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(08/05/20 3:00pm)
The original game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog and released on June 14, 2013, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The post-apocalyptic story follows two protagonists, Joel and Ellie, who must travel across the United States in the hopes that the latter can provide the cure to a fungal disease that has all but decimated humanity. Thanks to its complex and flawed characters, relentlessly bleak tone, and powerful themes, The Last of Us was critically acclaimed, with many (including yours truly) considering it to be one of the greatest video games ever made.
(07/29/20 8:40pm)
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 and previous seasons.
(07/03/20 3:22pm)
by Anthony Herring
The original game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog and released on June 14, 2013, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The post-apocalyptic story follows two protagonists, Joel and Ellie, who must travel across the United States in the hopes that the latter can provide the cure to a fungal disease that has all but decimated humanity. Thanks to its complex and flawed characters, relentlessly bleak tone, and powerful themes, The Last of Us was critically acclaimed, with many (including yours truly) considering it to be one of the greatest video games ever made.
Save for a short story DLC called The Last of Us: Left Behind that was released in 2014, there was no real news that would hint at another adventure set in this universe. That all changed in December 2016, when The Last of Us Part II was officially revealed through an announcement trailer. The trailer depicted a nineteen-year-old Ellie playing guitar amongst the corpses of unknown enemies in a house, with Joel soon entering and asking her if she is “really going to go through with this” (with what “this” is referring to purposefully left unclear). The trailer ends with a close-up on Ellie, a hateful expression on her face, ominously replying, “I’m gonna find and I’m gonna kill every last one of them.”
Over the past few years, more details were revealed about Part II. The most notable ones were that the player would mostly control Ellie this time around (Joel was the main playable character in the original game), the sequel would be centered around hate (whereas the original game was centered around love), and that the game would be set five years later. After two delays, one for further development and the other due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plus a massive, controversial story leak back in April, The Last of Us Part II was released on June 19, 2020. While the game has its notable strengths, Part II unfortunately could not reach the same heights as its predecessor.
Sit down kids, it’s storytime
On the surface, the basic plot of The Last of Us Part II is pretty straightforward: After a personal tragedy strikes, Ellie is compelled to go on a quest for vengeance against those that have wronged her. However, as the game’s story progresses, it becomes clear that there are many different layers to be uncovered. Said layers are primarily illustrated through two central characters: Ellie, a familiar character, and Abby, who is new to the series.
Ellie’s side of the story you play through first, and I genuinely was having fun playing through this half of the game. The characterization of her is excellent, offering great development from the more naive character Ellie was in the first game. Along with that, her relationship with her love interest, Dina, is wonderful, creating a realistic and believable bond between the two. Ellie’s portion also features a few flashbacks, further building onto the father-daughter relationship she has with Joel. I thought that these flashbacks were all great, as the tone and execution were reminiscent of Ellie and Joel’s relationship in the first game. When it comes to the actual story beats here, it does take some time to get truly engaging, which messes up the pacing of this portion a little bit. Thankfully, when the time comes for the story to grow darker for Ellie, the pacing and tone improve significantly, which profoundly impacted my perspective on what Ellie’s quest had come to symbolize. Ashley Johnson’s performance as the character also aids this, making the struggles that Ellie has to go through all the more heart-wrenching and believable.
Now we come to Abby’s side of the story. Much like Ellie’s side, flashbacks are also present here, and they help to flesh out Abby’s relationships to other characters, such as her boyfriend Owen. In fact, her side actually opens with a flashback, which offers an excellent recontextualization of certain events that transpired at the end of the original The Last of Us. As a whole, I found Abby’s side to be not as engaging as Ellie’s--at least not at first. As you are playing through Ellie’s side beforehand, this gradual momentum is built to the point where you feel that something big is about to happen. And it does—but then, the story cuts to Abby’s side for the second half of the game, and that feeling of momentum is completely lost. Thankfully, as her side progressed, it became more enjoyable. Laura Bailey’s performance aids in making Abby a bit more likable, and the sister-brother relationship she forms with a character named Lev gives Abby a sense of humanity. However, there are some moments that stoked my feelings of anger towards Abby, especially when I consider the horrible things that she committed in the game’s opening hours.
What’s old is new
Right out of the gate, one of the best aspects of The Last of Us Part II is the gameplay. It effortlessly builds upon the foundation that the first game created with smoother mechanics, like cleaner combat and shooting encounters, plus it adds new features, such as being able to go prone during stealth encounters.
One thing in this game that you should be prepared to do is collect a lot of materials. Since Part II is set over twenty years after a pandemic has ravaged the planet, materials are littered practically everywhere you go. Alcohol, rags, canisters, and even explosives can be found and used to craft useful items such as health kits, Molotov cocktails, pistol silencers, etc. This collecting and crafting system is instrumental to the player’s survival, so it is very important to take advantage of this. Environments are much larger than they were in The Last of Us, so I strongly recommend combing through each nook and cranny to find materials for crafting. Parts, which can be used to upgrade weapons, are also scattered throughout the world, so be on the lookout for those as well.
Part II features two types of enemies: regular humans and the Infected. The human enemies consist of the Washington Liberation Front, a militia that relies on military weaponry, and the Seraphites, a religious group that relies on bows and arrows. Combat encounters with these respective factions vary wildly. When fighting against the WLF, guns and explosives are the best methods to take them down. Unfortunately, the WLF uses dogs that can track your scent, which adds a layer of difficulty to these encounters. With the Seraphites, on the other hand, stealth is paramount. Bow and arrows, stealth takedowns, and the silenced pistol are crucial when fighting them, because if you’re too loud, these enemies will easily overwhelm you with their numbers and force you to retreat.
The Infected are a different beast entirely. The four main types -- Runners, Stalkers, Clickers, and Bloaters -- all return from the first game, and are far worse to deal with this time around, even on moderate difficulty (which is the setting I used). They are more aggressive and aren’t as vulnerable to certain attacks as they were in The Last of Us. For instance, don’t expect a Molotov to easily take out a group of Runners in this game. To shake things up, Part II also introduces a new type called the Shambler, which shoots out acidic spores from its body while it charges at you like an irritated rhino. These things are terrifying to deal with, and I shivered with fear whenever I discovered I was about to enter an encounter with one. There is also another Infected type that is introduced later on in Abby’s section of the game — the Rat King — that is quite a pain to fight.
High fidelity
Since Part II is a Naughty Dog title, it comes as no surprise that it is absolutely gorgeous. Environments are far larger than ever before, and as a result, the player is able to appreciate the level of craftsmanship that is put into them. For example, when I first arrived in Seattle as Ellie, I was greeted with this massive downtown area that was free to explore. All around were tall, decrepit skyscrapers that loomed over me, complete with a field littered with empty cars, trucks, and military vehicles that acted as a maze for me to navigate. The game sees that you travel all around the city, so players get to see a multitude of different environments rendered in astounding detail, such as dense forests, stormy beachfronts, and isolated, barren neighborhoods.
Featured Image: IMDb
Images: IMDb
(06/03/20 8:34pm)
by Anthony Herring
(05/16/20 7:04pm)
by Anthony Herring
(01/01/20 10:22pm)
by Anthony Herring
Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
On May 25, 1977, the world—or should I say, the galaxy—was introduced to a groundbreaking sci-fi film called Star Wars. Chronicling the epic adventure of a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, the film opened to critical and commercial acclaim, with critics and audiences alike falling in love with the galaxy far, far away. Such a massive success spawned two beloved sequels, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. This trilogy of films was eventually labeled as the “original trilogy” upon creator George Lucas’ announcement that he was going to start creating a prequel trilogy in the late 1990s. This trilogy consists of 1999’s The Phantom Menace, 2002’s Attack of the Clones, and 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Unlike the adoration that fans give the original trilogy, the prequels weren’t as positively received---although in the years since, many have come around on them.
The sequel trilogy succeeded the prequels, starting with 2015’s The Force Awakens and continuing with 2017’s The Last Jedi. Overall, many fans are mixed on this trilogy, with many loving it for feeling like classic Star Wars, and with many others hating it for its missed opportunities, weird creative decisions, etc. Despite that, the trilogy has been quite successful, bringing the franchise to new heights. With those heights comes this year’s The Rise of Skywalker, which was advertised as being the final chapter of not only this trilogy but the nine-film “Skywalker Saga” as a whole. Now, when the film works, it truly excels, but when it doesn’t work, it really, really does not.
War! (huh, yeah…)
The Rise of Skywalker firmly establishes that the Resistance, the heroes of this trilogy, are engulfed in a violent war with the First Order, led by the villainous Kylo Ren. We also find out that Emperor Palpatine—presumed to have been killed at the end of Return of the Jedi—has actually survived and been preparing to take over the galaxy himself, using the First Order as a puppet to do so. While it was fun seeing Palpatine again, and being played with such joy by Ian McDiarmid, the film doesn’t bother explaining just how he managed to survive all these years. We first meet him on a planet called Exegol, where he is attached to all kinds of mechanical devices. A simple line of dialogue would’ve fixed this problem, but there was none to be heard.
Palpatine’s return also brings forth a massive story issue. Towards the end of the first act, it is revealed that Palpatine shares a familial connection with another character, and this completely unravels a story decision made in The Last Jedi. That film illustrated that even though a certain character came from nothing, he/she was still capable of accomplishing something. With The Rise of Skywalker, that idea is retconned into a “shocking twist,” which admittedly was shocking, but for all the wrong reasons. It felt like I was watching poorly written fanfiction that startling came to life.
The film’s pacing suffers as well. With such a tense story—mixed with a race-against-the-clock structure—there were many instances where so much information was explained with very little time to digest it. First, we find out that a Sith wayfinder that can lead Kylo Ren to Exegol. Then, we discover the true family of Rey (our protagonist). After that, more is revealed about Palpatine’s plans. Also, we uncover additional info about the First Order’s stormtrooper program! It’s almost like getting hit by a large tidal wave five minutes ago, only to be hit by three more since then. It’s both frustrating and overwhelming.
The Force is Strong Here—thank goodness
Fortunately, the cast and their performances--for the most part--fare much better. I must begin with Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey. Ever since ‘The Force Awakens,’ Ridley has done a wonderful job in illustrating her character’s stubborn determination and almost-obsessive fixation on who her family is. The Rise of Skywalker throws an irritating curveball Rey’s way in terms of her character development, but Ridley uses this as an opportunity to create significant emotional depth and provide a gratifying end to Rey’s character arc.
Adam Driver’s performance as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is worth mentioning as well. Like Ridley, Driver has done truly amazing work with Kylo’s character, bringing to life a hugely tormented young man. Unlike with Rey, the film uses Kylo’s character in a far more compelling manner, allowing Driver to deliver another brilliant performance. A scene where Kylo shares an intimate moment with another character onboard the wreckage of the second Death Star is a testament to such a performance.
Some of the other cast members, such as John Boyega and Oscar Issac, are also delightful to watch, further developing their respective characters (Finn and Poe Dameron). However, other members, such as Kelly Marie Tran (Resistance engineer Rose Tico) have barely any screen time, feeling nothing more than a glorified cameo. Even Carrie Fisher’s role--weaved rather well into the overall film using archival footage from The Force Awakens--feels very minimal, despite playing a very crucial role in the film’s story.
Let the Past Die? Yeah...no
As the final entry in the Skywalker Saga, The Rise of Skywalker is chock full of Easter eggs and references to past ‘Star Wars’ films. As a fan of the franchise myself, I couldn’t help but to love practically every single allusion. The fact that some voice actors from the animated ‘Star Wars’ TV shows actually reprised their roles in a brief scene put a dumb grin on my face.
What made these references so special was that some didn’t feel like fan service at all. Instead, they actually helped to make the film more memorable, adding some much needed depth. For example, Luke Skywalker returns to the film as a Force-ghost, giving some Jedi wisdom to Rey. After he succeeds in doing so, Luke manages to complete a lesson that Master Yoda tried to teach him decades earlier. The scene was beautifully done, with Mark Hamill’s performance as Luke and John Williams’ excellent orchestral score helping to illustrate such a powerful moment for the character and bring Luke’s training full circle.
Despite that, the film also had a tendency to use fan service as a bit of crutch. When these points happened during the film, it easily took me out of it. For instance, Chewbacca actually receives a medal of heroism, which is an obvious reference to the fact that he didn't get one for helping to destroy the Death Star in A New Hope. Rather than feeling earned, this felt more like the writers of The Rise of Skywalker were telling us that "Hey, remember when Chewbacca didn't get that medal? Well...we gave it to him! You happy?"
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(12/22/19 9:07pm)
Over the past 15 years or so, you might have heard of a writer/director named Rian Johnson. His first film, 2005’s Brick, was a small, independent venture that soon became a cult classic, and helped to establish Johnson as a unique up-and-comer. His subsequent directorial efforts, such as three episodes of the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad and the breakout film Looper, practically made Johnson into a name that people were familiar with, but wasn’t quite a household one yet.
(12/13/19 6:06pm)
by Anthony Herring
Over the past 15 years or so, you might have heard of a writer/director named Rian Johnson. His first film, 2005’s Brick, was a small, independent venture that soon became a cult classic, and helped to establish Johnson as a unique up-and-comer. His subsequent directorial efforts, such as three episodes of the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad and the breakout film Looper, practically made Johnson into a name that people were familiar with, but wasn’t quite a household one yet.
That all changed in 2017, when his newest film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi released. While it did receive acclaim from critics, it completely divided the franchise’s fanbase. While many fans considered it to be one of the best—if not the best—Star Wars film, others outright hated it, believing that Johnson took far too many creative liberties with iconic characters, and even went so far as to say that the director “ruined their childhoods.” Despite the polarizing response to The Last Jedi, Johnson’s career continued to flourish, having secured a writing/directing credit on a new Star Wars trilogy (which has yet to be officially announced).
In the meantime, Johnson has gone back to making original films, such as Knives Out. The film, acting as a homage to classic “whodunits” from the 1970s and 1980s, follows a private investigator named Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Blanc’s task is to figure out who was responsible for the death of Harlan Thrombey—played by Christopher Plummer—the wealthy head of the Thrombey/Drysdale family. With crafting this caper, Johnson definitely stuck the landing—albeit with a couple minor stumbles.
Greatness from slow beginnings
While I would consider the first act (the first thirty to thirty-five minutes) to be one of the film’s weaker elements, it possesses many moments where it was very well-executed and illustrates its importance toward the overall story; for starters, the opening credits. Set to the backdrop of composer Nathan Johnson’s whimsical score, the film introduces the beautiful and secluded mansion in which the Thrombey family resides. Excellent camera work is on display here, showing off many of the wonderfully decorated rooms that the home contains. Minutes later, we are treated to a surprisingly graphic depiction of Harlan Thrombey’s corpse in the attic, with a bloody arc across his neck.
Shortly after this, the film’s pacing slows down considerably, and we are gradually introduced to the members of the Thrombey/Drysdale clan, such as Harlan’s son-in-law, Richard Drysdale (played by Don Johnson) and Harlan’s daughter-in-law, Joni Thrombey (played by Toni Collette). I found Joni's introduction to be extremely amusing, as she was an influencer on Instagram and a lifestyle guru, which may or may not be parodying Gwyneth Paltrow and her "Goop" brand. Now, while the pacing here was a bit idle, I couldn’t help but to be engaged. The more I learned about these characters and the possible circumstances behind Harlan’s death, the more I found myself actively enjoying what I was watching, with a smile growing on my face.
All in the family
What truly elevates Knives Out is its cast, and with the likes of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Shannon, I expected nothing less. Most of the cast members—save for a few that either had little screen time or weren’t as developed—bring their A-game here. Daniel Craig brings a comical, Southern drawl to Benoit Blanc. Chris Evans brings a snarky smugness to his character, Hugh “Ransom” Drysdale. Toni Collette brings a hilariously ditzy charm to Joni Thrombey. With such a unique collection of characters that were delightfully performed, the Thrombey/Drysdale family were brought to dazzling life.
One performance that truly surprised me was that of Ana de Armas, of Blade Runner 2049 fame. She plays Marta Cabrera, the good-hearted caretaker of Harlan Thrombey. The film greatly focuses on her character—where we learn that she is the daughter of an undocumented immigrant—and works as a caretaker to support her family. Armas brought a significant emotional weight to the film, portraying Marta in such a warm-hearted and innocent light. As a result of this, it was very easy to empathize with her when the circumstances involving her grew more and more chaotic.
Surely you can’t be serious
What makes Knives Out stand out from your traditional murder-mystery is that it isn’t an extremely serious one. In fact, the film utilizes a lot of effective comedy, namely through the characters and their personalities. For example, there is a scene where Linda Drysdale, Jamie Lee Curtis’s character, outright begins to swear at Marta, due to an important plot development. While Linda’s actions were off-putting to see, especially since Marta had a strong bond with the family, it was comedic in the manner in which Curtis performed it. Another strong moment of comedy was when the family was bickering amongst themselves over Harlan’s will, and hilariously risqué secrets about Jacob Thrombey (played by It star Jaeden Martell) were revealed. Overall, Johnson’s use of comedy helped to create an off-kilter tone to the film, which was extremely beneficial in the long run.
However, the humor does have its flaws. While it comes more naturally when based upon characters interacting and their personalities conflicting, there are other times when a character just spouts an awkward one-liner out of nowhere. Not only were they unfunny, but they caused the film to practically grind to a halt just so the joke can be told. This problem also occurs when the film alludes to modern-day things, such as Google, Instagram, and even the Trump Administration, which caused jarring but small tonal shifts.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(08/15/19 10:00pm)
The ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise has had fuel in its tank since 2001, having seen the release of eight feature films. The series began rather simply, with the first film depicting Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at odds with one another over illegal drag races. This tradition continued for the next three films, before switching gears into a more action-heavy series with ‘Fast Five’ in 2011. This change has proven to be a beneficial one, as audiences had grown attracted to the ludicrous fare that this series has given them. Recent installments such as ‘Furious 7’ and ‘The Fate of the Furious’ have also grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.
(08/11/19 4:00pm)
by Anthony Herring
The ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise has had fuel in its tank since 2001, having seen the release of eight feature films. The series began rather simply, with the first film depicting Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at odds with one another over illegal drag races. This tradition continued for the next three films, before switching gears into a more action-heavy series with ‘Fast Five’ in 2011. This change has proven to be a beneficial one, as audiences had grown attracted to the ludicrous fare that this series has given them. Recent installments such as ‘Furious 7’ and ‘The Fate of the Furious’ have also grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.
That leads us to this newest film: ‘Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw.’ This one acts as the ninth overall installment of the franchise, but as a spin-off, not a sequel to ‘The Fate of the Furious.’ ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ brings back franchise veterans Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, respectively. The duo finds themselves having to team up to prevent a virus from being unleashed upon the world. As per the typical ‘Fast and Furious’ film, there is exhilarating action, goofy one-liners, a dash of stupidity, and a working engine present.
It takes two (or three) to make a 2018 McLaren 720S Coupe go right
The best element of ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ by far is the palpable chemistry between Johnson and Statham. While we got a mere glimpse into their dynamic back in ‘The Fate of the Furious,’ this film goes all in. For pretty much the entire duration of the film, the titular duo constantly berate one another while fighting the bad guys and trying to save the world. While the consistent banter between the two is quite entertaining--and even funny at times--at around the film’s halfway point, the shtick starts to grow a bit stale. Unfortunately, it became obvious that the same jokes and insults were going to be recycled over and over again, and you just have to sit there and push through them.
Despite that, the addition of Vanessa Kirby, who plays Deckard’s sister Hattie, helps to keep the dynamic a bit fresh. When compared to Johnson and Statham, Kirby takes things a bit more seriously, which added some much needed urgency to the story at hand. Not only that, but the relationship that Kirby and Statham’s characters share as siblings revealed some interesting aspects of their past, such as how they have clever maneuvers for robbing people. However, the film tries its hardest to force Kirby into a relationship with Johnson, which was detrimental since the two of them shared little chemistry.
Mr. Elba, you were going well past the speed limit
The main villain of the film is criminal mastermind Brixton Lore (yes, that is his actual name), who was played by Idris Elba. The character was advertised as being a soldier equipped with biomechanical upgrades that gave him enhanced durability, super strength, and an internal computer system that allowed him to analyze his enemies. Such upgrades caused Brixton to dub himself “Black Superman” (although he’s more of a Cyborg or a black Captain America, but I digress). His goal throughout the film was to help the secretive organization known as Eteon, whose goal was to prevent humanity’s extinction through augmenting the strong in order to eliminate the weak (this is real, I am not joking), and the virus I mentioned earlier would help in completing that goal.
Sadly, everything involving Brixton and Eteon were the weakest elements of the film. Even by usual ‘Fast and Furious’ standards, these elements were a bit too ridiculous, and even generic. There have been many films in the past in which the main antagonist would believe that humanity needed to be wiped out or augmented or culled or what have you in order to save the planet, and Eteon was no exception. The ridiculousness comes in through Brixton himself, as his augmentations made him almost out-of-place, feeling more like the villain out of a ‘Kingsman’ film. Despite that, Brixton’s character could’ve actually benefited from a more outlandish personality, as Elba played him too straight-faced. There were little moments where Elba did try to go the extra mile, but he frequently held it back.
Green means go
Thankfully, ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ delivers on its action scenes. This comes as no surprise since David Leitch, the director of ‘Deadpool 2’ and ‘Atomic Blonde,’ directed this film. While the seemingly contractually obligated car chase sequences were borderline insane--particularly one that occurs near the end of the film--they were very entertaining to watch. The best of these sequences involved Hobbs and the Shaw siblings driving through the streets of London in order to escape Brixton and several Eteon operatives. It was frantic and exhilarating, containing a neat little trick that Brixton did with his motorcycle that I won't spoil here.
On the whole, the hand-to-hand combat scenes were far better. The weight and impact of each hit was evident, and these scenes were notable highlights. One involving Statham fighting Eteon operatives in an apartment immediately comes to mind.
You get a car, and you get a car, and you get a car!
Much like how Oprah surprised her audience that fateful day with a car for each of them, ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ delivers some surprises of its own. For starters, there are several celebrity cameos in the film that are played entirely for comedy. The cameos actually happen several times throughout the film by the same actors, and the pacing tended to grind to a halt when these occurred. The other surprise that was present was the inclusion of some backstory for Hobbs, as more information about his family is given. Unfortunately, that backstory is cliched and generic, as it uses the tired “sibling is angry with main character for abandoning family years ago” plot point.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(07/29/19 8:00pm)
by Anthony Herring
Tuesday, July 2nd saw the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the whopping twenty-third installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film acts as the final film of the franchise’s Phase Three, and the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, which are the first three phases as a whole. In the film, Peter Parker and his classmates go on a trip to Europe, where Peter hopes to have a normal summer vacation after the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame. However, things quickly derail when Nick Fury and Maria Hill task Peter with working alongside Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio (an interdimensional warrior), in order to stop four Elemental creatures from destroying the planet.
As per the usual MCU standard, Far From Home has one mid-credits scene and one post-credits scene. Now, while the typical formula would be to have the mid-credits scene actually tease a future film and the post-credits scene played just for comedy, the ones present in Far From Home actually tease potential films while also using comedy.
Let’s start off with the mid-credits scene. Beginning shortly after Peter and his girlfriend MJ stopped web-swinging through the streets of New York City, they, along with numerous other people, find themselves watching a news report on a billboard. The report shows footage of Mysterio claiming that Peter—who had successfully defeated him in London at the end of the film—was actually the one attacking the city. The footage ends with Mysterio revealing that Peter is Spider-Man, with our hero comically about to swear as the credits roll.
Such a bombshell isn’t new to Peter Parker, as his identity being revealed to the world has happened in the comics, most notably during the 2006 Civil War event. During that, Peter willingly chose to reveal his identity, which had disastrous consequences for not only himself, but also his loved ones. That soon led to the infamous 2007 One More Day storyline, where Peter made a deal with a demon named Mephisto which allowed his identity to become a secret once more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wOxfJlBbSU
While it is impossible to go the Civil War route (as the storyline was already adapted into Captain America: Civil War back in 2016), and extremely unwise to go the One More Day route (Marvel fans would loathe this), it would be more practical to have this lead into the introduction of Kraven the Hunter in the next Spider-Man film. In the comics, Kraven is a hunter that seeks to track down and kill Spider-Man in order to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world. For the MCU, the next film could have Peter be a fugitive on the run, with Kraven acting as a bounty hunter obsessed with finding him. Should the film want, it could potentially have a post-credits scene where it’s revealed that Kraven was hired by a major corporation—say Oscorp, an infamous company from the comics—which could help make things direr in Spider-Man’s future.
Now onto the post-credits scene. Fury and Hill are driving down an empty street, sitting in silence while listening to music. Things turn interesting when they transform into their real selves, the Skrulls known as Talos and Soren, respectively. (The alien couple was first introduced in the ‘Captain Marvel’ solo film, as refugees that were looking for a new home after the warlike Kree Empire destroyed their old one). Soren tells Talos that he needs to contact Fury and tell him about what happened with Peter and Mysterio, and after some light banter, the latter relents. The scene cuts to Fury, who received Talos’ message. In yet another reveal, Fury walks into the hangar bay of a large spaceship, visibly tired, and tells its inhabitants that there is work that needs to be done.
The biggest concept that this post-credit scene could potentially hint at is the establishment of SWORD (Sentient World Observation and Response Department). In the comics, SWORD is an intelligence agency dedicated to protecting the Earth from alien threats. Due to this, the organization essentially acts as the interplanetary version of SHIELD (Strategic Homeland, Intervention, and Logistics Division), which dealt with more Earth-based problems. Since Nick Fury is at the forefront of his potential development, it is possible that he could be developing SWORD as not only a replacement for SHIELD (which is effectively defunct at this point within the MCU), but also as a way to create a new team of heroes to defend the Earth (the Avengers are also defunct at this point).
If this happens, it is possible that Captain Marvel might be the leader of this new team, as she has spent the past several decades in space, protecting planets that have been affected by the Kree-Skrull War. Not only that, but her friendship with Fury may also aid matters as well. Last but not least, the inclusion of SWORD within the MCU can help introduce a plethora of space-based characters into the universe, such as Richard Rider (a hero that calls himself Nova), and Galactus (a gigantic, planet-devouring alien).
It was hard to picture Spider-Man: Far From Home having such important post-credits scenes, especially since this is on a much smaller scale when compared to Avengers: Endgame. Alas, here we are, with two scenes that could push the Marvel Cinematic Universe into new and fascinating directions.
Sources: YouTube,
Featured Image: Deseret News
(06/14/19 9:00pm)
by Anthony Herring
20th Century Fox's staple comic book franchise has always been the X-Men, a group of mutant superheroes that protect ordinary humans (we don't talk about the Fantastic Four). The first X-Men, which was released back in 2000, helped to usher in the current era of superhero films, thanks to its serious tone and well-casted lead actors. As the years went on, the franchise has had its ups and downs, with installments such as Logan receiving critical acclaim, and others such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine being critically panned.
Unfortunately, things started to look rather murky for the X-Men several years ago, as Fox as a company began to engage in talks with Disney and Comcast in regard to a possible merger. Talks with Comcast fell through, and Disney—which owns the rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe—ended up being the victor. With the merger going through earlier this year, the Fox-era of the X-Men franchise has drawn to a close, with Dark Phoenix set to have it go out with a bang. It's a shame that it went out with a small bang and some very loud whimpers.
First act highs
The first act of the film is one of its strongest elements. Here, viewers discover that the film is set in 1992, nine years after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, and that the titular team is renowned as heroes. They go on missions on a very frequent basis, regular people love them, and merchandise has even been made for them. As per the ending of Apocalypse, the X-Men are comprised of Mystique, Beast, Cyclops, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Jean Grey, with Professor Charles Xavier acting as their leader. I enjoyed seeing the X-Men in such a positive light, as previous films often depicted them as being despised.
Not only that, but this act is able to create quite the interesting conflict between Mystique and Charles. After returning from a mission to space—in which Jean nearly died—Mystique confronts the professor, claiming that he is using the X-Men to fuel his ego. Charles refutes this, saying that the X-Men are a way of "keeping the peace" between humans and mutants. What made this conflict interesting is that it begins to show Charles in a more antagonistic light and paint him as a manipulative character. Unfortunately, this actually interesting conflict is gradually dropped in favor of the more derivative Phoenix storyline.
Here we go again
Speaking of the Phoenix, it acts as the central plot of the film. Going back to the space mission that I mentioned earlier, the X-Men were tasked with rescuing the crew of a space shuttle from a solar flare. It turns out that this flare was actually an entity known as the "Phoenix," which possesses a large amount of power and energy. Jean absorbs the Phoenix, which turns her into a threat to humanity as she cannot control the large amount of cosmic energy within her.
Whenever the film focuses on Jean and her predicament, Dark Phoenix grinds to a halt and feels derivative. For example, Jean goes back to her childhood home to confront her past, with the X-Men meeting up with her to help bring her back. While this sequence has wonderful action set pieces, it reminds me of a similar scene from X-Men: The Last Stand, which also dealt with Jean and the Phoenix at her childhood home. To make matters even more frustrating, both sequences end in tragedy, with the one in Dark Phoenix falling flat because of its imitative nature. It's quite sad knowing that this film actually did something worse than The Last Stand.
Oh, the brutality
If there is another positive element that I can discuss, it's the film's action scenes. I went into Dark Phoenix expecting action scenes that were adequate at best (I'm looking at you X-Men: Apocalypse), but I'm thankful that this film proved me wrong. The creative ways that the X-Men and other mutants—such as Magneto—used their abilities to fight enemies was very exciting to see, and the surprising amount of ferocity to them added an extra layer of enjoyment.
Push it to the limit (but not really)
Some of Fox's X-Men films have grown quite notorious for not taking full advantage of comic book storylines, as they forcefully grounded them in reality. As a result, certain stories that have been told, such as the Phoenix Saga in The Last Stand, were very tame when compared to their comic book counterparts. That same storyline as depicted in this film doesn’t go down the realistic route that it did back then, as it actually delves into the wackier elements of the comic book version. For example, when Jean is looking for answers about what the Phoenix is, another character (whom I won’t spoil here) gives her a detailed account of what the Phoenix specifically is. I found this to be a suitable departure from how The Last Stand depicted it, but I feel that it didn’t go the extra leaps and bounds that it should’ve, as this storyline soon doubled back into way-too-familiar territory by the end of the film.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(06/03/19 1:11am)
Everyone knows the story of Superman: Kryptonian infant Kal-El was sent to Earth by his parents when his home planet was destroyed. Landing in the town of Smallville, Kansas, he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark and raised him as their own son. As Clark grew older, he discovered that he had powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men. He decided to use said powers for good and became the world’s greatest superhero.
(06/01/19 12:00am)
by Anthony Herring
Everyone knows the story of Superman: Kryptonian infant Kal-El was sent to Earth by his parents when his home planet was destroyed. Landing in the town of Smallville, Kansas, he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark and raised him as their own son. As Clark grew older, he discovered that he had powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men. He decided to use said powers for good and became the world’s greatest superhero.
Do not expect such a role model in Brightburn. In the film’s trailers and promotional material, viewers were treated to a very twisted take on Clark Kent. Rather than use his powers to help people, 12-year-old protagonist Brandon Breyer (portrayed by Jackson A. Dunn) uses them for pure evil, causing misery and destruction to anyone that wrongs him. This kid ain’t no Superman, and thankfully, such a character provides an unique and horrifying spin on such an iconic figure.
First act blues
The first act is by far the weakest aspect of Brightburn, with it representing the age-old phrase of “been there, done that.” I mean this literally, as there are elements in this act that are quite generic and predictable. For example, during a scene in which Brandon is at school, a kid picks on him after he answers his teacher’s question in a rather intelligent manner. The kid calls Brandon a “loser,” and the whole class proceeds to laugh at the jab. Despite that, the scene ends on a hopeful note, as Caitlyn, a girl in the class, tells Brandon that, “smart guys are cooler anyway.” The whole scene felt like it was ripped out of a cheesy TV show, which made it all the more expected.
To make matters worse, the Breyer family themselves—whom I will talk about in more detail soon—suffer from the same level of predictability during this part of the film. In scenes where we see Brandon’s parents, Tori and Kyle (portrayed by Elizabeth Banks and David Denman, respectively), they talk about things that were to be expected from the first act of a film such as this, like how they and Brandon should go on a vacation in the foreseeable future, and how one of these scenes would end with them giggling and kissing.
Familial ties
Despite what I mentioned earlier, the Breyer family dynamic serves as one of the strongest aspects of Brightburn, once the first act runs its course. Once Brandon starts his evil rampage, the scenes shared between the family are not only well-acted by Banks, Denman, and Dunn, but very intense as well. One scene that I particularly enjoyed was when Tori and Kyle confronted Brandon about the death of a character (which I won’t spoil here). While Tori and Kyle were emotionally affected by the incident, Brandon showed no emotion about it whatsoever. This lack of a reaction caused Kyle to lash out at him, and the confrontation ended with Brandon using his super strength to push his father. Such a scene really illustrated just how Brandon’s actions were affecting the family as a whole, and I was pleased that quite a few of these scenes existed in the film.
Another familial aspect of Brightburn that I found to be compelling was the relationship developed between Tori and Brandon. From the beginning, it was established that out of her and Kyle, Tori was the one most desperate to have a child. With this, the film goes out of its way to show how much Brandon means to her, and the lengths she is willing to go to protect her son from those that wish to damage his reputation. Now, while that side of the relationship works in the earlier parts of the film, it soon becomes quite sour once Brandon fully becomes evil. Once that change occurred, I found it laughable that Tori would continue to defend him when it was highly evident that he was killing people and he was too far gone to be redeemed.
The Man of No Tomorrow
Speaking of Brandon, his evil streak was another entertaining aspect of the film. The absolutely horrible atrocities that he commits during Brightburn clearly illustrate the fact that this 12-year-old isn’t capable of doing good at all. Not only that, but it goes to show that such a figure is a major threat to everyone that he comes across.
However, I felt that Brandon becoming evil could have benefitted from more of an internal conflict on his end. Once he starts to hurt people—which stems from being bullied and another external force that I won’t spoil—Brandon shows no remorse, nor does he question his actions. As I said before, Brandon is only 12 years old, and his age does play a pretty substantial role in the film, but only in terms of him going through puberty. The film should’ve gone further with this, having Brandon’s age and puberty causing him to question why he’s hurting people and if he could stop if he chose to do so.
Don't cross his path
Since Brightburn is rated R, the film took full advantage of that. I was expecting brutal violence to be present here, but not to the highly graphic extent that the film truly had. People are crushed, thrown into walls, burned and more. If you are uncomfortable with said brutality, prepare to wince upon the horrific actions that Brightburn puts on full display.
In addition to that, the film makes use of classic horror movie elements, such as building tension and making use of disturbing imagery. For example, in a scene where Brandon stalks a woman in a diner, the woman is entirely alone as the lights flicker. She grows more terrified as the windows become enveloped in fog, with Brandon eventually attacking her, his face covered with an unsettling homemade mask. Scenes like this show themselves several times throughout the film, cementing the horror angle that it is tackling.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(04/18/19 5:01pm)
by Anthony Herring
The science-fiction based Star Wars franchise has been going strong since May 1977, and it shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. In the years since Disney bought the franchise from its creator, George Lucas, we’ve seen the creation of a sequel trilogy–with its final installment being released this December–two new video games in the popular Star Wars Battlefront series, two new TV shows, and a slew of new novels and comic books. However, there is one aspect of the franchise that has been around since the pre-Disney days: Star Wars Celebration.
This convention first began back in 1999, where it celebrated the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Approximately 12 celebrations have occurred since then, with this year’s Chicago-based one being the 13th. This year’s celebration was held from Thursday, April 11th to Monday, April 15th in McCormick Place, a convention center south of downtown Chicago.
https://youtu.be/n8OwhmRaTNA?list=PL148kCvXk8pDbF6fs3PUYRcVaqx7Z2Z3r
Since Thursday acted as a sort of introductory day for attendees to get acclimated to the convention, panels did not occur until Friday. On that day, the first panel was for Star Wars: Episode IX. The host of this panel was The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, and he asked questions to the cast and crew of Episode IX, which included director JJ Abrams, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, actress Daisy Ridley, actor John Boyega and more. At the end of the panel, the film’s teaser trailer was shown, revealing the title of the film to be The Rise of Skywalker. The two remaining panels that happened were the ones for Vader Immortal, a virtual reality game where you play at the famous Sith Lord. The other was Lucasfilm Publishing, which announced many new novels that will be releasing over the course of the year.
Saturday also had three panels, beginning with one that discussed the upcoming theme park Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The panel was hosted by actor Josh Gad, who also hosted the panel for The Last Jedi at the 2017 celebration. It discussed how the park actually has a substantial place in Star Wars canon, as the park is set on the planet Batuu and connects to novels that will be released later this year. Later on that day, the next panel was held, with this one discussing the upcoming video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. At the panel, a trailer was shown, revealing that the game will follow young ex-Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, who is trying to survive after the events of the Jedi Purge (which was depicted in the 2005 film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). The final panel was labeled as Rebels Remembered, which acted as a look-back on the show Star Wars Rebels, which ended last March.
Sunday’s panels began with one about the upcoming The Mandalorian TV show, which will debut on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+, this November. The panel saw the likes of creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and cast members Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano and Carl Weathers, who revealed new details about the show, such as that it’ll be set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and will be set on the outer fringes of the galaxy. Later on that day, there was a panel about the return of the popular show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where its seventh and final season will also see its debut on Disney+ this November. Hosted by frequent Star Wars actor Warwick Davis, this panel saw Dave Filoni in attendance again, this time accompanied by cast members Ashley Eckstein, Sam Witwer, Dee Bradley Baker, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter and more. Certain details were revealed about the season, including story arcs that involved a squad referred to as the “Bad Batch,” and the “Siege of Mandalore,” a very important part of Star Wars canon.
Monday saw only two panels. The first one celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, with Warwick Davis once again hosting. Cast members Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, Anthony Daniels, and Ahmed Best were in attendance, where they shared stories about their experiences while shooting the film. This panel was quite humorous, as Daniels and Davis joked around with each other quite a bit. The final panel of the day–and of the celebration itself–was one that shared a preview of the second season of the Star Wars Resistance TV show, with cast members such as Donald Faison and Bobby Moynihan in attendance.
Now, despite the high coverage of panels at this year’s celebration, that wasn’t the only thing present at the convention. In between panels, the hosts of the popular The Star Wars Show, Andi Gutierrez and Anthony Carboni, held interviews with many famous Star Wars icons, such as Dave Filoni, Ian McDiarmid and Ahmed Best. Celebration also had booths where attendees were able to meet their favorite authors, such as Claudia Gray and Timothy Zahn, who wrote the new Star Wars books Master and Apprentice and Thrawn: Treason, respectively. Stores were present as well, where attendees could purchase memorabilia, such as posters, costumes and toy lightsabers. Last but certainly not least, attendees were more than welcome to actually dress up at their favorite characters, such as Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala and more.
This Star Wars Celebration was a rousing success, having a variety of panels that covered many facets of the Star Wars franchise. It appears that 2019 is a great year to be a fan of this franchise.
Sources: YouTube
Images: Los Angeles Times
Featured Image: Los Angeles Times
(04/05/19 7:30pm)
The wacky, time-traveling antics of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’–which happens to be the lightest aspect of the CW’s ‘Arrowverse’–returns Monday, April first. So, now would be a very good time to do a recap of the first half of the show’s fourth season. Let’s go, Legends! The season began with the Legends–Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Nate Heywood, Zari Tomaz, Mick Rory and Wally West–vacationing in Aruba, having just defeated the powerful demon Mallus (the main antagonist of the previous season). However, their vacation was interrupted by John Constantine, who revealed that by stopping Mallus, the Legends accidentally opened a doorway that allowed other supernatural forces to wreak havoc on the timeline.
(04/05/19 6:00pm)
by Anthony Herring
The wacky, time-traveling antics of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’–which happens to be the lightest aspect of the CW’s ‘Arrowverse’–returns Monday, April first. So, now would be a very good time to do a recap of the first half of the show’s fourth season. Let’s go, Legends! The season began with the Legends–Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Nate Heywood, Zari Tomaz, Mick Rory and Wally West–vacationing in Aruba, having just defeated the powerful demon Mallus (the main antagonist of the previous season). However, their vacation was interrupted by John Constantine, who revealed that by stopping Mallus, the Legends accidentally opened a doorway that allowed other supernatural forces to wreak havoc on the timeline.
With this new information, the Legends, with the help of Constantine and the Time Bureau, form an organization dedicated to keeping the timeline intact and proceed to hunt down these supernatural fugitives. As the first half of the season progressed, the Legends managed to capture and stop several of these fugitives.
The fugitives themselves were quite unique, as they included the likes of a murderous unicorn, an evil fairy godmother and a crazy, talking puppet. However, one of these fugitives, a shape-shifter named Charlie, soon joins the Legends after taking the form of Amaya Jiwe/Vixen, a former member of the team. After Charlie becomes a member, more about Constantine’s past is revealed; before the events of this season, he was involved in a romantic encounter with a barkeep named Desmond.
Constantine fell in love with Desmond, and actually began a relationship with him. However, tragedy struck when a demon named Neron–who was hunting Constantine–came after the two. Desmond formed a bond with Neron in order to save Constantine, and Constantine was forced to send both of them to Hell in order to prevent Neron from causing destruction on Earth. This broke Constantine so much that he, along with Charlie, went back to the point where Constantine and Desmond had first met. Constantine’s goal in doing this was to save Desmond from his inevitable fate.
Constantine successfully drives off Desmond, but this drastically alters the timeline. He tries multiple other methods to drive off Desmond without drastic effects, but each alteration results in more bizarre circumstances, such as the Legends becoming known at one point as the Custodians of Chronology–a more trigger-happy version of themselves. Constantine realizes that he and Desmond falling in love is a fixed point in the timeline, so he decides to let events transpire the way they are supposed to.
https://youtu.be/7fz85uUGMWA
The first half of the season ends with Hank Heywood, Nate’s father and man in charge of funding for the Time Bureau, playing a game of golf. The surprising thing about this is that Hank is playing golf with Desmond (who is still possessed by Neron, and has somehow found his way back to Earth).
As a whole, the first half of this season was a crazy one. We were introduced to several new characters, such as Hank and Desmond, whose roles here offered new dynamics to the show as a whole. Not only that, but the revelation that Desmond has managed to find his way back to Earth created an interesting cliffhanger; how did Desmond return? What will happen when the Legends and Constantine find out about this? I guess there’s only one way to find out: waiting until April first, when DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns on the CW!
Sources: YouTube
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: TvOvermind
(03/15/19 5:45pm)
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Captain Marvel.
(03/13/19 9:53pm)
by Anthony Herring
Disclaimers: This review contains spoilers for Captain Marvel.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong for almost eleven years now. We’ve seen a man suit up in high-tech armor. We’ve seen a man become not only a super soldier but the symbol of America. We’ve seen a high-powered god channel lightning through his comically large hammer. Heck, we’ve even seen a talking tree and raccoon travel across the universe, kicking butt and taking names. Needless to say, audiences have seen a lot of varied--and straight up Strange--characters as time went on.
Even after all these years, the MCU shows no signs of stopping. Last year alone, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp have raked in a total of $4 billion at the box office. Not only that, but these three films have introduced audiences to a plethora of new characters and locales, with Wakanda as a notable example. Now, from the looks of it, this year will be no exception.
That leads me to the newest installment of the MCU: Captain Marvel. Set in 1995, the film introduces the world to Carol Danvers, a woman who finds herself in the center of an intergalactic war between two alien races: the Kree and the Skrulls. The film was originally announced in October 2014 as part of the MCU’s Phase Three lineup, with Brie Larson cast as the titular character two years later.
A lot’s riding on this film, as Captain Marvel is the MCU’s first female-led film, along with the fact that Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, says that the character will be at the forefront of the franchise in the future.
A game of ‘Twister’
When asked about the film before its release, Kevin Feige had stated that the film will not be “your conventional origin story.” He was completely right and this aspect of the film worked entirely in its benefit. At the beginning of the film, we find Carol Danvers as a member of the Kree special forces unit known as the Starforce. However, while this has been happening, Carol has been experiencing these violent, yet surprisingly incoherent flashbacks that illustrated pivotal moments from her past. These flashbacks rear their head at several points during the film, and they were quite effective in detailing who Carol was before she found herself as a member of the Starforce.
Despite the wealth of visual storytelling from these flashbacks, they do not detail as much as I would’ve liked about Carol’s past. For instance, certain parts of them depict her as a child, but they were too brief to get me interested in her childhood. Since I’m on that topic, I would’ve liked to see more from her childhood to get an idea on why she made the choices that she did that would lead her into the woman she became.
These flashbacks also reveal certain twists and turns that I will not spoil here. Unfortunately, these twists were quite predictable, particularly one involving the villain, who was marketed as the fearsome Skrull known as Talos (played by Ben Mendelsohn). This twist revealed that Talos wasn’t actually the villain as previously believed. That role belonged to the person responsible for making Carol a member of the Starforce, Yon-Rogg (played by Jude Law). I found Yon-Rogg to very uncompelling as a character as he was quite boring in terms of writing and performance. On the other hand, Talos was far better, as the writing for him made his character far more sympathetic, and Mendelsohn’s performance was fun and nuanced.
Earth to Captain Marvel, come in Captain Marvel
