MARVEL FILM NEWS EXPLOSION! BLACK PANTHER, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, INFINITY WAR & MORE ANNOUNCED!

I leave the internet for just around 9-10 hours and the world of comic book film news blows the hell up! Marvel, man, they know how to drop bombs of information. Looks like the cinematic universe is about to expand tenfold between now and 2019! The following information comes from superherohype:

ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype’s Silas Lesnick attended the Disney and Marvel Studios press event today where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made a number of huge announcements including that the title for Captain America 3, starring Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., will now be called…

Captain America: Civil War!

At a Q ‘n’ A following the announcement, Feige confirmed that “Civil War” will be a “global superhuman registration with a specific inciting incident” and that, “Secret identities aren’t as important in the MCU version of the story.”

Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who actually wasn’t mentioned, so perhaps the deal isn’t done) and directed by Scott Derickson, is officially scheduled for November 4, 2016.

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has been moved forward a few months to May 5, 2017!

July 28, 2017 will now be the release date for… Thor: Ragnarok! (A few of our readers called this one.) Of course, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston will be returning as Thor and Loki. Feige says that it will immediately follow the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron with the goal to take Thor to “another level of his own franchise.”

The big news is that Marvel’s Black Panther is indeed getting his own solo movie with Black Panther scheduled for November 3, 2017 and the Black Panther will be played by…. Chadwick Boseman!

So that’s two sequels and one new character movie in 2017, Marvel Studios’ first year with three movie releases. Feige said that there is an easter egg in the Avengers: Age of Ultrontrailer for the Black Panther movie, which is probably that Andy Serkis plays Panther villain Ulysses Klaw.

Two more big announcements for new characters being brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a Carol Danvers Captain Marvel movie for July 6, 2018 and an Inhumans movie for November 2, 2018. Both of these movies have been rumored for a long time, but now it’s confirmed that Marvel will have two new character movies in 2018 with the May 4, 2018 being…

Avengers: Infinity War – Part I!!!!

and with Avengers: Infinity War – Part II scheduled for May 3, 2019!

Feige said that the Hulk will appear in all of the Avengers movies and that a standalone Hulk movie may still happen. “We’ll see,” he said.

When asked about a Black Widow movie, Feige said the reason it hasn’t happened is “because she’s so good working with the Avengers and says that the Hulk is, at the moment, the same way.”

As far as rumors that Spider-Man might come over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Feige was vague saying that it was either “not true at all” or “something not ready to be announced yet.”

As far as the long-rumored Runaways movie, Feige said that he’s a big fan of the script they have, but it just isn’t ready yet. The Runaways “come up quite a bit in both TV and film discussions.”

Jesus Christ! Talk about news overload. Just when you thought Marvel have pretty much won the internet over with the début of the Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser trailer, they take it one step further. Everything before this feels like a raindrop by comparison, Marvel Studios is like the cool kid at the pool party that knows how to make the best cannonballs and just when you though they’d made the biggest splash already, Marvel come back and do it again bigger and better. So now we have the Marvel film line-up from now up until 2019, that’s 5 years from now, that’s good planning and while some of the following films were obvious, some are definitely surprising.

Now I’m going to talk about the films individually:

Captain America: Civil War

So, Captain America 3, guess it is Civil War after all. I laugh at all the people that said that there was no chance that the Civil War storyline would be adapted, that it was just rumour and nothing more. But then comes Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios like, “We can do whatever we want, yeah, even Civil War.” Now that this is official I can’t wait to see how it turns out, since secret identities aren’t the main focus, I really want to know what this “inciting incident” is. Bring it on, I can’t wait.

Doctor Strange

So Doctor Strange, yeah that’s happening and it is set for November of 2016. I’m down with that. There hasn’t been any information additional information released story or cast-wise, that being said I’m not expecting too much at this point in time because of all the hype and planning surrounding Avengers 2 and Ant-Man. But I hope that the title character is cast soon and announced in the next two or three months, tops.

Then of course there’s the recent news about Benedict Cumberbatch being attached to title role, of course it was rumoured before, but now it seems a little more legit because of the whole ‘in talks’ element that’s come into play. Now it hasn’t been made official by Marvel yet, however it seems like it would be the next logical announcement for this film. Now while I would have liked to see what would kind of performances would have come from Joaquin Phoenix or Ethan Hawke, at the same time I LOVE Cumberbatch as an actor and if he joined the MCU I would blow up.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

This was a given and obviously was announced back in the summer just after the first film came out. No new information about the film other than the fact that its been given other than the fact that the film’s release has been moved up by about 2 months I think.

Thor: Ragnarok

So Thor 3, its Ragnarok and I knew it would head in this direction. It is one of the most classic and epic of stories in the comics and Norse mythology to my knowledge, and the only way to make this Thor universe more hardcore would be to incorporate Ragnarok. I’m also curious to see what Thor and Loki are up to and how this film ties in to Avengers 2 as well.

Black Panther & Chadwick Boseman Announcement

But the biggest announcement for me was the confirmation that Black Panther IS happening and it WILL be part of Phase Three in November of 2017. To say that I am happy would be an understatement. It feels like I have been waiting for AGES for this to be announced. Since the time Wakanda was shown on that map in the background in Iron Man 2, I have been waiting for some sort of solid confirmation that Black Panther would be part of the MCU and now we finally have it. After having us transported to Asgard, a World War II setting and the far reaches of space, I feel like we’re now ready for an adventure set in Africa with the inhabitants of Wakanda. It could be a special and interesting film if handled correctly.

So then there’s the casting the title character and it is being played by Chadwick Boseman. While he was not my first choice, at the same time he is not a bad one at all. I’ve only seen him in 42, but I could already see that Boseman was talented and was going to go places in the future, and with the positive reception I’ve heard from some critics on Get On Up, I assume he’ll definitely be an actor to look out for after he debuts as T’Challa/Black Panther. And then there’s that concept art:

All I can say is damn, this looks sweet as hell, if the final costume looks anything like this then I will be SO happy. Black Panther has always had one of the coolest costumes in the comics and this concept art looks like a great adaptation of the original while also being very practical and stylish.

Captain Marvel

Then there’s this film, the one that’s been rumoured for such a long time and people have been asking for since around just after The Avengers came out (at least that’s what I observed online on many comic book websites). So it looks like a female-lead superhero film starring Carol Danvers is actually happening. Probably won’t hear much on this for a while (or at least until DC’s Wonder Woman gets another major announcement), but for now I’m just glad that it is happening.

Inhumans

Here we have another film that was hinted at and rumoured about for years, but has never had any validity until now. Now I know next to nothing about the Inhumans, I’ve only gotten small amounts of knowledge through Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the Fantastic Four cartoons. Something tells me that there will be some connectivity to at least Captain Marvel, Guardians 2 or Avengers 3. They seem like an interesting bunch and could be the next big group next to the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Avengers: Infinity War – Part I & II

So now we have the final piece of the MCU puzzle. After all this planning, crafting and hype, it all comes to this, the 3rd Avengers film where the big bad titan, Thanos will finally come to the forefront of these films and probably kick the Avengers to the curb. I believe that the Earth will not be the only place in danger, this may even extend to space (it is a possibility considering the over-the-top  nature of the comic stories). This will probably biggest event ever, and if it take two films just for the Avengers to win or survive, then this will have to be one hell of a film filled with epic stakes, incredible action and character moments that will be notable and unforgettable.

In conclusion, the Marvel hype train has reached a new level and I’m frigging hyped, so frigging hyped it is not even a joke. I want the future now, I want these films now! Give it to me now Marvel! XD

So what do you think of this epic Marvel film announcement? Are you happy about the films announced or not, and out of the films announced which one are you the most excited about? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next blog post yo, laters! 😀

 

Looking Back On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1

Howdy ladies and gents of the interweb. Now I know Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is well into its second season at the moment, and as you can see, clearly I’m not doing episode reviews this time around and there’s two reason for that: 1) They are very time-consuming. And 2) While this new season has been airing I have actually been re-watching season one, so I’m currently not up to date, yet. Anyways, I just finished season one and thought I would give my thoughts on it as a whole, so consider this a review of sorts, a LONG one. Okay? Good, let’s do this! SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!

So, AoS season one, well it was a rough season I can tell you that much. The show had so many hurdles to deal with not only before airing but also during its entire run. Not only was it coming off the hype of The Avengers and the other films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also had to create a compelling setting, with good stories and characters to hold fan interest where none of the main superheroes were involved. Then there’s the early feedback on the show, which wasn’t bad, but it could have been better and those who weren’t fans of the show quickly spread their negative thoughts like wildfire which really affected the show’s viewership. Add on top of that the fragmented air times of episodes, unlike most TV shows, AoS had a terrible habit of pausing and waiting for certain Marvel films to come out, so you’d end up waiting for weeks just to see another episode, it was a major problem especially that really killed the momentum of the show.

However through all of its problems the show persevered and ended up being very fun. Sure it had some problems with early episodes being a bit hit and miss due to a lack of compelling stories, poor character development, heavy reliance on the Marvel films and not fully utilizing the comic book source material. But after Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s story came into play, this show did a total 180 and became more focused, aggressive, dramatic and action-packed. It pretty much became the show that fans had wanted in the first place. But it also helped that the early episodes had a great deal of build up prior to the big story twist as the pay-off felt so good.

So now I’m going to break things down into sections; story, characters and presentation.

Story

When it comes to stories, at first AoS tried to tell its own stories that were separate from those in the Marvel films, but still tie them together through visual and verbal references. The writers did what they could to craft new, small-yet-important adventures for Agent Coulson and his team to tackle, the problem was that these stories weren’t nearly as compelling as the writers thought they were. Now I hate to compare this show to Arrow, because they are two very different shows, born out of different circumstances, however I watched the first season of Arrow after AoS and it was apparent straight away why Arrow was better, the stories were better. The pacing and tone of Arrow was better, the stories were consistent, the drama was real and the overarching storyline throughout. AoS only had a handful of episodes that were good prior to the Hydra storyline, besides episodic tales, there were stories that were started and dropped or dragged out for far too long (Coulson’s revival, the Rising Tide’s origin and the mystery surrounding Skye are just a few examples). However once Hydra came into play things got a lot better and engaging, the show felt like everything was falling into place and got better use of its source material too.

Best episodes:

• Eye Spy
• FZZT (personal favourite)
• Seeds
• T.R.A.C.K.S. (personal favourite)
• T.A.H.I.T.I.
• Yes Men (personal favourite)
• End of the Beginning (personal favourite)
• Turn, Turn, Turn (personal favourite)
• Providence (personal favourite)
• Nothing Personal
• Ragtag
• Beginning of the End (personal favourite)

Characters

The cast is one of the main aspects that was going to make or break the show and luckily everyone was up for the task. At first a lot of the characters besides and Agent Coulson and Melinda May were just dull and undeveloped, but over time they everyone had their turn in the spotlight and showed why they belonged on the show, and by the end of it this cast of people felt like a well-rounded bunch of individuals. So let’s talk about them individually.

Firstly Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, what can be said that hasn’t been said before? The dude is awesome, he was one of the best parts of the Phase One MCU films and this show gave us more of that. The man is still serious, hardcore and hilarious, but after his death and revival you could see that he was a different person and had some quieter, more emotional moments to uncover. Gregg acts his heart out and while it was weird to see his character not as assertive as he was in the films at first, that eventually got sorted and he was just as awesome as ever by the end of the season. Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May was the first of the new characters we had to adjust to and luckily she was one of the most compelling. A woman with a mysterious past, badass martial arts skills and a ‘silent but deadly’ personality? Sign me up! May brought a lot of the show’s action, style and humour, and it also helped she was played wonderfully by Wen (who I am honestly in love with at this point). Chloe Bennet as Skye is one of my least favourite people. From the beginning she got drafted into Coulson’s team, and since then she’d lied and got them in trouble, and yet at the same time she was there for them when they needed her and she stuck her life on the line when necessary. I just wasn’t keen on the way her character was handled, her progression felt shoe-horned rather than being natural. But Bennet did her best and it helped that she pretty too.

Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons were two characters who had a hard time being developed at the beginning. As FitzSimmons they were two science friends who were quirky, energetic and constantly bickering, it was cute and funny, but sometimes annoying too. They had a while before people warmed to them, but after episode six I think people started to pay attention. Together they have a special kind of relationship akin to that of best friends or a brother and sister, though most people could tell that there was more going there especially for Fitz. I loved both Caestecker and Henstridge’s performances. And then we have Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, this guy was one of the most plain and boring characters in the beginning and fans were vocal about that from the beginning, however once he revealed he was part of Hydra the guy became much more interesting. To learn about his backstory, seeing how he planted himself in the team and pretended to be such a dull person just changed so much about him completely and I have to give Dalton props for taking on the role and reaping the rewards.

And then there’s the great supporting cast. B.J. Britt as Antoine Triplett was a great addition to the team, not only was he a capable replacement for Ward, but he because of his heritage he had ties to The Howling Commandos and his soft spot for Simmons created some nice tension between him and Fitz. Britt was great in his role, he had the right amount of charisma, sass and style to make him a good member of Coulson’s crew. Saffron Burrows as Victoria Hand was another great addition to the show, she was a strict, by-the-book kind of person who also didn’t smile a lot, but she was loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. and created some interesting moments between the main characters. Patton Oswalt as Eric/Billy Koenig is one of my favourite characters to appear in this show as Oswalt is hilarious and brought his personality into his role in such a great way. Adrian Pasdar as Glenn Talbot made for a great antagonist who gave Coulson and his team a bit of trouble and expanded the MCU’s cast of characters just a little more.

Ruth Negga as Raina is one of the strangest, creepiest and mysterious people to come out of this show, but that’s why I’ve liked her, she’s odd, but in a compelling kind of way and when you find out how deeply she’s tied to the bad people of this show, she does become more and more interesting. David Conrad as Ian Quinn, at first seemed like a disposable character, but with his skills, connections to bad guys and the Gravitonium, you knew he’d be sticking around and I’m glad he did. The guy is confident, stylish and talks big, but he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and I really liked Conrad’s performance. J. August Richards as Michael Peterson/Deathlok was really interesting, from a potential hero to a full-on villain against his will, that was some cool stuff. I loved his story and transformation and Richards was just great as this cyborg who was forced to kill to ensure the safety of his son. Bill Paxton as John Garrett was probably the best addition the show, Paxton is one of those kind of actors who brings a good time to any project he’s on and that was the same for AoS. Garrett is a relaxed, hilarious kind of guy but is also very dangerous and a bit of a maverick, but he is made even better when revealed to be the big bad of the show, The Clairvoyant. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Garrett was a cool, but as Hydra leader he was so much better. The guy was evil and Paxton played that role to a tee and with such style, it was amazing.

At least the show was not above using good guest star material, having Samuel L. Jackson appear as Nick Fury was awesome, Cobie Smulders was also cool as Maria Hill, even having Titus Welliver and Maximiliano Hernández return as Agents Blake and Sitwell was awesome. But my favourite guest character was Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, she was the best! All of these returning characters gave the show a great sense of continuity been the TV world and the film world.

Presentation

As for the presentation the show was good for the most part but it had its problems. The visual effects were a bit hit and miss with super-powered beings like Deathlok jumping or when the Bus was flying around, sometimes the CGI was a bit blurry and lacking in detail but for the most part it was decent. The fight sequences were the highlight for me, seeing May, Ward, Deathlok or the Centipede bad guys throwing down was kick ass and choreography for the most part was really well-done. The soundtrack by Bear McNeary is also good, sometimes it can be a little cheesy and overblown, but for the most part it is thrilling, exciting and meaningful, and it works best during the more intimate moments.

Conclusion

In conclusion the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a good time, it takes a while to get going, but once it does it doesn’t stop. While re-watching it, I didn’t like some of the earlier episodes as much as I did the first time round, at the same time, seeing the show again allows you to see so many things you wouldn’t have seen the first time round. Plus this miniature universe AoS has created for TV creates the potential for more comic book source material to be mined and possibly crossover material into the film universe as well. Only time will tell but this is a good start for the show, now let’s see if season two can do better.

Rating: 7.5/10

So what did you think of the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Were you a fan from the beginning or were you persuaded a little while after or do you just not care? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Avengers: Age of Ultron Teaser Trailer Review: IT IS GLORIOUS!

Howdy ladies and gents, time to talk about the big news that dropped on the internet last night, I am of course talking about the frigging trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron! Now officially this trailer was meant to come out next week with an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but then some secret person leaked it online and set the fans into a frenzy looking for it after it got taken down. But the damage was done and so Marvel decided to release officially and so it now here we are. Crazy story right? Anyways Let’s talk about the badass trailer yo.

Check it out here:

All I can say after watching that trailer is fuck me, next year can’t come quick enough. If I was excited for this film before, then the hype has gotten to a level beyond my body, the hype is transcending into space! While teaser trailers vary in the amount of footage that you get given, this trailer gave you more than you expect but just enough to keep you speculating and wanting more.

There is so much going on in this film it is pretty insane, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve seen the trailer like 4 times now and I want to watch it some more but I don’t want to overdo it. So what can we see in this trailer? Well for one the tone is incredibly darker than before, bordering on disturbing. The low lighting, use of yellow/brown filters, slow motion shots and use of eerie music ( “I’ve Got No Strings” from Pinocchio) create an atmosphere very different from the last film, this is more Winter Soldier than Avengers and I love it. The film looks like it takes place on a much more global stage than before with the different locations on display, and I love how there are so many shots on the individual Avengers in separate locations whether it be Thor in a pool of water, Bruce Banner in the snow, Hawkeye in the woods or Black Widow dropping out of a plane on a motorcycle, it is all too cool. A long time ago just after The Avengers came out, I remember Joss Whedon saying that if he were to maker a sequel that he would make a more personal, character-driven film with a darker tone and not make a film that was bigger and larger than the first just for the sake of it. And now seeing this trailer I’m finally starting to get an understanding of his vision and my, what a gorgeous vision it is.

This trailer gives you so much and more, it’s kind of hard to sit back and think about it as your head might explode from all the epicness. But since this is a review here are a few highlights to touch upon like:

• OMG, Ultron Is Such A Badass: I thought Loki would be only good villain the MCU would ever have, but this guy, he looks like he’s ready to steal that title. Straight from the beginning this character narrates the trailer with his sinister voice off-screen and his dialogue is delivered with such style, it is almost like poetry, EVIL POETRY! Quotes like “I’m going to show you something beautiful.”, “You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.”, “You’re all puppets, tangled in strings.” And finally the best one, “There are no strings on me.” Ooooooh, that last quote just sends shivers down my spine yo. Plus it also helps that the dude looks so badass, clearly he goes through a visual transformation and ends up looking so sleek and scary in his final form.
• Hulk Vs. Iron Man: While I don’t know how much of the film this will take up, just seeing the Hulkbuster armour in live-action gets me giddy. For the longest time I’ve known about it and see in it in comics but now that it exists in live-action I am hyped! Seeing Hulk and Iron fighting in the streets, causing chaos, smashing cars and food stands, it is mental.
• Looks Like Things Have Gone To Shit, Again: After all this time you’d think our heroes would deserve more time to chill out, but nope. The world looks like it is in danger again, people are running around in fear, police are shooting guns in the streets, there are loads of psycho robots everywhere, the Avengers are divided and fighting each other. It’s all-out chaos!
• Tony Stark Is In A Bad Place And He Knows It: We all know that it is Stark who creates Ultron in this film and we see that he is regretful of his decision in this film, obviously creating a crazy robot hell-bent on taking over the world will do that. But you cans see it in his face and Thor, I assume isn’t too happy about it either when he grabs Tony by the throat and holds him up against a wall. I’m sure he isn’t the only one who will want a piece Tony after this mistake.
• Look, It’s Andy Serkis! Who Is He Playing?: For a while now we’ve known that Serkis was involved in this film, not only consulting on the motion capture of Hulk, but also having a secret role and then he appears out of the blue in this trailer for a quick second. And I’m like “Oh my god! Who will he be playing? I WANT ANSWERS!” Apparently according to some fans on certain websites I have seen they reckon he is Klaw, a supervillain who apparent have crossed paths with the Avengers before but mainly with Black Panther. So of he is a villain and someone related to Black Panther’s mythos, does that mean we are closer to a film with the king of Wakanda?
• Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch Seem To Play A Big Part In This Film: You can see them early on in a crowd of scream people, possibly protesting and they look like they haven’t gotten their powers yet. Later on you see them individually using their powers and atone point together with Ultron! Looks like they will be playing both sides of the field from what I can gather here. The both look pretty cool and while we haven’t seen that much of Quicksilver, I think he looks pretty cool so far, but he does have a lot to prove after everyone pretty love the X-Men: Days of Future Past edition.

So here’s my top 6 moments from the trailer:

1) Final shot of Ultron at the end of the trailer

2) Hulkbuster armour suit up

3) Ultron robots everywhere

4) Thor grabbing Tony by the throat

5) Andy Serkis

6) Seeing Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch in action

In conclusion our first look at Avengers: Age of Ultron is nothing short of awesome. The is so much more to this trailer that I have yet to mention in this review but if I did we’d be here forever. Basically I’m over the moon about this film teaser and I’m totally into the darker tone, seeing the Avengers divided and of course seeing the badassery of Ultron. If Joss Whedon, Kevin Feige and the people at Marvel Studios have this film right like I think they have, then 2015 will be the year of heaven for us comic book fans,

So what do you think of the teaser trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron? Does it make you feel the hype more or less than before? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post yo! 😀

 

Check Out My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Video Review!

Howdy people of the internet, just doing a quick blog post. So the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film has been out here in the UK for just a little bit and while I did a written review for it, I also made a video one prior to that. It has been a long-ass time since I’ve done a new video on my YouTube channel and I would ask you to view it and spread it like wildfire. Check it below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeV_ATUICV8%5D

So if you don’t like reading or don’t mind hearing my opinion on a film twice, then check out this video, thanks. This is a pretty much a raw video with no edits or cuts and I tried to do it all in one take so I apologize for any mistakes made, but it was all ad-libbed so you have to give me some credit for that. 😀

So have you seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and if so what do you think of it? Also what did you think of my review (be honest! :P) Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo. Laters! 😀

 

The Maze Runner Review

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it is film review time once again and now I am going to give you my thoughts on The Maze Runner. This is a film I’ve wanted to see for a while ever since the first trailer came out and the wait has been made even worse because of the ridiculous gap between the US and UK releases (stupid distribution bullshit). But anyways, I saw the film last night and I’m ready to pass judgement.

The story can be described as the following:

“The story follows Thomas, who awakens in a rusty elevator with no memory of who he is, only to learn he has been delivered to the middle of an intricate maze, along with a slew of other boys, who have been trying to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth — all while establishing a functioning society in what they call The Glade.”

I thought the story was pretty good for the most part. What I appreciated was that the marketing gave you an idea of what the film was going to be about, but didn’t ruin any of the key story elements and that is something I always appreciate about GOOD film trailers. The film centers around the themes of trust and survival and presents you with a few questions like:

• Do you stick to what you know or do you take a chance with something new?
• Who do you trust?
• Is this/that a good idea?
• When there is a conflict what side do you choose?

Those are just a few questions that this film presents for Thomas and the inhabitants of The Glade and to some degree, you as the viewer as well. While this film doesn’t do anything unfamiliar with the plot in terms of structure and the use of the main protagonist, it does at least present you with an interesting plot. I do like the whole ‘Lord of the Flies’ set-up going on with the boys at The Glades, while the situations are very different, there are a lot of similarities and I enjoyed seeing the boys being a makeshift family, living boy rules in a miniature society and helping each other out while never questioning their leader. While a lot of the mystery and intrigue is lost towards the latter half of the film it is well-established at the start with the maze itself by establishing the monsters inside, the fact that the maze changes shapes and no one has ever survived a night alone outside of The Glades. There are a lot of moments of tension not only among the boys, but also once pieces of the mystery behind the maze slowly started to be revealed. I feel like some of the plot elements were a bit convenient, there are also a good few people that don’t get enough screen time to be relevant and the pacing was a bit questionable at points but those are only minor nitpicks.

When it comes to the cast they were pretty good for the most part with some sticking out more so than others. Dylan O’Brien was pretty as Thomas, the protagonist. Thomas is special, that is made apparent from the beginning and he is always questioning things and wants to escape and while his need for answers can be a little annoying, at least he is there to do something about the boys current situation. O’Brien reminded me a lot of Logan Lerman and that was a very distracting factor throughout my viewing of this film, but I do believe he did a great job in the title role, he was very energetic and believable and I think this is a great starting point for him to find himself in more films later in his career. Aml Ameen as Alby was pretty good, he is the leader of the Gladers, people look to him because he help establish the society they live in and looks out for his men, he is an all-round great guy, but he also isn’t above making tough decisions. Ameen was very good in this role and was one of my favourite people in the film. Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt was definitely one of my favourites for sure. He was second in command and while he follows Aml’s lead he also makes some major decisions and has Thomas’ back in tough situations. Sangster was very charming, funny and courageous in this role, and I’m just happy to see my man from Game of Thrones in a film in the cinema.

Will Poulter gave another one of the stronger performances as Gally, he is pretty much The Glade’s muscle man and instantly takes a disliking to Thomas and blames future actions on him. While the guy is a bit of a jerk, you do have to agree with him on a few points because he does ask a lot of the relevant questions. Poulter has come a long way from those days in that Narnia film, he was bloody good and intimidating in the role. Ki Hong Lee was another good person as Minho, he was the main Runner and has a pretty big history with the maze. Blake Cooper was probably my surprise favourite as Chuck, he was the youngest of the boys in The Glades and his friendship with Thomas is one of the nicer, subtle moments in the film. Cooper was cute and hilarious and was one of the main aspects of why I liked the characters in this film. Kaya Scodelario as Teresa was disappointing, from the way the trailers were going, it made her seem she was going to be an integral part of the film, but apparently not as she is one of the least compelling people there. Dexter Darden as Frypan, and Jacob Latimore as Jeff are fine, but hardly worth mentioning. And finally Patricia Clarkson as Ava Paige, she was pretty good. As soon as I saw her face in my head, I was like “Oh my god, it’s Tammy 1 from Parks and Recreation!” And if anyone watches that show the similarities are noticeable.

In conclusion The Maze Runner is a very good film filled with action, mystery and intrigue throughout. The main cast is solid, especially Logan Lerman and I was surprised by how much I liked the film. Now, while there were a few nitpicks I had here and there, as a person who never read the source material, I am interested to see where this new series of films will go.

Rating: 8/10

So what did you think of The Maze Runner? Was it your cup of tea or not and if you read the book how do you feel the film compares to the source material? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below and let me know. Until the next time, see ya later! 😀

 

Me And Horror Films

Good day to you ladies and gents, I know I haven’t been posting much in the way of film reviews, so to fill out that gap it is time for another film related blog post about me and film preferences. A little while ago I did a post entitled ‘Me And Comedy Films‘ that basically outlined my lack of interest in films in the comedy genre and now because of a recent films list created by an old tutor of mine, it got me thinking about horror films again and how little I care for them.

So horror films, what do I think of them? Well, not a lot really, but there is more to it than that. I have been familiar with this genre since I was a kid and have caught glimpses of many films both old and new at the time (the 90’s)

So my old tutor and friend, Mike, told me to create a top 10 horror film list on Facebook and at first I thought it wouldn’t be that hard, but when I started to think about it that is a task and a half. I don’t care much for horror films and it is one of my least favourite genres, now I’m not saying that they are no good or that they can’t be entertaining, however I find myself watching them the least for the following reasons:

1. I hate to be scared: Yes, it sounds like a poor reason, but I don’t like to watch films with the intention of being scared out of my wits. Sure, that’s what a lot of horror films are made for, but I don’t like the concept of watching films just to feel fear before, during and after a film, especially when it comes to cinema screenings. I am a coward and I have no shame in saying that.
2. I am very susceptible to jump scares: Yeah, any time I am watching a film in this genre I am just waiting for something to jump out at the screen and seven times out of ten it gets me, and I look so foolish for being scared at something simple, especially when no one else jumps or screams.
3. I get no sense of satisfaction from horror films: This sounds like an odd one but hear me out. Unlike sci-fi, action, thriller, comic book, fantasy or drama films, horror films just don’t do much for me. I don’t feel a sense of satisfaction that I would get from films in other genres, like for example, I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything from a horror film or get a life lesson from it or personally want to see them again after the first viewing.

Also, I’m very fickle when it comes to films of the horror genre, on one hand, I don’t wish to be scared out of my ass, but on the other hand, I don’t want to watch a film that isn’t scary because then there would be no point in watching it right? Now there are some exceptions to the rule and if I’m with my sister and mum then watching a horror film every once in a while is mandatory and sometimes I’m glad I saw it and other times, not so much.

While it wasn’t easy, I did put together a list of my favourite horror films in no particular order and here’s the list below:

1. The Exorcist
2. The Evil Dead (Original)
3. The Descent
4. The Ring (the remake because it’s hilarious)
5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
6. Let the Right One In
7. 30 Days of Night
8. Alien
9. Scream
10. Saw (because it’s funny)

That’s my list, and while some of them are science fiction hybrids, I feel like they are justified. If I had to pick one film from that list I liked the most it would be Invasion of the Body Snatchers, that film I’ve only seen it once, but it was one of the creepiest films I have ever seen and the concept alone is intriguing and disturbing. If I had to pick a pure horror film I would argue that The Exorcist, that film I’ve seen more times than I should have and it is the fusion of super funny stuff and really creepy stuff. And then there’s The Descent, a film I’ve seen two or three times, which is more than a lot of horror films and while it makes me feel deep levels of fear and claustrophobia, it is well-shot and creepy. Then there’s 30 Days of Night, a film I watched around five years ago and really liked and forgot it fell into the horror genre and The Evil Dead I watched last year and found that to be a nice mix of humour and scariness. But then there’s funny horror films like The Ring (2003), the Saw films, Jeepers Creepers 2 and the Hatchet films among others.

So that’s my thoughts on horror film and my choices for a top ten, what do you think or horror films and is there any films I have missed or do you feel that I have wrongfully placed above? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post yo! 😀

 

Castle Season 6 Review

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, today I continue my TV reviews and return to one of my favourites with the sixth season of Castle. So with season 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being totally awesome, it is about time for me to get back to this lovely show and see what epic scenarios would be taking place this time around. So how does season 6 fare? Well, read on and find out.

The plot for this show involves Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who is called in to assist the New York police when a serial killer begins committing copycat murders based on situations in his books. After Castle helps crack the case, he then decides to kill off his longtime character and create a new one, named “Nikki Heat,” and research her by shadowing Det. Kate Beckett. And now Castle and Beckett continue to work together on various crimes as they their relationship continues to grow and become deeper.

Story-wise this season is pretty great, the stories work individually, but are also connected throughout not only this season, but also tie back to episodes from previous seasons too. This season definitely knows how to get your attention from the get go and even though the main dynamic between Castle and Beckett has changed a little since they decided to get engaged, things are just as fun, exciting and dangerous as before, that being said, I liked how things didn’t stay in the Washington DC and found their way back to their natural routes in New York with the 12th precinct. One great thing this show does well is that it keeps you guessing, the people behind the show constantly find ways to blindside you with unexpected scenarios that you could never predict, especially when it comes to bringing characters and stories from previous seasons in new and intriguing ways. It is really smart and I love it. In addition to that Castle still has that trademark balance between humour and drama with there being a great deal of serious moments with just a nicely timed joke to balance things out as well.

Episode highlights include:

• Valkyrie
• Dreamworld
• Need To Know
• Number One Fan
• Time Will Tell
• Like Father, Like Daughter (personal favourite)
• Disciple (personal favourite)
• The Good, The Bad and the Baby
• Under Fire (personal favourite)
• Deep Cover (personal favourite)
• Room 147
• In the Belly of the Beast (personal favourite)
• The Way of the Ninja (personal favourite)
• The Greater Good
• That 70s Show
• Veritas (personal favourite)
• For Better or For Worse (personal favourite)

When it comes to the cast they are wonderful, the main cast has been playing these character so well for so long that it feels like their good performances seem like second nature to them, and in addition to that the new recurring characters are pretty nice as well.

So let’s start with Nathan Fillion, who is once again brilliant as Richard Castle. Castle is the source of the best humour and moments of inappropriate behaviour, but he has a big heart and care very dearly for Kate, his friends and family, even if it does put him in very dangerous situations. Stana Katic is still killing it as Kate Beckett, she seems more driven and determined than ever due to her job roles, but she also shows a bit of doubt and trouble when it comes to some elements of her work and the engagement to Richard, but she still has some great moments of humour too. Once again Fillion and Katic have great chemistry and I feel like they could just be ad-libbing their material because their characters seem so comfortable and realistic around each other

Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle is still cute and pretty and even though she isn’t around as much, she still has relevance in her father’s life and this is probably my favourite season with her as she is less annoying and gets some good character development this time around. Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, although not seen that much, is still the voice of reason and the source of humour and subtle emotional moments as well. I still have a lot of love for Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever as Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan, as usual both of them have their moments in the sun for great humour, but also great drama and their chemistry together and with Castle and Beckett is awesome. Esposito is still my favourite, but Ryan is still pretty damn cool. Unfortunately Tamala Jones as Lanie Parish is seen a lot less these days, however she is still a delight to watch and is gorgeous, so pretty. At this point I really do think of Penny Johnson Jerald as part of the Castle family as Victoria Gates. Her character is still a by-the-book kind of police person, strong in authority and doesn’t cut people slack when she knows they are on the wrong side of the law. That being said, she does have a heart and in this season more so than than before, she’s had a substantial episode given to develop her and make her a more relatable person which I loved.

So is there anything I didn’t like? Well I have some minor nitpicks, with the crazy scenarios that have taken place in previous seasons, I feel like season 6 was lacking in some innovate and crazy situations, story-wise as there were no stakes that felt as nerve-racking as before. Also the initial move to DC for Beckett feels a bit redundant as she goes back to New York and gets back to her standard job a little while after.

In conclusion Castle season 6 is another good season of this great TV show, as per usual it presents new, exciting and crazy adventures for Castle and Beckett to investigate while also advancing their relationship and personal lives too. While I think that the previous season had a better sense of coherency and fun, this season was still very enjoyable and offered many great twists and turns, cool stand out moments for the main cast beyond just Castle and Beckett and some promising storylines for the future too. Bring on season 7!

Rating: 8.5/10

So have you do watched Castle and if so are you casual watcher or an avid fan? And if not you’re watching this show, then why not? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next review yo.

 

LATE NEWS: Daredevil TV Series Information & Media Released!

Howdy people of the internet and welcome to another blog post relating to news in the world of comic books, now recently there was some news from the New York Comic-Con that I feel was worth mentioning. Now let’s talk about Daredevil!

So I’ve been following this series for a while now and the more I’ve seen and heard about it, the more excited I’ve become. While there hasn’t been much in the way of images and footage, the early pieces of media that have been released on the internet gives me hope for the future for sure. And then we had New York Comic Con recent and Marvel Studios released a whole chunk of information and media on it. Firstly, let’s talk about the first photos released which you can see below:

These images look pretty cool. The first one gives us a look at DD’s suit, probably a prototype before donning the classic red outfit later on possibly. What is nice about the outfit is the fact that 1) It looks practical and realistic and 2) It is taken from Daredevil: The Man Without Fear comic, which loads of people regard as one of the best runs of DD ever. As for the second image, it is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and I think he looks pretty good, I didn’t really see Cox in the role prior to filming being done, but I believe he is looking nice.

In addition to the images there was a good deal of information released especially when it comes to the panel itself, including some footage, which unfortunately none of us will ever get to see until a trailer is released later on. You can see the full New York Comic-Con Daredevil Panel below for additional information:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xO7wW8ODOo%5D

All in all I’m down with this adaptation of Daredevil, all I need is a trailer so I can get a feel for what it will be like. So what do you think of all the news relating to the upcoming Daredevil TV series and how do you feel it will compare to the old 2003 film? Be sure to comment below and give me your thoughts yo! 😀

 

In The Heart Of The Sea Trailer #1 Quick Review

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a quick trailer review and today I will be talking about Ron Howard’s next big film, In The Heart Of The Sea. Now I’ve been hearing a lot about this film for a while, however, it wasn’t until this trailer came out that I’ve truly gotten invested in this film. I was always going to watch it purely based on the fact that it starred Chris Hemsworth and it was directed by Ron Howard, but this trailer makes me more excited than ever for it.

Check out the trailer below:

So my immediate thoughts after seeing the trailer? Nice, I am intrigued.

Now I’ve never seen too many Ron Howard films, but I know of his credentials and after seeing and loving Rush last year, I am totally down with whatever he decides to direct in the future and while the subject matter shouldn’t really interest me, this trailer is convincing me otherwise. What we have here is a group of men on a ship out at sea looking for a legendary whale, that’s the gist of the tale, however, this trailer makes out like there is much more going on beyond that. It seems like while there is definitely a whale, it seems like there’s many other things going on with the main character and his crew.

There are gun battles, ships being wrecked, harpoons are lifted and thrown, men fall overboard, ships are on fire, birds are flying around in the air for some reason, two men drift ashore on a beach and there’s someone on an island alone. And there’s a lot more on display, but it just looks like there will be a great deal of things happening besides the hunt for the famous whale. And speaking of the whale, bloody hell, look at the size of the thing! And from the way the trailer is handling him, he seems to be treated like some kind of natural disaster, like Godzilla, a monster of the ocean that is hidden until it wants to be found and then causes madness at sea for the humans involved. I love it.

I love the visual style, it seems very dark, vivid with strong colours, interesting lighting and it comes across very stylized and atmospheric and even though there is a use of visual effects, it doesn’t look like it overshadows the film but helps enhance the visual experience. What also helps is the music, the music helps amplify the visuals on-screen having a slow, calm sound and then builds up during the montage of imagery and then winds back down at the end.

In conclusion In The Heart Of The Sea is looking pretty awesome and the fact that it is coming out in March of next year means I won’t have to wait too for it, I’m down for it.

So what do you think of the first trailer for In The Heart Of The Sea? Does it make you excited or does it leave you uninterested? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below and I’ll see ya on the next review. 😀

 

When There Isn’t Enough “Me Time”

Howdy ladies and gents, just wanted to make a quick blog post about the state of my life at the moment and share it online because I like to share! Haha. Anyways, you may have noticed that the amount of reviews from me have not been as frequent or as swift as it was earlier in the year, well, there is a reason for that and it basically comes down to the fact that I barely have enough time to do anything I want anymore.

This is my life right now, I feel like I have no time in life.

So what’s the deal? Well, since August I have been hopping in and out of jobs, three to be exact and because of the full-time nature of said jobs I haven’t had much time to go to the cinema, play my video games or just blog. Because I have to work, I don’t have many hours to myself to do all the fun things that help me get through the day, and thanks to my current warehouse job I am working four days a week with only three left to myself, and to me that’s bullshit. When you have half of your week taken from you to go to a job you don’t like, that’s some messed up shit right there.

Yep, I know how this feels. This is how my life feels when I attempt to carry out basic tasks.

Now, while I do make a good few blog posts about being lazy and chilling out, there are times when I am super busy and plan to do a lot of things like go to the cinema, draw, write stories, plan animations, catch up with my TV shows, meet up with friends, doing exercises, etc. But I end up doing so much or so little at different points in the week that not everything every gets done. Right now, I have a lot of films I would like to watch, but I haven’t had a good day to go to the cinema since last Saturday because of my work schedule. And now realising how busy I will be in life from now on, I see that my “me time” will be cut by a massive chunk, leaving me so unhappy and messed up when it comes to personal activities.

So to conclude my blogging activity may be a little fragmented from now on and my film, TV and game reviews will be a lot less, probably, but hang tight with me and keep looking for new material when it comes! Laters. 🙂