Since I talked about Eternals when the trailer first came out, I figured I’d circle back now that I’ve seen the movie. I’ve got to admit, it was better than I expected, but it’s not without faults. Does it deserve to be the lowest-rated Marvel movie? (48% on Rotten Tomatoes) It should live in that pool, but lowest doesn’t mean worst. The Good I was surprised at how good the storytelling was for an ensemble cast. I knew everyone’s names and identities and personalities. I know it’s hard to tell a story with more than one main character. That’s why so few stories do it. X-Men was able to do…
-
-
What of the Eternals Trailer?
So The Eternals trailer came out a day or two ago. I’ve never seen anything about Eternals from the comics or Legendary or video games or anything else. I’m coming into this trailer fresh and without bias. And I’m telling you, this movie’s going to be a hard sell for me. The trailer is pretty vague, but from what I gather, some aliens come to primitive Earth (proto-Sumeria, I’m thinking?) in a big-ass triangle ship. They settle down and integrate into society, controlling human development over the centuries (I guess they’re immortal… oh, that’s why they’re called Eternals, I get it now). Overall, the concept sounds similar to Thor —…
-
Marvel: Legendary – WandaVision
I like to play Marvel: Legendary. I’ve got a bunch of expansion sets, and I thought I’d come up with one for WandaVision. Mastermind: Agatha HarknessAlways Leads: Bystanders. Each bystander has ATK 4 + the number of Scheme TwistsMaster Strike: Agatha’s runes prevent you from using any rules text. You can only use the printed attack or recruit from your hand this turn.Tactic 1: Cast Out Interfering Heroes: Each other player reveals their hand and discards a non-grey Hero.Tactic 2: Cast Out Interfering Humans: Each other player reveals their hand and discards a SHIELD card.Tactic 3: Remove the Interlopers: KO any number of your SHIELD Heroes.Tactic 4: Remove the Heroes:…
-
If the Military Wants to Use Marvel Movies for Recruitment, They’re Not Doing a Great Job
So I saw this video recently that talked about how the government helps fund Marvel movies like Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel to make the military look cool. Now for my part, I don’t care that the American military is doing this. For one thing, it’s nothing new, so I can see right through it. In the eighties we had masculinity-fests like Top Gun, Aliens, Predator, Rambo. The pro-army motifs in any Michael Bay film is so obvious it’s laughable. Movies you wouldn’t expect to get funded have influence, like Batman & Robin, and… Mac and Me?, and… Bye Bye Birdie? What the hell? Anyway, grab a handful…
-
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is Stuck on “Acceptance”
There are approximately six hundred and fifty concurrent Marvel movies and TV shows going on right now. Earth number 199999 has no shortage of colorful characters who have seen an amalgam of bizarre circumstances. Aliens coming out of portals, super soldiers fighting red skulled Nazis in World War II, people becoming big green monsters and insect-sized ant-herders, sentient robots lifting up cities and Norse gods turning out to be real. So why do they keep considering stuff “crazy” when they learn the overarching plot/maguffin? I watched The Defenders a little while ago and there’s a scene where the four of them have one of the bad guys tied up. They’re…
-
Is Tony Stark Becoming a Villain?
Has anyone noticed that Tony Stark is starting to get a little… villainy? I mean, he’s always been the epitome of an egotist, rude, abrasive, lacking empathy, but with a heart of gold. A asshole who still does good things for good reasons. Like Wolverine, but with money. And I’m only talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it bleeds over from the comics (as will become apparent in a minute). But clearly, Tony is the most selfish, most arrogant, biggest weakness of the Avengers. Not even the Hulk is that bad, because at least the Hulk isn’t acting in his own desires. I mean think about the movies. Iron…
-
Likable Characters
Let’s talk about likable characters for a second, shall we? It’s not like I have anything better to do. I watched Iron Man a few days ago and that got me thinking about this topic. One of my favorite things about the movie was Robert Downey Jr., and I know I’m not alone. The man was perfect for this part because Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. Both have addictions, both have incredible charisma (a prominent feature in addicts) that makes them charming, makes them people you want to hang out with and do things for (this enables their habit – they have ways of manipulating you and convincing you…