased in the MCU with Iron Fist and the Defenders, but I think this film will take it a step further and actually bring in a character like Fin Fang Foom, possibly to act as a secondary antagonist throughout the film, or set up to be a threat later down the road. Moreover, and this was not the major theory for this one as I believe it is almost guaranteed, but I think this will be the film to see White Tiger enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe though it remains unclear which version of the character it will be.

3. Loki

My theory for Loki is really rather simple, I think it will be in this show that we actually start to see the multiverse unravel. Yes, Wandavison began the process, but this will be the show to expand on it. From what we already know, this project will explore time and possibly alternate dimensions, so what would be a better place to show off the damage Wanda has done to the universe then here? I think it will slowly creep in over the course of the show, possibly made worse by the actions of Loki himself, but things will start to go wrong here, and rifts will start to appear.

4. Hawkeye

I think everyone and their mum knows that Jeremey Renner’s days as Hawkeye are numbered, they have had him retire a good few times now, and now that he has his family back I think he will do just that. I think quietly this might be Renner’s last appearance in the MCU, obviously I don’t know his contract details so maybe not, but it does seem like a legacy show to me. From what I have seen this show is going to take heavy inspiration from the Matt Fraction run on the character and will see Hawkeye train Kate Bishop to replace him, and by the end of the series she will. I think that this show will also serve as a backdoor into the Young Avengers with the team being assembled over the next few films and shows. Also, and yes I should have led with this, I think the target that Hawkeye and Kate will be trying to hunt down over the course of the show will be Yelena Belova.

5. Miss Marvel

Again this will be another set up series very much like Hawkeye, however, this show will set up the introduction of the Inhuman Royal family to the MCU, further establish the Kree and also introduce Hulkling to the MCU- for the Young Avengers show. I also think Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel will feature into the series in some way and that she will appear, and the two will have scenes together which will most likely lead into Secret Invasion and the events of Captain Marvel 2.

6. The Eternals

Of all the Marvel projects on this list, this is probably the most mysterious. I have a feeling they will borrow from Neil Gaiman’s beloved run on the characters, and feature the characters living life in a modern city without knowing who they are, and then slowly having flashbacks and remembering. I think this will be the start point of a fairly grand, and epic trilogy that will have a lot of ground to cover, I also think this film will massively expand the cosmic side of the MCU. Expect Galactus.

7. Spider-Man No Way Home

I am going to go big with my theory for this one. My theory is that Morlan, the villain from the comic book Spider-verse arc, will be sending villains through the multiverse to kill various Spider-Men. The surviving Spider-Men will flee to our Marvel World and will hold a final stand with our, Tom Holland Spider-Man. There will also be the fall out from the ending of Far From Home, and yes Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock will be there to represent Peter and when the time comes fight along side the Spider-Men.

Spontaneous: Exploding Into Red Goo

Written by Luke Barnes

Spontaneous is a science fiction romantic black comedy film directed by Brian Duffield. The plot sees two teens (Katherine Langford & Charlie Plummer), fall in love as a mysterious virus is spreading between themselves and their peers that causes one to spontaneously explode.

Much like Love and Monsters this film has a huge heart. The emotional stakes for this film are damn near perfect, you become really quite invested in their relationship, and my my how you are played with thereafter.

Langford and Plummer have strong chemistry, and make for a believable on screen couple, also where other films fail to capture the snarky teen well, or make it incredibly cringe worthy, this film manages actually do it justice. I think the, lets call it teen dialogue, of this film was quite on point and made me laugh several times with its wit.

I am careful to say too much about the film for fear of spoiling it, but I will say this: be prepared for a ride on an emotional roller-coaster

Finally, I just want to spotlight the premise itself which is surprisingly hilarious in a dark macabre sort of way- it makes you laugh and then feel very bad for laughing

Overall, a wonderfully original film and a touching romance.

Pros.

The leads have good chemistry

It is funny

The premise is novel

Good emotional stakes that make you invest

Cons.

It really does an number on your emotions

4.5/5