X-Men '97 (2024) Trailer - Review

In the age where studios are remaking 70s/80s movie franchises (that do not need one), here comes some delightful news: the critically acclaimed fan favorite series featuring our favorite mutants is getting its share of the spotlight. Instead of getting remade, the series is being continued with several of the voice actors returning. Marvel Studios already indicated this in the brief Illuminati scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

 

I enjoyed the original X-Men: The Animated series for the excellent voice work, characterizations and specifically for portraying Cykes as the leader of the X-Men. This was before Bryan Singer (with adequate support from Hugh Jackman) positioned Wolverine as the most important X-Men figure.

 

Check out the trailer below:

Cykes is front and center in the series, if the trailer is a fair representation. Yes, Wolverine still gets his one liners and brandish his claws menacingly. Still refreshing to see the true leader finally retaining his top spot.

Scott Summers is one of my favorite X-Men - a great leader and inspiring figure. The series is set to further his story line with Jean Grey, who is pregnant (with presumably Rachel Summers). I expect Mr Sinister to make his appearance shortly.

Some of my other favorites also appear - Storm, Rogue and the Master of Magnetism himself. The returning voice actors include Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Cal Dodd (Wolverine), and Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler).

Magneto and Cykes get new voice actors (Matthew Waterson and Ray Chase respectively). I loved the performances of both Norm Spencer and David Hemblen. Both brought such gravitas to their performances.

I got the same chills after hearing Cykes' line: “To me, my X-Men”. And Magneto's appearance at the end was the icing on the cake.

 

As expected, they are retaining the original style of the animated series. Already, we have got a preview of the Sentinels. We also get a quick look at Daily Bugle headline: “Is Spiderman a mutant?”. This is a reference to the crossover episodes on another classic Marvel animation show Spiderman: The Animated Series: “Chapter IV: The Mutant Agenda” and “Chapter V: Mutants' Revenge”.

 

The only thing about the trailer that struck me as odd is Magneto's face. He looks almost cartoonishly evil. Hopefully, his character will be as fleshed out as the classic series did.

The series premeries on Disney+ streaming service on Mar 20 2024.

Fingers crossed that this will be even better than the original series.

 

Image Sources: Disney+, Marvel Animation

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Godzilla Minus One (2023) Trailer - Review

 

After a long time, here comes a trailer that has got me interested in the final product. Godzilla Minus One, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, looks set to return the titular monster to his full glory.

I enjoyed both Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. G:KOTM had an excellent soundtrack from Bear McCreary and boasted of amazingly well executed versions of King Ghidorah and Mothra. G vs. K had excellent visual effects and the fight scenes were top notch.

As the reader might have noted, Godzilla is not mentioned as he did much of an impact. In both the movies, he needed support from Mothra and King Kong to take down Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla (possessed by Ghidorah) respectively. While it can be argued that Godzilla has always had help to best Ghidorah, he also looked quite bulky and not as agile as one would expect.

Check out the trailer below:

This movie looks to course correct that by having a lean and mean one who packs quite the punch. The plot goes like this - As Japan reels from the effects of World War II, a new threat emerges in the form of the titular character. Gone is the protector version we saw in the Hollywood movies and here we have an absolute brute who means to lay waste to Japan (as they usually do). His roar is thunderous and as he engages the Japanese army and navy, his anger is palpable.

The visual effects look amazing and credit to Takashi Yamazaki and his team. The acting looks ok for a movie of this genre. We know the story and we are mainly in for Godzilla himself and the action scenes. On both these accounts, Godzilla Minus One scores.

Hopefully, the movie will be a blast. The movie already opened in Japan and has been declared to be a blockbuster. It will be released in other countries in December. Hopefully, when the inevitable sequel happens, we will see this Gojira face off against King Ghidorah.

 

Image Sources: Toho Studios, Toho Company, Robot Communications

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Man of Steel (2013) - Revisited

Back when I saw this movie in 2013, I found it to be a disappointment. I enjoyed exactly two scenes in the entire movie: the Superman flight scene and his aerial rescue of Lois (preceding the Smallville fight sequence). I also liked Antje's performance as Faora. Other than that, the movie did not impress me.

 

I found Man of Steel (MoS) to be the polar opposite of the Richard Donner/Chris Reeve 1978 Superman: The Movie:

• Cavill's Clark Kent/Superman is almost 100% humor/smile free (except for the last shot at the Daily Planet)
• Like Clark, the movie itself has a grim tone, which would befit Batman or Punisher or Spawn better.
• The cinematography choices is also dark and is probably one of the main reasons this movie did not strike a chord with me
• Lois Lane already knows Superman's secret identity, even before they meet. Plus the chemistry between Henry Cavill and Amy Adams is non-existent.
  
• Hans Zimmer's soundtrack does not have a single romance track. John Williams' love theme is still one of his best works.
• The action sequences are way overdone. The movie starts with one (set on Krypton), the second is set in Smallville and the finale in Metropolis. Except the first one, the special effects in the the remaining ones appear unfinished multiple times. We can overlook the lack of humor and the characterizations, but the way these action sequences have been handled is puzzling.
  

 

 

Revisited MoS after a long time and finally came to terms with it. This is a modern take on Superman in the same vein as BBC Sherlock is on the 20th Century Victorian detective. The obvious difference is that while the BBC show also takes deviations, it is a very well made show with great casting choices (among other things). MoS still remains a mixed bag. Yes there are some positives, but the movie still suffers from a number of weak spot. Let us get started.

 

The opening prologue on Krypton feels unnecessary and serves only to remind us that Warner Bros had provided only one mandate to Zack Snyder: make the movie as action packed as possible. If further proof is required, look no further than the casting and characterization of Jor-El. Clearly, Snyder is a fan of Gladiator - in addition to Russell Crowe, we have Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta and Hans Zimmer providing another bombastic soundtrack. One final link would Joaquin Phoenix who played Joker.

Back to the prologue - a good example of a prologue well done would be the one at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. That was such a good beginning to the movie and the trilogy. The Krypton sequence on the other hand looks generic and Jor-El is a martial artist/scientist who can go toe to toe with General Zod (Michael Shannon) and ride dragon like beasts (reminded me of Avatar though). 

 

This entire sequence could have been done away with and the money would have been better spent on making the Smallville and Metropolis action sequences better. The city wide destruction and Superman snapping Zod's neck has been widely criticized and commented upon. I can understand that these were justified from a story point perspective, but the low quality of graphics in the fight sequences is something that Zack could have improved on.

 

 

To give Zack and the movie due credit, I liked the scene where Faora-Ul (Antje Trauje) gives special breathing gear to Lois Lane (Amy Adams) in the Kryptonian ship. Also Superman struggling to adjust to the Kryptonian atmosphere was another nice touch. I mention this point specifically for one main reason: When watching Avengers: Endgame, I was struck by how Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Dr Stephen Strange and other humans were able to adapt so quickly to the atmosphere on Titan and breath without the help of any special instrument/aid. So kudos to Zack and team.

 

The other aspects that the movie absolutely delivered are the flight scenes featuring Supes and the Kryptonian ships. The design of the alien ships is another strong point. 

 

The final and the best thing about the movie is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. Following John Williams' iconic work is a daunting task. Hans delivers a great theme to both Supes and Zod. The movie would lose half its impact without the soundtrack. Superman's first flight scene and his aerial rescue of Lois are two examples. Some might complain that it is bit loud, but I nevertheless enjoy the soundtrack and think of it as a great companion piece to Williams.

 

I did find couple of loop holes in the plot:

• In Zack Snyder's Justice League, it is revealed that General Swanwick (Harry Lennix) is actually Martian Manhunter in disguise. The question is: why did Martian Manhunter not help Supes against the Kryptonian invasion? He could have helped and still maintained his secret identity. Related query: how come Supes did not see through Manhunter's disguise, considering that he would have some anatomical differences from regular human beings?
• Another thing to note is that probably half of Smallville know's Superman's secret identity. After being rescued by Supes, Lois arrives in a police car at Clark's home in Smallville and addresses Superman as “Clark” right within hearing distance of the cops. So what was the point of General Swanwick's 12 million dollar worth satellite to keep tabs on Supes. Plus, cannot Swanwick (as Martian Manhunter) just read Supes mind and know his true identity. 
  

All in all, MoS is a better Science Fiction movie than a Superhero movie featuring Supes. I think of it as an alternate universe take (similar to JL: Gods and Monsters). 

Click here to read all my posts related to DC Comics.

Image Sources: Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Syncopy

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Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Teaser - Review

Last time we saw Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at the end of Avengers: Endgame, he was engaging in playful banter with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and had taken up with the Guardians of Galaxy or “Asgardians of the Galaxy” as he had rechristened them. The teaser makes it clear that Thor has checked out on his superhero duties and is looking to enjoy his life. Similarly, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is bored taking care of New Asgard. The teaser ends with our first look at female Thor (or Mighty Thor as per IMDB).

Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) continues the colorful and playful tone of the previous movie. Can't help but point out how different this movie is from DC's latest offering (The Batman). The latter is dark not only in terms of lighting and cinematography, but even content wise. I personally enjoy both flavors of superhero movies and would like both the studios to play to their strengths. DC does standalone movies well and Marvel has pretty much written the rulebook on creating a shared cinematic universe.

Check out the trailer below:

Back to the movie - Korg too returns. The biggest addition to the cast is arguably Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. Very smart marketing decision by Marvel Studios to not feature Gorr in the teaser. Russell Crowe portrays Zeus and we get a fleeting glimpse of him. Both these actors have portrayed DC Characters before (Batman and Superman's dad respectively) and would be great additions. 

Chris Hemsworth's Thor is enjoying himself as the God with no plan and is living his life to the fullest. He is seen briefly as a pirate on a ship and this reminded me of Drax's description of Thor from Avengers: Infinity War as being the child of a pirate and an angel. Hemsworth has great comedic timing and has an excellent chemistry with Chris Pratt. I look forward to their interactions in this movie and beyond.

 

Kevin Feige is taking the MCU in a new direction in Phase 4. Dr Strange: Multiverse of Madness looks set to bring in the X-Men (and possibly Fantastic Four) into the fold and is rated R. Now we have a female Thor - Natalie Portman returns to the MCU and looks beefed-up for the role. This is an exciting time for MCU fans and I cannot wait to see how the MCU is shaped by the events that transpires in these two movies.

 

Trivia: The song “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses is played in the teaser. 

 

Click here to read all my posts related to Marvel Comics.

Image Sources: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Trailer - Review/Reaction

Got to hand it to Kevin Feige. Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was launched Iron Man in 2008, there has been no looking back. If Spider-Man: No Way Home (NWH) brought all three Spider Man actors together, now Feige has finally made every MCU/Marvel fan's dream come true: bring the X-Men (and possibly The Fantastic Four) into the MCU.

 

Check out the trailer:

 

The Multiverse is upon us and Dr Strange is brought to trial for his actions in NWH. And guess who is there on the panel - Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) himself. If that does not get you excited, it is highly possible that John Krasinski will debut as Reed Richards aka Mr Fantastic. Plus, it looks like Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (or one of her variants) will be the bad gal this time.

 

There is so much to love about this trailer. Sam Raimi's trademark shots. Especially that shot of Shuma-Gorath looks fabulous. I also liked the shot of Dr Strange in a prehistoric looking place. It might be “Savage Land” from the X-Men lore. Not to mention the multiple variants of Doctor Strange himself.

And it is always good to see Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). 

 

Click here to read all my posts about Marvel Comics.

Image Sources: Marvel Studios, Truenorth Productions, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

 

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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) -  Review

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Review

Spiderman/Peter Parker just cannot get a break. He finally came to terms with being a superhero and even disclosed his secret to MJ (Zendaya). That is when the “multiverse warrior” Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal)  revealed Parker's secret to the entire world.

 

Peter finds himself the target of intense media scrutiny. By extension, MJ and Ned's MIT applications get rejected. Desperate for a solution, he turns to Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who proposes to use his powers to make everyone forget about Spiderman's secret identity.

 

Peter interrupts the spell many times, resulting in people from other multiverses popping up in this reality. Multiple supervillains show up, including Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) from the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy. We also have Electro (Jamie Foxx) and The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) from the Marc Webb/Andrew Garfield movies.

 

Dr Strange and Spidey manage to capture the supervillains one by one. It seems the villains were pulled in from their respective realities, just before they were about to die during their confrontation with the Friendly Neighborhood Webslinger. Dr Strange proposes to send them back to their respective universes, but Spiderman disagrees and traps the Sorcerer Supreme in the Mirror Dimension. 

 

Spiderman wants to cure the villains and succeeds with Doc Ock but his good intentions backfire when the Green Goblin persona takes over Norman Osborn and kills Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). A distraught Peter goes into self-exile. Ned uses Dr Strange's sling ring to find his friend. Guess who turns up instead  - Tobey Maguire (Peter 2) and Andrew Garfield (Peter 3) from their respective realities.

The rest of the movie is about how the three Spidermen work together to cure the remaining baddies with support from the now reformed Doc Ock. And yes, Dr Strange escapes from the Mirror Dimension and performs one final spells that makes every one forget the real identity of Tom Holland's Spiderman (Peter 1). He also sends back the other two Spidermen and others back.

Peter 1 continues to fight crime as Spiderman but decides not to reintroduce himself to Ned or MJ.

The movie works for the most part, mainly due to the return of actors from previous Spiderman movies and Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr Stephen Strange. Speaking of the former, like the movies themselves the actors also continue to leave similar impressions this time too. Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina continue to deliver stellar performances, even if it is almost two decades since the last time. Especially Willem Dafoe - he exudes innocence and menace as Norman Osborn and Green Goblin respectively. The transformation scene and the subsequent fight scene leading to Aunt May's death has to be seen to be believed. He is a gifted actor and has portrayed both heroic (Aquaman's mentor Nuidis Vulko) and villainous characters with ease. 

Same is true of Tobey and Alfred. They have a great reunion in the movie and the scene that is set to Danny Elfman's memorable soundtrack, should bring a smile to fans of the Sam Raimi movies. Additionally, all three of them get to repeat some of their memorable lines from the previous movies.

 

Tobey's Peter 1 is the mature one in the team and he imparts wisdom to Andrew's Peter 2, who suffers from inferiority complex. The conversation featuring the 3 Spideys is another great scene from the movie. Peter 2 and 3's responses to Peter 1's remark that he is part of The Avengers was gold.

Andrew's Spiderman finally gets some closure after rescuing Zendaya's MJ. Jamie Foxx is clearly channeling his Bats character from Baby Driver. Both Rhys Ifans and Thomas Haden Church make their appearance in the climax, as they are in their transformed personas for the remaining of the movie.

 

And now coming to my favorite part of the movie - Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange. I think this is his best performance in the MCU so far; yes even better than his own standalone origin movie or Avengers: Infinity War. He did have a brief cameo in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame, but those were too brief. For the first time, Dr Strange shows his sense of humor and that made the big difference. Dr Strange is clearly the next big thing in the MCU after Iron Man's exit and Benedict is settling well into the role.

 

 

His battle with Spidey is the best sequence in the movie and Michael Giacchino's background score lifts the scene to a different level. Interestingly, Michael will not be scoring for the next MCU movie: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Since Sam Raimi replaced Scott Derrickson, his favorite Danny Elfman has been brought on board for the composing duties. Let us see if they can recreate the magic of the Spiderman trilogy.

 

PS: Michael Giacchino has scored the soundtrack for the next Batman movie. He joins both Elfman and Zimmer as the composers who have worked on both Batman and Spiderman movies.

 

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Image Sources: Pascal Pictures, Marvel Studios, Columbia Pictures

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Teaser - Review/Reaction

The much awaited first teaser for this year's first MCU movie has arrived and has Benedict Cumberbatch returning as the Sorcerer Supreme along with the supporting cast (Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg).

 

Check out the trailer:

Against Wong's advice, Dr Strange has used an incantation that has opened up the Multiverse. No wonder that we are introduced to an alternate version of our titular character who is not as benevolent as the one we are familiar with. The Sorcerer Supreme reaches out to Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) for fighting this new threat.

 

Genre veteran Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire), replaces Scott Derrickson as the director. Astute movie fans would remember this reference to Dr Strange in Spider-Man 2:

 

Another nod was the fact that Peter Parker's workplace (Joe's Pizza) was located on Bleecker Street - Dr Strange's Sanctum Santorum is situated at 177A Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. Now the circle is complete with Sam helming this movie. Hopefully, he will repeat his magic again. Speaking of Scott Derrickson, it seems he was interested in bringing Namor in the sequel. Perhaps, this was the reason he left the project due to “creative differences”. Nevertheless the Sinister auteur has been replaced by one of the legends in the genre and we are getting our first Horror movie from MCU.

 

As I had mentioned in another post, Benedict Cumberbatch seems a bit off in his role as the Sorcerer Supreme. The fire and passion that he brought to the screen as Sherlock is missing here. We get a brief glimpse of Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer in wedding gown. The teaser promises a lot of action set pieces as can be expected from a MCU movie. I do look forward to the teaming up of Scarlet Witch and Dr Strange. Wanda almost singlehandedly defeated Thanos and was one of the few Avengers who have accomplished this. Wanda and Stephen working together would make for a very powerful combo.

 

Plus, I am interested to see what other surprises the Multiverse throws at us - may be introduce us to couple of X-Men....

Trivia

• The Octopus like creature that Dr Strange is battling is Shuma-Gorath.
• The movie also marks the live action debut of America Chavez. The superheroine is played by Xochitl Gomez.
  

Click here to read all my posts about Marvel Comics.

Image Sources: Marvel Studios, Truenorth Productions, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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