Short Attention Span Review - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Short Attention Span Review - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

I don't know how Marvel is doing it at this point.  I'm a lifelong fan of their comics, so it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of their box office dominance.  More importantly, I love the way they've brought their characters to life on the big screen in such remarkable fashion.  Yet it's hard to fathom how they keep managing to kick things up a notch.  Perhaps it's because they have recently grown accustomed to taking chances, and those chances are paying dividends.  Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, this venture represents a major gamble in terms of tone, with comedy being a huge part of the proceedings.  Marvel has seen great success with the comic relief they have inserted into their films from the start, but as with GOTG, this one is just as reliant (if not more reliant) on laughs than thrills.  However, while I would say that Thor: Ragnarok is 50% comedy, it is also 50% action-packed, and the God of Thunder has never been so badass.  Bonus points: "Immigrant Song" has long been my favorite Zeppelin track, and it seems about ten times cooler now.  Thor: Ragnarok is a big win across the board.  You will laugh, you will be thrilled, you will marvel (forgive me) at the kaleidoscope of color and sound that takes a familiar property on a trippy new ride that goes big often and delivers the goods at every turn.  The cast is insanely good--Hemsworth has never been so fun to watch or so damn gnarly, and Ruffalo makes stealing the show look easy no matter what he's asked to do these days.  Cate Blancett makes for a nasty villain, Tessa Thompson is ridiculously good as Valkyrie, Idris Elba is Idris Elba (and Idris Elba is cool as shit), Jeff Goldblum has too much fun and slays it, and my man Karl Urban has a surprisingly potent turn as one of the more conflicted characters in the film.  I know, I know, I'm gushing, but Thor: Ragnarok is totally fucking rad, dudes.  This kind of kooky shit excites the hell out of me.

Final Grade: A+

It's too early for me to make a definitive ruling in this matter, but as a diehard Marvel fanboy, I can assure you that is entirely possible that Thor: Ragnarok is the the best movie the MCU has given us.  It is easily Top 5 on that front, it's not too early to make that call.

Marvel's Secret Wars (2015) - Issue #4

Finally!  Those who have been waiting for the 2015 version of the Secret Wars to kick some serious ass have an issue to celebrate.  Look, I've been pretty hard on this event thus far, but this issue may have saved the day.  Not only was the issue itself full of action and dramatic developments of the highest order, but it ends with a worthy cliffhanger that finally has me longing for the next chapter.  In truth, most of these issues have ended at a point that merely left me hoping for a better story the next time out, but issue #4 is a gripping read with some massive carnage.  Additionally, it may have benefited from all the exposition that I've been bemoaning, as I can't deny that there was a bit of gravity to the proceedings that is often lacking in such events.  A classic rivalry took center stage and one of my favorite heroes was given a stirring moment of redemption that really set this one apart from the pack.  Now, I still don't know if there's any way for the 2015 Secret Wars to truly rival the 1984 Secret Wars, but at this point I can't consider it a disappointment any longer.  Big things are happening, and even if it may not be on the same level as the greatest crossover of them all, this is surely a storyline worth digging into.  Keep it going, Marvel!

Final Grade: A+

Grades and Links for My Reviews of the Previous Issues:

Issue #1 - Final Grade: D- - read the review  here.
Issue #2 - Final Grade: B - read the review here.
Issue #3 - Final Grade: C - read the review here.

Marvel's Secret Wars (2015) - Issue #3

Well, things are starting to come together in Marvel's 2015 edition of the Secret Wars.  There are some revelations and developments in this issue that make the arc a bit more intriguing.  It also feels clever, though only time will tell if that's the case.  Yet it's still hard to make a favorable comparison between this crossover and the legendary event bearing the same name that hit the scene in 1984.  We're still drowning in plot and scraping by so far as action is concerned, with this issue containing less excitement than either of the issues that preceded it.  It is also starting to feel like this Secret Wars is more about setting the table for things to come than delivering the goods.  I hope to be proven wrong on that point, as fans deserve more from such an event (particularly if you're going to call it the Secret Wars, for crying out loud) than an introduction to a new landscape.  Nobody following this storyline simply wants to drown in exposition so we'll know what's happening once it's over; we'd like to get a little bang for our buck.  Hopefully there's some major shit about to go down, and I'm still praying that Marvel will blow my mind with this major event they've been promising us for quite some time before all is said and done.  So far, they're doing a pretty good job of boring me.  Putting something clever and intriguing together is fine and dandy, but this is Marvel we're talking about, and as far as I'm concerned, it's clobbering time. 

Final Grade: C

Read my review of Issue #1 of Marvel's 2015 version of the Secret Wars here.

Read my review of Issue #2 of Marvel's 2015 version of the Secret Wars here.

Marvel's Secret Wars (2015) - Issue #2

It wasn't all that long ago that I posted my review of the first issue of the 2015 Secret Wars.  I wasn't very kind, so it was with some trepidation that I finally sat down to read the second issue.  Now, I was hoping for more this time out, particularly after my man at Fanboy Comics (the best place to score your superhuman reading material in Wilmington, North Carolina) insisted that issue #2 was the best book that Marvel has produced in several years.  While I don't necessarily share his enthusiasm, it was a vast improvement from the convoluted mess that was the first issue.  While that issue crammed enough material for several issues into a single comic, the pacing was much better in the second issue, allowing the players involved to do more than provide readers with a quick series of cameos.  Additionally, while the destruction in issue #1 should have made that comic absolutely monumental, the clumsy storytelling and the rushed nature of the book greatly lessened its impact.  The second issue offers up some really groundbreaking stuff and takes the necessary time to knock us on our ass.  I love the original Secret Wars and my favorite thing about that mega-event was the way that it transformed Dr. Doom into a glorious baddie who was daring enough to go toe to toe with gods and tough enough to win.  Suffice it to say that anyone who shares my love for Doom will be greatly pleased with his presence in this issue.  I still think there's a bit too exposition being dumped on us and I miss the fantastic clashes that the original Secret Wars was overflowing with.  The violence is a bit more realistic (and thereby a bit more mundane) in the 2015 version.  Marvel may feel that this will lend more urgency and drama to the proceedings, but thus far it has merely succeeded in replacing the epic throwdowns of the original with minute bursts of action that aren't nearly as satisfying.  Still, it was a terrific leap forward after an abysmal start, and if the tale continues on this trajectory, maybe we'll wind up with a series that deserves to be called Secret Wars.

Final Grade: B

Short Attention Span Review - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Marvel continues to kick DC's ass on the big screen with Avengers: Age of Ultron, a massive spectacle that is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  I'm more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy, but I'm also a comic book fanboy at large, so I'm excited when any superhero makes an appearance in theaters.  I liked Man of Steel and Nolan's Batman trilogy was damn impressive.  Yet Marvel annihilated DC's best film adaptations with the first Avengers movie, and they have somehow managed to produce a sequel that is even bigger and better.  First off, I love Loki and Tom Hiddleston has been one of the Marvel cinematic universe's coolest discoveries.  Yet Loki is a trickster and he has never been the supreme badass that Ultron is.  In truth, it is quite possible that Ultron has been the most daunting villain that the Avengers have ever faced in the comics, and they've squared off against Galactus, Thanos, Dr. Doom, and any other Marvel villain worthy of a showdown with the Earth's mightiest heroes.  Accordingly, though the movie version of Ultron is a CGI creation, he towers over most villains of the cinema, largely due to James Spader's fantastic voice work.  I remember thinking that nabbing Spader for such a gig was a good thing when I first heard about it, but it's better than that, it's a great thing.  It's a perfect thing.  Spader kills it and the story allows Ultron to be as menacing and as intriguing as he should be.  Of course, everyone fares well in this picture and that's a tremendous credit to Joss Whedon's screenplay and his fantastic work at the helm.  It must be supremely difficult to take so many significant characters and try and come up with an arc for each of them and ensure that everyone gets to shine when it's time for the good guys and the bad guys to throw down.  That's exactly what Whedon has managed to do, however, as I found myself thoroughly invested in everyone's story and utterly thrilled at all the marvelous action taking place.  This truly is an Avengers movie; it's a team effort where every hero and villain is integral to the epic story which unfolds in remarkable fashion.  Maybe Iron Man plays a bigger role than anyone else, or maybe it's actually Hawkeye who benefits the most from the fantastic script.  Of course, it could be the Black Widow, or the Hulk, or Cap, or--you get the point, right?  Oh, and then there's Iron Man donning his Hulkbuster armor to go mano a mano with the big green guy.  Wow.  And the big finale?  Double wow.  Avengers: Age of Ultron is just a marvelous movie with a magnificent cast, a great director, sensational effects, and a wonderful villain squaring off against the greatest band of comic book heroes we'll ever see together on the big screen.  Go see this one as soon as you possibly can.

Final Grade: A+

Ultron is the supreme badass that he should be and it is amazing that
James Spader was able to do so much for the part with his voice.