TV Review: Hawkeye - Passing the Bow

 

We've seen a lot from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021, from heroes processing their grief, established characters beginning their next journeys while new ones take their first steps, and the expansion of the cosmic scale that will only continue to grow. For the last trip to the MCU this year, we go on a holiday adventure with Hawkeye, the last of the original six Avengers to receive a solo story. While this series hadn't really taken the world by storm like previous Disney+ series in "WandaVision" or "Loki" and may have been understandably overshadowed by Spider-Man, what "Hawkeye" delivers is a nice way to wind down the year.

At its core, "Hawkeye" is a simple story with a much smaller scale compared to everything else that's come from the MCU this year. I'd say it's probably the most grounded production to come from Marvel Studios with its first proper foray into the criminal underworld and organized crime, which has sorely been missed since the cancellation of all the Netflix series. While there's good action and character moments throughout, the show does admittedly have a slow burn, but it culminates in a very exciting and explosive finale that truly highlights what makes Hawkeye a worthy member of the Avengers.

With the spotlight finally on him, Jeremy Renner turns in another fine performance as Clint Barton. What I really enjoyed this time around is how we get a better understanding of Clint's mindset, from his continuing PTSD from the events of "Infinity War" and "Endgame" and his uneasiness of being treated as a celebrity because of the Avengers; thinking back to "Age of Ultron", he just sees himself as a guy doing his job.
For all intents and purposes, this show really should have been called "Hawkeyes" as the MCU introduces the other Hawekye from the comics, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. While Renner is the headliner, this show is really more Kate's origin story. When we first meet Kate, she's already shown to be very good at thinking on her feet, holding up well in a fight and talking her way in and out of situations. As she and Clint meet and find themselves being hunted, the chemistry between the two is the best part of the show with the contrast of the old Clint's pessimism and Kate's youthful optimism. It's a delight seeing Clint go from thinking of Kate as some fangirl in over her head to a true partner he's proud to fight back-to-back with. If there is a second season, it will be easy to see Renner taking a backseat as Steinfeld fully takes the lead and mantle.

Along with our two heroes, the show does turn in other great characters and performances, such as new characters like Maya Lopez/Echo (played by Alaqua Cox) and Kate's mother Eleanor (played by Vera Farmiga). We also have the return of Florence Pugh as Yelena hot off her debut from "Black Widow", and this time around, her performance is just adorable when she's not trying to kill Clint. As the youngest of her old family unit, she really leans into the fun-loving kid aspect of her character this time around. The best parts with her are her interactions with Kate, with their chemistry reminding me of two rough housing cousins. And of course, the literally biggest character reveal of the series is Vincent D'Onofrio's return as Kingpin. Despite the change in streaming services, D'Onofrio still has the same intensity as Wilson Fisk as he did over on Netflix, where he could snap into a violent rage at any moment. It's a welcome return to one of Marvel's best villains and I look forward to where he pops up next.

Overall, "Hawkeye" may not be another universe changing event, but it's still another satisfying Marvel production to close out 2021. And here's to 2022, where we'll have lots of new things to talk about from Marvel, DC, and more and hopefully see the world return to a better sense of normalcy.

Movie Review: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" - Spider-Endgame

After "Avengers: Endgame", I didn't think we'd reach similar hype levels for an MCU film until the next Avengers film inevitably arrives. But here we are with "Spider-Man: No Way Home", the third MCU Spidey film we're very lucky to get after the brief dissolution of Sony and Disney's partnership over the character after "Far From Home". Given the scope and expectations for this film, there was a lot that could have gone wrong considering how Sony has screwed the pooch before with the franchise. Now that everything's said and done, "No Way Home" has brought a movie experience that rivals and exceeds the levels of excitement of "Endgame."

"No Way Home" had me cheering harder and got the strongest emotional reactions than any film I've seen before. Along with a strong story and amazing fight scenes, the journey Peter Parker goes through is executed brilliantly, highlighting the traits that make Spider-Man such a unique character and why he is so beloved by fans.

Of course, the biggest draw of the film is the colliding of worlds as the universes of Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy and Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man films crossover into the MCU's sacred timeline. As each past villain appears, the crowd in the theater I saw the movie in exploded with excitement. Said excitement is well founded as each returning actor haven't skipped a beat as their characters. Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin truly stands out as this film firmly cements his character as the king of Spider-Man villains. And for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, the appearance of other "certain characters" a lot of us were expecting or had a pretty good idea would be in the film got the biggest pops of all. There was literally no limit to how entertaining it was watching all these characters from across three universes interact with one another. Some may feel the film relies too much on fanservice or need to point out plotholes, but I see this is a case where you just need to stop overthinking things and enjoy what's being delivered.

Something I really loved doesn't really have to do with the film itself but with the crowd's reactions to it throughout. The Spider-Man film franchise has had some ups and downs over nearly twenty years, but despite all the misgivings and debates over each series, seeing each aspect of the past films appear and be cheered shows how loved the franchise as a whole is and was really heartwarming for me. I'm not saying I believe this will end all bad blood between hardcore fans of whatever series they love, but I like to think the fan community as a whole has grown a little closer.

While there's a lot to be excited about, for what it's worth, "No Way Home" is without a doubt the darkest Spider-Man film yet. With the multiverse aspect being most prominent in the film's promotion, it may be easy to forget that Mysterio outing Peter's identity in "Far From Home" is the catalyst for all the film's events. And unlike how things went with Peter's identity going public in the comics, the MCU doesn't just sweep it under the rug like it never happened. Consequences and responsibility are a big theme that reverberates for this film and will for years to come. Compared to the triumphant note "Endgame" concluded on, "No Way Home" ends more bittersweetly; it's a heartbreaking end to one era but a promising beginning to a new one. Plus, if the partnership between Sony and Disney goes sour again, it'll at least end on a more definitive note compared to where things could have been left off at with "Far From Home".

Overall, much like how "Avengers: Endgame" was the culmination of over twenty films over ten years, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is a testament to twenty years of films starring the character that will satisfy and move fans no matter which version is their favorite.