Category Archives: Superhero

Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

After experimenting releasing major films in both theaters and on ‘Premium Access’ as a method of mitigating restricted audiences due to the pandemic, and inciting a revolt of its artists, Disney has released the 25th Marvel Cinematic Universe feature, Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, exclusively for theatrical distribution.

Shang-Chi stars Simu Liu as the titular character, the son of Xu Wenwu, played by Tony Leung, a nearly immortal warlord whose mastery of ten mystical rings grants him fantastic powers and long life. Repelled by his father’s criminal life Shang-chi flees living in secret working as car valet alongside his equally underachieving best friend Katy played by rapper, writer, actress Awkwafina. After his father’s assassins failed to kill Shang-chi his secret of revealed and he along with Katy rush to save Shang-Chi estranged sister before she falls to the killers drawing the pair into a globe spanning mystical adventure that leads Shang-chi in revelation about himself, his heritage, and the meaning of family.

Shang-Chi is a solid entry in the MCU’s ever expanding cannon. It is quite pleasing that the character’s origins have been modified, removing the stain of ‘yellow peril’ and instead centered on a more respectful and accurate portrayal, at least to my under educated eyes, of Chinese culture and tradition. I will leave analysis of the films depiction of Chinese diaspora to those more fully equipped for such examination and restrict my opinions to the movie itself and its place in the MCU.

This film is neither the best nor the worst offering from the franchise’s feature catalog. It is stylish, well produced and directed with solid emotionally grounded performances from the entire cast. It doesn’t fail to have a bit of fun or occasional laugh utilizing the comedic talent of the actors while maintaining a family drama that explores the theme that we are, for both better and ill, the product of our families. A few of characters from other MCU properties make customary and expected appearances but there is one whose inclusion is a genie surprise and thoroughly entertaining. More so if one kept up with Marvel’s studio’s brief experiment run with ‘One Shot’ short films that had been included for a time as bonus material on the home video releases.

Where the film fails to reach the level of the very best Marvel movies are in the areas of the villain’s motivation, which is relatable and character driven but fails to have greater thematic importance such as will Killmonger in Black Panther, and in the a vaguely defined power set for the titular Ten Rings that leads to a climatic battle that at times feels a bit deus ex machina, not so much as to ruin the film’s resolution but enough in my eyes to undercut it. Still the writers and filmmaker avoided tired tropes and cliches such as the villain using the hero’s female friend as hostage, a tactic I would most happily hope to never witness in a film again.

There are two post credit sequences, the first more lighthearted the second more critical to further developments for Shang-chi and his story.

If you have enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far then there is every reason to expect that Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings should provide you with a couple of hours of enjoyment the exact amount dependent upon your precise tastes.

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Series Review: Marvel’s What If …?

 

 

Among the Marvel Cinematic Universe programing produced and released on Disney+, WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Solider, and Loki, Marvel’s What If …? is the only animated entry. Centered on alternate version of established characters and stories What If …? is anthology series with each episode a stand-alone and unique entry. Episode one explored an alternate universe where Agent Peggy Carter received the Super Solider treatments instead of Steve Rogers and the next episode brought us a version of The Guardians of the Galaxy where T’Challa (The Black Panther) was abducted as a child instead of Peter Quill creating a very different team of heroes that included a reformed Thanos.

I have been mildly entertained by the series so far but it is the third episode that in my opinion is so far the best. Titled What If .. Earth lost its Mightiest Heroes? the episode focuses on Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, having a very bad week as an unknown force or assassin murders all of his potential recruits for the yet formed Avengers. Where the preceding two episodes drew nearly all of their entertainment value from the novelty of the changes, Captain Carter instead of Captain America the stories were not that engaging nor that challenging. This episode moves with a proper mystery and a central character that engages the viewer as they struggle to find and requisite answer.

Marvel’s What If …? utilizes as voice talent many of the stars from the MCU, Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury, Clark Gregg as fan favorite Phil Coulson, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, but some of the beloved actors are conspicuous in their absence with the replacement voice talent quite obvious. I do not know animation well enough to say exactly what style the series is produced in but the animation loos great and has a consistent style across episodes.

While I doubt Marvel’s What If …? is likely to become anyone’s favorite element of the vast MCU it does make for a pleasant and enjoyable half-hour of relaxed television viewing.

My SF/Noir Vulcan’s Forge is available from Amazon and all booksellers. The novel is dark, cynical, and packed with movie references,

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Movie Review: Free Guy

 

Free Guy is the story of how a background non-player character, Guy, played with able comic chops by Ryan Reynolds, in an open-world video game, with decidedly strong Grand Theft Auto vibes, becomes self-aware while learning that his world is nothing but a sandbox for sociopathic players unleashing carnage and cruelty.

Free Guy is also the story of two brilliant computer/software geniuses, Mille, played by Killing Eve’s award-winning actor Jodie Comer, and Keys, played by Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, as they struggle to prove that the original code for the massively successful and profitable game that acts as Guy’s world, was stolen from them by cartoonishly villain Antwan, played by the brilliant Kiwi Taika Waititi.

The twin plotlines intersect when Millie’s avatar in the game world, Molotov Girl, intersects with Guy hurtling them on a collision course that ultimately will decide everyone’s, virtual and otherwise, fate.

The trailers and promotion sell Free Guy as an action/comedy and they much is very true. The tone and style of the humor is very much in keeping with Ryan’s Deadpool, though here toned down for a PG-13 rating, and with the gags referencing other properties held off until the film’s final act when we are reminded that Disney owns everything.

But, beyond the gags, jabs, and cameos from the real world of on-line game and streaming, Free Guy also has a theme that we are the architects of our lives and routines can be non-living. The movie doesn’t descend into full ‘message’ mode, but neither is it particularly subtle with its theme, striking instead the right balance between the two poles.

There are plenty of great visual gag and surprisingly cameos. (Do not visit IMDB before seeing this, let the surprise arrive and please you.) While Free Guy will never be counted among the great films of cinema’s canon it is fun, entertaining, and full or unironic heart making it well worth seeing. If you are vaccinated and comfortable heading out into public do see this in a theater.

Final observation, I do not know if this was an effect from the pandemic but two of the trailers before the movie, The House of Gucci and The Last Duel were both directed by Ridley Scott and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the same director pop up twice, as director, in the same trailer block.

Also remember that my SF/Noir Vulcan’s Forge is available from Amazon and all booksellers. The novel is dark, cynical, and packed with movie references,

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Quick Hits

 

Just a few unrelated thoughts and observations this morning.

 

COVID-19: Well, this is fucked. We could have been well on the way to controlling the pandemic in the US and then turning our considerable resources to helping the rest of the world, but no, our fascist-adjacent party insists on throwing their tantrum modeled upon their orange god-king and screwing it up for everyone.

 

New Novel: I’ve started act break work on my new novel about alien ‘non-contact.’ I’m hoping within a week to have an outline and to be ready for actual scene writing.

 

Marvel’s What if …: the new series an anthology of animated alternate versions of MCU stories, the premier being what is Agent Carter got the super solider serum instead of Steve. It worked but I wasn’t blown away.

 

 

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Movie Review: The Suicide Squad

 

In July 2018, the happy before times when we knew nothing about the coming pandemic, James Gunn having provoked the ire of Trump supporters was fired from his position as the director of the 3rd installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, the first two under his writing and direction had clear more than 1.5 billion at the box office, when Disney panicked over a faux twitter outrage generated by said Trump supporters fixated on Gunn’s years aged and already apologized for shock and bast taste humor on that platform.

Meanwhile Warner Brothers Studios licked their wounds from the critical disappointment that was their feature release Suicide Squada superhero film where the featured characters were in fact villains pressed into government service in a dangerous mission to save the world. Wb desperate for a win compared to the juggernaut that is Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, a license to more money than many countries, they wasted no time and hired Gunn for the sequel to their villains turned heroes series and thus was born The Suicide Squad.

If you are expecting a clone of Guardians in tone, humor, or even needles drops, then you may be disappointed by The Suicide Squad. The humor is darker and more cynical, the action more violentand quite graphic compared to Marvel’s generally bloodless combat and the music ques trend to more modern selections in contrast to Guardians favor for classic rock.

With the exceptions of fan favorite Harley Quinn and Colonel Flag, Gunn, given a free hand by the studio, selected a new roster of villains to constitute his world saving anti-heroes, and that line-up to is too extensive to fully detail here but includes; Ratcatcher 2, who inherited tech to control rats from her father, Polka-Dot Man, who throws polka-dots of disintegrating energy, Bloodsport and Peacemaker a pair of high trained, testosterone-poisoned mercenary assassins and of course King Shark, a humanoid barely speech-capable walking super-strong and always hungry shark.

This assorted murderer’s row along with a number of other are dispatched of a fictional island nation of the coast of South America to destroy a facility and its secret project “Starfish” that has landed in unfriendly hands due to a recent coup. Things go wrong and a great deal of curing and violence erupts and the villains are faced with a threat that far outmatches them and one that no all of them will survive. After all it is titled The Suicide Squad.

I enjoyed but did not love this movie. It is fun, it revels in its R rating, and Gunn let the characters be themselves without bogging the pacing down with excessive set-ups. That said there were elements, usually style induced ones that kept rubbing against my suspension of disbelief. For example, instead of a simple title card or subtitle to inform us we were jumping back three day in the story to show us something vital Gunn would place the letters in the scene, such as in foam forming on a toilet seat, or in billowing flames and that was too self-ware for my own tastes.

That said I am glad I watched this in a theater where giant action set pieces played out far larger than life. So, my recommendation is see it, but be aware it doesn’t work for everyone.

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