Venom The Last Dance: Going Down Dancing

Venom goes out with a bang.

I liked this more than Let There Be Carnage in a number of ways, I thought the Eddie, Tom Hardy, and Venom relationship was better here and felt less clawing with the humour. You do believe the bond between the two and in the end when it looks like Venom dies you do feel that emotional gut punch.

I also liked seeing Knull, Andy Serkis, and the threat posed by him. I know Venom isn’t really dead but I would genuinely like a fourth film where Venom has to rally the SSU Avengers and get them together with a Spider-person in order to fight Knull. It would be a spectacle not on the level of Endgame but certainly on the level of Days Of Future Past.

I think the human villain played by Baron Mordo, is a bit one note and week. I would argue that Chiwetel Ejiofor is wasted in the role, and that his character is not given much in terms of character, he hates symbiotes and then he doesn’t. Its very night and day and reeks of a bad script.

Overall, a slight sad ending that sets up genuinely interesting things for the future.

3/5

Pros.

Eddie and Venom

The emotion

Knull

Cons.

The human villain

A weak script

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Agatha Episode One and Two Review: Disney And Its Need To Push Sexual Themes Onto Kids

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Agatha, Kathryn Hahn, tries to get her mojo back.

The marketing for this show was awful, rather than treat it as a show in its own right or talk about how it is going to advance the MCU we instead got lots of comments about how gay the show is, as though that is some mark of quality and that gay shows cannot be bad no matter what. It is silly.

With that in mind I went into the first two episodes expecting the preaching to start from the off, however, the message was not laid on as thick as I was expecting it to be, and if you can ignore the red carpet stuff then the show is perfectly fine. During its first two episodes it never really justified why it needs to exist, is it just because people liked the song, or that she is vaguely Wanda, Elizabeth Olsen, related? As it stands now it is a forgettable side piece of MCU content that you can skip.

The only major thing I had an issue with was the nude scene. So there is a scene in these opening episodes where Agatha is nude and as she is she is being checked out by a little girl. Once again we come back to Disney and its odd relationship with pushing sex onto kids, the kid could have just been innocently playing and not done anything however the big smile on their face and how they struggle against their father as he tries to cover their eyes shows that she wants to look. Again had it been an older teen then that’s one thing but this was a younger kid and it just feels like Disney living up to their horrible reputation for this sort of thing.

Overall, it is fine with some questionable moments, especially the one with the kid.

2/5

Pros.

It is mind numbing

Aubrey Plaza is good in it

Cons.

The weird child thing

It doesn’t need to exist

It is slow

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What If Season 2 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

What If is back and boy is it a downgrade.

So before we get into the overview lets talk about the basic conceit of the show. It is what if stories based on films in the MCU, it is not new stories that have no basis in the films at all. Yet this season introduces us to a character that has never been in a film or tv show before and centres a whole episode around her.

Moreover, it continues to use characters like Captain Carter, Haley Atwell, and evil but reformed Doctor Strange, Benidict Cumberbatch, rather than focus on new films or tv shows from the MCU. I have no issues with Carter or Strange but I find that I want to watch one off episodes not recurring narratives, that I thought was against the conceit.

I think this show started out with good ideas for what if stories and then slowly over time lost its way, like the wider MCU, and became boring and predictable and not at all like the wacky and out there what ifs we had all been expecting it to be.

Overall, I don’t think we need a season 3

2/5

Some good moments

It is watchable

Cons.

It introduces new characters and breaks the conceit

It is boring

It is repetitive

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X-Men 97: A Blast From The Past

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

When scraping the bottom of the barrel what is there to do but move on to the next decade.

At first when I saw Disney were resurrecting this old and beloved series I thought to myself this would be little more than a cynical effort in brand exploitation. However, upon watching it I found there to be a lot of elements to like, in many senses this series felt like an X-Men comic book come to life. A number of iconic X-Men moments where depicted in the series for the first time and they were done justice to.

Personally the nostalgia factor was not there during my time with the show as whilst I grew up on X-Men cartoons for me it was Evolution that was my go to X-Men fix.

Something that hampered my enjoyment of the show was how it would jump around in structure, in one episode we would follow the main team but in the next a side story. To me this felt disjointed and often killed excitement I may have had between episodes.

Another thing that somewhat affected the series for me was its allegiance to current year identity politics. We had characters that were non binary, and I am no Morph expert but I do not believe the character was called this in the comics as this is a modern term. As such I believe it was included to tick a box which is the cheapest and laziest form of representation. The series also focuses heavily on the characters feelings towards Wolverine which as a side character this felt odd. The Scott and Jean relationship of which is central to the X-Men lore got less screen time and plot consideration, this could only be done in a tokenistic effort to show diversity on to appease bluehead people online.

Overall, whilst it was nice to see classic X-Men moments on the screen for the first time it was undercut by a need to appease identity politics and the structural issues with the episodes which I found jarring.

3/5

Pros.

Classic moments

A number of good action set pieces

Some fun to be hard

Cons.

Identity politics

Odd pacing and structure

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Deadpool and Wolverine: A Missed Opportunity?

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds is back.

Buckle up friends this will be a long one. Everybody knows the terrible state the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in over the last few years, is because of this and because of the importance of mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I went into this film with incredibly high expectations. Is it also because of this that I left feeling disappointed.

Now the film did have a lot of positive aspects and things to enjoy and this review is coming from a place of someone who cares deeply about the characters, however, it is because of that care that it will be a negative review. Though it was nice to see Wade back on the big screen and treating us to some more blood and gore than we usually do in the MCU, the issues arise as a matter of tone. Deadpool is obviously a comedic character, and has a number of laugh out loud jokes in the film, but there were a number of times I was hoping that the film would take itself seriously, because it needed those moments, yet didn’t. Considering the multiverse stakes of this film and the fact that it has a very heavy emotional arc for Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, it needed those serious moments to truly do it justice and to have heart, yet whenever we get close to one of these moments it is ruined by some forced joke.

I know the creatives are very excited to be in the MCU, however it does feel at times like there’s a little bit of disrespect towards the Fox X-Men universe. For example, take the opening sequence that spoils the end of Logan by having Deadpool desecrate his corpse in order to kill a bunch of people. Now at other points in the film Logan is treated with respect, however, this opening feels like it takes away from that. You could have done something equally as cool and gory using a different montage that wouldn’t have taken away from the most impactful film of the fox X-Men universe.

In terms of cameos this film goes a little over the top at times to a point where you feel like saying okay please no more fan service. Some of the cameos are cheer worthy, such as the return of X-23, Dafne Keen, who I am very glad to see with Wolverine and Deadpool at the end of the film. Some of the cameos are bad such as Channing Tatum finally getting to be Gambit yet feeling like a cosplayer rather than the character himself, he needed longer hair and to be less muscular. And some are massive missed opportunities such as the Deadpool Corps, what should have been an epic moment was just a throw away fight scene.

Another thing that I thought was questionable about the film was how much of it cantered around concepts from the Loki TV show, now this was a popular show but it was not one that will be watched by the whole audience of who would show up for a new Deadpool film. There were many many references made to Loki over the course of the film, and it just seemed an odd decision to base such a big film around events from a Disney + show. I did enjoy the Void return of some of the best Fox characters such as Aaron Stanford’s Pyro and Chris Evans’ Human Torch. However, by far the best character that appears in the Void is Cassandra Nova, Emma Corrin. Corrin clearly is having a lot of fun here and I have never seen her in anything before, at least not that I can remember, but she sure leaves an impression here. Corrin’s villainous character is both menacing and also at times quite funny and likeable, in the truest sense they are a three dimensional character.

In terms of performances Reynolds is much the same as we’ve seen him in the previous two Deadpool films, however there is an earnest side here that is new and which offers the character so new dimensions. Though I must say in contrast to that Wolverine, whom I have wanted to see in the MCU for a long time, has no new ground to cover, we have seen old defeated Wolverine before, in Logan, and whilst it’s nice to see him in the costume for the first time it still feels like there is no new depths of the character explored here. I would like to see, at some point in the future, Wolverine in a teacher role helping a new generation of mutants find their place in the MCU, this would be a new aspect of the character that hasn’t been explored before in any great depth on screen.

The final act of the film is somewhat disappointing, after the Deadpool Corps fight, which features Blake Lively as Ladypool which I liked, you then get Deadpool’s universe saved and all of the surviving characters staying in it. Now for me where this lets down is the fact that I wanted all of the Deadpool characters to end the film in 616, I wanted the film to end with them all entering into a portal together and arriving in the MCU proper whereas now they still feel distant, they are MCU adjacent but they’re not in it and I think that was something the film should have done. I understand that all the worlds will be brought together for battle world, however it just feels a bit of a bait and switch.

Another thing I don’t understand and that’s strange about the film is the fact that Deadpool can clearly travel between dimensions as he takes a 616 based Avengers job interview, yet then later when talking to the TVA doesn’t seem to know much about the multiverse only about time and space. This just doesn’t make sense to me, as okay if the character can just hop between dimensions then it really makes no sense that they were not in the 616 timeline in the end. Moreover, I would have liked to have seen Wolverine to go the Xavier’s school on the Deadpool universe and have him settle there at the end of the film, I thought it would have been a nice moment of hopeful optimism for the character. Yet the film ends on a joke about Chris Evan’s Johnny Storm swearing, yes I rolled my eyes at that too.

Overall, a good and enjoyable film with some great moments but ultimately one that is disappointing and without substance at times.

3.5/5

Pros.

Wolverine is back

X-23

Ladypool

It is nice to see the Fox characters go out with a bang

Cons.

It doesn’t end in the 616

It is afraid to have more serious moments and sometimes ruins good emotional moments with a bad joke

It wastes the Deadpool crops

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Invincible Season 2 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Mark picks up the pieces of his life after his dad rearranged this teeth.

I am mixed on this season. On the whole I lean to it being good but it was such a half measure.

I liked that they are finally starting to set up the Mark and Eve stuff, I liked that we got more time with Alen, and I liked seeing the return to Mars and the decimating of the remaining heroes by the Serpent Society. However, outside of that I think that this season missed the mark. It spends far too long try to be deep and emotional and work through its trauma, and whilst the Radiohead and Nick Cave solemn moments in the first few episodes were good I found it got a little self-indulgent by the end. I understand that Mark breaking his no kill rule is a big deal but there is a lot of time in the last episode dedicated to him dealing with it, it feels too much its like cool can we get back to it. They waste time. Nowhere is that truth more self-evident than with Mark and Amber, they spent a lot of time this season with them realising they can’t work out, too much time. Think about all the Spider-Man films you have ever watched how much time has been dedicated to his relationship with MJ or Gwen maybe 5-10 minutes total per film, maybe more in Spider-Man 3, because though it is important to the character it is not what people are here to see. Here we get multiple scenes that go on for far too long and then a drawn out scene of them both having heart to hearts with other people at the same time to make it stretch even more. My point is that it is good to develop your characters emotionally but when it is taking up the same amount of time as them being heroes then you have a problem .

The animation and world building was good, but again it feels like filler. We got the tease of the wider galactic war but didn’t see any of it, you’ll have to wait another 3 years for that. Honestly I was a little disappointed that we didn’t even get Nolan and Alen busting out of prison as a final sting on the last episode. I don’t know what happened if they wanted to stretch the story out more, if they didn’t have time to write further or if it was a rush job, but I left this season disappointed looking forward to the next, and that’s not right it should be I left this season thinking it was epic looking forward to the next.

Overall, a disappointment.

2.5/5

Pros.

Mark and Eve

Alen’s return

Setting things up that will be cool

Cons.

It doesn’t actually progress the story much

It is too emotional and into itself

It wastes time

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Ghostbusters Frozen Empire: Now With Added Ghost Romance

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The family from the legacy sequel that some call Afterlife move into the fire house and take over the Ghostbusters mantle.

My immediate reaction to this film is that there is a kernel of goodness in it. Don’t get me wrong this film isn’t perfect and we’ll get to that shortly I just wanted to say that this film does do some things right, such as its ending that feels like the perfect note to end the series on with new respected Ghostbusters ready to carry on the legacy, quit whilst you’re ahead. Another thing it gets right is how integrated the original cast is and how the film gives each of them a moment to shine and shows them the proper reverence.

However, this film also does a lot wrong. I’ll break this down into three key areas. Firstly you have the fact that Carrie Coon who is a tremendous actor is barely featured in the film at all, she gets one scene early on busting a ghost with a drone and that is it. That’s a massive waste. The film also does the same thing with Finn Wolfhard but he is a less good actor, by a fairly massive factor so that isn’t much of a shame. Secondly, McKenna Grace is much more insufferable here, she is written as Hollywood writes all teenagers she knows better, she thinks she’s always right and then she screws up, and I think therein lies the problem we have seen this type of character before if anything it is a fairly hacky cliché. Worse yet the film bloats itself giving her a quasi-love story with a ghost, but the film doesn’t go far enough with this concept and actually commit. I think this was done to keep the culture war around this film to a minimum as people would freak out over a ghost lesbian relationship ‘the globalists are pushing their LGBTQ+ agenda but now with added occultism’ they would scream at their family who at this point tune them out. Personally, I think they should have either explored the idea of a ghost relationship more or just not included it as it stands it feels half baked.

Thirdly, there is far too much going on in this film in terms of characters. There are a lot of new characters and returning characters and in an effort to try and give everyone their moment the film doesn’t give some of the central family members things to do, see above complaint, and that to me just seems like such a glaring oversight. The concept of less is more clearly didn’t register with anyone over at Sony as they looked over the script.

Overall, a step back from Afterlife, but an okay note to end on.

3/5

Pros.

It does write by the old characters

There are some laughs to be had

It is a good time

Cons.

The cast is overstuffed and wasted

The ghost love arc

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Echo Series Overview: Who Cares

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Echo, Alaqua Cox, has an origin story before the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

I am a big comics fan, and I like some other people knew of Echo long before she appeared in Hawkeye, I had remembered her from the pages of a Daredevil comic I had long since read. Within said comic she was a side character, important to the plot sure but a bit player overall, it was Daredevil’s book. Then you get around to Hawkeye a show that didn’t really need to exist, but that aside the clear breakout character of that show is Kate Bishop, Hailee Steinfeld, she should have been the one to get a spin off. In both of these cases Echo was a side character, no one at the end of that series said I wanted more Echo, no one, but hey Disney pushed ahead with a Disney + series. Was it because it was good optics for Marvel studios to be like we are so progressive look at how inclusive our projects are we are up lifting this disabled minority character and giving her a platform aren’t we magnificent, I’ll let you decide.

Anyway they dropped the series all at once because they had a lot of faith in it, not, Disney claim it broke records but then they always say that don’t they. Anyway, the series as it was had moments of interest, I liked seeing a superhero story take place outside of New York and I like the Native American Mythology that was woven into the series, both of these things helped to give the series some flavour.

However, I think the single biggest problem with this series is the lead, Cox cannot act and is not a believable action hero either. Whether she is hearing a touching personal speech about how loved she is, or being punched in the face she has the same look of being irritated throughout. I don’t know if this was poor direction or instruction for her but the character she looked angry all the time even when she wasn’t supposed to be it was jarring to say the least. Moreover, I just don’t believe her as an action hero taking down guys three times her size, it pushes the boundaries of believability to such a point that it is laughable.

Again the violence wants to be shocking but it just isn’t, it is still tame and boring and if this is what r rated Marvel looks like then its just more of the same we have already grown to hate. In the comics you get blood it feels real, here it just feels like watching a soap opera.

Overall, if I was Disney I would stop all these Disney + shows they are really truly hurting the brand, do you think Agatha later in the year will get people to care about the MCU again, let me tell you it won’t.

1.5/5

Pros.

It is only 5 episodes

It has a unique flavour

Cons.

Cox cannot act

The series didn’t need to exist

It is dull

It adds nothing to the MCU

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Aquaman 2: Isn’t The Ocean Polluted Enough Without Garbage Like This

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Aquaman, Jason Momoa, has to have one last tiresome fight against the tide in a final farewell to the DCEU.

I liked seeing Jason Momoa being a dad and being softer and not the alpha male he often plays, I think it is important to see guys be a bit softer from time to time. Again did the film emasculate him I’d say not as he is quickly back to fighting and carrying on. In a sense this feels very much like Thor Ragnarök or even Love and Thunder, goofy softness mixed with some action hero moments just so you remember what you are watching.

The Amber Heard stuff was not dealt with as it should have been at WB with Emilia Clarke taking over the role and she is still here if only briefly, and if only as Elon threatened to sue allegedly. Her presence drags the film down but hey at least the film flopped so her acting career goes out on a low note, like pooing the bed.

Honestly it was hard to care about anything in this film or the world at large as you know the reboot is coming so it all has an air of what’s the point.

James Wann’s talents were wasted and he should have gone back to the Conjuring universe and left this turkey to die. It is sad to see the DCEU end on such a low note but they did it to themselves this wound was self-inflicted.

Overall, an average to poor superhero film in a year of bad superhero films.

2/5

Pros.

Jason Momoa has some charm

It is unintentionally funny

Cons.

Amber Heard is in it

It is too long

You just don’t care about it

Loki Season Two Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Loki, Tom Hiddleston, is back as the multiverse’s repair man.

This was much better than the slog that was Secret Invasion but even so I am left questioning is this what we have come to? What I mean by that is that this is fine, but can’t we hope for better?

I think the last few months has seen Marvel and Disney realise that they need to make less and better shows and films, because cranking them out just because you can is not getting audiences to care. I liked the first season of this show, but did I think it needed a season two no. Again they try and do some stuff with Kang, Jonathan Majors, which now seems doomed to be scrapped, and make Loki some sort of multiversal God but is any of it needed does any of it fill you with the same excitement as when you watched the first Avengers film, no. Maybe I am burnt out perhaps that is it, but for me all of this recent Disney + Marvel stuff has been like did we really need that.

I think that instead of being a mark of quality Marvel shows on Disney + are just fine and filler until the next big film which you actually care about, a drastic overhaul is needed.

Overall, whilst season two has a few good moments I think that it is diminishing returns and I think the show as a whole cannot reach the same entertaining hights it did in the first season, they should stop putting Marvel shows on Disney + as the watering down of the brand is clear to see.

2.5/5

Pros.

Owen Wilson

It has a few good moments

It can be entertaining when it wants to be

Cons.

It is filler

It doesn’t need to exist

A lot of it is for the cutting room floor

Sylve is incredibly irritating and doesn’t stop shouting at Loki for the whole season

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