Review: Avengers: Endgame (UK Cert 12A)

Five years after the devastation wrought by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, the survivors of the Snap must find their way in this new world. However, the reappearance of Scott Lang from the Quantum Realm (where he got stuck at the end of Ant-Man And The Wasp) provides the Avengers with an opportunity to reverse Thanos' handiwork and bring back those who were lost...

Do you know, I've started this review three times. Hopefully, fourth time will be the charm. I am going to try and do this spoiler-free because of two reasons: a) #DontSpoilTheEndgame (as if we would!) and b) I know that, once all three of us have seen it, we'll be recording a spoileriffic no-holds-barred discussion, so I'll leave the finer points of my thoughts until then. 

So, I'm going to try and discuss the film in general terms.

There was a lot I liked. Some lovely character moments, some great one-liners, and several strong performances (in particular from Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and Karen Gillan). There's also several surprise returns from previous MCU films which I liked (and most of them didn't feel like fan-service, although inevitably some did). There are several parts of the film that are visually stunning (as you can imagine) and the score by Alan Silvestri is superb. There are a couple of moments of real emotion- I cried twice in the film, and both moments were courtesy of the same character. 

That said, I did have a couple of issues with the film. 

The run-time of 3 hours 2 minutes is far too long. There's a good 30-40 minutes that could be lost with very little impact. In fact, if you check out any of the non-spoilery 'when can I go to the toilet during Endgame?' articles, you'll get a good general consensus on which bits aren't strictly necessary. One of my biggest niggles with the film comes with a pivotal moment which- although it makes narrative sense- was, for me, the wrong move. 

Something I have praised the MCU for in the past is their general coherence during big fight scenes: no matter how crowded the battlefield, you always know who you're meant to be following at any point and who they're up against. Sadly, this goes right out the window here. The final battle is SO big, SO epic (and rightly so), that it gets a bit muddy- dare I say, even a bit DC?- and the impact is lost. There's also several unnecessary uses of shakycam which annoys me greatly (although that's a personal thing) 

Part of me feels a bit bad for bringing up these criticisms. Anthony and Joe Russo have had an absolutely gargantuan task on their hands, marshalling this utter behemoth, and having to contend with the expectations of some of the most committed and passionate fans in the whole of geekdom. With a task that huge, you're never going to please everyone, and people will find different things they like and don't: several of my criticisms won't even occur to others and vice versa. 

I've discussed the film with several people since I saw it, and I think my overall opinion is this: for the most part, it's an enjoyable tribute to the MCU and a decent conclusion to the Infinity Saga; however, for me, it lacks the focus and the punch that made Avengers: Infinity War such an amazing film. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Bond 25

This afternoon, from a sunkissed Jamaica and thanks to an incredibly awkward live broadcast, some more details about Bond 25 have been released.

One of the things that HASN'T been released, sadly, is the title. Rumours abound that it could be Eclipse, whilst another rumour has stated it's being filmed under the title Shatterhand (an alias used by Blofeld in one of the novels). It'll be some time before the official title is released. 

As previously announced, Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts Of No Nation, Maniac) is directing, having replaced Danny Boyle at the helm. The script is by Scott Z. Burns and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on a story treatment by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

One plot tidbit that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson did drop is that, at the start of the film, Bond is not on active service and is enjoying himself in Jamaica (presumably with Dr. Madeleine Swann, who he swanned off with at the end of Spectre). Obviously that doesn't last long... Filming has taken place in Norway, and they'll also film in Jamaica, in Pinewood Studios and around London, and in Italy. 

It seemed that the main reason for this broadcast was to confirm the cast.

Daniel Craig is obviously back (for the fifth time), and joining him in returning to the Bond franchise will be Ralph Fiennes (M), Léa Seydoux (Dr. Madeleine Swann), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q), Rory Kinnear (Bill Tanner), and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter).


The new cast members for Bond 25 are:

Clockwise from left: Malek, Benssalah, de Armas, Magnussen, Dencik, Lynch

• Dali Benssalah (Nox, A Faithful Man, Interrail)
• Billy Magnussen (Into The Woods, Bridge Of Spies)
• Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049, War Dogs)
• David Dencik (The Snowman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
• Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, Brotherhood, Fast Girls)
• and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, Night At The Museum)

Malek's casting has been rumoured for a while and, in a pre-recorded video (as he's currently filming in New York), it's confirmed that he'll be playing the villain. Inspired casting, I have to admit. No character names have been announced. 

So, there we are. Bond 25 is underway, with an expected release date of April 2020.

We'll keep you updated on any news as it becomes available. 

Comicbook Movie Round-Up: April 2019 (Part 3)

In the third and final part of this round-up (aren't you glad I didn't do this in one post?), we take a look at what Sony has brewing in relation to its Marvel-adjacent movies and find out what's going on with the X-Men...

SONY

MORBIUS

As part of Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters (SUMC)- which started with Venom- there's going to be a film featuring Morbius The Living Vampire 

For those who need to know, Morbius The Living Vampire was introduced in the Spider-Man comics in 1971. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Dr. Michael Morbius attempted to cure himself of a rare blood disease- with disastrous consequences. Well, if you will inject yourself with vampire-bat DNA...  Instead of a cure, he found a thirst for blood- as well as super strength, and fangs. Originally an antagonist, Morbius soon became a hero of sorts. 

Jared Leto is taking on the main role (probably another reason why he won't be reprising the Joker anytime soon), whilst erstwhile Time Lord Matt Smith and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows' Jared Harris have also joined the cast, rumoured to be the villain Loxias Crown (who suffers the same disease as Morbius) and Morbius' mentor respectively. Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Good Omens) and Tyrese Gibson (Transformers, Fast & Furious 5) are also due to star, with Arjona as Martine Bancroft- Morbius' love interest- and Gibson as an FBI agent who is after the living vampire. 

Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life) will direct, from a script by Burk Sharpless & Matt Samaza. The film is expected in July 2020.  

VENOM 2

Venom made a lot of money for Sony (with over $850m at the box office)- despite having about as much charm and wit as a sewage outlet- so it's pretty much a no-brainer that a sequel is in the works. Writer Kelly Marcel will return to write the screenplay. Given the brief scene with Woody Harrelson toward the end of the film, it's a pretty sure bet that any sequel will feature Cletus Kassady (a.k.a. Carnage). 

OTHER SUMC FILMS

There are rumours that a number of other films are being developed in this universe. 

Silk - a Korean-American heroine, Cindy Moon was also bitten by the radioactive spider that nipped Peter Parker, thus she also develops super-powers (organic webbing, Spidey-Sense etc). Asian-American actress Tiffany Espensen plays a character called Cindy in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which led fans to speculate that Silk may show up at some point. 

Kraven The Hunter - Sergei Kravinoff is a big-game hunter who has one major quarry whose head he wants to hang on his wall. No prizes for guessing that it's Spider-Man's. 

Mysterio - an illusionist who uses magic to pull of his criminal heists. There have been a number of people to use the 'Mysterio' name, but one of the best-known ones is Quentin Beck (who will be played by Jake Gyllenhaal in Spider-Man: Far From Home). 

Black Cat & Silver Sable - a previously announced film called Silver & Black which would focus on these two characters (Felicia Hardy and Silver Sablinova) has been dropped. But don't despair: apparently these two villainesses- anti-heroines?- will be getting their own standalone movies, with Black Cat (arguably the better known of the two characters) most likely to come first. Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything) played a character called Felicia in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but the chances of her reprising the roe don't seem great. 

Jackpot - another nickname used by different people. Firstly, Sara Ehret who developed superhuman strength when exposed to the Lot 777 virus. When Sara wanted to return to a normal life, she sells her identity to Alana Jobson who uses the Mutant Growth Hormone to give herself invulnerability, super-strength and super-stamina

Nightwatch - originally featured in the comics in 1993, Nightwatch is the alter ego of African-American scientist Dr. Kevin Trench. Trench sees a costumed hero die whilst battling terrorists armed with cloaking devices. However, when he unmasks the dead man, Trench learns it was an older version of himself. Spike Lee has previously been attached to a Nightwatch movie for Sony, so whether he'll still take that on is unknown. 

So it looks as if Sony will be keeping itself busy if all of these films come to fruition!

Lastly, let's take a look at what Fox have going on, with the X-Men franchise...

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

As the merger between Disney and 21st Century Fox has now gone ahead, the X-Men are cleared to join the MCU. That won't be happening for a while, so X-Men: Dark Phoenix might be your last chance to see the X-Men on the big screen for a bit. Especially with what's going on with The New Mutants... (more on that below)

After not one, but two delays, pushing it back from November 2018 to February 2019 and then further, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will be hitting cinemas in June 2019. 

Set in the 1990s, X-Men: Dark Phoenix focuses on Jean Grey (Game Of Thrones' Sophie Turner) who starts to tap into the power of the Phoenix- but to what end? Well, if you've read the comic-books or you've seen the utter car-crash that is X-Men: The Last Stand, you know to what end: it involves people dying and wholesale destruction. 

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Alexandra Shipp, Tye Sheridan, Evan Peters, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all back from previous X-Men movies- and are being joined by Jessica Chastain as the shapeshifter 'Smith' (having repeatedly shot down rumours that she's actually playing Shi'ar empress Lilandra Neramani)

Guess we've not got too much longer til we find out!

THE NEW MUTANTS

When one of the main cast of your well-publicised particularly troubled production bluntly comes out with 'Who knows when the f*** that's gonna come out?', the signs aren't good. Bit of an understatement, I know...

Starring Maisie Williams (she of the 'f*** knows' statement), Charlie Heaton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Henry Zaga, the trailer for this horror-tinged hero-fest- featuring, as the title suggests, a new class of mutants- hit in October 2017 with a planned release date of April 2018. Due to a less-than-positive reaction to that initial trailer, the film's release was pushed back by nearly a year to February 2019.

More time to 'get it right'. More time for reshoots. More time to add a new character in. More time to ramp up the horror. More time to... well, we're not really sure. But then X:Men: Dark Phoenix got moved, and so did The New Mutants- to August 2019. That is still the case, apparently. However, there's been no sign of any reshoots but things are in the hands of the director, Josh Boone. But he's been quiet about it...

Co-producer Lauren Shuler Donner has even stated that, whilst she'd like to see The New Mutants make it to the big screen, she wasn't able to confirm that it would happen. It could end up on a streaming service (either Hulu or potentially Disney+, as The New Mutants was still included in Disney's release schedule that was announced at CinemaCon) but a decision would be made once the Fox/Disney merger went through. 

So, frankly, who knows?

ONE LAST THING...

This might be of cheer to fans of Deadpool. Fears that- following the Fox/Disney merger- the Merc With The Mouth wouldn't be a good fit for the House of Mouse should be allayed, when it was announced that there are plans to continue with the more adult style movies like Deadpool. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirming that they will 'continue in that business... there's certainly popularity with those type of films'. Iger also went on to say that any R-Rated fare would be 'carefully' branded so as not to confuse the consumer. 

Reynolds took to Twitter once the merger was completed with a true-to-form tweet:

Never change, Ryan.

Comicbook Movie Round-Up: April 2019 (Part 2)

In the second part of this comic-book movie round-up, we take a look at what films featuring DC's characters are planned: but apparently the phrase DCEU (DC Extended Universe) is no longer being used. From what I understand, DCEU wasn't ever an official term, and now it's being referred to as Worlds Of DC instead - I think it's got a better ring to it, actually.

JOKER

First off, there's been a first trailer and poster for Todd Phillips' Joker in which Joaquin Phoenix is frankly bloody amazing as the failed stand-up comedian (here named Arthur Fleck) who turns to the dark side.

Now, first off, when the project was announced, I was... less than impressed. An origin story for a character who is the more terrifying because you don't know how he became that way? This was compounded at the casting of Phoenix in the main role, as I haven't particularly taken to him as an actor in the past. But, based on this first trailer, I will hold my hands up and say I'm actually looking forward to seeing it. I love how dark and uncompromising it is- playing more like Taxi Driver than Batman Begins.

Joining Phoenix will be Zazie Beetz (no stranger to comic-book movies as she played Domino in Deadpool 2), Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, Douglas Hodge, and Robert de Niro as Murray Franklin.

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

I'm sorry, but I still can't take the full title seriously. Nonetheless, Harley will be fantabulously emancipated in February 2020, as that's when this film hits cinemas.

Written by Christina Hodson and directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs, Down River), the film sees a Gotham where Batman has disappeared, leaving the city unprotected, and crime is running rife. A young girl, Cassandra Cain, finds a diamond belonging to a dangerous crime lord- so Harley teams up with others to protect the child. Joining Margot Robbie will be Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Helena Bertinell/Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain), and Rosie Perez (GCPD Detective Renee Montoya). 

Together, this team will take on a double threat as both Black Mask and Victor Zsasz will feature, played by Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina respectively. A shame that they couldn't get Anthony Carrigan who plays Zsasz in Gotham to reprise his role, as he's genuinely one of the (very) few good things about the show. That said, Chris Messina is a fine actor- I very much enjoyed him in Argo, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Six Feet Under- so I'm sure he'll do well. 

There have been rumours that Jared Leto has been seen on set, reprising his role as the Joker. I'll be INCREDIBLY surprised if that turns out to be true, given his role in Morbius (see Part 3 for more details on this). 

Robbie was easily one of the best things about Suicide Squad, and hopefully this film will give her the chance to explore the character further.

WONDER WOMAN 1984

Fans were disappointed to find out that Wonder Woman 1984 was going to be delayed by approximately six months, meaning that we won't get to see Diana Prince kicking ass and taking names until June 2020 (instead of November 2019). The reason for the delay? A pretty good one, actually. 

In an interview, Geoff Johns confirmed the delay was so post-production on the film didn't have to be rushed to make the original release date. It's also a canny move to shift such a marquee film from the end of the year to the start of summer (one criticism that people had about Aquaman).  

As previously announced, Patty Jenkins is back in the director's chair with Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, and Robin Wright all reprising their roles from the original Wonder Woman. New arrivals to the cast include Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva (a.k.a. Cheetah) and Pedro Pascal in an as-yet-unnamed role (but there's been some supposition online that he'll be playing Maxwell Lord). Time will tell...

THE BATMAN

Ah, the saga of The Batman continues (DC are liking the definite article for their films these days, aren't they?). To virtually nobody's surprise, Ben Affleck WON'T be returning to the role for this film, although he's still onboard as a producer. The script focuses on Batman early in his career and apparently has a focus on the detective aspect of his character, a fit for the noir style director Matt Reeves is going for. No casting has been announced, although the film has a scheduled release date of June 2021.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Another film with a slightly troubled production history (losing two directors- David Ayer and Gavin O'Connor- then script issues, then cast availability issues) but all that's in the past and the film is on track for an August 2021 release. 

James Gunn (yep, the Guardians Of The Galaxy guy) will direct from his own script. Will Smith will not be reprising his role as Deadshot but Idris Elba won't be replacing him in the role; Elba will be playing a new character, which means Smith can return in the future. 

Aside from Elba, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney and Oscar-winner Viola Davis will be reprising their roles as Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, and Amanda Waller for this film- as will Margot Robbie, who will come to this production once Birds Of Prey wraps.

THE FLASH

Well, it's certainly one way of keeping yourself in a job: Ezra Miller has been hired to co-write a new draft of the upcoming Flash solo movie (along with Grant Morrison). This is another one that's had a troubled production history- I'm noticing a bit of a theme here- with directors and writers attached then leaving the project since 2014. 

In 2017 it was announced that this would be a movie based on the Flashpoint arc- a highly-regarded story where Barry's attempt to save his mother's life creates an alternate reality where (among other things) Themyscira and Atlantis are at war, Thomas Wayne is Batman, and the Justice League was never established- I'm not sure whether that is still the case. 

At the moment, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are still attached to direct but- honestly- who knows what'll happen when (if?) production actually starts. It currently has a 2021 release date, but I wouldn't hold your breath. 

AQUAMAN

A sequel to Aquaman was confirmed in January 2019 after the positive reaction the film got- and those all-important ticket sales receipts. Jason Momoa will almost certainly be back as Arthur Curry, although the film won't be released until December 2022. A 'horror-tinged' spin-off called The Trench will come first, although it's unlikely that it will be part of the Aquaman series. 

SHAZAM!

Shazam! has barely had time to get comfy in the multiplex, and a sequel has already been announced. Screenwriter Henry Gayden is returning to pen the sequel; no other cast or crew have been confirmed as yet. The long-gestating Black Adam film- with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in the title role- is due to start principal photography towards the end of 2019, so it might be a Shazam!/Black Adam showdown in Shazam! 2

So, Worlds of DC looks to be in rude health; I think the obsession of having a shared universe has waned and they've decided to focus more on the individual characters. This can only be a good thing.


In the third and final part, we'll be taking a look at Sony's plans for their 'Universe of Marvel Characters' and have a look at exactly what's going on with the X-Men films...

Comicbook Movie Round-Up: April 2019 (Part 1)

 

It's been a while since I've done one of these but, as there's a lot of comic-book movie hype at the moment (think there's a comic-book film coming out soon?), I thought it'd be good to collate all the various bits and pieces flying around. 

This was initially one post- one very long post - so I decided that sanity should prevail and have split it into three. The other two parts will be posted over the weekend. 

MARVEL

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

In just under two weeks' time (the UK gets it on Thursday April 25th - and Watchers Tez and Rhys have midnight screening tickets for that day- whilst the US gets it a day later on April 26th), Avengers: Endgame will hit the screen. 

At 3hrs 2mins, it'll be the longest Marvel film to date. No news as to whether there'll be an interval yet - I personally hope not, but that's just me. The 32 character posters released recently show both those who survived Thanos' snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War... and those who didn't:

Something else that Kevin Feige has stated is that- rather to referring to Phases 1, 2, and 3 - every MCU film from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019) is now called 'The Infinity Saga', but there's not been any word on what anything from Spider-Man: Far From Home onwards will be called. 

Speaking of that, Kevin Feige has also stated that won't be any further details about other MCU films until after Spider-Man: Far From Home premieres in July - although (as you can see below) bits and pieces have already started to come out. 

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

The first film in the post-Endgame MCU is Spider-Man: Far From Home. Revolving around a European trip that Peter and his classmates are taking, Peter just wants to kick back and relax and not be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man for a bit. Of course, that doesn't happen... when a group of extradimensional humanoids known as the Elementals start to cause havoc, Nick Fury recruits Peter to stop them. 

Along with Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon (Ned), Zendaya (MJ), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jon Favreau (Happy), Tony Revolori (Flash), and Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes/Vulture) will reprise their roles from Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

Joining them for this European adventure will be Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders (as Nick Fury and Maria Hill) whilst Jake Gyllenhaal makes his MCU debut as Quentin Beck (a.k.a. Mysterio). Initially, Mysterio will help Peter- in the trailer, he's shown helping fight Hydro-Man in Venice- but whether his allegiances will shift by the end of the film, who knows? Other cast members  Numan Acar (Dimitri), and Remy Hii and JB Smoove  in as yet undisclosed roles.

BLACK WIDOW

Now Marvel have been spinning their wheels about a solo Black Widow movie for years. Literally, years. Well, good news, as it's finally entering pre-production! Cate Shortland will direct from a script written by Jac Schaeffer which will apparently show Natasha Romanoff facing off against The Taskmaster. 

Joining Scarlett Johansson will be British actress  Florence Pugh (Fighting With My Family, Lady Macbeth) who has confirmed her appearance in the film, although- as with all casting- no roles have been announced.  

Other actors in talks to join the movie are British actor O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid's Tale, Looking), David Harbour (Hellboy, Stranger Things) and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, The Favourite). If all three are signed, it's got all the makings of a wonderful cast.  

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3

After firing writer-director James Gunn when his decade-old but less-than-favourable tweets were dug up, Disney have (predictably) done a U-Turn, and rehired him to direct Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Of course, in the interim, Gunn has crossed the floor and is directing The Suicide Squad for DC (more information on that in Part 2), so it'll be a bit of a wait for this to hit the screens. Dave Bautista- who plays Drax- had previously said that he wouldn't be prepared to do a third firm without Gunn and would have asked to be released from his contract if Gunn had been replaced. 

SHANG-CHI

Marvel also seem to be looking to their lesser-known titles for the post-Endgame world. A director is attached to a Shang-Chi movie. Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1973, Shang-Chi was originally conceived as the son of Fu Manchu and is often known as the 'Master of Kung Fu'.

This will mark the first Asian lead in an MCU movie. David Callaham (The Expendables, Wonder Woman 1984) has written a screenplay that will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle). No casting has been announced as yet. 

THE ETERNALS

A film focusing on The Eternals has also been announced, with a couple of intriguing names attached to the cast. 

Created by comic legend Jack Kirby in 1976, the Eternals are a race of ancient human beings created a million years ago by the cosmic entities known as the Celestials. the Celestials accelerated the evolution of a handful of subjects and gave them the genetic potential to mentally manipulate limited quantities of cosmic energy, as well as other superhuman traits.

The story, written by Matthew & Ryan Firpo (Refuge, Bet Raise Fold) will focus on the female Eternal Sersi, and it's none other than Angelina Jolie who has been rumoured to be taking the role! Of course, there's no official word as yet but this would be a pretty big coup if Marvel could do it. Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley) has also been in talks to star. 

It's also been widely rumoured that there will be a gay male hero as part of the team- with many online suggesting it would be Hercules- which, if true, would mark the first time that an openly LGBT hero will be in the MCU. Given Marvel's desire to increase diversity within its canon, this can only be a good thing. 

The Eternals will be directed by Chloe Zhao (The Rider, Songs My Brothers Taught Me).


In Part 2, we take a look at the upcoming developments in the DCEU Worlds Of DC Movies.