“WandaVision In Review”

The first of many Marvel Disney+ shows has just recently concluded.  With fan theories running rampant, and twists and turns during almost every episode, it isn’t surprising that WandaVision was so successful.  However, the show is not without its own issues as nothing can ever be quite perfect.  Below is our spoiler-filled review of WandaVision.

My first impression when watching the early (first two) episodes of WandaVision was confusion.  I had a hard time trying to determine why Disney and Marvel would take us on a nostalgia tour through classic television series featuring two underserved and underutilized Avengers.  I have to admit, I wasn’t overly invested in the project in the beginning.  I enjoyed the references to The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched, but I honestly didn’t care much for it past that point.  Despite this, I kept watching for curiosity’s sake, and it certainly paid off.

When it becomes clear that Wanda is more in control of this reality than was initially assumed, I was hooked.  I’m a big fan of Wanda Maximoff as a character.  In the comics she has been a force to be reckoned with and the Marvel Cinematic Universe hadn’t seized the opportunity to really utilize her until this point.  It was exciting to see Wanda use her powers in a way we hadn’t gotten to see on screen before, and the ending definitely implies that this is just the tip of the iceberg for her.

As someone who has been critical of Vision in both comics and film, I have to say that this did wonders for his character as well.  We finally get to see a more “human” side of the synthezoid.  That said, it’s hard to determine how real this side of him was, as he’s technically a manifestation of Wanda’s grief.  At the very least, we get to see Vision as Wanda saw him, which is almost beautiful in its own right.

As mentioned above, some of the best content to come out of WandaVision is the character development.  While the two titular characters had the most development, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other characters who stuck out.  The first of which is Monica Rambeau.  The last time we saw this character she was a child in Captain Marvel, and while she may have been dreaming for the stars, she had a lot of growing up to do before she became the version of her we see in the show.

Monica was another bright spot in the show, she was fearless, and certainly didn’t back away from a challenge.  She, similarly to Wanda, is dealing with grief.  Losing her mother in addition to the last five years of her life, would be maddening to anyone, yet Monica jumps right back in to work at SWORD, and is often the voice of reason throughout the series. It was also incredibly exciting to see Monica get her powers after being exposed to the boundaries of Wanda’s “hex” three separate times.  We even got to see her powers in action, first being able to withstand Wanda’s attack to get her to leave the neighborhood again, and then being literally bulletproof in the finale.  I don’t think I need to go too deeply into the significance of the MCU literally giving us a bulletproof black female superhero! It was amazing, seeing her protect Billy and Tommy, while also being impervious to Hayward’s attack.  It was a powerful scene that only highlighted Monica’s character even more.

 However, what impressed me most about this character was her empathy to Wanda.  No one would have been overly critical of Monica if she had taken Hayward’s side.  After all, she too was held hostage by Wanda and forced to play a role in Wanda’s show. The experience was even described as “excruciating,” in Hayward’s retelling of Monica’s experience, and yet Monica is unyielding in her opinion that Wanda is not doing this maliciously.  In fact, she willingly exposes herself back into the “hex” despite knowing that it is quite literally altering her DNA, with unknown side effects.  This was something that Jimmy Woo wasn’t even willing to expose himself to once.  During his first scene in the show, he says he doesn’t enter the town because he can “feel” that they’re not supposed to go inside.  He stays true to that throughout the series, only entering Westview when Wanda breaks down the “hex” during the final episode.

As mentioned previously, Jimmy Woo was another character we got to see develop a bit since his Ant-Man and the Wasp appearance.  He and Thor’s Darcy Lewis, were oftentimes the comic relief in the show when things got heavier.  However, we got to see a side of Jimmy Woo’s character that we hadn’t seen before.  While he was appreciated in Ant-Man and the Wasp, he was often at odds with Scott Lang as he was assigned to make sure that Scott was following his house arrest.  It was refreshing to see Jimmy defy Hayward and fight back, being a key role in thwarting his escape.

It was nice to see Darcy Lewis get in on the action as well.  In the Thor franchise she was often comic relief but rarely in the spotlight during action scenes.  While she still didn’t do much fighting in WandaVision it was refreshing to see her stop Hayward with her stolen truck, and have her be the leading expert during SWORD’s investigation of Wanda.  It was particularly exciting to see that she has earned her doctorate, so she is no longer Jane’s intern, and isn’t playing second fiddle to Jane Foster or Erik Selvig.

Finally, Kathryn Han’s Agatha Harkness is also deserving of praise.  With the exception of a few of the films, Marvel has had a bit of an issue with giving fans villains that were worthy adversaries to their favorite heroes.  This was not the case with Agatha Harkness.  Seeing her toy with Wanda throughout the series was a highlight of the show and seeing her be a full fledged witch was equally as exciting.  While Wanda defeated her in the finale, they certainly left the door open for Agatha to return, and I certainly hope they find a way to incorporate her in the future.

While I have mostly praised WandaVision, I have to mention some of the negatives as well.  Overall, I greatly enjoyed the show, there are still a few points that I took issue with.  The first of which is Maria Rambeau.  Maria Rambeau was last seen in the Captain Marvel film and had become a bit of a fan favorite.  She was a pilot, similar to Carol Danvers before gaining powers from the Space Stone, single mother, and according to WandaVision the eventual director of SWORD, yet she is killed off-screen from cancer.  

While this is frustrating for a number of reasons, I was particularly miffed because Marvel still has a long way to go in terms of diversity in their films, and to kill off one of your few female black characters off screen left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.  That’s without getting too deep into the fact that many fans were hopeful that Maria and Carol might have a romantic relationship in the sequel, and this all but confirms that won’t be the case. This adds another layer to the fact that Marvel has yet to have an LGBTQ+ hero in the films.

Additionally, the Marvel films have always handled Wanda and Pietro’s Romani roots poorly.  Not only are the actors not of Romani descent, the culture of their characters is often used as a prop or a joke.  Specifically, Wanda’s costume in the Halloween episode being referred to as a “fortune teller.” 

Additionally, having the twins willing join Hydra--a Nazi organization while having Romani and Jewish roots, through their father Erik Lehnsherr, in the comics has always rubbed me the wrong way.  WandaVision had an opportunity to remedy that when Wanda is reliving her past.  They could have easily given us a one off line about Wanda and Pietro not knowing that it was Hydra when they signed up to be experimented on and didn’t find out until later.  Unfortunately, all we get is a line about the twins wanting to “change the world.”

One of the other issues that I took was the presence of Evan Peters’s Quicksilver.  Initially, I was very excited to see him show up on the show and hoped that this meant we’d be seeing more of Fox’s X-Men in future Marvel films. Not only was he not the real Quicksilver, but he was instead just a long running “boner” joke, as he was Ralph Bohner, Wanda and Vision’s next door neighbor that Agatha was controlling.  While I wasn’t expecting him to be a huge character,  I was hoping for something a bit more significant than Ralph Bohner.

Finally, something that has been sticking out in my head for a while is Jimmy Woo’s missing person.  Jimmy Woo mentions in his first scene that Quantico had sent him to investigate a missing person in witness protection, who lived in Westview.  Initially, this was who I believed Evan Peters’s character to truly be, yet when Jimmy sees him on screen in the All New Halloween Spectacular episode, he just makes a note that Pietro has “the wrong face,” and doesn’t indicate that he recognizes him.  In fact, Jimmy’s missing person is never mentioned again later in the season and it seems as though that was just a plot device used to include him in the show.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed WandaVision.  It was refreshing to have Marvel be able to spend six hours to devote to character development and plot rather than it just being action-centric.  I think the show was an excellent first step in setting up a post-Iron Man Cinematic Universe.  After Avengers: Endgame, so many characters were lost, and it felt like a finale of sorts.  I think this was a great way to continue the story with a whisper rather than a bang, and I look forward to their upcoming Disney+ content.

WandaVision is currently streaming on Disney+.

‘Black Panther’ in Review

It’s no secret that Marvel Entertainment has had massive success with their film franchise. While there has been little criticism of these films, one comment that has been made repeatedly is that the films have a tendency to be a bit formulaic.  However, the most recent installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther, strays from the traditional Marvel mold in a unique and positive way.  Please enjoy our spoiler free review of Black Panther.

The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther, has already received praise from critics.  In my opinion, this praise is well deserved.  The film managed to build the advanced civilization of Wakanda, introduce the audience to several new characters, and tell an engaging story all within two hours and fifteen minutes.  The story picks up with T’Challa, shortly after we last saw him in Captain America: Civil War, and we get to see the Black Panther in action and on his own turf.

While Chadwick Boseman was well regarded in the role when was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, it is important to note that he really shined during his performance in Black Panther.  Additionally, his relationships with his mother, Ramonda, his sister, Shuri, and several other characters helped us to care for deeply for these characters that we were just introduced to.  Specifically Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia) had chemistry that radiated off the screen and into our hearts.

Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger is also notable.  Jordan provides us with the best Marvel villain since Loki.  This is especially important to note as Marvel has been criticized for their lack of engaging villains.  Killmonger is not only a competent adversary for T’challa, but he also brings a level of depth to the character that has not been seen often in these films.  

Perhaps, the most refreshing part of this film was that it was unapologetic.  It is no secret that people of color, specifically Black people, have been oppressed in multiple societies for generations.  This film manages to address all of these issues, adding a level of truth to a fantastical story and world. While it initially seems like most of these viewpoints are coming from our villain, our protagonist sees these issues as well and struggles with the best course of action.  In the case of the film, it was clear that there was a theme of action vs. inaction, and it certainly could not come at a better time given our current social climate.

Additionally, the film featured strong women.  While the fact that the women were such a prevalent part of the story, it is also important to point out that these are women of color.  This demographic is surprisingly low within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  With such a massive cast, it is surprising that this is one of the few Marvel films featuring women of color.  While Guardians of the Galaxy does feature women of color, they are portraying aliens with either vibrant colorful skin tones, or other features that make it clear they are not human.  Thor: Ragnarok was the exception given the role of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, however Black Panther is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature multiple women of color, portraying women of color on Earth.  

Overall I highly recommend that if you are considering seeing this movie to go see it as soon as possible.  Since the film mostly takes place in T’Challa’s home country, Wakanda, it is not necessary to be caught up with the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The film was incredibly entertaining, moving, and still had a strong message weaved within it.  It is my personal opinion that this is the best Marvel film put out since Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ in Review

Episode VIII of the Star Wars series has been released worldwide and reviewers everywhere have been voicing their opinions. Please enjoy our own spoiler-free review.

The newest film in the Star Wars series picks up immediately where Star Wars: The Force Awakens leaves off and viewers are immediately transported into the action expected from a Star Wars film, coupled with plenty of great character moments from favorites such as Poe, Finn, Rey, BB-8, and of course, Leia.

As the film continues, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of development that was carried out by several characters, each in different ways.  While some did not enjoy the film’s exploration of Luke’s cynical side, I found it to be an interesting way of both showing the emotional and psychological consequences of the time that has passed between this movie and Return of the Jedi. People develop and change as time goes on and they are deeply affected by the events in their lives.  To me, showing this different side of Luke helped to make the character seem even more real and as a result, even more relatable.

Going into the movie, I was nervously and emotionally anticipating the film’s scenes with Leia.  As a tremendous Carrie Fisher fan, I was excited to see her performance in this film.  She was, of course, incredible in her role and I was very happy to see more screen time for her character in this film than in the previous film.  Carrie Fisher was also a script doctor for this movie, and as a result, Carrie’s own humor and writing shines through in quite a few moments of this film.

This film was filled with moments of character growth and exploration, which I found to be an excellent portion of the movie’s plot.  There were also quite a few parallels and references to the original trilogy, which both heightened the emotional impact of several scenes and allowed this film to be tied even further to the fabric of the rest of the franchise.

Despite the mixed reactions from fans, I found this movie to be very enjoyable.  While it is not perfect (there were moments I felt could have been expanded or cut), I believe this film is a great addition to the Star Wars universe and I highly recommend going out to see it.

‘Marvel’s The Punisher’ Season 1 in Review

Season one of Marvel’s The Punisher follows the story of Frank Castle.  The first season follows up after the characters appearances in Marvel’s Daredevil season two.  Please enjoy our spoiler-free review of The Punisher.

Season one of Marvel’s The Punisher follows the story of Frank Castle’s continued quest to bring out vengeance for the murders of his family.  While the character’s arc in season two of Daredevil gave the impression that Frank’s crusade for revenge was over, it becomes clear early on in the show that nothing could be further from the truth.  

Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of the haunted and damaged Castle is fantastic.  It’s no secret that the character of Frank Castle is complex, but Bernthal was able to bring multiple dimensions to this character.  It would’ve been all too easy to make Castle a murdering psychopath who is in a constant state of rage, but Bernthal portrays the character in such a way that you not only relate to him, but find yourself rooting for him as he brutally murders his adversaries.  

Additionally, the story itself was very well developed.  While some moments were predictable, the story arc was very original for a comic book adaptation.   At times, I forgot I was watching a superhero show and found myself enjoying a thrilling covert military-esque show.  

Furthermore, developing the show for Netflix gave the writing staff liberties it would not have had if the show were on network television.  The Punisher’s background is violent and tragic, and Netflix was able to provide a platform in which those aspects of the story did not need to be watered down.

While the character of Frank Castle is complex by nature, almost all of the characters in the series are multidimensional and relatable.  It would have been easy for Marvel to have developed a black-and-white environment surrounding the morally grey Castle, but each character had multiple flaws and different sides to each of them.  

Notably, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Micro) added a lighter side and comic relief to the show.  However, even his intentions of “helping” Castle were on the selfish side, and his methods were not initially warm and fuzzy.   Additionally, the character provided the opportunity for humor whilst keeping Castle his usually-sullen self.  The interactions between Micro and Castle were some of the most memorable and enjoyable moments in the show. 

Amber Rose Revah (Dinah Madani) was stubborn, ambitious, and a force to be reckoned with, but still strove for her own sense of justice despite the boundaries of the law.  

Even Daniel Webber (Lewis Wilson) portrayed a character that made all the wrong choices, however you hoped that somehow he would turn it all around.  

Lastly, Ben Barnes (Billy Russo) brought complexity to his character.  Despite playing a classic Marvel villain, Barnes brought layers to the character and provided a reason for his wrongdoing (however flawed), despite being on the wrong side of our protagonist’s story.

Overall, Marvel’s The Punisher was a wonderful adaptation of the character’s story.  Bernthal’s interpretation of the titular character is not only extremely well done, but I personally felt as if I was invading on this man’s tragic journey.  I hope that we will either see a second season of The Punisher soon or that he may appear in the next season of The Defenders.  Until the character reappears, I will greatly enjoy rewatching the first season.

The latest Warner Brothers’ DC franchise film Justice League has recently hit theatres. The film itself has received mixed reviews, as have most of its predecessors in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Please enjoy our spoiler free review of Justice League.

The newest installment of the DCEU was the beginning of what will likely be many other films like it.  Similar to Marvel’s Avengers, Justice League brings several beloved and classic heroes together to fight a common, alien enemy.  What separates this film from Marvel’s is that most of the characters are being introduced to the extended universe for the first time.  

Similar to Suicide Squad, the first act of the film introduces the characters in unique ways that help the audience get familiar with these new characters.  However, DC does have a slight advantage over Marvel in this case.  Most of these characters have been well known by the average viewer prior to the DCEU’s existence.  I believe that DC expertly chose the characters that they would utilize in this film.  It would’ve been all too easy to fall into the trap that would be juggling to introduce these characters had they not already been household names.  Cyborg has made multiple appearances, but most notably is well known on the two cartoon network shows Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!.  It is likely that some of the audience are already well-acquainted with some version of Victor Stone.  Additionally, The Flash on the CW network, is a wildly popular show making Barry Allen’s origin story unnecessary to show on the big screen.  While Aquaman has not appeared in live action form since Smallville departed the small screen, the character is widely known in his own right even if audience’s only know that the Atlantean can “Talk to fish,” the character does not need much more of an introduction for people to be familiar with him.  Personally, I believe that in this case, the film introduced these characters in a more functional way than Suicide Squad introduced its ensemble, purely because Justice League did not need to catch the audience up with learned who’s who in the league.

However, for a franchise with such iconic villains, I do feel that Steppenwolf fell a bit short of the mark.  While there was nothing inherently wrong with the villain.  I felt that the final showdown between him and the league did leave a bit to be desired.  That being said, I feel that this may have been done intentionally.  It is also important to note that Steppenwolf may have just been a way of helping to set up for Darkseid, whose presence has been hinted at in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.  If that is the case, then I would be willing to let the final act slide as Darkseid should prove himself to be much more of a challenge than Steppenwolf would ever be.

Despite the negatives notes above, Justice League was an incredibly fun and original movie.  The characters themselves were wonderfully developed despite, as noted earlier, that most of the were appearing for the first time in this film.  Additionally, the film took an original take on what seems to be formulaic comic book adaptations.  It certainly was not afraid to stray from the mold. Notably, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen (The Flash), added comic relief, but not too much where every other moment was a joke.  Additionally, Jason Momoa brought a very different Arthur Curry (Aquaman) to light in a way that made him far more interesting than previous adaptations.  Ray Fisher’s Victor Stone (Cyborg) was also extremely relatable, despite being half man, half robot, he may have had one of the most human arcs in the film.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed Justice League.  It balanced bringing in characters that were already introduced and new ones that we were meeting for the first time in the DCEU.  As a standalone film, it may not have been the best that Warner Bros has put out in this franchise.  Personally, Wonder Woman still holds that title in my opinion.  However, I would certainly put it second to Diana Prince’s origin story.  I laughed, I cried, and I cheered throughout this journey.  While it may not have been the best standalone film in the franchise, I do believe that it did an excellent job of setting up future films like Flashpoint, Aquaman, The Batman and, the sequel to Justice League.  I certainly hope that the franchise continues to flourish and grow in these aforementioned films.

‘Logan’ in Review

The latest 20th Century Fox Marvel film was released in theaters this weekend. It was the finale to the Wolverine Trilogy, as well as a farewell to both Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and to Sir Patrick Stewart’s Professor X.  Please enjoy our spoiler-free review of Logan.

The newest film in the 20th Fox X-Men franchise was a fantastic finale and farewell to Wolverine (x).  While the film was easily one of the best that 20th Century Fox has put out in their X-Men franchise, it wasn’t necessarily fitting with the previous films.  Each of the Wolverine films (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, and Logan) work better as standalone films rather than part of a trilogy.  There were only fleeting references to the other two films in the trilogy with no actual explanation as to how Logan went from living happily ever after at the end of the Wolverine to the very dark place he is in in Logan. 

However as a standalone film, it exceeded exceeded expectations.  The R rating helped emphasize how vicious James Howlett can be.  The film offered an opportunity to see the even darker side of this troubled character.  While the previous Wolverine films, and the X-Men films, have certainly addressed the darkness within Logan, seeing him under such extreme circumstances helped add even more layers to the character.  

I also must stress that this is not a family friendly movie, so parents should not make the same mistakes that they made with Deadpool, the film is R rated for a reason.  The film contains gore as well as references to euthanisation of children, other dark themes.  Therefore I repeat, do not bring your children to this movie anticipating that it will be a family friendly X-Men film.

For a film about mutants, it also touched on very human themes.  The audience is able to feel for Logan as we see him in a caretaker role towards his father figure, Charles Xavier.  We also see him in a father-like role towards X-23 (Laura).  Additionally the film deals with loneliness, mental illness, and ultimately that home is not always a place but the people who make you happy.

The film made me laugh, wince, and even cry as it addressed the many different elements and layers to Jimmy Howlett.  The performances by Hugh Jackman, Sir Patrick Stewart were outstanding, which is part of why it’s so difficult to say goodbye to their incarnations of the iconic characters.  Additionally, Dafne Keen’s performance was a memorable and added delight to the film.  While she may not speak much, her performance is, at times, as powerful and vicious as Jackman’s.

Overall, the film was fantastic.  Logan was the perfect conclusion and farewell to Jackman’s Wolverine.  Additionally it was an equally terrific goodbye to Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier.   While James McAvoy is playing a younger version of the character in other films, Stewart has confirmed that this is his last time portraying the iconic character (x).   It is hard to imagine that these two, arguably the most integral parts of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise since it’s beginnings in 2000, are actually saying farewell.  However, personally I cannot imagine a better sendoff than Logan.