Movie Review: Thunderbolts* - Spiritual Guardians

 

As "Avengers: Endgame" is considered to be the current gold standard of the MCU, only a few films in the franchise released after it have been considered to be at the same level: "Spider-Man: No Way Home", "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3", and "Deadpool and Wolverine." Much like "Endgame", those films also marked the end for the current era of those particular characters. But we have a surprise new entry for this club with "Thunderbolts*", a film that signifies a new beginning rather than a culmination of what came before.

In essence, "Thunderbolts*" is a team origin story in the same vein as the original Avengers and Guardians movies. What helps set it apart is its more grounded nature, with the main team members being a trained assassin in Yelena (Florence Pugh), three super soldiers in Bucky (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Alexei (David Harbour), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) with her intangibility. There's not much variety in the powerset, but it's part of the charm. It's a scrappy team that's down to Earth, which makes it easy to root for them. Not to mention it leads to fun action scenes that are easy to follow.

The Thunderbolts* are comparable to the Guardians of the Galaxy, being a group of criminals overcoming their shameful pasts to become something more. That said, it did lead to a little disappointment for me that the movie didn't have a unique soundtrack like the Guardians trilogy did after all four trailers had some stellar song choices. But then it hit me; another comparison to be made is with Suicide Squad, and I feel "Thunderbolts*" matches the tone of what David Ayer originally intended with his film (see the 2015 Comic Con trailer for reference).

Like any ensemble film, the heart comes from its cast. The interactions between characters highlights their individual strengths and shortcomings as they go from trying to kill each other to building comradery. As the film's central character, Florence Pugh gives her best performance as Yelena yet. The weight of loss and her past actions bear down on her, contrasting with the youthful energy she exhibited when we first met her. David Harbour is still highly entertaining as the Red Guardian, continuing his quest to reclaim his glory days while acting as a father to Yelena; and his brief interaction with Bucky is also great, carrying over their chemistry from the "What If...?" episode that showcased the two having a team-up. I also enjoyed seeing Ava having more control over her powers and gaining more confidence in the process. As for Walker, his douchiness carries over from "Falcon and Winter Soldier" which makes it nice when he acts humbler as the story goes.

We've seen Julia Louis-Dreyfus sprinkled here and there in the MCU as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, though it's been hard to really lock down what she's about. With this film, the answer is she's the anti-Nick Fury. She assembles the Thunderbolts*, though inadvertently, acting for her own self-interest and orchestrating to come out on top no matter the scenario. She's basically Amanda Waller with a more pleasant demeanor.

Lewis Pullman is the heart of the film as Bob. He's a character whose childhood trauma has shaped him, which allows Pullman to showcase his range as an actor. He goes from friendly yet socially awkward as Bob to getting a confidence boost as Sentry that leads to a literal god complex, exploding into a force of darkness as the Void. Void's design is simple yet unsettling, personifying the self-doubt within Bob that should resonate with some viewers.

If I had one gripe, it's that Taskmaster was done dirty. I think a majority of people knew what would happen with her, but damn, you could have cut her and lost nothing.

Overall, "Thunderbolts*" is a top tier Marvel film that deserves to be one of its biggest successes, so see it in theaters as soon as you can.

TV Review: "Daredevil: Born Again" - Delightfully Devilish, Matthew

 

When "Daredevil" premiered in 2015 and kicked off the series of Marvel Netflix shows, it was a real game changer. It brought a new perspective within the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its gritty tone and grounded approach and showed that superhero TV shows can be just as epic as the movies. It was such a loss when Netflix cancelled it along with its sister shows one by one due to corporate politics. But fans held out hope Marvel would bring back the Man Without Fear at some point in the future. After seven years with character appearances sprinkled in some other projects, Matt Murdock is "Born Again" and better than ever.

There was the possibility of a new Daredevil project taking a different approach from what came before. But for a variety of reasons, Marvel made the right decision to continue what the original series created. The first episode throws us right back into the world of Daredevil and showing our trio of "Avocados" enjoying themselves before tragedy strikes and shakes up the status quo (as well as reminds you how psychotic Bullseye is). This change helps propel the characters' journeys forward while still keeping the grounded tone and slow burn the Netflix shows were known for. The more violent action it was also known for is retained and actually elevated. There will be moments that will make you go "Damn, Matt!" because of how sudden and brutal the moment can be. Along with the fight choreography is brilliant cinematography that emphasize the importance of certain moments. "Born Again" brought about the same feelings in me as when I was watching the Netflix shows, something none of the Disney+ shows except for maybe "Echo" have.

But the heart of the show remains with its characters as Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio lead returning and new cast members in the next chapter of the Daredevil story. There is no shortage of poignant character moments. My favorites among them have Charlie's Matt interacting with Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, whether it be a heart-to-heart talk that rivals their one in season two, or their banter and philosophical debates in this season's finale. And I just have to say that once again seeing the primal energy Bernthal brings as the Punisher makes me glad to see him back as well.
A new villain for the series is Muse, an artist themed serial killer from Charles Soule's run in the Daredevil comics. "Born Again" does a good job at slowly building up his reveal and confrontations with Daredevil, culminating in his final work.

One of the best things "Born Again" does is tap into the zeitgeist. The show does a great job at highlighting the problems of a flawed judicial system, the co-opting of the Punisher skull logo, and the current political climate (with the Fisk/Trump parallel from season three dialed up to 11 with somewhat uncomfortable results). It captures the hopelessness many are feeling right now, but it also highlights the importance of fighting for what's right, especially since the main conflict isn't something that can be easily fixed in one season. Daredevil in 2025 represents what I felt Wonder Woman did in 2020.

I think there may be some people who have a hard time with the series in how it's different from the other Disney+ shows as well as the original "Daredevil." I mean, Matt doesn't suit back up after the first episode until six so there's technically not much superhero-ing. But that's kind of the point. Matt and Wilson are using different methods to reach their goals, with their old selves bubbling beneath the surface until they fully embrace their true selves and fall into old habits. These are just two examples of how the title "Born Again" applies in a variety of ways.

Needless to say, "Daredevil: Born Again" is a revival that succeeds in recapturing and elevating what people love about the original. The dower note of the finale will leave you begging for next season, and hopefully Matt will bring in help from some old friends.

TV Review: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - Sans Sony

 

As great and beloved as the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies are, there have been trials for Marvel to pull them off. They've had to play ball with Sony due to the character's film rights situation, and their partnership almost blew up before "No Way Home". This has lead to a common criticism that they shoehorn in more MCU references and characters compared to other characters' solo movies and pull away focus for a Spidey film. It does make one wonder how Marvel would have handled Spider-Man in the MCU without Sony in the mix. Which brings us to "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man"

Initially envisioned as a prequel to his debut in "Civil War", the web-slinger's Disney+ show takes place in an alternate timeline of the MCU where Peter finds himself being mentored by Norman Osborn rather than Tony Stark. Spidey already has a long history of animated series, and "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is a welcome addition to that legacy.

For an experiment in reapproaching Spider-Man's introduction to the MCU, the results are successful. While there are MCU character guest appearances, the series focuses strictly on the Spider-Man mythos. It's just so interesting to see how things could have gone and what could be hints of things to come for Peter in the Sacred Timeline. This show also gives Marvel the chance to do things with Spidey either too small to explore in the movies or deliver things that may or may not come to pass. I mean, episode six gives us the closest thing yet to a Spidey and Daredevil meet-up. Plus, the Scorpion set-up from "Homecoming" feels like such a missed opportunity now after seeing how he was utilized here.

Aside from Aunt May, Peter has a totally different supporting cast compared to the movies. I feel this is due to a combination of trying to be different from the movies and possible rights and likeness issues with Sony, with Peter, May, and Gargan bearing resemblance to their live action counterparts. Despite the absence of Ned and MJ, the series still delivers a strong supporting cast. In this universe, Peter's best friend is Nico Minoru of "Runaways" fame. I love the chemistry they have here, and it makes me miss actress Lyrica Okano's presence in the MCU (bring her back, Feige!). There's also a surprise choice in making Lonnie Lincoln a friend of Peter's, but this leads to a compelling origin story for his turn into Tombstone.

Style wise, the show's animation is similar to the MTV CGI series and the Ultimate Spider-Man video game while applying the 60's Ditko and Romita aesthetic in a modern-day setting. It worked for me immediately, but it may take some getting used to for others. We also get the first full-on theme song for a Spider-Man series since "Spectacular", something sorely missed from the Ultimate and 2017 series. It's a real banger and made me realize that each Spider-Man theme song, also including the '67 and '94 shows, are reflective of their era.

I still believe "Spectacular" is the character's best series, but "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is the heir apparent. It delivers a comparable coming of age story for Peter as he moves through his high school and superhero lives. "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" has the chance to reach the heights "Spectacular" aspired to before its early cancellation. With so much set up for the future in the season finale (including one shocking revelation no one will see coming), you'll be left eagerly waiting for the series' return.

Movie Review: "Captain America: Brave New World" - Phase One Callback

 

He was bestowed the shield in 2019. He accepted the mantle in 2021. Now in 2025, we finally get to see Sam Wilson take the lead in a Captain America movie. To quote Hope Van Dyne, "it's about damn time." But was "Captain America: Brave New World" worth such a long wait? I'd like to think so.

"Brave New World" brings us back to the political thriller genre that was prevalent in "The Winter Soldier" film and the "Falcon and Winter Soldier" series that preceded this film. What also gives the film some charm is how it seems to take Marvel back to their roots by going for a more grounded approach similar to the Phase One and Two era. This is mostly seen with the film's villains like the Serpent Society and main antagonist the Leader, foregoing outlandish costumes for a simple aesthetic.

As he has for over a decade now, Anthony Mackie continues to kill it as Sam Wilson. Picking up approximately a year after "Falcon and Winter Soldier", we find Sam settling into the Captain America role as the events of the film brings his first real test of mettle. Some may see this as retreading ground from the series, but while that was more about accepting Steve's choice in passing the shield, what Sam experiences in this film is living up to the ideals of Captain America and dealing with the pressures that come with it.

With the passing of William Hurt in 2022, the role of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is taken over by sci-fi legend Harrison Ford. Ford not only makes his own mark as the character but the way he's depicted makes sense for where his journey has brought him. He's an 80-year-old man who's been dealing with superhero crap over two decades and just elected president; the years have worn on him and things aren't getting easier. This eventually boils over into his transformation into the Red Hulk, leading to a good old-fashioned gamma induced rampage not seen since "Age of Ultron". One can also see parallels to real world politics which at the time of production were probably intended to be allegorical but now sadly just feels like wishful thinking.

As I mentioned the Leader before, we see the return of Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns, finally paying off a 17-year-old set-up from "The Incredible Hulk". Incarcerated since his last appearance, Sterns is much more cold and calculating, with his gamma powered mind making him a formidable threat. I found Nelson's performance comparable to the Leader's appearance in the "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" animated series where he was voiced by Jeffery Combs. I only wish they kept his involvement secret so his appearance would have been a big reveal like the HYDRA twist in "Winter Soldier."

Critically wise, I'm seeing the reception to "Brave New World" comparable to "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" where it's on the lower side of the MCU. Much like "Quantumania", I don't think the hate is deserved. I mean, I will give way to the idea that this could have also worked as a Hulk movie given some of the prominent characters involved. And if I had one personal criticism, it's the fight choreography. When there's special effects involved, things flow pretty well. But when it's straight up hand to hand combat, it feels way more stilted when you compare them to the fight scenes from the Russo Brothers' Captain America films.

While it's no game changer like "Winter Soldier", "Captain America: Brave New World" is an entertaining film that cements Sam's position moving forward in the MCU as we prepare for the Avengers to reassemble next year.

Retro Re-Review: Power Rangers SPD

POWER RANGERS SPD (2005)

Adapted from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

Disney Era

The Power Rangers franchise is a bit in flux at the moment. Since talking about the final seasons with Dino Fury last year, the Netflix plans fell through and the potential reboot has been moved over to Paramount. But with it being 2025, I thought we'd take another look at a season I covered way back when I ranked them all up to Megaforce at that point.
While airing in 2005, Power Rangers SPD took place twenty years in the future. I posited the question on forums back then what the franchise would do if they reached 2025, and we were two years shy of finding out. But given we're in the year of SPD, it being its 20th anniversary, and it's chronologically the final season, I thought it'd be fun to give it another look. Besides the fact I haven't watched the season since its DVD release, it'd be interesting to see how well the series holds up on its own merits, how it fits with the established Power Rangers canon, and how its 2025 compares to our own. (Click the highlighted portion at the beginning of the paragraph for my original look back at the series.)

Within the now concluded main Power Rangers canon, SPD still fits in pretty well. It also helps that Beast Morphers and Dino Fury included some subtle references that help build up the setting for this season off-screen. If there are any inconsistencies that arise, it's within SPD's season itself, particularly when it comes to character backstories. The biggest hiccup to me is if each of the Ranger's parents secretly worked for SPD before they were born, why did Jack, Z, and Sam grow up on the streets unlike the others, especially if tabs were kept on all of them? Jack didn't even know his own birthday but referenced his parents were missionaries. Some things don't add up.

So how does the 2025 of SPD where aliens and earthlings reside together compare to the real world? Oh Power Rangers, you had such high expectations of us. We're still very far away from a world where humans live in peace and accept each other's differences, let alone live with aliens.
I feel like the team's police motif could be seen as controversial today. Modern perception of police is fractured to say the least given issues such as excessive force and profiling. The fact that SPD deals with alien-related crimes (even smaller ones compared to world domination like carjacking and bank robbery) doesn't help, especially when they're a government based public organization and not top secret like Men in Black. Funny enough though, Disney was kind of ahead of things because they had to tone down the violence while adapting Dekaranger. This included editing out bullets and creating the containment card system; otherwise, we'd be seeing our police officer protagonists killing every single criminal.
On the flipside though, SPD is full of instances of characters recognizing their biases and privileges, which in my opinion makes the series even more relevant than it was at its release. Character growth is a big part of the season not just for our main protagonists, but those associated with SPD that broke bad. It showcases the choice we all have to be the best or worst version of ourselves.

Back when I was ranking the seasons, I tried to give my overall thoughts on each one and rather than a deep dive focus like I did from Dino Charge to Dino Fury. But now that I'm giving SPD that treatment, I can talk about the two separate Dino Thunder team-up episodes.
The first episode entitled "History" shows Connor, Ethan, and Kira being transported from their high school reunion to the future via their Dino Gems by Broodwing, wanting to recruit them for his own plans in world domination. Why he thought he could persuade heroic figures from the past is anyone's guess. The three escape and encounter the SPD Rangers, eventually being given their old morphers from the SPD archives to assist in a fight with Grumm, Morgana, and an overwhelming number of Troobian foot soldiers before being sent back to the past with their memories erased. It was a pretty satisfying team-up, catching up with the core Dino Thunder Rangers and seeing them experience a future world and interacting with the current season's Rangers.
Another team-up entitled "Wormhole" sees Grumm traveling through a temporal wormhole back to 2004 where he hopes to conquer Earth without SPD's resistance. The SPD Rangers give chase, meet up with the Dino Thunder Rangers and together repel Grumm back to the future. "Wormhole" is a more traditional team-up that had come to be expected from the franchise up to this point, including the full rosters of each team and showcasing the Reds' battlizers. In that respect, I do prefer this over "History". But from a story standpoint, "Wormhole" feels out of place in more ways than one. Not only did this episode not air until the interim time between SPD's finale and Mystic Force's premiere, but the episode is placed directly after "History" on both the DVD release and how it's listed currently on Tubi where it simply doesn't fit. The only place this episode can happen is before the final three, and even then, there's a glaring continuity problem with Mora. By this point, Mora had been transformed back from Morgana and become fully corrupted by Omni, abandoning her more childish tendencies in the process, but they're still present in "Wormhole."

Besides these additional thoughts, my overall feelings toward Power Rangers SPD haven't changed since my season rankings. It's still a great season that cracks my top ten and giving it a rewatch for this occasion was a nice nostalgia trip. It holds up well and fans of the franchise should take a trip back to Newtech City this year to celebrate 20 years of SPD.

My Rankings of Power Rangers Seasons:
21. Megaforce
20. Operation Overdrive
19. Turbo
18. Samurai
17. Ninja Storm
16. Wild Force
15. Beast Morphers
14. Ninja Steel
13. Dino Charge
12. Zeo
11. Dino Fury
10. SPD
9. Lightspeed Rescue
8. Mystic Force
7. Lost Galaxy
6. Jungle Fury
5. Dino Thunder
4. Mighty Morphin'
3. In Space
2. Time Force
1. RPM

Movie Review: "Joker: Folie a Deux" - Bad Romance

 

There's probably no better recent example of having too much of a good thing than Todd Phillips' "Joker". While the 2019 film starring Joaquin Phoenix had a mixed reception from critics, it was a surprise hit with audiences and grossed over a billion dollars. It was a unique adaptation that worked as a standalone story giving us a deep dive psychological character study that leaves you questioning his perception of reality. But when you have a billion-dollar hit, the word "standalone" means nothing in the quest for more money. While the idea of a Joker sequel was already head scratching, making it a jukebox musical and casting Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn was pushing the envelope. Still, the first Joker movie was a risk that paid off well, so maybe Phillips could turn out another successful project with "Joker: Folie a Deux"? Well, to paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm, they spent so much time wondering if they could that didn't ask if they should.

Let's go ahead and get the positives out of the way first. Joaquin Phoenix slips back in seamlessly reprising Arthur Fleck, getting his mind and body back into shape so to speak to portray the character. His arc here is trying to live up to the accidental celebrity he made of himself as Joker, once again playing into his need to perform. But such pressure leads to him cracking even further and somewhat brings the character full circle with imagery that parallels his journey in the first film.

While Lady Gaga is more well known for her music, let's not forget she is a well-received actress. As Harleen "Lee" Quinzel, she gives us a version of the character that works within this type of story. She still idolizes Joker but the film doesn't ignore the character's accomplishments in becoming a psychiatrist before falling down the rabbit hole of obsession, seeing Joker as an escape from what she considers a mundane life. And I also enjoy her and Phoenix's chemistry, with Lee's strong personality stirring something in the fragile Arthur as they both see the other as their missing half.

In my opinion there are two major factors that bring the film down.

The first is a majority of the film is Arthur's trial for his actions in the first one. This means a lot of recapping of what those going into this film already know. Similar to how much "Halloween Kills" talks about the events of the 1978 original, all this does is make you wonder why you're not watching the previous film.

But of course, what really bogs the film is the musical element, which they didn't even bother to portray in the marketing. The numbers are either rather simple or full-on productions with no in-between. There were only a few of each that I think were done rather well, either working in the context of the story or just had good quality in the sets and choreography. The latter plays into Arthur's fantasies, but it doesn't work as well as they did in the first film because it doesn't leave the audience questioning if what we're seeing is real. But generally, the musical element adds nothing to the story. Any time someone starts singing, especially Arthur, it's just dragging the scene out and keeping the audience hostage longer than needed. If there just had to be a musical element to the film, they should have kept to the simple approach and relegated it to just Lady Gaga as Lee as she serenades Arthur.

In some respect, I can understand what Todd Phillips was going for in regard to hero worship and idolatry, but the overall execution and decision to make it a musical left the film falling flat despite Phoenix and Gaga's best efforts. To compare it again to "Halloween", specifically the last two films, "Joker: Folie a Deux" burns a lot of good will built with the audience and brings down what came before along with it.

TV Review: The Penguin - Rise of Cobb

 

Last year, I took a look at the events that lead up to "The Batman" with Paul Dano's "Riddler: Year One" prequel comic. This year, we move the story of Matt Reeves' crime saga forward with the HBO series focused on Colin Farrell's depiction of the Penguin. From start to finish, this series makes this Batman universe three for three in straight-up fire storytelling.

While we focused on Bruce's crusade in "The Batman", "The Penguin" flips the script by showing us the seedy underbelly of Gotham from the crime side of things. The TV-MA allows us dive deep into it with elevated violence and harsher language compared to what we would normally get from a mainstream Batman movie, and Reeves was already pushing the PG-13 limit.
It's been very enjoyable returning to the world of "The Batman", with Michael Giacchino once again composing the score helping to retain the same atmosphere. What makes this visit to this version of Gotham so interesting is exploring the "Post-Riddler" landscape.  The main plot involves the crime families of the city trying to grab or retain power in the wake of Carmine Falcone's death, with Oz seeing this struggle as his chance to rise to the top. We also see the wider consequences of Riddler flooding the city and how it affected certain citizens, including a flashback with a firsthand account of the devastating act of terror. And yet, Riddler followers are still seen in the city at times throughout the series. It makes me think of Thanos in that making a statement was more important than the goal of helping people (and we even got the "Thanos Was Right" blurbs in "Hawkeye").

Colin Farrell's already turned in a great performance as Penguin in "The Batman" and his own series allows him to flesh out the character more. To borrow a line from another of the Dark Knight's rogues gallery, one of Oz's main goals is to give the city "a better class of criminal." And this depiction of the Penguin is towing the line between a traditional gangster and the more "freakish" figures as Batman and Riddler; it showcases the evolution of crime in Gotham from the mob to the super criminal fans come to expect. Farrel's performance also brings a complexity to the character where as we watch him make his plays for power, you're not sure if any emotional moments he shares with others are genuine. And as we learn more about his backstory, we see how deep his demons lied.

In a stacked supporting cast, none of them steal the show as greatly as Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante, Carmine Falcone's daughter. Milioti brings an intense and scary good performance the moment she walks on screen. By the time we get to the fourth episode that focuses on her background, you may find yourself on her side for the rest of the series. After being framed by her father as a serial killer and left to rot in Arkham for a decade, we see how hardened she's become in the present and you will want this queen protected at all costs. And speaking of Arkham, we spend some extended time within its walls and all I'll say is it was a major missed opportunity that spin-off series got scrapped.

While it does set up part of the stage, it's hard to say at this point whether this will be essential viewing for "The Batman Part II" in 2026. Nonetheless, "The Penguin" in its own right is must-watch TV, delivering a well written gangster drama full of complex characters you'll love or love to hate.