Deadpool 2 Review

Needless to say, this film carried a lot of hype and a lot of expectations. The first film was a profane, 4th wall-breaking breath of fresh air. Sometimes it is tough to follow up on a film like that, since part of its appeal is the novelty. Can it really be as entertaining the second time around? While I think I prefer the first film over this one, I will say that Deadpool 2 is a worthy sequel.

Deadpool follows the Merc With A Mouth as he tries to save Russell Collins a.k.a Firefirst (Julian Dennison) from time-travelling Cable. As you may be able to guess from the trailer, Cable is on the hunt for the teenaged mutant due to something that Firefist does in the future. It is tough to describe this film’s plot well without spoiling too much, since there is an important inciting incident early on that shapes Wade’s character for the rest of the film. You may have heard that Deadpool 2 has more heart than the previous one, and I have to agree.

I had some worries going into this film due to the director switch, and chatter from some friends worried about the film possibly trying to do too much with its addition of X-Force and Cable. However, I tried to cut out all the chatter from other people and go into this film with an blank slate. I will say that this film is darker than the first. While the first film undoubtedly has dark moments, such as Wade’s transformation scene, the darker moments are more prevalent in this one. That was no problem for me though. Hating on anything dark is fashionable nowadays (Wade takes a stab at the DC Universe) but darkness is fine if it fits the story. Deadpool isn’t always happy-go-lucky in the comics and I am glad to see that the creative team behind this film realize that. Deadpool 2 still does a better job balancing its serious moments and humour than most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films do. Humour is always more rewarding when it isn’t overused.

The performances are great all-around. Ryan Reynolds continues to embody Deadpool, whether in an irreverent moment or a serious one. Dennison is a newcomer to Hollywood but his previous experience in New Zealand’s film scene is evident. His character is probably the most interesting one in the film: A young mutant whose powers make him a danger to himself and those around him. Dennison’s story also brings up the theme of abuse, which actually becomes important to the plot instead of being something tacked on. Zazie Beetz got plenty of hate online since fans didn’t want a black actress playing Domino. Some of the hate came from just from the announcement of her casting, while some criticism came after the look was revealed. Sorry but I am unsympathetic to the people who complained simply about a black actress since I bet some of them belong to the same horde who vehemently defend whitewashing. The double standard in people’s reactions to whitewashing vs blackwashing annoys me to no end.

Anyways, Beetz is arguably the film’s breakout star and I think there may be a lot of new Domino fans after the film. Brolin puts in a great performance as Cable, but I almost feel like his character could have had a bit more development or screen time. The writers also did a good job of getting some humour out of Cable’s interactions with other characters, without neutering his character like the MCU films consistently do with theirs. Cable’s motivations are clear and tragic, but maybe Brolin’s performance just left me wanting a bigger role. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see where they go with the character from here. The supporting cast also returns, with Karan Soni’s Dopinder having one of the best moments in the film.

For those worried that all the members of X-Force would drag the plot down too much, let’s just say the writers did a good job of handling the characters’ screen time. Leading up to the third act, Wade Wilson is seeking a sense of purpose and belonging, or more importantly a family. Through Russell, Domino, Colossus etc. he begins to find that and evolves as a character. The main conflict arises between Deadpool and Cable since Deadpool wishes to try and save Russell, while Cable wants to kill him. This conflict is handled well throughout but there is another villain introduced just prior to the third act. For the nerds (like me) who follow the online chatter, you may already have an idea who the villain is. The villain comes across as an entity introduced just so that Colossus and the other heroes have something to fight, while Wade and Cable try to deal with Firefist. The villain’s lines are sparse, and if you don’t know his background in the comics you’re left in the dark here. Additionally the villain sports some of the weakest CGI in the film.

Speaking of CGI, the villain isn’t the only person to feature some bad work at times. Colossus and Cable’s effects, from the arm to his weapons, seemed to get the lion’s share of the budget. Meanwhile, a lot of other scenes, from car crashes and so on looked very cartoonish in comparison. The budget was nearly doubled for this film and I can’t help but think some more practical effects could have worked wonders, if possible. Then again, director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) has said CGI is faster and cheaper. However, I feel like some of the effects in the film were not worthy of a $110 million budget, regardless of how resources got divided. Then again, the budget displayed might include some costs for actors, marketing etc.

Leitch may not have balanced all of the film’s pieces as well as Tim Miller, but I will say that the John -Wick-esque choreography is a welcome addition. While Deadpool 2 might sport a weaker third act, due to a tacked-on villain, the third act also has some of the film’s best moments. Deadpool 2 manages to fit in another 80’s tribute that is actually more touching than half the moments I’ve been forced to watch in sappy rom-coms. The film can make you laugh but also provides a lot more. I’ll see it again in theatres if I can, but until then I highly recommend it. If it wasn’t for the addition of the tacked-on third act villain I could probably say I liked this film more than the original.

Venom Trailer Thoughts

Tom Hardy is one of my favourite actors, and Venom is one of my favourite comic book villains. So you might be wondering why I’m a little late giving my thoughts on the latest trailer.

Despite the lead and the character, the film never interested me much because it is a solo film on a villain (or anti-hero in this case) that works better when paired with a hero. Venom was interesting to me because of his link to Spider-Man. The symbiote (judging by the trailer I have been pronouncing it wrong or the director insisted on pronouncing it wrong) felt rejected by Spider-Man and found another host. In many adaptations, Eddie Brock has his own reasons to hate Spider-Man, creating an interesting scenario where he and the symbiote have a mutual enemy. Once Venom’s origin is stripped of his connection to Peter Parker/Spider-Man, a big part of what made the character interesting to me is gone. Therefore, the film doesn’t hold as much appeal, regardless of who plays Eddie. Although people may feel like The Joker overshadowed Batman in The Dark Knight, The Joker needed Batman as a foil in order to truly shine. The below scene is the perfect example.

The trailer itself generated some more excitement from me, after a very lacklustre teaser. I understand that teasers don’t show much but there have definitely been better teasers than whatever Venom gave us. Off the top of my head, The Raid 2 comes to mind. Great images that get our attention with only a cursory look at the plot.

So first, the plot seems somewhat generic in comparison to what we could get if Venom was simply in a Spider-Man film. Reporter goes against evil businessman… we can see where this will go. I’ve never been into car or motorcycle chases much so most of the action that this trailer focused on didn’t interest me that much. The most visually appealing scenes were actually the simplest ones, when the symbiote defends Brock against the intruders in his apartment. The big reveal at the end is a moneyshot of course, but the effects look like they need to be cleaned up. According to some articles, a full-suited Venom isn’t even in the film for that long but Tom Hardy has debunked these rumours according to IMDB trivia.

The symbiote voice is done by Hardy as well, and actually reminded me a lot of Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget. Not too much to say otherwise. I doubt I’ll check this movie out in theaters, probably save it for online. Sorry Hardy.

Alexandra Shipp: Blackish

The Thursday announcement that Disney has acquired 21st Century Fox properties, including X-Men, led to a lot of speculation concerning the future of the X-Men film universe. I shared some of my own thoughts on this, and while sharing the link on Twitter I came across another conversation. There were retweets all over my feed revealing one post after another arguing that Alexandra Shipp, who portrays Storm in X:Men Apocalypse and the upcoming Dark Phoenix, is too light-skinned to play Storm.

I didn’t comment on the argument at the time because I wanted to let it develop more, so that more contextual info would be available before I shared my thoughts. Two days after the conversation began, it is now easy to trace its inception.

This debate began after a fan asked Shipp if she would like Storm to meet Thor, now that the universes would likely be merged. Shipp’s enthusiastic response was then met with criticism from one fan, “Disney is re-casting the whole team, boo. Sorry. Dark Phoenix will be your last. We getting a dark skinned non-racially Ambiguous Storm like we deserve.”

Shipp then retorted:

Presumably, the debate that I viewed on Thursday originated from this exchange. It is not confirmed if Disney will start fresh with X-Men and recast after Dark Phoenix but that isn’t really the point here.

Maybe Disney will re-cast, and also usher in a jarring tone change (as I suspect). However, I don’t think that Shipp’s skin tone should be an issue central to her potential re-casting. If a darker-skinned actor takes her place I have no problem with that, but I also don’t think that Shipp’s skin tone gives us a bastardization of the character.

Shipp’s response reminds me of statements Halle Berry made concerning her own racial identity. Like Shipp, Berry is mixed and chose to identify as black from a young age, because she knew that is how the world would perceive her. For example, a white guy who says he doesn’t date black girls, would still see Berry as a black girl, instead of a white one.

While Shipp says she has never been “treated white” it is a fact that there is pervasive colourism in the world and in Hollywood. Even in Jamaica, a country that is 90% black, dark-skinned black people are performing skin bleaching to lighten their skin because they realize lighter-skin is viewed as more attractive. In other areas, such as Latin America, South East Asia and the Middle East, lighter skin is inherently viewed as more attractive than darker skin. The preference for lighter skin often coincides with a preference for other features typically associated with whiteness, such as straighter hair, thinner lips and thinner noses. Light skin goes beyond the aesthetic, becoming a marker of status and privilege due to the legacy of slavery or colonialism. For someone like Shipp, she may benefit from this colourism in some situations, while also being subjected to racism like any other black person in other situations.

There is a trend in entertainment- whether it is music videos, television or film- to cast the lightest-skinned black people possible, especially if they are love interests or eye candy. After a while it isn’t simple happenstance that most of the attractive black women in entertainment have “sun-kissed skin”, it is a deliberate choice by casting executives. They can get people who are ethnic without being “too dark”. As Viola Davis says,  there is a pervasive conception that “If you are darker than a paper bag, then you are not sexy.” Of course, Hollywood sometimes graces us with an exception, but the word “exception” means that they are a minority within a minority. I have been over the “best actor for the part” argument, and the slate of talented black actors that seemingly come out of nowhere for productions like Luke Cage and Straight Outta Compton make it clear there is plenty of black talent out there, they just need opportunities for good roles.

Respect to Bad Boys II for its dark-skinned love interest

It is possible that I am setting the bar somewhat low for Storm since I am so used to roles being whitewashed anyway. Even films based on true stories, like 21, are not safe from Hollywood’s attempts to make it more “marketable”. Storm seems like one of the few untouchable characters, and this may be why fans are even more protective when it comes to her portrayal.

There were plenty of users arguing that the discussion of whether a black actress is black enough is divisive and racist in itself. I ignored most of these comments simply because this is the same logic used to shut down any discussion of racism nowadays. You complain about white supremacist marches in Charlottesville? You’re being divisive. You complain about another unarmed black kid getting killed? You’re divisive. You complain about a public figure saying something racist? You’re divisive.

In principle, I don’t think it is racist or “divisive” to complain about an actress’s skin tone. Especially since I am sure that many of the people using this “divisive” excuse routinely defend whitewashing in films, thereby enabling racist practices in Hollywood.

Now, there are also people who understand the implications of whitewashing in film, and genuinely just believe that there is nothing wrong with Shipp’s skin tone. The character is black, and Shipp is black as well. Shipp is mixed, but Apocalypse never states that the character is mixed, and Shipp is a visibly black individual. In terms of skin colour, she may not be Viola Davis or Lupita Nyong’o, but she definitely isn’t Paula Patton or Meghan Markle either.

All of this to say that while I don’t agree with the backlash against Shipp in this case, I can understand where the detractors are coming from. If Shipp did a poor job with the role I would probably be more likely to support them. However, I thought Shipp was great as Storm. Maybe I’m not the best person to judge but her accent also seemed a lot more authentic than whatever Halle Berry tried to do in X-Men 1 (2000). Although Apocalypse was a disappointing film I was looking forward to seeing more of this iteration of Storm and I hope that if she is recast, fans don’t cheer simply because she was too light-skinned for them.

Fox- A Disney Company

Today, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion. The deal comprises numerous properties, ranging from The Simpsons, to Avatar, but the biggest point of interest for me is that Disney now has the rights to X-Men.  The development is now confirmed but this is something that a lot of Marvel fans have been praying for for a long time, if online discussion is any indication. I remember entire threads on the Internet Movie Database’s (IMDB) forums where people would demand that the rights for the X-Men films go back to Marvel. People would argue that the series needed a fresh start under Marvel Studios because the X-Men films mishandled characters like Cyclops (fair enough) or because they didn’t like the buttons on a costume (seems unreasonable). Like I have mentioned before when discussing the DCEU, when people want something to fail they become more sensitive to any perceived shortcomings.

Aside from the fans that have been praying for this, there are more reasonable fans who simply wanted to see the X-Men in the Avengers universe. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to see Wolverine in the Avengers film, which likely will not happen. Hugh Jackman previously said that he would be open to returning in the role if he got to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but he has said more recently that the “ship has sailed” for him. The scripts for Infinity War Part I and II are already written and being filmed, so normally I would say that the ship has sailed for seeing any former Fox properties in Infinity War. However, the rushed introduction of Spider-Man in Civil War does make me wonder if the filmmakers might be willing to squeeze something in for Part II.

One of my biggest worries was that darker and/or R-rated properties like Deadpool would be watered down to suit Disney’s “fun” and family-friendly silver screen image. Fortunately, Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that Deadpool can remain R-rated at Disney. This is a step in the right direction, but it is still aligned with Marvel President Kevin Feige’s proclamation that the MCU will never be dark.

Deadpool had one noticeably dark segment, namely Wade’s time spent being tortured, but for the most part it still fits in with the “fun” tone that Feige is committed to.  In contrast, the X-Men films, especially X1, X2 and Days of Future Past (DOFP), are noticeably much darker than anything in the MCU’s films. The themes of prejudice from the comics are unashamedly fleshed out on screen, showcasing the violence and darkness that mutants experience. The opening scene of X1, where Magneto is separated from his parents in a concentration camp, is still one of my favourite openings in any film. I highly doubt we would see a scene like this if X1 was originally handled by Marvel Studios. Maybe most of the scene would be the same, and then a Stan Lee cameo would be used to alleviate the tension.

Now, the MCU has also given us properties like Jessica Jones and The Punisher, but I am not talking about Netflix here. I am talking about the big screen. When Disney originally acquired Marvel, people argued that imprints such as Touchstone would be used to distribute darker or R-rated material. However, we know now that any R-rated material so far has come from Netflix. Deadpool 3 will likely be the first R-rated X-Men film property that Disney gives us.

I think Disney will be willing to give Deadpool more R-rated sequels because they have already seen how successful his film was. The box office receipts are a testament to people’s love for the character in all his R-rated glory. In contrast, Disney might be more willing to take risks with X-Men since the most recent X-Men film, Apocalypse, underperformed (relative to previous entries) with critics and the box office. Additionally, Logan was a well received R-rated entry but marked the end of the X-Men film universe’s most popular character.

If darkness is viewed as the enemy, then “fun” will be viewed as the saviour. What about the rest of the films? Will X-Men be rebooted to offer more “fun” now? Will the themes of prejudice all be cut in order to make everything more family friendly? Will we get scenes like this one?

Or this one?

I doubt it.

The Punisher Review

After introducing the character in season 2 of Daredevil, Netflix was kind enough to give us a series dedicated to war veteran Frank Castle. The Punisher was my favourite part of Daredevil‘s second season, with the script and Jon Bernthal’s performance helping to humanize the character while also showing how deadly he is.

Before I can review the series itself I have to mention one aspect of this Punisher’s origin that I had a problem with when it was first explained in season 2 of Daredevil. Depending on the line of comics, Frank Castle’s family is either murdered by the mob because they happened to witness a mob hit (e.g. Year One) or because they were collateral damage from a shootout between rival gangs in Central Park (e.g 2004 Punisher Max).

Daredevil reimagined their deaths as collateral damage that was due to a shootout, but a shootout that was the result of a failed sting by District Attorney Samantha Reyes. Frank’s story then became tied to a government cover-up that dominated the plot.

This season continues with more government cover ups, making the plot line seem somewhat stale in comparison to all the material that myself and other comic readers were hoping to see on screen. There are references or nods to characters and arcs from the Max and Year One comics, and we even get a version of Agent William Rawlins from the comics as well. However, anyone hoping for more than that may be disappointed. This is another rendition of The Punisher where the villains are tied intimately to his past, instead of offering a new threat. Now, on with the show.

After killing all of the gang members tied to the Central Park Massacre, Castle fashions a simple new life as construction worker, Pete Castiglione. Frank burns his Punisher vest early in the first episode, symbolizing the end of his war, but it is obvious something will drag him back in. The Punisher’s re-emergence is a short, but bloody and glorious fight that is enhanced with the accompanying music. Speaking of music, Tyler Bates did a masterful job for the show’s soundtrack and the show’s opening is narrowly beaten out by Daredevil’s in my opinion.

Like the first season, this season further explores Frank’s mental state and his view on the world. Like the comics, I am happy to see the show didn’t shy away from being political at times. Some people on YouTube, the bastion of online intellectual discourse, are complaining that the show should “stick to entertainment”. Firstly, these people don’t realize that all shows aren’t obligated to be mindless entertainment. Secondly, the “stay away from politics” talk is usually code for “don’t express views I disagree with”. Final point, people who complain about The Punisher being too political have clearly not read any of the comics.

Frank was a former soldier and the military does play a part in many of the 2004 Max comics. While Frank respects veterans as a whole for their service and sacrifice, he does not respect the institution of the military.

“Fighting for the people who run the world gets you stabbed in the back. You fight the wars they start and feed. You kill the monsters they create…. I’m not going back to war so colt can sell another million M-16s.”

Frank Castle- Punisher Max, Issue #4.

If you think this is a “liberal talking point” as someone else put it, then the character isn’t for you.

The season deals with issues ranging from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to the US involvement in Afghanistan, just like some of the comics do. While Frank re-emerges as the Punisher, Homeland Agent Dinah Madani also begins digging into Frank Castle’s past as a way to investigate the death of a policeman she worked with while stationed in Afghanistan. “Agent Orange” also develops an interest in Castle since Castle was involved in an illegal military operation that a mysterious hacker named “Micro” has video evidence of.

Jon Bernthal joins the Marvel stable of actors who excel in their character’s skin. He is joined by a capable cast, with Micro (Ebon-Moss-Bachrach) being the standout since the relationship between the two forms the backbone of the story. In this continuity, Micro’s family is still alive but Micro was forced to fake his own death after being framed by Homeland Security. When Micro attempts to reach out to Frank, Frank finds Micro’s family as a way to gain leverage on him. The interactions between Frank and Micro’s wife, Sarah (Jaime Ray Newman) were interesting at first, since they both lost loved ones and bonded over that. Then the interactions continued, and included more screen-time from Sarah’s bratty son who is also one of the weakest actors in the show. A love triangle quickly developed and this entire subplot was one of my biggest gripes about the show. The chemistry on display between Frank and Karen Page was far better and didn’t leave me wanting to skip certain scenes.

Fortunately, this season also gives us some more memorable villians such as Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) and Lewis Wilson (Daniel Webber). Barnes’s role in Westworld showed that he can play a smug douche pretty well but he gets to do more with the script here, playing a friend turned foe who has profited off his evils.

The action itself integrates good hand-to-hand choreography (looking at you Iron Fist), gunfights and stealth kills that would make Batman proud. The fights weren’t actually that plentiful but the show does a great job of building the tension between the bursts of action (minus the Lieberman house visits).

Overall, I will rank the punisher third among all the Marvel Netfix seasons, behind Jessica Jones and Daredevil Season 1.

Current Ranking.

  1. Daredevil
  2. Jessica Jones
  3. The Punisher
  4. Daredevil Season 2
  5. The Defenders
  6. Luke Cage
  7. Iron Fist

Deadpool 2 Teaser Thoughts

You likely remember Deadpool’s  “No Good Deed” spot but we now have our first official teaser.

Like the first teaser, this one doesn’t show us too much and I don’t mind that at all. The majority of the time is actually occupied by a Bob Ross parody. I didn’t know the name of the painter but I immediately recognized the reference from Deadpool’s tone of voice and the wig. Like the first film, I am glad that Deadpool 2 embraces cross generational pop culture references, ranging from Aliens 3 to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. I also want to thank Ryan Reynolds for introducing me to the term “holy f***knuckles”.

The actual film footage gives us brief glimpses of Domino, Vanessa and most importantly, Dopinder. Deadpool’s conversations with Dopinder are some of my favourite moments so I am eager to see more.

Negasonic is back and looks better than ever. The colours in the costume from the first movie hinted at a classic X-Men costume but now it looks like we’ll get the real thing.

I know a lot of people though that the classic X-Men costumes couldn’t work on screen. I was one of them at but X-Men First Class changed my mind and this costume just affirms my belief that there isn’t anything wrong with some more colour. It’s a great nod to the classics, that also doesn’t come across as cheesy on screen. Since this film has a bigger budget I am also wondering if there will be more X-Men cameos or if there will be any reference to recent X-Men films like Apocalypse or Logan.

We also get a superhero landing in the film clips. There is plenty more material ripe for parody in the superhero genre so I’m hoping Deadpool makes use of all its ammunition. Since David Leitch (co-director of John Wick) is in the chair, I am sure the action will deliver so that is actually the least of my worries. The pessimist in me worries that since this film is no longer just a passion project with a (relatively) small budget, it might not have the same magic as the first. However, I am hoping it delivers.

Black Panther Trailer

Another distraction from my horror fixation has come along, in the form of another trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther.

As I’ve said in my YouTube video I believe that Black Panther got a strong introduction in Civil War, even though his character was only brought into to replace Spider-Man (who Marvel didn’t have the rights to when they began writing the script).  Ignoring the copyright issues that birthed him, Chadwick Boseman breathed life into the first black superhero in mainstream comics. The suit, the dialogue, the fighting style, the accent, were all handled well and made Black Panther a standout. Black Panther was also a standout since he was one of the few characters who was allowed to remain serious for more than three minutes at a time.

Building off the last trailer, this one still does not reveal too much about the plot or the villain. We know that T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is still adjusting to his new role as King, following the death of his father. Additionally, we see more of Michael B. Jordan’s villain, Erik Killmonger.

Firstly, I will say that I don’t like the song choice for this trailer as much as the one in the first. Some viewers are voicing complaints about the lack of any African influences in the score, but it’s too early to complain about that. Let’s wait until we see the film and then judge the score. The trailers are only using music mean to appeal to audiences. Unlike “Legend Has It“, I don’t feel like this song meshed with the video as well.

With that gripe out of the way let’s move on to the positives.

The set and costume design for Wakanda looks amazing, a mesh of something futuristic and traditional. Wakanda is  an advanced nation untouched by colonialism and I am very happy to see that the filmmakers are not shying away from the world’s African roots. It may seem obvious that an African nation should have African influence in its clothing and architecture, but you never know with Hollywood. Fortunately, it looks like the director of Fruitvale Station hasn’t sold out just yet.

Continuing with the trend to embrace real African culture and rituals, Killmonger also sports scarification that is used as a form of body art by some ethnic groups. Online info about Killmonger shows that he is a foe who wishes to overthrow T’Challa. Jordan has compared Killmonger to this movie’s version of Magneto, a anti-hero who wants to do what he believes is best for his people, even if it means overwhelming death and loss along the way.

That seems interesting but we get some more generic lines from Killmonger in this trailer, and the line delivery wasn’t too impressive. Hopefully the lines sound better in context. Let’s also hope that we get a good villain (Marvel’s kryptonite) to go along with a unique world and a hero who has potential to become of Marvel’s biggest.

I hate to end with a negative, but I must say that some of the special effects also need work. There are a few cartoonish looking ones throughout the trailer, but there are also some more photorealistic ones. Since the film comes out February I am hoping that post-production will works its magic.

I give you CGI backgrounds, with real faces.

Although I have some reservations about the villain and the special effects, there is still plenty to look forward to. The cast and the world are both amazing. If my reservations prove to be unfounded,  I am sure that this could end up being one of Marvel’s best films.

Thor: Ragnarok Thoughts

I have previously discussed my refusal to see Thor: Ragnarok due to Marvel’s insistence on bringing a comedy writer onboard to rework the film only because they worried the film was too dark.

Of course, I wouldn’t want a film to be dark if the tone doesn’t fit the characters or story. This argument can be a can of worms since many characters have stories that are uncharacteristically dark or light (e.g. The Flash with Flashpoint Paradox). The Barry Allen version of The Flash isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but Flashpoint Paradox still took the darkness to a whole other level.

But I digress.

The previous Thor films had plenty of comic relief, or attempts at it. These included one painful line after another from the likes of Kat Dennings and Natalie Portman. One of the few good things to come out of the Thor series has been Loki. Ragnarok refers to Asgardian doomsday, so a dark tone seemed appropriate. Even if the film wasn’t going to adapt the mythical Ragnarok events, a title referencing doomsday still implies some level of darkness. Darkness would fit the story, and it could therefore fit the character. If a film is overhauled only to lighten the tone, regardless of whether the tone fits the character or story, that is a travesty. People complain about film’s being “dark” for no reason, but very few people have a problem with more “fun”.

What bothers me the most about the decision to change the film is that this demonstrates how the need for “fun” overrides other artistic considerations. The previous Thor films have other issues, such as a love story lacking chemistry,  and some weak villains (looking at you dark elves). All those issues were overlooked previously, but bring on some darkness, and it’s all hands on deck to make another film.

I still refuse to see the film in theatres but I must say that this first trailer has some great moments. More Loki is always a good thing, and I love the new look, which is partially inspired by his look in the Young Avengers.

Hela looks like she might give us another good villain. Her helmet has drawn a lot of comparisons to Aku, but since the helmet originates from the older comics, seems like Aku was inspired by Hela.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hulk doesn’t look as convincing (CGI wise) as he did in The Avengers film but the film still has more post-production to go. I actually didn’t mind the “he’s a friend from work” line since it actually seems in character for Thor. However, it still sucks that just about every epic moment is likely to be undercut by a one-liner that the fun-addled masses will eat up.

I’ve been told my writing is quite depressing, so perhaps I hate the Marvel “fun mania” since it clashes with my own creative proclivities. As Jeremy Jahns said sometimes I would prefer an epic moment, to a funny one. Likewise, sometimes I would prefer an epic movie to a “fun” one.

Spider-Man Homecoming Trailer Thoughts

I initially avoided watching this trailer because I was worried it would give too much away. Overall, my wariness appears to be justified.

Tom Holland was a highlight of Captain America: Civil War, even though the character was clearly rushed into the film after Marvel obtained the rights (or technically leased them from Sony). Although I have previously ranted about the MCU obsession with light-heartedness and fun, I wasn’t as worried about that obsession ruining a Spider-Man film. Peter Parker’s wisecracking is a key part of the character and Holland mastered that element, as well as capturing a more serious moment when he referenced Uncle Ben’s death with Tony Stark.

Although plenty of people saw The Amazing Spider-Man series as being too dark, the tone wasn’t an issue for me. With that said, the second film was bogged down with too many villains and some pretty hammy performances from the likes of Paul Giamatti and Dane Dehaan.

Since Spider-Man is one of my favourite comic book characters, probably just behind Batman, Wolverine and The Punisher, I was excited for Homecoming.

Now…this trailer. The YouTube comments make it clear a lot of people disagree, but I think I have Tony Stark fatigue.  However, there is a silver lining. It looks like Stark steps back from supporting Peter after the incident on the ship, leaving the film to hopefully focus on our favourite wall crawler.

I am just worried the film might reach this point halfway through, which is too late in my opinion. The character of Peter Parker got anchored to Stark due to his rushed introduction in Civil War, and now the writers are doing their best to keep that thread alive and also find a coherent reason to cut it. Meanwhile, marketers are also pimping Tony Stark out to the audience.

The high school setting for Spider-Man worked surprisingly well in The Spectacular Spider-Man, since the show avoided becoming 90210 featuring Spider-Man. I am hoping this film has a good balance as well. Zendaya’s one line in this trailer already leaves me worried about her acting skills. She says “my friends are up there” with the same enthusiasm she would say “I broke a nail”.

On a positive note, the trailer doesn’t spoil too much of Michael Keaton as The Vulture. So far, he seems the best kept secret and also seems like he may be a highlight of the film. The new costume is awesome and I have renewed faith in Keaton after watching Birdman and Spotlight.

Additionally, a lot of the humour in this trailer was actually good. My favourite parts were the interactions between Peter and his friend. My least favourite ones, you guessed it, anything with Tony Stark.

What are your thoughts on the new Spider-Man Homecoming trailer?