Comics and Superhero movies

[theCapraAegagrus]

I watched the S6 finale last night, and it's fantastic. The mid-season slog was fully-redeemed. Gonna start S7 on Saturday.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Sadly, I spoiled myself with some Black Adam information. I have a feeling that this movie is going to be 'big'. It might not be super-special, and I don't think it needs to be, but it could very well be the CBM spectacle of the year.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I only have 1 episode to go with GOT. I definitely see the disdain for the last season, and even Season 7. Plots are rushed, and I think that certain characters were betrayed by writing. The Long Night should have been 2 episodes, and if you're going to have main characters on the front lines, more need to die. You can't show me guys on the first line of defense against a horde of zombies and expect me to believe they survived while dozens of rows behind them are decimated. I actually LOL'd at the end of S8E5 when Arya looks at 2 skeletons and we're supposed to pretend that she knows who they are.

The episodes in S8 all seem to be around 90 mins, so I think that there's about as much material as each other season, but the way time is spent is off. There's too much 'fight, important thread finalized' without what I would call proper setup. Was it ever mentioned why the Night King wanted to kill The Three-Eyed Raven? I guess I don't really need an explanation for how the Night King and his horde works, but it'd be nice to have some semblance of understanding. Kinda ridiculous that they went with the Phantom Menace's and Avengers' remedy of, 'destroy 1 thing/person and the rest magically fall'.

I will probably start HotD next week, since I loved Dany's character through the first 7 seasons.

[rousselle]

Spoiler free comments on GoT and HotD: I was reticent to get into HotD after the finale of GoT, but I relented and I have to say that HotD has been worth watching, and that is largely due to it having some pretty decent writing. The director(s) make some weird choices here and there (the occasional odd cuts and close ups, et al), but all-in-all, pretty decent stuff.

If you want to truly enjoy HotD, skip over the commentary at the ends of the episodes because the director(s) and some of the writing staff seem to think they are blazing a trail that has never been done before, and they are absolutely, categorically so full of shit it's amazing anyone could stand to work with them. I am sometimes under the impression that they are producing great work in spite of themselves. See also: J. K. Rowling.

But, despite the misguided agendas of the directors and many of the actors, the writing manages to win the day, and I think that's largely because GRRM is behind the scenes telling them what to do (which was also the case when GoT was at its peak. Worst thing that happened to that show was when GRRM decided to leave so that he could "focus on finishing the books." Cue maniacal laughter here.)

Snarky editorial remarks here about one of the director's comments about "sex" scenes in HotD (highlight to make it easier to read):

One of the directors (not coincidentally a woman) talked about directing a sex scene where she wanted to show the liberation of the female character and, at the same time, film it more like the way a woman would instead of with the "male gaze" in mind. And, I'm like, yeah, I suppose, if you're talking about a woman who likes to keep her eyes closed during sex, sure. I mean... really? Your idea of a hot and heavy sex scene is to not show anything because that's how women prefer it? Clearly, that director and I have been sleeping with entirely different women. Ahem. YMMV, and all that.

Also, the specific scene in question did nothing to convey any sense of liberation or anything on anybody's part... it was as generic, dull, bland, and useless as any sex scene you've ever seen in any PG-13 rated flick. Think about how every scene in GoT's first five or six seasons, without fail, ALWAYS told you something about the characters, including (sometimes especially) the sex scenes. Every. Single. Scene. I'm enjoying HotD quite a bit because the political intrigue and the personal choices are so riveting, but the sex scenes convey only one piece of information: these characters had sex.

Thank you for attending my TEDTalk.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Is this a f**king joke? I didn't think it was possible for a finale to be that bad. The GOT finale is possibly the worst episode of television ever written and produced. I thought that people didn't like it simply because it was rushed or something, not because it makes literally no f**king sense.

It's been 12 hours and I still can't believe how absolutely dumb it was.

[EvilDuncan]

Agreed. This show should have been 10 seasons to adequately wrap everything up. The producers just decided they didn't care any more and wanted to move onto other things, so they cut everything short and dropped all side plots.

[rousselle]

Agreed. This show should have been 10 seasons to adequately wrap everything up. The producers just decided they didn't care any more and wanted to move onto other things, so they cut everything short and dropped all side plots.

They also, in the end, valued "subverting expectations" over "telling a good story."

They didn't understand why the conclusion of Ned Stark's character arc was "subverting expectations" while also being a completely logical and fulfilling and satisfying resolution that had been very clearly and effectively foreshadowed all along. They didn't understand why the Red Wedding was "subverting expectations" and also inevitable. "Subverting expectations" does not mean setting up "the Prince Who Was Promised" and then have that character be rendered entirely, 100% irrelevant to the resolution of anything. That's not subverting expectations. That's just bad writing. See also, in no particular order: the character arcs of Cersei (remember the prophecy of 'the Valencore"? The showrunners didn't!), Jaime, Tyrion, Arya, Jon Snow, the dire wolves, F%$#! Bran, Daenerys, the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the Red Witches or Priestesses or whatever they were called, Varys, Littlefinger, the Hound, the Mountain, Bronn, Podrick... and so many more.

Two character arcs are adequately handled in the final season: Sansa and Theon. And, even then, Sansa's could have been far better handled.

Anyway. Thanks for letting me get that out of my system. When GRRM left the show, the only grown-up in the writers room was gone. It just took a while for the quality of the show to peter out. But, in the final episode, it did more than peter out.

Okay. Off my soapbox.

That said, HotD has the grown-up back in the writer's room, and I'm under the impression that the work they are doing now is being done with an eye toward fixing the "Prince That Was Promised" arc along with several other arcs, and I Very Much want to see that.

[EvilDuncan]

All good points, but honestly in the end I don't think they valued anything. They just wanted to be done with it so they could move on to other projects.

[Eric Lee]

Finally finished both Ms Marvel and She-Hulk and now have time to share my thoughts on them. First, MM.

Ms Marvel: I liked it. It kept to the comic books and focused on Kamala getting her powers, struggling with her Pakistani origins and adjusting to life with powers. I liked the change of the origin of her powers and how her family influenced her name and costume. It was logically coherent (ignoring the Clandestine part) and yet still has similarity to the comics. They even had her 'embiggen'. So MCU decided to move away from the Inhumans, I'm cool with that.

Love her comic fangirl geekiness. That part was fun and how she ran her YT channel. I enjoy this part of the MCU where they show how the events of Phase 1-3 affected and influences the rest of the world. It expands the MCU to the ordinary people and how they are affected by this.

Also liked how they incorporated the Partition, which was a terrible part of India/Pakistan history and how it affected families. The way Pakistani American culture was incorporated into the series blended well into the story for me. (I'm familiar with the struggles she faces as Malaysia has a sizable Indian and Punjabi population and culturally they aren't that much different from Pakistan.)

Not quite sure about the reveal in the end which takes away her inhuman origins. But hey, it does serve to incorporate a major element of the Marvel comics into the MCU.

What I hated were the villians/antagonists. MCU usually has strong, multi-faceted and even sympathetic villains. The Clandestine , (name which was taken from an obscure short-lived comic series) was totally wasted. They were more like a plot device or villain ex machina to explain the powers and her background. 6 episodes was probably too little time for the writers and directors to squeeze everything in, but still. This is not MCU's first TV series.

As a standalone / intro, I'll give it a 7.5 . Good, entertaining stuff that my family can enjoy without having to know tons of backstory. Not must watch TV, but it's not a total waste of time for me, as the comic geek who has read most of the comics that these shows are based on. YMMV.

[Eric Lee]

On to She Hulk.

I loved She Hulk. It really kept to the spirit of breaking the 4th wall and even the part at the end of jumping into the real world. As stated in my Ms Marvel post, I enjoy this part of the MCU where you get to see how life is like for the ordinary person and for Jen to cope with being a reluctant superhero but everyone wants a piece of her as She Hulk but not Jen the ordinary woman. It's not meant to be serious like the earlier MCU TV series, but light hearted sitcom.

Her arc was good for a MCU sitcom. The She Hulk CGI was so bad for MCU standards. But hey, they addressed it at the final episode. Great that they brought back Daredevil as a recurring character and introduced so many minor comic characters like Wrecking Crew and even Porcupine Man; but yet did a decent job with most of them. That episode at Emil's retreat was fun. I mean how often do you get an episode where these characters do a group therapy session and talk about their problems. It flowed well with the story and Jen's development.

Love Luke Jacobson the superhero tailor too.Wong's guest star turn was also enjoyable. Madisynn's brief intro and messing up Wong's world was delightful. I can understand the memes about shipping them.

Titania was a fun secondary villain. Nice how she parlays her powers into a social media influencer. Like most of the other minor characters, it wasn't explained how she got her powers or what she did to be famous, but they didn't need to. That was fine with me. They knew where the story needed to go and didn't waste time with it. What bugged me most was her intro and rationale for crashing the court was the only unresolved part. It made more sense of that disconnect when I found out that the Ep 1 was actually supposed to come towards the end.

The episodes with Wong, Emil's retreat and especially Ep 9 were the best parts for me as it came out of nowhere. Mimicking the orignal Hulk TV series opening sequence, meeting KEVIN, actually showing how ridiculous the ending was heading towards and poking fun of the current MCU issues like the CGI showed a self-awareness and willingness to be open about the criticisms that really made it enjoyable. Let's hope they actually do something about the issues and not just do it for show but then sweep it away.

Making it 9 episodes but keeping it tight at 30+ minutes was a good move for me as some shows dragged when the episodes went past 40 minutes.

So She Hulk is an 8 for me. Don't take it seriously and expect the same from the earlier TV series. She Hulk is a totally different TV series from those. Watch it with that in mind. Then it becomes worth your time watching as it's an enjoyable fun series that stays true to the spirit of her comic series.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I disliked both enough that I didn't finish the first episode of either, and I'm glad to have not wasted my time.

On the opposite side of the coin, Black Adam is about a 4/5. Basic superhero story, some great action that fits perfectly in the DCEU, and the best credit scene ever.

[MagikFingerz]

I disliked both enough that I didn't finish the first episode of either, and I'm glad to have not wasted my time.

On the opposite side of the coin, Black Adam is about a 4/5. Basic superhero story, some great action that fits perfectly in the DCEU, and the best credit scene ever.

Thanks for that, now I can sit through the credits comfortably knowing I won't get Bueller'ed

[theCapraAegagrus]

Thanks for that, now I can sit through the credits comfortably knowing I won't get Bueller'ed

Like the end of Civil War?

I think it's technically mid-credits, so you have to go through all of the CGI stuff, but get to skip the names-scrolling-forever part.

It's genuinely a great scene, too, IMO. Speaks wonders for each character involved.

[EvilDuncan]

Just saw Black Adam last night. Great movie! I can see why critics don't like it, but it's a lot of fun. I enjoyed everyone's performance, even though we didn't get much introduction to the JSA. Too bad they spoiled the "twist" in the trailer.

[MagikFingerz]

Thanks for that, now I can sit through the credits comfortably knowing I won't get Bueller'ed

Like the end of Civil War?

I think it's technically mid-credits, so you have to go through all of the CGI stuff, but get to skip the names-scrolling-forever part.

It's genuinely a great scene, too, IMO. Speaks wonders for each character involved.

And nothing at the very end? Even better!

[theCapraAegagrus]

And nothing at the very end? Even better!

Stay 'til the very end if you enjoy black screens with the text "BLACK ADAM" on it.

[Adamthinks]

And nothing at the very end? Even better!

Stay 'til the very end if you enjoy black screens with the text "BLACK ADAM" on it.

That's my jam, so I definitely will.

[Eric Lee]

Watched Black Adam with my teen aged kids. They loved it. I did too. Very happy they kept the twist from the DC New 52 series. That was so good when I read it that I wondered if they were going to do it in the movie as well. That part really gives BA more depth to his character development and builds the anti-hero theme. Dwayne was a great choice for BA as he has the charisma and physicality to pull it off.

Justice Society was ok I guess. Pierce played Fate well for his brief time. The rest needed more time to develop, but then it's BA's movie, not JS.

If you ignore the gaps, like how he can wake up and speak English with an American accent when the other Khandaqis aren't, it's a fun ride. Worth your $ to see on the big screen.

Agree with Chris that it's 8/10. It's not Logan, BP nor even WW level. But it's still a good superhero movie on the same level as Aquaman I would say.

Let's see what direction DCU will go with James Gunn on the helm in May 23.

[theCapraAegagrus]

If you ignore the gaps, like how he can wake up and speak English with an American accent when the other Khandaqis aren't, it's a fun ride. Worth your $ to see on the big screen.

Black Adam has the Wisdom of Zehuti.

I remember them briefly going over what powers the Council of Wizards offers their champions in Shazam, and they showed subtitles of what powers Teth-Adam was receiving, but they never really went into detail what some of the less-obvious ones actually do.

[Eric Lee]

Yeah, I attributed it to that, but still felt that they could have spent 15 seconds explaining it. Like having Amon ask, "you can speak English?" Then BA can respond "The wisdom of Zehuti"

But still, I don't get how wisdom can help you speak with an American accent considering he never encountered any of them until Intergang and JSA

[GandalfPC]

My mom (nearing 80) asked me about Black Adam tonight - turns out she a fan of The Rock

[Eric Lee]

My mom (nearing 80) asked me about Black Adam tonight - turns out she a fan of The Rock

Wow, please do let us know what she thought of the movie if she actually does watch it. Would love to hear what an 80 yr old has to say about a superhero movie starring the Rock!

[theCapraAegagrus]

...I don't get how wisdom can help you speak with an American accent considering he never encountered any of them until Intergang and JSA

The cost of hiring Dwayne Johnson, I suppose. The fact that I didn't even think about his lack of accent probably says a lot.

[Eric Lee]

Ah yes, The Rock's got no time for petty things like accents and all that. Not when he can engage his smoldering intensity skill.
Can't wait to see him go up against HC.

[Eric Lee]

Ah, left out poor Werewolf by Night, the Marvel Special Presentation.

Nice that Marvel's trying something different. But it could have been better. Too many things felt forced and didn't really make sense. With the short 53 min run time, I suppose they could only cram in that much.

Like the Clan Destine in Ms Marvel, most of the bad guys were so forgettable. The widow was only slightly more interesting. Says something that I can't recall any of their names and have to look them up. I immediately thought that the hunters were not going to live long, going by the old familiar trope. Figured out the white beard dude was going to be a bother to Elsa and Jack as they gave him a bit more things to do, but nope, he's there to just show how deadly is Man Thing's touch. A bit too deadly IMHO. Never figured his touch to kill so fast, compared to the comics.

Elsa was ok. Made her just interesting enough that I wouldn't mind seeing more of her. 1 more minute to develop her a bit more couldn't hurt.

Best part of the movie, Man Thing! They introduced Man Thing and pulled it off. He had more character shown in those brief minutes than the other hunters. I liked the ending with him and Jack.

6.5 for me. It's less than 1 hr, something different from MCU's usual style and it's got Man Thing!

[theCapraAegagrus]

Ah yes, The Rock's got no time for petty things like accents and all that. Not when he can engage his smoldering intensity skill.
Can't wait to see him go up against HC.

We're talkin' about a guy who came from the WWE. Studios know what they're getting when they hire Dwayne Johnson. That's not to say that you don't have a point, maybe they should have hired someone who can perform a convincing accent. However, they wouldn't have gotten the draw of The Rock's audience and advertising.

I would have watched WWBN, but I no longer have access to Disney+. The odd thing is, I don't even care right now that I won't be able to watch new Marvel releases when they hit the platform. They've beaten me into not giving a shit about their products anymore.

[EvilDuncan]

Saw the new Black Panther on Thursday. Overall I'd say it was pretty good, and even a good follow up to the first BP. However it did have it's share of flaws.

Spoilers below:



This was Riri Williams' introduction to the MCU, and generally it's ok, but honestly it felt unnecessary. They could have easily found another character to fill her role. Also, her second suit just seems really out of place, like it was from an anime or something.

The whole storyline with Everett Ross and Val also felt really unnecessary. I enjoyed the subplot of other countries trying to obtain vibranium from Wakanda, but the plot with Val felt like it was just there to set up future MCU stuff (Thunderbolts, obviously).

I did not expect them to kill off the queen. Shuri has now lost her entire family over the course of three movies, and now she gets to be the new Black Panther. I'm still not sold on her being the new BP, as I think she was a complete character already. It should have been Nakia. Speaking of Nakia, she was only in about half the movie, but was fantastic in her role. Her green costume was also really nice.

Shuri should have listened to Okoye about the suit she made. It's super ugly and has a stupid name.

I'm really enjoying the characterization of M'Baku, turned from an antagonist to a trusted friend. Really like this character. Hope he gets to be king in the future.

Finally, Tenoch Huerta is absolutely fantastic as Namor. They nailed his character as a villain / antihero. The design of Talokan was a bit unexpected, as it does not look like a typical city, put it was very interesting. The thing I found weird was that they also had vibranium, that Namor used to "somehow" make an artificial sun underwater. However, they never explained how or showed any other sort of advanced technology, so that seemed a bit out of place.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. A breath of fresh air after the Thor 4 garbage.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I expect Wakanda Forever to be mediocre, mostly due to the lack of Boseman's Black Panther. His character's unwillingness to quip at every turn was a breath of fresh air, sorely missed. I deeply despise the changes to Namor and Co. Those are only a couple of BP-related reasons that I won't see it in theaters, but I expect to 'generally' like it when it drops on Disney+, and part of that is because I'll be able to do something else if/when it bores me*.

*Tyrone Magnus is the "movie critic" that I see eye-to-eye on with almost every CBM. If he fell asleep, that's bad news to me.

[EvilDuncan]

What changes to Namor do you not like? I thought he was very well adapted. I found the changes to the character suited him quite well.

[theCapraAegagrus]

What changes to Namor do you not like? I thought he was very well adapted. I found the changes to the character suited him quite well.

Origin changes are a no-no for me, and his character design is hideous. The only design change that makes sense to me is that the Speed-O is now a pair of swimming trunks. I can't ignore that they made-up another way to pronounce Namor, too.

A logical change that I had hoped for, was that his little bird wings would do nothing outside of water. Opportunity missed.