Directed By: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
Release Date: November 10, 2023
My Rating:
No good deed goes unpunished. After fulfilling a promise made at the end of Captain Marvel, Carol made some enemies. These enemies seek to destroy her for the danger she has created for their people. In locating her, Carol finds that her powers have become entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau.
In honor of Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine (for Deadpool 3), I decided to focus on Marvel for superhero month (2023). I am a much bigger fan of the Marvel universe than DC. This post is a couple of weeks late as I was on vacation. Here are the Wolverine-themed movies on this list for June 2023:
Thor: Love and Thunder
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale
Directed By: Taika Waititi
My Rating:
I finally saw the newest Thor movie (Thor Love and Thunder), but not in the theater, which I regret. Personally, I think Marvel movies are best when seen in the theater. Be that as it may, instead, we waited until it’s release on Disney+. I assume, by now, most people have seen this movie (if you’re an avid MCU fan). First a quick synopsis before I give my feedback.
Gorr (Bale) is besmirched by the gods. When he becomes in possession of the Necrosword he vows to seek revenge against all gods for their vanity and hubris. Thor comes out of retirement to battle Gorr with the help of King Valkyrie and Jane (who can now wield Mjolnir); in other words Thor teams up with Queen Padme Amidala to defeat Batman.
We’re now six episodes into this series; which means only three episodes remain. I began watching this series with mild interest and now I’m fully committed. I hadn’t intended on writing more about it, however the puzzle in this show is making the discussions fun so I don’t mind writing more on Wandavision. I do not like spoilers so I will provide sufficient warning or redaction when it’s needed.
The puzzle is becoming more interesting as well as a lot of the theories I’ve been reading. In fact there are so many theories and ideas I hardly know where to begin.
The following content contains spoilers for Wandavision.
I think, one of the biggest mysteries, is Kathryn Hahn‘s character. Who is Agnes? I noticed, in the first episode featuring Darcy, nobody mentions Agnes when they were assembling “the cast of character”. In fact her character is rarely, if ever, acknowledged by any member of S.W.O.R.D. Is Agnes only visible by Wanda and the other “cast members”? There are fan theories that believe she is Agatha Harkness. Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch from the Salem witch trials that mentors Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch) in real magic.
Perhaps Westview is Agatha’s “training ground” for Wanda. Listen for the pronouns. A lot of times the “cast members”, when not under the spell, refer to “her” but never Wanda by name. Could “her” actually be Agnes but S.W.O.R.D believes they mean Wanda? I realize that Wanda leaves Westview to confront S.W.O.R.D but what if that is Agnes using a veil to perpetuate the ruse?
I do like that theory but I have another one. What if it’s not just S.W.O.R.D that is watching Wanda? What if A.I.M is also watching? In fact, what if A.I.M. has people on the inside? By the way, Advanced Idea Mechanics is the evil counterpart to S.W.O.R.D. and is first mentioned in Iron Man 3. Perhaps Agnes is from AIM? In fact, what if Wanda’s “brother” is also an AIM operative? It would explain why he was “re-cast”.
Regardless, I do not think Wanda is turning into a villain. It seems that Kevin Feige is trying to lead the audience that way but I think its misdirection. I think she is dealing with her grief of not only having lost her brother but also the man she loved. I think there are nefarious forces taking advantage of her vulnerable state but to what end? Is A.I.M trying to turn her evil and weaponize her? Agatha Harkness isn’t a villain (at least not in the comics), so perhaps she’s trying to mentor Wanda amidst all of this but she doesn’t know who is trustworthy. Maybe she thinks S.W.O.R.D. is A.I.M. which is why she confronts them veiled as Wanda?
Allegedly the last three episodes are all an hour long and I think they are going to be intense. Are there any Wandavision theories you would like to share?
“When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way.” – J.J. Abrams
I’m going to take a right turn here and talk about something in the MCU. While I’m not as avid of a Marvel fan as I am a Star Wars fan, both are owned by the same parent company so their fates are partially intertwined. When Disney made the big announcement about all the new Star Wars projects, they also announced several new Marvel projects. Wandavision is the first and, apparently, the series that kicks of Phase Four of the MCU.
Honestly I cannot say what it is, yet. I believe the mystery is part of the premise of the show. We don’t know why Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch) and Vision are appearing in various eras of television. This takes place after the events of End Game so we know that Vision, in theory, is dead and the Mind Stone has been destroyed. Each episode ends with a cliffhanger that suggests someone is orchestrating and observing.
Since Vision is dead we have to assume Scarlet Witch is the target. Perhaps Vision has a piece of information and “they” want to know if he told Wanda. Therefore “they” are putting her through these scenarios to try to extrapolate that piece of information. The end of the second episode gives it a very “Truman Show” kind of vibe.
After the first episode I felt very confused. In fact I had to go watch the trailers and even read a brief synopsis of the premise to begin to understand what is happening. After the second episode it has fully peaked my curiosity. I’ll admit that I’m not going to be flipping on the latest episode as quickly as I was watching The Mandalorian. I’m just intrigued enough, however, that I’ll be watching to see what happens next.
I’m also feeling a little nostalgic because the episodes are using familiar popular sitcoms that I grew up watching. Granted the shows were in syndication because most of them first aired long before I was born. For example (minor spoiler) the first episode takes place in the setting of the Dick Van Dyke Show. While this show was made in the 60’s (which is about 20 years before I was born) I still caught the re-runs growing up. Apparently this will happen often throughout the series, so that’s kind of neat.
My suggestion is that you should check it out. I suspect if you don’t follow along at the beginning you might miss subtle references in future movies. In my experience, those subtle references often create a more immersive viewing experience. For example, there is a character that appears in the second episode who will be in the second Captain Marvel movie. If you want to know who, select or click the following text: Monica Rambeau.
/cheers
“When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way.” – J.J. Abrams
Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
My Rating: [rating=5]
Despite the looming “Superhero Burnout“, this movie is crushing it at the box office. It is already breaking the same records The Force Awakens broke four years ago. I fully expect this film to continue to break records set by Star Wars, including top grossing movie of all time in the domestic box office. Honestly, I’m glad it’s a Marvel movie too.
In the spirit of the #DontSpoilTheEndgame trend, this is a SPOILER FREE movie review, however if you have not seen Infinity War yet, then consider this your **spoiler alert**!! It is impossible to talk about this movie without talking about the events of the previous film.
Half of the living things in the universe, including half the Avengers, are gone; wiped out with a single snap. Thanos has vanished to bask in the balance he has created. Meanwhile the remaining Avengers are trying to piece the world back together and move on. However “moving on” will not be something they are willing to do, especially when Scott Lang shows up with an idea.
This is a pretty amazing movie, though I do have one particular complaint, which I will get to shortly. This movie has quite a few epic moments, one of which I know many fans have been waiting for since Age of Ultron. I will not say what that is so as to remain spoiler free but I think you will know it when you see it, and deem it “worthy”. This movie is quite the finale for the Avengers Initiative. One of my favorite parts happens during and end credit montage. This is not a spoiler. The signatures of Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner are shown as if to signify the signing of their magnum opus. This is such a fitting tribute.
No, not by a long shot. In all fairness I almost gave this movie 4 stars. There is a particular plot mechanic that is rarely done well and Bruce Banner’s rationale is pretty insufficient, in my opinion. There is also a “passing of the torch” moment which does not particularly coincide with canon (at least from what I’ve read); however, it is still pretty cool. Be that as it may, the way in which they wrap up the story’s of a few of the character’s is brilliant and well done … and emotional. After the movie ended, my first instinct was not to see it again; at least not right away. The main reason being the 3 hour run time. Actually I feel more inclined to watch all the other movies again!
This movie is a magnum opus and truly a fitting end of the past 11 years and 21 movies. The feeling I had leaving this movie will probably be much the same feeling I will have leaving The Rise of Skywalker. A sense of emotional finality; these are characters that not just defined our lives, but a generation. Watching these events come to an end feels akin to a graduation or major life milestone. The events and the people of the years prior make up the journey we all had to take. Sometimes the end is hard because we endured so much to get here, but we grew along the way. We form bonds and relationships with people, real or fictional. It’s the journey that’s worth celebrating at the end but it’s also what makes it difficult. After all, part of the journey is the end.
#ThankYouAvengers
“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick
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