Movie Review: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Plot: Imprisoned, the mighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

*Contains minor spoilers*

How is it possible that it has been 5 years since The Avengers? It seems like only yesterday. At the time it was one of the coolest and most interesting action hero films I’ve ever seen, and created an avalanche of Marvel-watching for yours truly. And it was great for its’ time – Joss Whedon did a fantastic job, even though it was a large CGI feast and if you hadn’t watched previous MCU films, well, sorry for you because that story would have made no sense at all. Since then we’ve been exposed to the good and the bad of superheroes, often with directors resigning in protest against MCU’s heavy handed control. There has been unfortunate mishaps (in particular, The Dark World was really just crap), and Marvel started to have a tired, repetitive tone to all their films. It was all good to look at, but man, it was all the same. Marvel Studios and DC Comics recognized superhero fatigue was quickly starting to rear head, and Marvel took some preventive actions while DC realized they needed to make proper films. Dr. Strange of 2016 was a visual stimulation we had not yet beheld, Deadpool went R-rated with its graphical violence and strong language, Wonder Woman finally proved that female superheroes could work and that DC miraculously still had a smidgen of sense, and Guardians of the Galaxy was original, quirky and fun as hell.

Ragnarok is the best film in the Thor franchise, which up until now has been the seemingly poorer relative of the MCU. Directed by the uniquely talented and marvelously hilarious Taika Waititi, prepare yourself for Marvel as you’ve never seen it before. You now by the multiple reports on this director that he’s the director behind What We Do in The Shadows and Hunt For The Wilderpeople. The man himself is an eccentric gem, and his humor is as evident off-screen as it is on. His distinct directorial style reverberates throughout Ragnarok. He didn’t write the material for the film but the nature of the humor is a clear indication that he’s all over it. Ragnarok is hilarious – I have never laughed quite so hard at a superhero film before. I laughed and snorted and spit out some of my drink – nothing is too sacred or serious for Waititi to omit. Dangerous portals are “the devil’s anus” and weapons are called “melt sticks” in such a deadpan way that you simply expect Waititi to walk out and wave at you. He is there, and you will have to listen only to know, but I won’t give away his character – I laughed too much at him and would like people to find him on their own. He is also able to bring out the best in Hemsworth and in the character of Thor – Chris Hemsworth is at his finest while playing Thor as a big, lumbering hero who can be quite the meathead but also has a heart of gold. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) returns as the “is he or isn’t he?”baddie, and to be honest I sometimes detect a weariness in Loki’s eyes – he’s so clearly intellectually superior to Thor that his brother’s antics must get exhausting. Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) makes a momentary appearance with his mindboggling magic tricks, and learn both brothers lessons in manners. It works, because unlike Civil War, this isn’t Avengers 2.1 – the entire MCU doesn’t pitch to join in on the fight. It is also more unique, less CGI extravaganza and a complete Thor movie, not a derivative movie that depends on the success of previously established MCU successes (Looking at you, Homecoming).

The scramble for Marvel to include women, brought on by their rival DC’s wonderful Wonder Woman, brings us two females of note – the villain Hela (fantastically devious performance from Cate Blanchett) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). They are even on the poster. It is a positive turn of events, and I’ve seen complaints regarding Hela being one-sided, but I really thought her great and so refreshingly devious – like just mean and no worries about being so. Two times Oscar winner Cate Blanchett brings all her powers, and if one thing I wish they’d given her more time – she’s devious and crazy and cruel, and for the first female villain from Marvel, she’s absolutely wonderful. I’m all for conflicted villains, and Karl Urban’s Skurge certainly has inner conflict, but a pure, evil villain can be such fun, and watching Hela prove that Odin isn’t as squeaky clean as suggested was one glorious ride.  Valkyrie is a potential love interest, as Natalie Portman gets discarded with one single line (another flaw). I am quite pro a love interest that fights on her own and isn’t a damsel, so we will see how this goes.

The Revengers are endless amounts of fun. The movie reaches its conclusion without filler nonsense, the end is quite dramatic and heroic and Chris Hemsworth is as utterly gorgeous as always. Some of the humor is smart, some of it is blatant, and some excellently inappropriate. There is a buddy comedy vibe between Thor and The Hulk, which is endearing and hilarious. Be ready to adore Thor, The Hulk and even Loki – they are clearly having the time of their lives. The post credits scene is interesting and suggests something I thought would happen, and it can only mean great things.

Have you seen Ragnarok? Let me know your thoughts!

Rating: 8.5/10    

October 31, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Avengers, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, movies, Review, ReviewsTags: Asgard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bruce Banner, Cate Blanchett, Chris Hemsworth, Comics, Dr. Stephen Strange, Grandmaster, Hela, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, Loki, Mark Ruffalo, marvel, Ragnarok, Skurge, superhero, superheroes, Tessa Thompson, The Hulk, Thor, Thor Odinson, Thor: Ragnarok, Tom Hiddleston, Valkyrie 15 Comments

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Plot: Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

The Original Guardians of the Galaxy was celebrated far and wide as original, refreshing and pretty much different from any normal Marvel film. I mean we love them, but they aren’t necessarily ground breaking in the stories they tell. I agreed mostly, but I also still felt that everyone and their grannies took the hype too far. Regardless of my opinion, the first film was a runaway success and since it is Marvel, a second one was inevitable.

The sequel is in many ways an equal to original. Chris Pratt is Chris Pratt and the lovable and very attractive goofball. He is still surrounded by his team – Gamora (Zoë Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). They acquire more recruits this time – Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). It is starting to feel like the Space Avengers with such a large cast going on here, but I very much doubt that the majority of the audience worries about that too much.

Plenty of things work – Dave Bautista’s literal minded Drax gets more dialogue and the things he says is what we think without saying it, making the situations he’s placed in quite hilarious. Telling the creepy Mantis she’s probably beautiful on the inside was quite funny and painfully blunt. Baby Groot is emotional manipulation – he’s so cute he could have danced the duration of the film and I would have liked the movie. Chris Pratt loses his shirt and I couldn’t complain about it. The directing is colorful and bright and suits the upbeat tone of the film. The dialogue is relatable and funny, the banter between the team easy and seemingly sincere. The soundtrack is a lot of fun and a continuation of the first film. Sylvester Stallone shows his face and boggles the mind that he’s still looking smoking when he is six hundred years old now.

What lacks is an actual plot. The writers focused on the one thing left unanswered in Volume 1 – Starlord’s patronage. Enter Kurt Russel, cool old-dude extraordinaire, as Ego the Living Planet. He’s not much of a villain with a lot of ego and little grey areas, and it is pretty clear quite quickly that he doesn’t want the best for his son. There are also gold people, led by Elizabeht Debicki’s Kismet, who are angry that Rocket stole shit from them and are now determined to wipe out the team. It’s a pretty weak story, sloppy in places and lazy writing. It doesn’t particularly fit into the Marvel Universe that has so carefully been crafted. Some redemption is provided by the presence of Baby Groot, the fights between Starlord and Rocket and the chemistry between Starlord and Gamora. I also didn’t particularly appreciate how every bad guy last time was sympathized with this time around – Nebula (Karen Gillan), the conflicted sibling of Gamora, is the grayest character of the lot. Her hatred towards her sister is based on her robotic punishment as a child, and we don’t really blame her, but was it necessary to include it so much again into the second film? Yondu remains damn cool and everything for a blue guy, and Michael Rooker is cool enough to be him, but again, so much unnecessary things in this film piled it up to one long watch. I appreciated the cameo by Sylvester Stallone, but really, was it necessary?

I enjoyed GoTG II. It is not a particularly strong film but it is fun and really funny. Marvel took a chance changing so much from their usual formula, and despite following some of their renowned plot moves, it is still the most original work they’ve done in a while.

A 7.5/10 for me

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2? What did you think of it?

May 10, 2017May 9, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2017, Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Drax, Ego the Living Planet, Elizabeth Debicki, Gamora, Groot, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kismet, Kraglin, Kurt Russel, Mantis, marvel, Michael Rooker, Movies, Nebula, Pom Klementieff, Reviews, Rocket, Sean Gunn, Stan Lee, Star Lord, Sylvester Stallone, Vin Diesel, Yondu, Zoe Saldana 10 Comments

Marvelous Mondays – Grand Finale!

Ah, fairest readers.

As sure as Loki was taken back to Asgard, all things must end.

That makes no sense, since escaping is Loki’s game and all and he will be back anytime now.

However, I would still like to thank each and every reader and participant of this blogathon. It has been such a pleasure hosting it and I will definitely embark on something similar some day. I’ve listed the posts below, so please go take a look if you haven’t yet.

❤

The Punisher: Warzone by Drew’s Movie Reviews

The Amazing Spiderman 2 – Movie Rob

X-Men: First Class – ME!

X-Men: The Last Stand by Filmtruths Blog

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – The IPC

The Amazing Spiderman – MovieRob

The Incredible Hulk – The Cinematic Frontier 

The Wolverine – Tranquil Dreams

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Ghost Rider: The IPC

X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006) – MovieRob

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – Sporadic Chronicles by a Beginner Blogger

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – Life of This City Girl

Man-Thing – The IPC

X-Men (2000) – MovieRob

X2 – MovieRob

X-Men First Class – The Girl that Loved to Review

Captain America COLAB – Me and My bestie

Daredevil – MovieRob

Guardians of the Galaxy – The Review Club

Iron Man 3

The Hulk – MovieRob

Thor 

Elektra – The IPC

The Punisher – Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger

The Fantastic Four – The Review Club

The Avengers

The Fantastic Four (1994) – Movie Rob

Update

Avengers Assemble!

April 6, 2015April 5, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: bloggers, grand finale, marvel, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, thank you 6 Comments

Marvelous Mondays: The Punisher: Warzone by Drew’s Movie Reviews

For today’s penultimate Marvelous Mondays instalment, please help me in welcoming Drew who blogs over at Drew’s Movie Reviews. Drew has a very cool site (I especially love his Movie Quote of the Week segment – they are really fun!)

Today Drew is reviewing The Punisher: Warzone for us. Thanks for taking part Drew! You rock!

Synopsis
Six years ago, Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) and his family were enjoying a family picnic when they witnessed a mob hit, resulting in the death of his wife and two kids.  Now he is the Punisher, slowly eliminating the crime families of New York City.  When he kills the head of the Cesare family, he is succeeded by Billy ‘The Beaut’ Russoti (Dominic West).  When Castle catches up to Russoti, he traps Russoti in a glass cutting machine, leaving him disfigured.  Russoti takes the name “Jigsaw” and sets on out on a quest of revenge against the Punisher.

Review
I really enjoy 2004’s The Punisher starring Thomas Jane, but I felt its PG-13 rating held it back.  The Punisher is a violent character who needs the freedom to be as brutal that the R rating allows.  Punisher: War Zone takes full advantage of the upped rating.  Every kill is gruesome (and almost artistic), very fitting for the character and world he inhabits.  The violence feels almost over the top, acknowledging that its source material as a comic book, but never becoming too ridiculous.  It is a good mix that few movies can pull off.  Although, it can be difficult to be serious when your main villain’s primary motivations for revenge against the main character is because he ruined the villains face (there was a thing about the Punisher killing his crime family but hey, his looks were important to him).

Ray Stevenson does well as the Punisher.  His presence is intimidating and he easily pulls off the toughness of the character.  Thomas Jane showed more of Punisher’s calculating and strategist side, whereas Ray Stevenson’s Punisher shows the Punisher’s military training and violent combat side.   The story moved pretty quick and part of that was because it skipped Frank Castle’s transformation into the Punisher.  Instead, he was already established as the Punisher for five years. His history was told through exposition, very similar to The Incredible Hulk.  I like that it took that route because his origin is fairly simple and didn’t need to be retreaded again, especially only a few years after the previous Punisher movie.  Punisher: War Zone embraces the violence of its comic book origins and shows a more graphic and ferocious Punisher than previous films that makes for a pretty entertaining afternoon popcorn flick.

Rating
3/5

Cast & Crew
Lexi Alexander – Director
Nick Santora – Writer
Art Marcum – Writer
Matt holloway – Writer
Michael Wandmacher – Composer
Ray Stevenson – Frank Castle
Dominic West – Billy / Jigsaw
Doug Hutchison – Loony Bin Jim
Colin Salmon – Paul Budiansky
Wayne Knight – Micro
Dash Mihok – Martin Soap
Julie Benz – Angela
Stephanie Janusauskas – Grace
Mark Camacho – Pittsy
Romano Orzari – Nicky
KaremMalicki-Sanchez – Ink
Larry Day – Agent Miller
Ron Lea – Captain Ross
Tony Calaabretta – Saffiotti
Carlos Gonzalez-Vio – Carlos
TJ Storm – Maginty

March 30, 2015March 28, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: marvel, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, Reviews, The Punisher: Warzone 10 Comments

Marvelous Mondays: The Amazing Spiderman 2 by MovieRob

Happy Monday, my dears!

As we are coming closer and closer to the end of Marvelous Mondays, the epic Rob is here again to review The Amazing Spiderman 2 for us today. Rob, thanks so much for being such a great contributor for my blogathon!

(PS: If anyone else still want to send in your review, please do so as soon as you can manage. Thanks!)

“It’s easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days where you feel all alone, and that’s when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope; people need that. And even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we’re saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next, to remind us of who we are, and of who we’re meant to be. ” – Gwen Stacy

Number of Times Seen – 2 (24 Jul 2014 and 11 Mar 2015)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – While battling his own personal demons from his past, Peter Parker must also save NYC from three new villains.

My Take on it – When I first saw this movie last summer, I was a bit disappointed because I have grown (we all have actually) to better quality superhero movies.

Rewatching it, I felt it was slightly better than I had originally thought, but not as good as a superhero movie should be

I found that all 3 of the villains weren’t created strong enough or menacing enough and they all felt like cookie cutter villains that they were just there to scream and not do much besides that.

The movie suffers from too many storylines and it all gets too jumbled together instead of focusing on key elements, the story is all over the place.

The plotlines dealing with Gwen and Peter’s parents were interesting and needed to be emphasized more to make thismovie even better.

The special effects are done really well and they keep getting better and better as each new movie comes out.

The best thing about this movie was the character of Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) who added so much depth to the storyline.

I’m glad this will once again be rebooted, this time by the Marvel people who have shown they know what they are doing.

Bottom Line – Better than the first SM movie with Garfield, but the villains seem too cookie cutter here and not threatening enough. Stone still remains the best reason to watch the reboots.  Recommended!

MovieRob‘s Favorite Trivia –  When Spider-Man and Electro fling one another at the climactic fight, the heavy bass version of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” a running gag in this series, can be heard when the electric nodes are hit. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy  (7/10 )(no change from original review)

March 23, 2015March 22, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: Andrew Garfield, Electro, Emma Stone, marvel, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, Reviews 4 Comments

Marvelous Mondays AND Blindspot series 2015: X-Men: First Class (2011)

Plot: In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

Rating: 7.5/10

 

Now this is what I call killing two birds with one stone! My Blindspot choice for March is incidentally a Marvel movie so I was really happy to watch it and get both done.

In typical Natasha Fashion, I watched Days of Future Past first and liked it so much I needed to see the movie that came before it.  I did, and although First Class was really good it has nothing on Days of Future past. I think Future Past carries such a punch because the world of the X-Men is falling apart and that they are down to their last hope.

I once again loved James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in their respective roles. They are both so good at what they need to portray – McAvoy is a brilliant scholar and Fassbender is a powerful man determined to get his revenge on those who hurt him. Fassbender was slightly lame when he finally killed Shaw – he was immediately into the “villain” mode, and I think he worked too hard on reflecting the now slightly dark side of his character.

I also really enjoyed Mystique in here – she is still young and fresh and not as angry as she is in Days of Future Past. Jennifer Lawrence did a really good job with her – Mystique’s youth is evident but she’s faced the world’s intolerance her whole life because of her condition. I really liked how she undergoes transformation – you can see her skin changing. I do think Mystique’s skin looked way cooler in here, I read that Jennifer Lawrence had make-up for this role but her reprisal of Mystique in Days of Future Past wore a suit because she was so allergic to the makeup.

I still think Nicholas Hoult is way too adorable for it to be legal, and his struggle with what he is as Beast was sad and authentic.  It was nice to see Rose Byrne where she’s not being and idiot in some comedy – she can obviously do better than that and I would love to see her in more movies where she has a role and character development.

Kevin Bacon was entertaining as Sebastian Shaw – he was cold and ruthless and cruel. I thought the fact that he was also a mutant was a nice little twist to the story.

My biggest problem with First Class was the length – it was exceptionally long and not strong enough to carry it. It didn’t carry the emotional punch that Days of Future Past carried, and McAvoy’s broken charm in DoFP was more compelling than the roguish ego he had in First Class.

Overall a great film, but I still think that Days of Future Past was better done.

March 16, 2015March 14, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: James McAvoy, Magneto, Marvelous Mondays, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Professor X, Reviews, Rose Byrne, X-men First Class 13 Comments

Marvelous Mondays: X-Men: The Last Stand by FilmTruths blog

Today we have the lovely Melissa of  Filmtruthsblog who is going to tell us all about her impression of Last Stand. Thanks for taking part, Melissa! (PS: Go follow her blog here if you haven’t yet!)

The third film in what was part of the original trilogy of the franchise tells the story of a threat for mutant kind. A newly discovered ‘cure’ that can rid them of their genetic disposition they see as ‘not normal’. This leads to a collision of opinions from both sides, and more pressure is put on mutants whose abilities affects them physically. It forces them to choose between giving up their unique abilities to settle for being ordinary, and pledging allegiance to the human race, who see them as a threat to mankind or continue to be victimised for being different. When you summarise the story like this, the plot actually sounds pretty good. Especially considering the success of the first two installments, I think I speak for a lot of Marvel fans, who expected this one to be the icing on the cake to a great franchise. However, something always felt lacking with this one and I wasn’t 100% pleased with how things turned out.

The film was directed by Brett Ratner who stepped in for Bryan Singer. If I had to judge this film alone without the previous films already ingrained into my mind, then this film is decent – yet somehow feels more silly. I think its because of some of the mutants involved, we saw Vinnie Jones as the Juggernaut : with his only memorable line being “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch”. The film itself is filled with action packed scenes where more focus was on the use of mutant powers, it may not have led to an in depth story development, but the thrills and excitement that comes from watching the mutants was entertaining . 

What we have to remember is that at the time, we had no clue the X Men universe would be expanded, to two Wolverine films and now a prequel franchise of the mutants in their youth. Therefore, X Men: The Last Stand was supposed to be the climax to the trilogy, yet annoyingly it failed to reach the pinnacle point of satisfaction. It irks me that I can’t quite decide why it is I didn’t fully enjoy this film, but it has to be the fact that the story was very two dimensional and predictable. With a superhero film like this, there should have been twists and turns until the final moment, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat.

It’s by no means a bad thing to have an entertaining film, but in this instance the arrival of new characters after the loss of original members such as Nighcrawler, made it difficult for me to appreciate the new arrivals. However there were amazing visual effects, especially the scene with the Golden Gate Bridge – that was pretty spectacular the first time I saw it. Another highlight, was the return of Jean as the Phoenix. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t sting little, when she sacrificed herself at the end of the second film in order to protect her mutant comrades. When she returned that was the best and only twist of the film.

 However, I was less than enthused with how the Jean Grey storyline played out. If your going to bring back a character of such significance, then make her be the most bad-ass character, don’t just sit her on the sidelines watching. I think that was a complete mis – step and lost opportunity to add something more to the story.

 It’s evident that this installment is merely a shell of of its predecessors, who managed to pull of something brilliant, but the true potential was never fully realised. What’s even more annoying is that since the expansion of the X Men universe, its made the narrative irrelevant thereby making this film completely obsolete.

Thanks for taking part, Melissa! You are a star!

March 9, 2015March 8, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: Brett Rattner, Ian McKellan, Magnetto, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, Professor X, Reviews, Wolverine, X-Men: Last Stand 5 Comments

Marvelous Mondays: The Amazing Spiderman by MovieRob

Welcome to another installment of Marvelous Mondays. Rob is back and this time he is telling us what he thought about the Amazing Spiderman. Thanks for being such a big part in this Rob!

Peter? I know things have been difficult lately and I’m sorry about that. I think I know what you’re feeling. Ever since you were a little boy, you’ve been living with so many unresolved things. Well, take it from an old man. Those things send us down a road… they make us who we are. And if anyone’s destined for greatness, it’s you, son. You owe the world your gifts. You just have to figure out how to use them and know that wherever they take you, we’ll always be here. So, come on home, Peter. You’re my hero… and I love you! ” – Ben Parker

Number of Times Seen – 3 (21 Oct 2012, 24 Jul 2014 and13 Feb 2015)

Brief Synopsis – After a high school student is bitten by a radioactive spider, he begins to experience strange unexplained changes that give him spider-like powers

My Take on it – I am in the camp of moviegoers who think that Tobey Maguire was a better Spiderman than Andrew Garfield. Maguire played the role in a more mature manner while Garfield’s version seemed too pompous.

I’m still not sure why there was a need within such a short time frame to create a new origin story for Spiderman.

As interesting as this version is, the storyline and villains just aren’t as good as in the previous trilogy.  The Lizard just isn’t as good a foe as The Green Goblin and this movie suffers a bit because of that, but it still has some thrilling scenes and effects.

I’m really glad that this franchise will now be a part of the larger Marvel Universe series because of the direction this seemed to be going.

I’m very interested to see where they will take these characters and merge them in the overall Marvel storyline.

Bottom Line – Interesting origin story but was done too soon after the Tobey Maguire trilogy.  The previous trilogy worked better with its storyline.   Glad to see that this franchise will now be part of the Marvel superhero franchise. Villains aren’t very worthy of the Spiderman series, but still fit well within the framework created here.  Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – After Denis Leary was cast, his friend Jeff Garlin, a Spider-Man fan, said “I knew you would get the part.” To which Leary replied “Why? Because I’m such a great actor?” Garlin then said, “no, because you look just like Captain Stacy.” (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

February 23, 2015February 22, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: Amazing Spiderman, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, Reviews 8 Comments

Marvelous Mondays – The Wolverine by Tranquil Dreams

Happy Monday, folks!

To continue our extensive run with this blogathon, Kim of Tranquil Dreams was kind enough to review The Wolverine for me. Thanks Kim!

I’ve never been a comic book reader, at least not for superheroes.  For the longest time, Marvel and DC Comics didn’t mean much to me.  I knew the general popular superheroes but I never knew more than that.  When X-Men hit theatres, it didn’t have such a huge appeal to me.  However, I only started being more into superheroes after The Avengers and especially my eyes were focused on Marvel.  The quality of each of their movies is almost guaranteed.  Despite X-Men not having such a huge appeal, I did enjoy the first one when I saw it and soon saw X2 and X3 also.  The most outstanding character have be The Wolverine and Hugh Jackman has been identified with him.  When The Wolverine came out, I had ever intention to go see it in theatres but never made it there. Thanks to Natasha, I managed to borrow a copy and check it out!

Director: James Mangold

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hal Yamanouchi, Will Yun Lee, Famke Janssen

Logan (aka The Wolverine) has secluded himself from everyone while living with his own demons and struggling in his own pains of immortality.  When he confronts a situation, he meets Yukio who is sent from an old acquaintance, Yashida that he saved asking him to go to Japan for his final goodbye. Except, the moment he enters into his home, he realizes that Yashida is asking for him to consider something crucial to his survival however, little did he know that Yashida would die, setting off a spiral of events.  These events are result from everyone trying to beat the the clock when the Yashida’s inheritance will be announced.  The Wolverine ends up having to face both the samurai and the yakuza as his caught in the whirlwind of affairs.  However, this trip proves to be more than he imagined when he ends up being caught in facing his past and embracing who he is as human, mutant and beast.

I have to say that X-Men has kind of dwindled a little after X-Men.  X2 and X3 wasn’t exactly movies that I’ve seen again even though I own it. The X-Men Origins wasn’t even that great either.  I have to say that although I have full confidence in Hugh Jackman being The Wolverine, I did wonder how this would turn out.  It was highly possible to turn into a disappointment.  Except, it most absolutely was not! The Wolverine was an adrenaline rush for a huge portion of it.  It had fantastic action sequences and the characters and story was really great.  The Wolverine really rises up to be this awesome character that develops quite a bit, especially when he eventually embraces his true potential.  For once, The Wolverine got a story that was not only entertaining to watch but also saw him as the focus as human as he can be but also facing the “beast” that he is.

Although Hugh Jackman does a fine job at being The Wolverine, the supporting cast did a great job also.  I must admit that it took a little while for me to get caught on the character of Yukio, she proved be an interesting one that helped lift the story a little. She carried in her the themes of loyalty and courage to fight for what was right.  At the same time, a softer character in nature was Mariko who ended up being quite key to the whole story development.  While it took me ages to figure out where I saw the ninja that played Harada (Will Yun Lee), he had a somewhat more frustrating character but we all need this sort of nonsensical characters who realize at the last minute what the real deal is.

The only thing I had to say was that, The Wolverine was a little lengthy.  At one part in the middle, I felt like it dragged a little bit, but then it picked itself up short afterwards, making me somewhat forget that feeling right to the end. Also, I’m not sure if this is a bad thing but I’m sure the Viper chick was supposed to be an annoying villainous character of sorts and I really disliked her, but I guess that just means it’s a job well done, right?

Overall, The Wolverine is a great addition to the Marvel franchise.  While it did feel dragged out for a few minutes, it has a solid back story for The Wolverine, giving him development and strength while keeping the action-filled entertaining flick. Hugh Jackman is at his best being The Wolverine/Logan.  Plus, the supporting cast does well in keeping the story engaging enough to keep watching.  I loved it! 🙂

February 9, 2015February 8, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: Famke Janssen, Hal Yamanouchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hugh Jackman, Marvelous Mondays, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Tao Okamoto, The Wolverine, Will Yun Lee 4 Comments

Marvelous Mondays: Captain America: Winter Soldier Colab

Happy Monday everyone!

Today’s collaboration promised to be fun the second we established when it would take place. Zoë and I had a very important mission the last time I trekked over South-Africa to see my bestie – We HAD to watch The Winter Soldier for the last part of our promised collaboration in Marvelous Mondays. We had earlier reviewed The First Avenger (there’s a link below in Zoë’s part of the post) so here is our second and I hope you like it.

I really love Winter soldier. As a sequel it is just as good as the first movie, something that never ever happens. Marvel finally showed that they could write intricate story lines, compelling villains and a meaty story.

 Plot: As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with another super soldier, the black widow, to battle a new threat from old history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

There are several reasons I enjoy this movie, and they are:

1) Chris Evans is the perfect America. He is so American, the boy next door. I think he fits that character perfectly and also that he is a very good actor. I love the depth he gives Steve Rogers – it is clear that he is struggling with who he is and how firm he is about what he believes in. There are no grey areas for this guy, and I enjoy how easily he takes on Nick Fury when Nick does something questionable.

2) The fight scenes: They are incredible and you don’t get whiplash from the constant CGI.

3) Sebastian Stan: I think Zoë likes him much more than I do, and for different reasons, but he is a great cast member and works that dark look of the Winter Soldier perfectly.

4) Robert Redford: He is iconic, a brilliant and hardworking actor and I fangirl about him all the time because he set out early on to not just be another pretty face in Hollywood but to make a real difference to the art of film making – did you know he started the Sundance festival?

4) The Winter Soldier wasn’t too long. I HATE movies over 2 hours, and will only enjoy them if they are particularly good.

5) Black Widow is more human in here. She’s a bit too tight-pant-kickassy for me to really enjoy – I think female superheroes are way too objectified. In the Winter Soldier Natasha Romanoff has to deal with some disillusionment because she’s realized something is up with S.H.I.E.L.D, the people she believed in and the institution gave her something to clean up her dark past with.

6) Captain America friendzoning the Black Widow.

(source)

7) Steve Rogers visiting Agent Carter as an old woman. I will be honest, it broke my heart, but it shows the goodness of his character and how he can’t let go from his past.

8) The Falcon. His costume was wicked cool and Anthony Mackie gave him a fun persona while always reminding you that he had also lost a great deal during his military career.

9) Nick Fury’s escape scene in the car. This guy is so badass and Samuel L. Jackson is perfect to play him.

10) This prick getting arrested:

11) Chris Evans is fiiiiiiiiine

Zoë’s take:

I freaking love this movie. It is no secret. And if you don’t know this, then I didn’t express my adoration for this properly. When Natasha started up her Marvellous Mondays, you must know how I was all over the Captain’s movies. He is my favourite Avenger (so honourable and fair and brave and sweet), and I really like Chris Evans, and it all just works. It was soon established that Natasha and I would be doing these two films in conjunction (you can totally check out the first collaboration here) and this one we saved for her visit in December so that we could actually discuss it while perving watching.

The Winter Soldier just has so much going on for it. I am a big fan of the fight scenes, they were so well choreographed, and a lack of CGI just made them all the more amazing (seriously people, sometimes less in more). The soundtrack suited everything down to a tee, and the pacing was excellent. This felt like an old school spy thriller that just so happened to feature a superhero, and I liked that (because really, I am always front and centre to watch superhero movies, but lately they have all felt so… recycled). The cast all handled their material really well, and I absolutely loved the tension that was worked in perfectly between Evans and Stan.

Now… on to Sebastian Stan. Could we just stop here for a minute? Or two?

Alright, I am done. Totally not the only reason I thought this movie was good. Besides the fact that he is absolutely fucking edible, all long hair and leather and badass, the Winter Soldier also happened to be the one time Marvel got the villain right. He was not some cheeseball dufus, and his character was consistent, which was also great. He was not playing around, he was on a mission, and he would do whatever it took to complete it. I liked how the cracks start coming through, but it still does not hinder him from going with all he’s got to complete the mission. Watching Bucky Barnes peeking through when the Winter Soldier asked about Steve Rogers was very rewarding, too. The character definitely goes through some changes, and the struggle he and Steve face is quite a difficult little conundrum.

Let’s also talk about how successfully the movie tied the last two movies together with this one. For instance, the Captain has not just woken up, joined the Avengers and carried on. He is really struggling to fit in with modernised society and everything and everyone he knew is gone. He is lonely. The scene with Steve and Peggy Carter is an absolute killer, and was just executed so well. Not too much, not too little, but enough to really get under the skin. Also, I liked how (unlike Iron Man 3) The Winter Soldier did not hang too much on the events of The Avengers, because that would have annoyed the hell out of me.

The action in The Winter Soldier was handled phenomenally. Edge of your seat and entertaining as hell, I could not take my eyes off of anything that was going on – from big fights in the sky, to ramping motorbikes and a lot of gunfire, knife fights and everything going wrong on the highway, it is well worth checking out. But never once is the action really the focal point, the movie manages to balance out some story, too, and I thought they did that really well.

I know some people are freaking out because this was a S.H.I.E.L.D. issue and surely the other Avengers should be there and blah, blah, blah. Let me just tell you, I was thrilled that they were not there. I thought it fitting. S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by those linked intimately and closely with Captain America and fighting Hydra, I just thought that it was suiting that this was just for Captain America. We totally didn’t need more superheroes. Scarlett Johansson didn’t bug me nearly as much as usual, like she works better with Captain America because Steve Rogers isn’t leering at her the whole time, and they have a better camaraderie going on. Anthony Mackie was also just awesome as the Falcon, and I really liked the way they kept that flight pack contraption a secret until the very last moment. It made for a splendid reveal.

As you can tell by now (I hope), if you didn’t know before, Captain America: The Winter Soldier rocked my socks off. It is the first movie in years I went to repeat viewings for at the cinema. I will usually watch something and wait. This one needed to be experienced again. And again. And it loses none of its charm, and that’s wonderful. If you somehow managed to miss this, find it and rectify that immediately! It’s a really fun film 🙂

February 2, 2015February 1, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Avengers, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, ReviewsTags: Bucky Barnes, Captain America, Chris Evans, Marvelous Mondays, Movies, Nick Fury, Reviews, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Steve Rogers, The Falcon 12 Comments