I've never saw a episode so humanized. You can feel the pain from the villain and the heroes. And the long take (car scene) was the best of MCU until now - I didn't remember any long take, just saying.
I don't get nearly as excited about the MCU as I used to (mostly because they're churning out movies and TV shows at a rate that I just can't keep up with), but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Definitely worth watching.
Some loose thoughts/things I enjoyed below (spoilers are marked):
- the story is good, the 2nd act is kind of slow, but it picks up towards the end
- the fight scenes are super cool and creative (especially the one on the bus and the one on the scaffolding)
- I liked the way they utilized the rings in fights, it felt really fresh and like something we haven't seen before
- the final battle is actually awesome (monkey brain loves big monsters and explosions)
- the cast is excellent (I'm particularly thrilled to see Awkwafina getting more recognition)
- the soundtrack is beautiful and I love the way they used traditional Chinese melodies
- badass women all around (Michelle Yeoh my beloved)
- impeccable CGI
- some gorgeous scenery
- MORRIS
- loved the callback to the Mandarin mess from Iron Man 3
- Brie Larson cameo (I know the fandom has collectively decided to hate her, but I don't care, that was a treat for me and me only)
- Xialing effectively utilizing girl power by taking over her father's crime empire (I feel like there was definitely some comic book reference flying over my head there but who cares). My friend and I joked that she'll be getting a Disney+ series shortly
Overall, it was a treat. Strongly recommend.
FUCK YOU JOHN WALKER STEVE ROGER'S LEGACY IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY GETTING BLOOD ON HIS SHIELD BECAUSE YOU KILLED A MAN WITH IT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT.
GodDAMN this show is just not pulling its punches.
If you missed the after credits go back and watch them !
Ahhhhhh i’m so happy they are not shying away from the tough conversations on what it means to be Captain America in this decade. I love symbolism in storytelling and there’s no stronger symbol than that shield, and the way they have used it as a vehicle and representative of the different American identities (good and (really) bad) has been incredible.
Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson and Isaiah Bradley all represent sides of the US that co-exist, and John Walker being the effective Captain America for most of this show isn’t accidental - he’s the side of America that’s most present and salient right now (in the world off the screen), but ending the show with Sam Wilson carrying that shield - and going through all the issues that that might bring up - is as powerful a message as any - one of hope and of what the US should aspire to be. Steve Rogers is no longer enough, Steve Rogers is the American Dream - Isaiah Bradley the American Reality - and Sam Wilson is both. This show, and all of Captain America’s storyline, is about so much more than just men in spandex and they’ve done a fantastic job taking it even further here. Glad Marvel is still delivering after so many years, makes me proud to be a fan!
It's like they want to have the show be like what comic books use to be. Like they aren't reimaginating the stories to fit some new socio-political agenda.
I'm lost as to why Chester freaked out when he said "I'm dead to him" in front of Cecile. Did somebody die that I forgot about?
We can't end every episode with a character reveal. All the people who hated WandaVision for "being so slow". Well this is the show for you because it's basically a marvel movie without any of the recap. If you don't know who everyone is before you started episode one this series is just a mess. SO many people wanted to know if they could watch WandaVision without seeing Marvel movies first and it's so doable with so little information. "She's a witch, he's an android" that's it. TFatWS is so far the opposite. I've seen every MCU property and I'm still barely keeping it straight. I'm sure this will be the most fun for the people who do the entire MCU marathon and having just watched 15 movies going right into this it will feel great but watching it live is still not that good. It's just so hard to care about anything or anyone in this series.
I like the period, the first moments of the Empire. With sixteen episodes in total I hope we get a lot of world building aside from the main story.
Anyone else thinks Hunter looks a lot like Rambo ? I Don't think it's intentional, though.
How did all those people fall all that way and survive after being made back into humans at such height? :rofl:
Terrible premiere episode for this new season. Just tired, uneventful and pointless... I'll always watch for the beautiful Candice Patton but it's sad to see what this show has become. It just limps along now waiting for a multiverse crossover episode.
On the surface this film is about a group of people who have been labelled “villains”, working together to save the world. But really, this film is about one man and one man alone, he isn’t strong, but yet he defies all odds and sacrifices his life to save his friends. His only power is his bravery, he is the driver of the van and the main character of this film, Milton.
[7.8/10] My favorite episode of the show so far. “Partners, Am I Right?” finally delivers the lived-in, layered dynamic between Clint and Kate that I’ve been wanting, while also delivering some top flight action, and making Kate’s family situation compelling for the first time in the series.
I’ll confess, I abhor the schmuck bait from the end of the last episode. If you’re going to have Jack hold a sword to Clint’s neck, it’s pretty cheap to immediately deflect into one big misunderstanding when you start this one.
Still, I’m willing to forgive it because the interactions between the assmeled are legitimately good here. I don’t know what the cinch is exactly, but Tony Dalton’s Jack is more recognizable as someone wearing the masque of the genteel bumbler while hiding a sinister side beneath. Likewise, I initially thought Eleanor took her daughter teaming up with an Avenger a little too much in stride (maybe it was just being starstruck.) And yet, the show assuaged my fears, having her take Clint aside and basically tell him “Don’t get my daughter mixed up i this dangerous shit.” There’s a patina of realism in this heightened reality in that. I’m increasingly suspicious that Eleanor herself may be involved in some malfeasance, rather than being hoodwinked by Jack, but it’s still nice to see her responding to all of this the way a mother might.
If that weren’t enough, II love love love the scene of Kate showing up to Clint’s place to spend the holiday together. It gives us a reason to like Kate a little more -- she has empathy for her would-be partner, knowing he’s been through a lot and wanting to make sure he’s not alone at a difficult time. In the same way, it makes us like the two of them together more too. The way they banter about trick shots and trick arrows, shuffle through holidays movies, and come up with plans using what turn out to not be dry erase markers is funny and endearing.
Things get serious too though. I’ll admit I forgot that, in the right hands, Jeremy Renner can be a damn good actor. As much as I enjoy the MCU, he hasn’t always had the chance to show that. But hearing him talk about sparing Natasha when he found her, processing what he’s lost and the depths he fell into when he became Ronin is powerful. Some of that’s thanks to the writing, which is better across the board here. But a lot of it comes down to Renner’s performance, which makes Clint an open wound who’s still living with his pain and trying to warn Kate off from it. Seeing him confide in her a bit, open up to her a little, helps cement the partnership in the episode’s title.
After indulging in some of the slack tide hangout vibe that, vitally, let’s us get to know these characters and see them together when they’re not adventuring, the episode also provides them each with solid missions and objectives. Clint strongarms Echo’s lieutenant, Kazi, with a persuasive argument that Maya’s personal vendetta against Ronin is a losing battle that’s going to lose both her and Kazi standing in the eyes of “the Boss.” For her part, Kate gets her own amusing set of interactions with the Larpers, using the connection to retrieve the trick arrows and secure themselves the studio/merchandise-mandated new costumes. One is dramatic and convincing, the other is fun and light, and it’s a good balance. (Hello Thanos fans!)
But the climax of the episode pays things off in a big way. Snooping through Maya’s apartment and discovering that she’s after Clint’s family ups the stakes here. There’s a threat here that goes beyond Clint himself putting his life on the line. The set piece itself is strong, with too many quick cuts for my taste, as usual, but a lot of hard-hitting action and neat wrinkles like Kate's ziplining adventure to liven things up.
There’s the added benefit of making this a four-way fight where who’s on whose side isn’t necessarily clear. Clint and Kate are a team, of course, but Echo has her own agenda, as does the Widow sent after our hero. The shifting alliances, coupled with Clint’s efforts to keep Kate out of harm’s way, makes for a unique dynamic to the fight.
Plus hey! Yelena! It’s nice to see Hawkeye paying off the tag from Black Widow. The debut is well-handled, with the masked assassin fighting like a widow and giving hints of who she is before the reveal happens. At the same, Yelena’s presence is a complicating factor, in a good way. She’s the sister of someone Clint is still mourning, and as he tells Kate, her mere presence means business has picked up. If Clint’s going to keep his word to Eleanor and stop Kate from falling into serious danger, then he has to dissolve their partnership almost as soon as it truly begins. That’s good stuff, which serves both the plot and the characters.
Overall, this is a winner of an outing which kicks things into gear. The dynamic between Kate and clint has never been clearer or more compelling or more endearing, and with connections to other events across the MCU, we’re getting meaningful developments for Clint as he processes the events of Endgame, while orienting Kate within a wider world.
Eternals really changed the whole MCU. This is a new take on a whole new mcu film without the same old formula. And I kinda like how divisive and deep, dark they went for this. There's so much complexity in each character that I know people can identify with, it's everything the other mcu films could've been. Fuck rotten tomatoes.
Owen Wilson is excellent. Let’s hope he is in more than just 3 episodes.
We know that Omega is very important but I don't think it was on of the Kaminoans who hired Fennec. That would be too obvious, wouldn't it? It's someone we haven't seen yet.
By far the best episode of the season, even the last few seasons.
The stakes of the story actually feel real, they remembered that Barry is the main character and didn't spend too much time on the side characters, and the action scenes were superb.
They also remembered things like 1. He needs to constantly eat cause of his metabolism. 2. He's a genius scientist and 3. Going super fast has consequences to non-speedster stuff. They don't make a big show off of any of them but simply remembering those things in general is more than they've done since season 3/4.
All in all this feels like the showrunners actually remembered how to make The Flash again, even if we get it only for an episode.
And it just so happened to be in the episode which Iris isn't part of in any way. Hmmm... almost like there's a connection there.
At this point I guess anything is possible so I'm going to say Dembe is Katarina Rostova!
The very end was a little goofy. What happened to Grace is Cal’s fault. He even told Angelina where the extra key to the house was.
Much better than the season premiere. Yet I am still missing Ralph. Grant Gustin even blocked me on Instagram just for saying they should at least replace Ralph.
This episode is better than it has a right to be. Since the show isn’t as good as it once was. Feels like the show should end soon.
Bloodsport: “Nobody likes a showoff.”
Peacemaker: “Unless what they showing off is dope as fuck.”
James Gunn recently said in an interview that he finds superhero movies “mostly boring” right now. Anything ranging from safe and boring or technically well-made but disposable, at best. Gunn received at bit of heat from fans for those remarks, but in some sense, he’s not wrong. Because sometimes following the same formula will eventually wear fin and more risk taking needs to happen.
And here we have ‘The Suicide Squad’, the soft reboot to the 2016 film, but this time directed by Gunn himself, where he delivers a highly entertaining movie that is bursting with creativity and ultra-violence. James Gunn once again shakes up the superhero formula with a slick style. I’m just glad DC is finally letting directors have a voice and a vision, and I hope it stays like that.
The first 10-15 minutes tells you exactly what the movie is going to be.
I just can't believe we got something like this. It's 2 hours and 12 minutes long, but it's always on the move. It’s bonkers from start till finish, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is probably one of the best shot movies in the DCU. The soundtrack is great as well and used effectively. The action scenes were insane and made the overall experience one of the most fun I had at the cinema in a long time.
A massive improvement over the 2016 film, AKA ‘the studio cut’, is that the movie doesn’t look ugly and isn’t chopped together by trailer editors. The movie is vibrant in colours that made it look pleasing to the eye. The structure at times is messy, and yet strangely well-paced, as there’s a lot going on.
Did I mention the movie is very gory? It’s cartoonish violence, or what people call "adult superhero movie", so it's not for kiddies or for the faint of heart. You would probably guess that not everybody on the team is going to make it to the end credits, so deaths are to be expected, but how certain characters “bite the dust” are so unexpectedly gruesome and brutal, it took me by surprise each time. The marketing for the movie was right, don’t get too attached. As I said before, James Gunn had complete creative control over the movie, and he doesn’t hold back on what he wrote and show on screen. But then again, it's a movie, it's not real, the actors who die on screen are fine in real life...I think.
All the cast members have equal amount of time to shine, and you like these super villains this time around, as each character had wonderful chemistry with each other. John Cena plays Peacemaker, who can be best described as a “douchebag version of Captain America”. An extreme patriot who will do the most horrific things for liberty. John Cena excels in the deadpan line delivery for comedic effect, but surprisingly enough, worked well in the serious moments. Looking forward to the spin-off show ‘Peacemaker’.
Margot Robbie once again nails the role of the chaotic but gleeful Harley Quinn. While the character isn’t front and centre this time around, more of a side character, but whenever the character is on screen, it’s instantly memorable.
Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, a contract killer who’s doing time in prison after failing to kill Superman with a kryptonite bullet, while also dealing with family issues, especially with his daughter. While the character may sound like Will Smith’s Deadshot from the 2016 film, but trust me, the execution here is much stronger. This is by far Elba’s best work in a while. Charismatic and a strong leading presence.
Polka Dot Man, played by character actor David Dastmalchian, a socially awkward, weird, and lame sounding character that has some serious mummy issues, which has a funny running visual gag throughout. However, because of Gunn’s writing and Dastmalchian's performance, the character is more than a joke, but a unique character to watch.
Ratcatcher 2, played wonderfully by Daniela Melchior, who brought so much warmth and heart to the film. I loved how they tied in her tragic backstory into the finale, as it honestly made me cry. And let’s not forget the king himself, King Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. He stole every scene he’s in, because he’s so adorable and has such kind eyes, but when he’s hungry, he can be a killing machine.
The rest of the supporting cast, even in the smaller roles, still manage to stand out amidst all the chaos. I liked Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag a lot more this time around, because the actor was given more to work with in terms of good material. Viola Davis is brilliant as the cold and ruthless Amanda Waller. And Peter Capaldi is always a pleasure to see. Also, I like the character of Weasel, who I can describe as a unholy offspring of Shin Godzilla and Rocket Racoon. He may not be beautiful to look at, but he's beautiful to me.
Like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, the movie has a lot of heart and I like how they took certain characters, who on page sound stupid and ridiculous but are handled with such love and depth, while also being self-aware of its own characterization.
You can literally watch this as a standalone movie and you won’t be lost or confused, as you don’t need to watch 22 other movies to understand it. This is by far the strongest entry in this jumbled mess of a cinematic universe.
Overall rating: Nom-nom!
Welp. That was depressing and dark as fuck.
Talk about getting the Bad End.
But if this is a taste of what Multiverse of Madness is going to be like... Consider me even more hyped.
[7.7/10] I was so pleasantly surprised by this! I didn’t really know what to expect, with this being Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation and the high concept premise of the show. But I really enjoyed what we got.
For a while, I expected that this was really just going to be the plot of Captain America: The First Avenger except with Peggy slotted in rather than Steve. And that would still have been perfectly fun! Watching this show hit the same beats of that film, except with small but significant difference thanks to Captain Carter being in the role rather than Steve Rogers would have been worthwhile on its own.
For one thing, I like how this episode, as Agent Carter did, focuses on how even with her accomplsuhments, Peggy faces discrimination because of her gender. Of all the people for the MCU to bring back, it’s funny that it’s Bradley Whitford’s returning from the all-but forgotten Agent Carter one-shot. But he makes sense as someone who always thought too little of Peggy, stepping into a leadership role after Col. Phillips is shot, and creating an internal impediment.
To the same end, I like how the episode flips the dynamic with Peggy and Steve, but tshowing how they still understood one another and would bond with one another, even if their situations were changed. The two still falling in love, only to have Peggy making the heroic civilization-saving sacrifice play instead, is still heart-rending, and a nice sign that even as major things change, some things stay the same.
But I also liked the places where this episode goes off the reservation! Howard Stark building a proto-Iron Man suit for Steve Rogers called “The Hydra Stomper”? Yes please! Captain Carter saving Bucky, thereby avoiding the Winter Soldier situation (at least with him)? Hell yes. Her finding the tesseract and bringing it back to the good guys on an early mission? Awesome!
The further along the plot of First Avenger that this episode gets, the more it diverges and makes its own rules and own story, and I really appreciated that. Her team’s attack on Red Skull’s stronghold made for a rolokcing conclusion. I don’t know who Red Skull’s “champion” was. (Hive? A Chithuri?) But watching Peggy fight a giant squid monster while the Howling Commandos rescue Steve made for a killer conclusion.
I was especially impressed by the fight sequences here. I have to admit that I had some reticence about the cell-shaded graphics. In truth, the vocal tracks didn’t always sink perfectly. But the action was surprisingly fluid and well-staged. The show uses the freedom of animation to add greater flow to Captain Carter’s badassery, and some of the combat has a more impressionsitic style that makes it top tier MCU fisticuffs. Even the use of lighting and color in these fights stand out. Going into What If...? my biggest concern was the visuals, but they came through like gangbusters.
Overall, this was an exciting start to this new show and raised my expectations for What If...? to be more than a shiny lark, and instead be a meaningful exploration of what these changes in the path might look like.
This episode is alright. Not as strong as the others, but it's still fun. The action scenes are cool, and Loki and Sylvia's banter is fun to watch. Although I enjoyed them venturing down this planet , some scenes seem either too easy or like a waste of time. They could pay stuff off later, but I'm unsure.
Anyway, I'm still invested, but I'm not in as much suspense as I was in the previous two episodes. Wondering "who is this variant Loki?" and "where did they go?" is a lot more intriguing than "how will they survive?!" Like, I don't believe they'll die, or that they'll use character instead of plot convenience to get them out. We'll see.
SCORE: 7/10
There are a few eye rolling moments, but this episode is mostly... riveting.bahdum tching lol
Jokes aside... of all the DC shows, Legends of Tomorrow still has the winning formula with their satirical elixir. Sure, each episode is a hit or miss, but they manage to weld it all together, like a well oiled machine.
Ok, I'll stop, no need to hammer the point home.
Ok, so let me see if I got it clear:
Writers took seasons (meaning years) to let Lena (Kara's best friend) gets into the "Super friends" circle, but it magically just took William A DAY to get in??? Literally he just had to ask for. ARE YOU SERIOUS?
A reporter gets full access and knowledge of the tower, resources, strategies and the people of the circle because they need the "approval of public opinion".
Please tell me that I am not the only one who think how ridiculous and reckless sounds that.
This episode was so painful. Hard to believe that a comic book show is one of the most thoughtful, emotionally honest things on TV. Season 3 is just excellent. It's an 8 or a 9 from me each week, and I'm honestly not sure what a 10 would even look like at this point.
Wrapping it up with the title "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" was a nice touch :)
I did not go into the second last episode thinking my emotions would be all over the place, but it made me go through a whirlwind of emotions. I got goosebumps from watching this episode.
It’s a perfect episode; while it may seem slow placed, a lot goes on, and there’s a lot of character development at play. I felt like I was watching a different show at times because there would be wholesome family vibes and not superhero vibes, and I'm not complaining; I enjoyed it.
The ending left me wanting more, and I can’t wait for the last episode.
PS- don't miss the mid-credit scene; it's fantastic.
Funny how most people think this is boring filler stuff, or even dislike the whole show, while I do like it more and more.
For me it seems this is the first time that Marvel puts substance over effects. There is an actually story involved instead of just knitting together CGI shots. Of course there is an agenda in all of this, there is no denying that. But I don't see this as a bad thing.
And I'm looking very much forward to the final episode now.
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021-12-31T23:59:59Z