clueless-fan-critic

[clueless-fan-critic]

I honestly love this interpretation and can totally see this way of thinking clash with other heroes like in No Way Home with Peter Parker and Dr. Strange but more grounded and less world-ending in consequences. I hope that exploration of redemption comes into play with the rest of Season 2 like mending broken fences and regaining trust.

Redemption arcs and restorative justice in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 2 A analysis

(Taken from my thread on twitter and explained in more detail in here) In this post i'm going to talk about one of the main themes of MGADD Season 2 A, which is, as the title says, redemption arcs and restorative justice. I'm going to analyse different episodes that tackle this theme and how they are followed up in the rest of this part of the season.

Spoilers down below

One of the big themes in MGADD Season 2 A is the idea of how people who are ¨villains¨ have a lot more in them and the reason why they became evil is more complicated than it seems. Also how they have the capacity to regret their past actions and change for the better.

Restorative justice is a whole complex topic, but to put it in simple words: It has to do with the criminal rethinking their past actions and doing something to make amends with the person or people they hurt. It's less about punishment and more about what can the person do to fix their bad decisions and be pushed to be better in the future.

While redemption arcs and restorative justice aren't that rare to find in Disney TVA animated series and other animated shows, emphasis on this theme in superhero animated series is a lot more rare to find in my personal experience.

In superhero shows the line between who is good and bad is very clear. The heroes are good and the villains are evil. Villains are evil because they chose to be or they ¨were born that way¨. The possibility of redemption and rehabilitation is often seen as naive, and at times mocked at. Punishment and incarceration is seen as preferable over rehabilitation in these type of shows.

That's not to say that redemption arcs don't exist in superhero shows, but it is more rare and the idea that villains are just evil is what gets pushed the most.

Quick Whip/ Zekiyah

In MGADD, this idea is being to put into question in Season 2 episode 4 ¨Ride or Die¨ in which Lunella caughts a well known criminal known as ¨Quick Whip¨. Lunella reports to SHIELD that she is going to take Quick Whip there by using a sub train.

While they are on the train, the power goes out for a moment and Lady Bullseye shows up with her followers, looking for Quickwhip, who used to work for her. Lady Bullseye doesn't allow people to ¨get out¨ from her criminal group, explaining why she is here since Quickwhip left it.

Lunella is forced to work together with Quickwhip to power up the train and get away from Lady Bullseye. For a good part of the episode Lunella considers that Quickwhip is only a villain and that's what she would always be.

However, in a moment they are hiding from the Diabolical Darts, Lunella learns that Quickwhip's real name is Zekiyah and that she used to be a person who only dreamed of starting a bakery and spent hours every day to study how to make pastry. Once she came to New Work, it was too expensive for her to afford a place and soon she was on the streets.

Lady Bullseye took advantage of Zekiyah's difficult situation and persuade her into joining her crime group. Zekiyah became pretty good at stealing but over time she realized how she strayed away from the path she originally set up for her. She left the Diabolical Darts and has been in the run ever since.

Seeing that Zekiyah had more going on that she assumed, Lunella thinks there has to be other way for her to be more than just a ¨street rat¨ and teams up with Zekiyah to take down Lady Bullseye and her followers. When she is about to give Zekiyah to SHIELD, she talks about how she wants to help everyone, included those who happened to fall in a bad path and asks to try something different this time.

By the end of the episode Lunella reconsiders her views about crime and such and decides to open a program that could help villains who regret their past actions and want to make things right. She gives Zekiyah (Quick Whip) a change to work in a bakery like she wanted originally when she came to New York.

Kid Kree

In episode five ¨Kid Kree¨, the one following ¨Ride or Die¨ we are introduced to a new character ¨Kid Kree/Marvin¨, who is original from the MGADD comics. He is a kree teenager that was sent by his father, Pad-Varr, to capture a superhero to prove his worth as warrior after not reaching the expectations on his homeworld planet.

Lunella meets Marvin at his first day at school. During gym class she notices that Marvin shares similar interests in science and math like she does. Overtime the two develop a close friendship over sharing interests and views of seeing the world, happy to find someone else that they can be their ¨nerd¨ selfs with. Lunella because she didn't know much kids from her age that we into same stuff like she is and Marvin since he feels like he can be himself around Lunella.

In meantime Lunella and Marvin continue to fight each other as Moon Girl and Kid Kree, without knowing each other's identity. They have a bit of rivarly, with Lunella trying to come up with new ways to outsmart ¨Kid Kree¨. During one of those fights Moon Girl defeats Kid Kree and he accidentally drops his communicator, the one his father usually contacts him with. Lunella takes and tries to hack into it. She discovers an video recording of Marvin talking about his mission on Earth and revealing that he is Kid Kree when he takes his helmet off.

Lunella gets angry at this and, without thinking too much of the implications, she ends up answering a call from Pad-Varr and tells him that she has defeated Marvin, making Pad-Varr clearly upset.

When Marvin comes to eat dinner at Lafayette's home, Lunella tells to Marvin that she knows about him being Kid Kree by giving him his communicator and adds that she has called his father. This makes Marvin scared and the Lafayettes ask him why he is worried about his own father.

Marvin explains isn't happy at being a warrior and it is forced by his father to be something that he is not. His father doesn't approve of Marvin's preference for science, making their relationship pretty strained. In general Marvin doesn't feel comfortable with being himself on his planet nor with his father. He thought that Lunella was someone who understood him but he is sad that apparently this wasn't the case. He lefts the house upon hearing that Pad-Varr's ship is coming to get him.

Lunella goes after Marvin and apologizes to him for jumping to conclusions about his true intentions. Pad-Varr orders Marvin to catch Moon Girl and Devil, which he does, but moments after he traps his father and later Lunella and Devil helped Kid Kree with standing up to him.

Kid Kree expresses to his father that he doesn't want to be a warrior and he is into science instead. Pad-Varr reconsiders this and praises Marvin for his gadgets, telling him that they could be useful for the Kree Empire. Lunella and Marvin remain as friends and keep in contact with each other.

Marvin appears in other episodes like ¨In The Heist¨ and ¨Dancing by Myself¨ where he helps Lunella in different ways and their friendship continues to develop. While Marvin is stil working for the Kree empire, it is likely that he will turn around, like he does in the comics.

With Kid Kree's case, Lunella realized what Marvin was going through and inspired him to stand up against his father to be himself. She made the error of doing some rushed decisions when she found out that he was Kid Kree and apologized for it, both staying as close friends so far.

The Beyonder

In episode ¨Wish Tar¨ the Beyonder shows up again to visit Lunella by showing up from the Wish Tar machine James got from Coney Island. He doesn't understand why Lunella is being hostile towards him, which leads to Lunella and Casey to remind him of the times he messed up with them.

The Beyonder explains to the girls that he has been reflecting since the events from ¨The Great Beyonder¨, when he and Lunella spent days stuck on Molecular Man's destroyed planet and worked together to escape. He also started to see Lunella as a sort of friend after that episode. He wants to makes things right with Lunella but she asks him to leave before he makes things worse.

Later Lunella finds out that a wish she had asked for the Wishtar machine has been granted. Both her and Casey get suspicious about this event and go back to Roll With It to check the machine. It turns out that Beyonder is the one that granted the wish. He tells them that he ¨wants to be a good friend¨ for Lunella by making her wishes become true. Lunella sees the benefit of the wishes and decides to give it a try.

In this episode we see Beyonder using his powers to help Lunella, or at least to be a ¨good friend¨. He has good intentions of be someone better than he was in previous appearances. The problem is that this power goes up to Lunella's head, who ends up taking advantage of Beyonder's good intentions and they have a falling out with him disappearing after Lunella lashes out at him.

While Beyonder had good intentions, his approach wasn't the best since he still has yet to understand how human friendship works. Granting all Lunella's wishes just lead to her take advantage of it and not so much appreciate what Beyonder was trying to do.

From Lunella's part, some of her reactions are understandable since Beyonder did some bad things to her in more than one occasion. In spite of being on friendlier terms after ¨The Great Beyonder¨ she was still angry at him for the things he did in the past. However, as mentioned earlier, the way she used him and lashed out at him was pretty dirty considering that this time Beyonder was trying to be good.

In contrast to Kid Kree, Lunella and Beyonder's friendship took a bad turn and Lunella would have to find a way to apologize to Beyonder for how she lashed out at him. Beyonder has still growing to do, but the fact that he was trying to use his powers to be nice was a good start.

Other episodes worth of mentioning that continue this theme more or less are ¨The Devil You Know¨ and ¨Dog Day Mid-Afternoon¨.

In The Devil You Know Devil joins a group of sidekicks called the ABC that feel mistreated or underappreciated by their heroes-owners. Near the end of the episode it is shown that the conflict was a miscommunication problem and that, in fact, the heroes love their sidekicks.

In the Dog Day Mid-Afternoon Lunella jumps to the wrong conclusions about the dog alien Pops adopts (later named Franklin) being a villain. Later Franklin reveals that he is a space hero and he was on an undercover mision to find the real villain who was stealing dogs using a powerful dog wistle. Lunella and Franklin team up and work together to defeat the main antagonist.

Molecular Man's return.

All this development in Lunella's character in this arc has a conclusion in ¨The Molecular Level¨ when Molecular Man shows up in Lafayette's house and attacks Lunella and her family since Lunella is ¨someone Beyonder cares about¨.

Molecular Man was introduced in ¨The Great Beyonder¨ as someone who suffered the loss of his planet, becoming a wasteland, thanks to the Beyonder's antics. He wants to get revenge on Beyonder for what he did to his planet, being the reason of why Lunella and Beyonder are stuck in that place for days.

He destroys a good part of Lunella's house through ¨The Molecular Level¨ and endangers the Lafayettes. When Lunella finally finds her suit she is able to fight back and defeat him, leaving his body broken.

When she is about to give him the final blow she is reminded of how Molecular Man lost everything to the meteor shower thanks to Beyonder and feels sorry for him. She understands that he went through a lot and gets why he was so angry.

Molecular Man sees Lunella's compasion and says that he is really sorry for attacking her and her family. He admits that he let himself be destroyed by his desire to make others feel his own pain and anger.

Lunella gives him a piece of her self repairing suit so he is able to heal himself and get his powers back. Molecular Man thanks Lunella for understanding and uses his molecular abilities to repair Lafayette's home and heal Pops's broken arm. He promises himself to use his powers to rebuilt his planet from scratch and leaves, saying goodbye to Lunella.

¨The Molecular Level¨ serves as a good conclusion for this part of Lunella's arc in this half of the season. She has grown enough to understand that sometimes people are driven to do bad things for certain reasons. The world is often more complex than it seems to be and there aren't just ¨good¨ and ¨bad¨ guys. She applies the lessons she learned with Molecular Man by showing she gets what he went through and inspires him to use his powers to heal in the future.

#moon girl and devil dinosaur #mgadd season 2 #mgadd kid kree #the beyonder #mgadd quickwhip #mgadd molecular man #lunella lafayette #mcu #marvel

[clueless-fan-critic]

Deadpool & Wolverine: Time for a Reboot or Whatever.

Finally, Deadpool, aka the Merc with the Mouth, has returned to invade the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a bloody, gory, and sexually offensive manner.

The new movie is a needed refresher to MCU Overload when Deadpool comes in for vulgar jokes and sick R-rated action killings. The trailer, however, starts with an unlikely situation: Deadpool in a wig! Oh, and Vanessa and other characters who've died in Deadpool 2 are alive and well, but the wig. It's just... ughf.

Moving on, the TVA or Time Variance Authority arrives and takes Deadpool, but pulls a Loki-style opportunity for him to join the MCU. He finally suits up in his iconic red suit and katanas on some sort of Multiversal-level mission with kickass fighting and Deadpool-isms. But we get the reveal of the iconic Wolverine making his MCU debut since Logan and we're getting more details in the future with the title Deadpool & Wolverine.

While it does have Deadpool, it's also an MCU film that will have a lot of cameos and easter eggs. But here are some of my theories of how it might play out.

Theories

Deadpool Variant or Variants

I suspect that this Deadpool isn't the Deadpool we know, not completely. We just might get a Dreadpool situation. A variant of Deadpool as the main antagonist does make sense in the grand scheme of the MCU.

MCU Cameos

It's obvious there are going to be cameos from various properties, but we might see iconic heroes at unexpected points. I'm hoping for a cameo from Spider-Man so we can finally have some Tom Holland screen time and maybe a tease for Spider-Man 4.

Mutants Invade the MCU (Krakoa Era)

Mutants have been heavily teased throughout the MCU, so it's fair to say that all mutant kind will officially debut. I want the Krakoa storyline from the X-Men comics to play out because it's a great change of pace and an interesting mystery for the audience to introduce in its origins.

Whether or not it is true, I expect Deadpool & Wolverine to become a summer blockbuster with the combined star power of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and their respective characters and franchises. Plus, you can't go wrong with Deadpool's craziness and Wolverine's rugged sexiness.

#deadpool #mcu #marvel #wade wilson #marvel comics #wolverine #logan howlett #disney tva #tva loki #time variance authority #Youtube #deadpool 3 #mutants #x men #deadpool 2 #logan #krakoa #dreadpool #spider man #peter parker #tom holland #ryan reynolds #hugh jackman #spider man 4 #deadpool and wolverine

[clueless-fan-critic]

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Now That’s Moon Girl Magic!!!

 One 

In my opinion, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is one of the best new Disney shows in the 2020s and I’ll calmly make an argument for anyone who thinks otherwise. It has popping color, even poppier music, excellent characters, and strong storytelling all wrapped up in this fun, groundbreaking Disney show. With Season 2 coming out, I thought it was time to share what I got to say about its revolutionary ways and how it may even set the bar for future Marvel projects and even MCU ideas.

The Characters

Lunella Lafayette, played by former X-Factor contestant Diamond White, is one of the most bombastic but relatable super-genius black girls at the time I write this. I love how her intelligence isn’t just her sole personality trait as she’s confident, sassy, and optimistic. Lunella is still a young teen who worries about fitting in, cares about her family, and tries to be the best person she can be.

I liked that they don’t make her into a bullied nerd like Peter Parker, which would contradict the whole message about protecting her community. She’s still pretty social around her fellow students but doesn’t have that social finesse which makes her have a lot of friends.

She’s a flawed character: she’s over-competitive and obsessed to the point of disregarding her work and other people. She does overcome and learn from those issues in order to become a better person in the end.

Devil Dinosaur is more than a pet sidekick meant to be cute or the comic-relief. He does get his time to shine from his insecurities of being too big to a fear of jellyfish. With basically growls and snarls made by Fred Tatasciore, Devil conveys a huge range of emotion from joy to sadness to anger.

Casey Calderon is the best friend and manager of Lunella whose savvy with fashion and social media. She’s pretty much what you expect from the girl who’s into social media as exuberant and charismatic, but never shallow or vain. She genuinely wants to use her skills to help Lunella’s message spread. She’s the support to the superheroics of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur in making the heroes more human in the eyes of the LES.

Many other characters have not only impacted the story but also the main cast itself with the Lafayette family and various members of the LES.

The Lafayettes have their times to shine in their own ways whether as shoulders for Lunella to get support from or voices of reason that plays into the lesson that she must face. Adria Lafayette acts as a strong moral compass for Lunella to follow like protecting the LES from gentrification. Both James Jr. and Pops aren’t as big as the Lafayette women, but they do get there times to shine throughout the show.

In the finales “O.M.G. Issue 1 and 2”, we get the reveal of Lunella’s grandmother Mimi, played by MCU alum Alfre Woodard, is the Original Moon Girl or O.M.G. who helped build the portal generator that Lunella rebuilt years later. It gives us a deep look into how the super-genius doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The Beyonder, voiced by the famous Laurence Fishburne, is a fun and interesting character that acts more of a reality warping nuisance to Lunella than an actual villain. Combined with Fishburne’s comedic delivery and stylish  animation, the Beyonder is a hilarious trickster learning about humanity the best way he knows: messing with superheroes.

The Villains do create a dynamic with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by creating various conflicts both externally, internally, even symbolically. The first villain of the show Aftershock was an electrical villain who literally stole power from the LES, putting businesses at risk of closing, which can be interpreted as someone taking away others’ autonomy from their homes. Another set of villains were the Muzzlers, basically high-powered tech giants wanting to gentrify the LES and take away anything unique from the people. They even “silenced” the people with their tech and rendered them voiceless, but the people prevailed together.

The show not only showcases obscure Marvel characters in new, refreshing ways, but also creates their own stellar ones that put together what it can showcase.

The Animation Style

The most eye-popping way it stands out is the animation. The colors and style beautifully blends with the music. Every time a fight scene happens, the colors become much more vibrant with heart-pumping music from various artists. You can really tell that the animators put a lot of love and passion into making something both familiar but also standout with its fight scenes.

One of my favorite scenes is in Episode 3 “Run the Rink” with Moon Girl fighting Gravitas to a Childish Gambino song. A Childish Gambino Song! You know that you got a hit when you get a hit song from a famous rapper.

All the musical scenes play into the story in an entertaining way while fueling the animation on a higher level.

The Stories

Almost every story plays into Lunella’s development throughout the first season from self-love and self-acceptance to fighting for one’s community. One of my favorite episodes is “Hair Today Gone Tomorrow” that perfectly addresses various issues about one’s hair. I think a lot of people, especially black women, can understand how we can get insecure about themselves. “O.M.G. Issue 1 and 2″ highlights how people of color, especially those in STEM fields, were essentially erased from the work they did and all credit was taken from them by the higher-ups. The main villain of the finales Maris Morlak is both a terrifying and relatable person whose motivations are sympathetic in how his work was taken from him and was erased.

What’s Next For Moon Girl?

With Season 2 coming out of woodworks, I’m hoping to see more adventures, heart, and fly music that elevates Moon Girl to a different level and even set more bars in terms of storytelling and animation for both Marvel projects and even the MCU itself.

#moon girl spoilers #moon girl and devil dinosaur #mgadd season 1 #mgadd spoilers #lunella lafayette #devil dinosaur #casey calderon #mimi lafayette #diamond white #fred tatasciore #alfre woodard #mgadd season 2 #libe barer #Marvel MCU #marvel #MCU #women in stem #childish gambino #laurence fishburne #aftershock #maris morlak #villains

[clueless-fan-critic]

Barbie: Yeah, I’m a Guy Who Watched the Barbie Movie.

Sooooo... I’ve watched the Barbie movie. And I am a man. So deal with it.

What is the Barbie Movie?

Basically, the Barbie Movie is about... well, Barbie. Everything pink and feminine as far as the eye can see. The movie itself however is taking it in a far different direction.

The film’s director Greta Gerwig is basically a surprising director to have for the film. Gerwig is known for her female-driven movies like Ladybird and Little Women to name a few. So it’s no surprise that Barbie is on a journey of self-discovery about her identity as a woman and a Barbie.

There’s also this whole Barbenheimer meme going on, but I’m talking about Barbie.

After Watching...?

The Barbie Movie is both a jaunty jab at the stereotypes of both male and female roles and Mattel, as well as a beautifully hilarious film thanks to Margot Robbie’s portrayal as the classic or stereotypical Barbie. Robbie’s Barbie goes though a transformation from the definitive Barbie to a fully grown being. Her existence is put into question as she learns more and more about the real world and the harsh truths that come with it. She slowly discovers that she’s more than a Barbie, but an actual person with autonomy and choice.

America Ferrera kills it as a lover of Barbie who had to live with Barbie’s standards in the real world. Ferrera gives a powerful speech about the constant frustrations of what it’s like to be a woman, perfectly encapsulating the highs and lows of the gender in a completely human way. Ferrera is the perfect person to take on this role based on her work from Ugly Betty and Superstore, showing more humanly real traits than superficial perfection.

Ryan Gosling’s Ken as an antagonist made a lot of sense once you think about the theme of film. Ken is essentially the butt of the joke that Barbie takes for granted, making him feel inadequate. So when he finds the respect he craved in the real world, he starts to build a “Kendom” for him and his fellow Kens to feel good about themselves and step out of the shadow of the Barbies. It is exactly how we all think would happen if Ken found out about patriarchy.

It basically tackles both ideas of feminism, patriarchy, hyper femininity, and toxic masculinity in this film without making it too preachy or forced in your face or that men are trash and women are perfect. No, it takes those ideas in a way that addresses the flaws in each set of philosophies while not demonizing or glorifying any side. They’re just opposing ideas with their own problems to deal with and some good ideas that are taken too much as fact without common sense.

The scene that moved me the most was Barbie’s choice to become human after experiencing life and having a conversation with the creator of Barbie Ruth Handler. Combined with the haunting Billie Eilish song “What Was I Made For” and flashes of various girls and women living life, it was a beautiful tribute to what Barbie was initially made for: a tribute to a daughter from a mother.

What Was Barbie Made For?

Barbie was made for those who think Barbie is just a doll that goes against modern women and those who believe Barbie to be an inspiring figure to strive, but most of all those who know the full history of a mother-daughter relationship in its creation.

If you love Barbie, you’ll love the movie. If you hate Barbie, you’ll love the movie. If you don’t know Barbie, you’ll love the movie.

#barbie #margot robbie #ken #ryan gosling #greta gerwig #ladybird #little women #barbie 2023 #america ferrera #ruth handler #billie eilish #barbenheimer #barbieedit #ugly betty #superstore

[clueless-fan-critic]

My Adventures with Superman: If You Want Something Less Serious like Superman and Lois

If you like a younger, inexperienced Superman, then you’re going to love this show. I was pretty sure it was going to be super serious and gory like Invincible or The Boys, but it’s comic book and anime inspirations really got me hooked onto yet another superman origin show.

First Impressions

You get a serious comic book vibe from the first episode. The vibe gets it right with wanting a fun adventure to lose yourself in than a deep exploration of adulthood.

Clark Kent is clearly trying to live a normal life and hasn’t began to save the day like previous iterations. This is focused on the typical secret identity and balancing two lives as a person and as a superhero.

Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are a refreshing take on their comic book and live action archetypes as the partners of Superman. Lois is highly ambitious but stubborn to a fault and Jimmy is more of a conspiracy theorist.

The overall feel and vibe is both chill yet pulls you in with the overarching mystery of Clark’s origins, a plethora of upcoming villains, and endless options of how to go with Clark’s journey as Superman.

Hopefully...

The show gets the needed traction like other mainstream tv shows nowadays because it’s surely becoming a well-regarded show despite only airing a few episodes.

#my adventures with superman #jack quaid #clark kent #lois lane #superman and lois #jimmy olsen #anime #invincible #the boys

[clueless-fan-critic]

Nimona: Just Now Got Onto The Hype for This Movie

After my first viewing, the movie Nimona was a thrilling, fun adventure with so much love and passion behind it that it makes you want to root for the bad guy and antiheroes once again. This makes you question what side you should support or not. And I love that it makes that kind of statement in the film.

Based on the novel of the same name written by ND Stevenson, they built a story about what it means to be a hero or villain, even going to lengths of what one’s true self is in the face of adversity. There’s also a bonus of a gay couple being at odds with each other like any couple in media.

If you want to watch the most human film of 2023 staring a pink-haired shapeshifter, then let’s get into the deep stuff.

Freedom and Freethinking

Nimona is the character that embodies someone who’s comfortable with who they are, at least on the outside. However, Nimona desperately wants to belong in a world that doesn’t want them to exist. This can mean lots of things, especially being an allegory for being nonbinary or transgender, thus not conforming to society’s rigid expectations.

Ballister Blackheart is the black sheep of the society he was placed into, the outsider that doesn’t feel like they could belong. He was essentially molded into a role meant to change the status quo and was later branded a villain by the kingdom. Sure, he was framed for murder, but he was greatly disliked and mistrusted before for not being of a “noble” bloodline.

Ambrosius Goldenloin is more portrayed as the man stuck between duty and love as he slowly unravels from the changes to the status quo. He still remains loyal because of his status as the direct descendent of the founder to the kingdom. He benefits from the system he resides in unlike Ballister and tries to find a middle ground to what he wants and what is right for the system.

All the people in the kingdom are influenced by their belief that monsters are evil and slaying them is the only option, as well as being affected by the fear of an unknown world beyond the walls. While the people aren’t evil, they aren’t innocent victims either. They still benefit and follow the life built within the walls of their kingdom without questioning anything

Transformation

Each character undergoes some sort of transformation, whether shapeshifting or through emotional growth. Some can be considered good for them and much needed, while other parts are very, very bad for a lot of people. Ballister internally transforms from a warrior to a friend to a monster that can empathize with Nimona’s feelings of isolation. You can even argue that Nimona’s shapeshifting is a representation of being genderfluid and changing their appearance to feel like they’re free.

The Director’s transformation is more negative if anything. She essentially allows her own fears of losing security get the best of her to the point of letting innocent people die than see any other solutions.

What it Means to Be Human

I loved that it doesn’t shy away from making strong commentary on how people make judgements and are motivated by their belief of being right. Around the climax, Nimona transforms into a giant shadowy monster after experiencing all of the pain she’s endured and nearly took her own life because she believed she was a monster. This was a powerful scene because we can understand feeling like no one will love or accept you, but there’s that small act of kindness that brings you back from that darkness.

Now...

Nimona is a modern classic that deeply explores identity and transformation within their characters in a rich environment and complex themes. This film makes the audience reflect on their own views on what they consider different while understanding self-acceptance and challenging societal norms. It’s a must-see for anyone who feels like an outsider and wants to learn about self-love and freedom from rigid ideas of identity. All I can say is that I’m emotionally exhausted from the rollercoaster of feels that I’ve felt.

#nimona #ballister x ambrosius #ballister blackheart #ambrosius goldenloin #nd stevenson #netflix #nimona movie #eugene lee yang #chloe grace moretz #riz ahmed

[clueless-fan-critic]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: The Edge of the Sony’s Spider-Verse.

Alright. Let’s get to the meat of the business sandwich.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to 2018 smash hit film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that honestly broke all of my expectations about the film being a two-parter with too much info. I honestly loved the movie just as much as the first with its iconic animation style, charming characters, and impactful story. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, it felt like the film was greatly cohesive without any confusion to the plot. It feels as if the film was not just a mandatory assignment but also a passion project made in the years before it was production. While I’m a fan of Marvel and the MCU (to some degree), I’ve definitely became a Spider-Verse fan.

Let us get into this Spider-Man classic once again.

The Animation

Alright. Let’s get this out of the way.

The animation was incredible and awe-inspiring much like the first film, but pushed into overdrive. Each animated world has its own style that reflects a different version of Spider-Man. From Hobie Brown’s collage-like style to Pavitr Prabhakar’s bollywood inspired environment. Gwen’s dimension is especially colorful with the watercolor style reflecting her comic book covers. Almost every character has a distinct style to their animation from 1960s campy to 90s angst. While the movie visually stunning and dynamic, let’s get into what’s going on story wise.

The Characters

The main characters of the movie are definitely Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. They both are different sides of the story that reflect the theme of who someone is as Spider-Man and what kind of story they have or what they want out of life. In a way, it continues the ideas and themes about expectations with choosing their own path in spite of others’ opinions and expectations.

Afro-Latino protagonist Miles is someone who’s dealing with the crossroads of who he wants be while grappling with the expectations from his family. He’s also struggling with balancing his two lives as a teen and a superhero with his responsibilities to his family. When face-to-face with Miguel O’Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099, and the fact about canon events, Miles chooses to go against it believing he can save people without risking the Spider-Verse. The phrase “I can do both” is what caught my attention because it is possible for some people, but not a choice for Spider-People in that they must experience canon events for the sake of the Spider-Verse.

Gwen is faced with the rigid expectations of what it means to be Spider-Man and how she faces the choices she makes. Gwen makes the decision to go against Miguel and the Spider-Society to save Miles on the wrong Earth, deciding to become her own hero that she wants to believe in.

The Spot, Johnathan Ohnn, is the main villain of the movie with his power to make dimensional portals after the collider exploded in the previous film. They at first portray him more of a joke character, but then slowly build him into a terrifying threat with colossal amounts of power at his hands. This is shocking because I always thought of him as a lackluster villain despite having a cool power. They actually made what could of been a joke into someone more terrifying in concept alone.

The numerous cameos from the Spider-Society range from interesting to hilarious. One of them is an obscure spider-person in a wheelchair and with crutches named Charlotte Webber or Sun-Spider of Earth-20023. Others include a cowboy, cat, t-rex, and even dune buggy. They all could just be glorified cameos with no substance, but they actually bring out the abstract craziness of the Spider-Verse and what it means for future of the franchise as a whole.

The Story

The whole story centers around Miles Morales and his journey into becoming Spider-Man, but also Gwen’s journey and how the Spider-Verse is being threatened by the Spot.

The villain is definitely the Spot and his crusade to destroy Miles, but the antagonist is Miguel O’Hara’s ideology about the Spider-Verse. Miguel’s insistence of maintaining the order of the Spider-Verse goes directly against Miles’ idea of what it means to be Spider-Man. Miles wants to save his father from a fated death as a police captain, but Miguel wants to let it play out so that the universe isn’t destroyed because of canon events.

The idea of canon events creates the division among the Spider-People where they choose to let people die to preserve the universe or risk its destruction. This idea is pretty similar to what Doctor Strange presented in No Way Home with letting the villains die than risk the universe. I think because Miles doesn��t follow the canon, he can break the cycle that all the Spider-People endure and have them even question the very system they follow.

I liked how the story left us on a cliffhanger that made us crave more of the movies and possible spinoffs. Leaving us wondering what will happen to Miles on Earth 42 with his evil doppelgänger or what Gwen’s plan is now that she’s leading a splinter team against Miguel and the Spider-Society.

Afterword

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a miracle in the landscape of sequels and two-parters. It has pushed itself to a whole new level of animation with unique colors and styles. The story and characters are pushed to their limits with dilemmas of preservation and duty along with freedom of choice and finding one’s way. It reminds us that no matter who you are, you can still be unsure of what you want and still be okay with questioning things.

Now I can’t wait for Beyond the Spider-Verse next year.

#spider-man #spider-man across the spiderverse spoilers #across the spider-verse spoilers #across the spiderverse #Miles Morales #Spider-Gwen #peter parker #hobie brown #spider-punk #pavitr prabhakar #spider-man 2099 #miguel ohara #spiderman no way home #doctor strange #the spot #spider-verse #charlotte webber #sun-spider #spiderverse #johnathan ohnn #beyond the spiderverse #spider-society #spider-people

[clueless-fan-critic]

The Owl House Season 3 Review: Embracing Change

Season 3 of The Owl House concluded with an explosion of heartfelt emotions that no human has ever felt. Luz and her friends are sent into the Human Realm on the Day of Unity with Belos seemingly destroyed by the Collector. Now, with him/them free, the Boiling Isles just became a playground from the god child. As the three specials progress, we get to see how Luz, Eda, King, and many other characters are impacted by the story.

My overall impression was that Dana Terrace and the crew did fantastic with what they were given. This made it even more satisfying to how almost all loose ends were tied up. I loved every second of the specials right up til the end. Although that a fantastic show like the Owl House has left us, we won’t forget it for a very long time. Now, with that out of the way, I want to discuss in detail each special and what I believe their individual themes are.

Episode 1 “Thanks to Them”: Moving Forward

The first episode of Season 3 went off with bang, picking up where Season 2 ended with Luz and her friends in the Human Realm. Luz is grappling with the guilt of unintentionally helping Belos find the Collector while Amity, Hunter, Willow, and Gus adapt to their new settings.

What I love about this special is how the gang adapts to the Human Realm with Hunter thriving to become himself while Luz struggles with her own guilt. We get to see some levity for the gang before jumping back into the realm of chaos that will eventually come. Willow, Amity, and Gus acknowledge that their friendship took time to get there, implying their past experiences before. Halloween itself plays a roll in how we, as the audience, gets more backstory to Caleb and Phillip in the 1600s and their encounter with Evelyn. The holiday also has significance with how it’s a time where the veil between different worlds is at their weakest, thus playing into the gang finding a portal back to the Demon Realm.

Hunter has the most development with him finally accepting himself as his own person (due to being a Grimwalker) while letting people into his life. His confrontation with Belos possessing him makes more impactful about how he wants to learn to carve Palisman and be a normal student at Hexside. I liked that Hunter was given more agency to his character and flesh out how he’s adapting to his life outside of Belos’ influence.

Camilla gets more context to her reasons for sending Luz off to camp as she wanted to encourage Luz’s more eccentric traits, but felt that the people around her didn’t have their best interests at heart. In the flashbacks, it was revealed that the principle influenced her decision by bringing up that she had a hard time growing up and fitting in.

Luz’s guilt and trauma over what happened during the Day of Unity doesn’t exactly hinder her ability to enjoy her time in the Human Realm. In fact, she even teaches Camilla what she learned about Glyphs. But, she feels that she’s undeserving of her happiness and keeps messing things up. This prompted her decision to stay behind on Halloween. This is pushed aside when her friends encourage her to come with them to stop Belos. While not immediate, Luz does develop to overcome her trauma and not let that define what she does.

Overall, “Thanks to Them” was a fascinating and lovely beginning to the end of Season 3 and made me excited for what would happen next.

Episode 2 “For the Future”: Understanding Yourself

The gang returns to the Boiling Isles as the Collector “plays” with the residents as puppets while Belos tries to regain his strength. They are still reeling the previous events of “Thanks to Them” and still figuring out what happened with the Collector and the aftermath of the Day of Unity. We discover that the Collector is playing out “the Owl House” with King as a game of pretend using people transformed into life-sized toys. The gang find refuge in Hexside with other students under the command of Boscha manipulated by Kikimura. Belos is scrambling for a host to possess, resulting in taking control of Raine and manipulating the Collector once more. We get a cliffhanger with the gang reaching the Titan’s skull, Luz getting her Palisman, and the Collector starting a new “game.”

King and the Collector both stand out in this special as two different characters with almost identical lives as the children of god-like beings who grew up alone. Unlike the Collector, King found his own family in Eda and Luz, growing more mature and understanding before and after finding out his origins as a Titan. Now he wants to try reasoning with the Collector into freeing the people and without violence.

There are good moments of character growth from various characters like Amity choosing her own path against what Boscha wants her to be and Hunter learning to open up about how he feels. Also, Willow gets some growth (plant pun, ha) to becoming more open with her feelings after bottling her emotions for the sake of staying strong for the group.

Finally, we get to see Eda Clawthorne after recovering from her Owl Beast form as she trapped in the Collector’s castle by the Coven Heads as toys while reeling from Luz leaving the Demon Realm. She doesn’t have a lot to do, but it’s great to see her after a long time.

What I felt was pretty underwhelming were some characters like Odalia being a caretaker for King and the Collector, and even the main antagonist Kikimura felt like a one-off bad guy. I would of liked to see more exchanges between Kikimura and the gang about the state of the Coven system and Belos’ reveal as a witch hunter. Like Kikimura still wants to follow the system blindly and make herself the new emperor in spite of its failings, while the gang make their arguments against it.

Luz finally learns to overcome her guilt by having a heart-to-heart with her mother Camilla about how Camilla was much like Luz as a teen but wanted her to grow up without being bullied. This finally allows her Palisman to emerge from their egg after Luz realizes that she wanted to be understood for who she was and have someone know this and embrace her, flaws and all.

Sure, “For the Future” wasn’t the best overall, but it does get the ball rolling. Now, we finally reached the point of no return. Let’s talk about the final special and episode of The Owl House “Watching and Dreaming”.

Episode 3 “Watching and Dreaming”: Embracing the Future

Luz Noceda must face her greatest challenge as Belos possesses the Titan to destroy the Isles once and for all in the final special and episode of the series. Luz, Eda, and King are trapped by the Collector in nightmares surrounding their fears and guilt, but are freed because of the Light Glyph. We get a sort of victory lap around the Boiling Isles as Luz, Eda, and King show the Collector the places that hold the most significance in their lives while teaching him about making friends. Luz is killed and then revived as Titan Luz by the Titan themselves and defeats Belos once and for all. After a time jump, Luz is attending the University of Wild Magic in the Demon Realm with Eda as headmaster, as well as a glimpse into everyone’s lives as they gather for Luz’s King-ceanera. One final scene ends with the entire party saying “Byyyyeee” to the Collector and the audience.

One of the more impactful scenes comes from Luz’s nightmare created by the Collector when each of her friends tells her off about being the villain and everything happening to them was her fault. The ones that hurt the most was Gus saying Luz is a hypocrite for getting her back to the Human Realm while their families are missing and Hunter for how Luz got a Palisman while he lost his own. These details seem like the kind of ideas in Luz’s mind that she make herself feel guilty over. I liked the part that Luz recognizes the trick by hearing “Witch’s Battle” instead of “Witch’s Duel” to cement her fan girl nature of spotting small details from the Good Witch Azura.

Another scene is when Luz, Eda, and King tell the Collector about how they’ve felt alone, abandoned, and misunderstood, but now want to show him how they became friends and a family. They lead him all over the Boiling Isles to have him understand how to make friends without forcing people. First to the Owl House where Luz tells the Collector about meeting her friends and then to the Knee where Luz connected with the Titan. She finally tells him that people are complex and need some kindness and forgiveness. I liked that she tries to teach the Collector about her time because it really did make a great deal of change within her.

The Collector gets major development as we find out he doesn’t understand the concept of death and is using the games he plays as a way to “pretend” to have friends who won’t lie or trick him. Luz taught him about empathy and understanding in order to make friends, only to fail with Belos killing Luz. This leads up to The Collector finally understanding what he’s done as he breaks down in tears while Eda and King turn monstrous from grief. He tries to make up for it by saving the gang in the castle from falling. In the end, he returns to space in order to “grow up” but not before a farewell gift from King.

I loved that Raine Whispers gets a much more significant role in the final special by breaking free from Belos’ possession, trying to stop him, and as a part of the team who takes out Belos. This is great for nonbinary representation to go beyond and become more than just flat cutouts and more fleshed out.

We finally meet the "King and Queen, best of both things” themselves Papa Titan when Luz ends up in the In-Between realm. They explain to Luz, thinking she’s just like Belos, that their feelings to protect their families are genuine while Belos’ desire to save humanity stems from his need of control.

The final death of Belos caught my attention because he does the exact same tactics of manipulating people into getting what he wants and Luz basically being done with his games. This gives us that Belos hasn’t even tried changing his tactics even on the brink of death. We are also treated to the best scene with Eda, King, and Raine curb-stomping Belos to death, treating his death less epic and more hilarious.

“Watching and Dreaming“ was an epic series finale, the animation, story, and characters just flowed almost perfectly with a few nitpicks like the Light Glyph Deus Ex Machina. It almost felt like something that was part of an episode between specials. But that’s nothing with the incredible finale we got out of it.

Conclusion

After watching all of the season, The Owl House gave an uplifting end to its run. The ending was a perfect sendoff to all that Dana Terrace and her team did for the show and what it has given us as an audience. The animation was a major treat with Titan Luz fighting Belos with all the flashy blasts and the smoothness of the movements. That wouldn’t matter if the story wasn’t almost flawless with everything that happened behind the scenes, which is honestly a miracle with most shows that ended abruptly. Most of the characters feel as if they came full circle in their development. I loved every moment of this show (with some exceptions but that’s not important) and hoped for another show like this in the future as an example for years to come.

#the owl house #luz noceda #eda the owl lady #eda clawthorne #king #dana terrace #thanks to them #for the future #watching and dreaming #toh spoilers #gus porter #willow park #hunter #amity blight #papa titan #Disney #disney animation #disney plus #toh season three #toh

[clueless-fan-critic]

Rewatching MCU Spider-Man Trilogy

As an avid superhero nerd, I’m here to watch and analyze materials that the average movie goer wouldn’t exactly look over with a microscope. Since it has been almost a year since No Way Home and I’ve finally recovered from my emotional spiral from the Spider-Man movies that sees a teenage superhero repeatedly crushed both physically and emotionally, I thought it would be a nice challenge to rewatch some of the Spider-Man MCU Trilogy. This isn’t a total review, but rather an examination of the story structure and characters.

Alright, so Spider-Man isn’t one of my favorite superheroes in general, but I do think he’s cool with his whole Spider-Sense and web shooters. So I have a generally unbiased opinion on “who’s the best Spider-Man” or “this Spider-Man isn’t faithful to the comics” because I just want to see a cool superhero do cool superhero stuff.

The Great

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker

Tom Holland brings a great sense of charisma that makes him lovable and compelling to invest my attention in. This makes him one of my favorite MCU characters that vehemently root for, ironic that Peter Parker is meant to have a crappy time and then get back up again. It even makes me want him to essentially succeed in life, even though Peter Parker isn’t suppose to get everything he wants.

The Characters

All of the characters are memorably unique and charming in their own way, particularly supporting characters and even the villains.

The first two villains The Vulture and Mysterio are extremely memorable and charismatic in their own ways that bring out complexity or fun to their characters.

The Vulture is a complicated character that does what he does because he felt that the world wasn’t exactly fair to him. He acts as the foil to Spider-Man as he feels people in lower classes are used and discarded by those in higher power much like with Tony using the suit as a tool for “control” over Peter.

Mysterio is essentially the twist villain we all saw coming if you’re a comic book reader. Quentin Beck is another disgruntled Stark employee who wants revenge by tricking the world into making an Avenger level crisis.

The villains in No Way Home were from other franchises, but the Green Goblin was a major upgrade from his previous appearance.

The Emotional Beats

Despite the flaws, what makes these movies strong and memorable are the emotional scenes that bring out levels of humanity to every character. Almost all of Tom Holland’s scenes demonstrate that ability from him lifting rumble off himself to making the ultimate sacrifice.

The Not So Great

The Story Structure

What I noticed from the films is how the scenes don’t exactly flow together and just jump and skip along. The first portions of the first two movies seemed to be out of place from the rest of the movie, which isn’t bad but just somewhat weird in my opinion. Sure it gives us more insight into other characters, but I felt kind of out from the moment.

I also notice that they write Peter in various situations to make very dumb decisions. One major example is in No Way Home where he asked Doctor Strange to actually rewrite reality without even considering other less crazy options. You could argue that Peter’s a kid making reckless decisions, but he’s also supposed to be a genius akin to Tony Stark and even somewhat wiser with his level of responsibility he feels.

Another major example is how Peter gave Quentin Beck the EDITH glasses in Far from Home, which I still think was a weird plot device to include for Tony to leave Peter, a teenager, an entire armada of weaponized drones in space instead of just leaving behind just the glasses.

The “Tony Stark” Pedestal

Tony Stark is the main face of the MCU at the beginning of the Infinity Saga, so he essentially has to appear in some way throughout the MCU, especially in the Spider-Man MCU films. This is a problem because the Spider-Man movies should be about Spider-Man, not Spider-Man featuring Iron Man. Even the villains are the result of Tony Stark’s actions and Peter has to deal with Tony’s fallout. What makes No Way Home stand out was that it focused on Peter’s problems alone without pulling in Tony Stark or the Avengers or any other superheroes aside from Doctor Strange, but you could argue is more of a neutral character in the film.

The Possibilities

The ending of No Way Home brings us a new, unexplored direction that opens a whole new set of options for the franchise to move through. I hope they don’t make the memory spell permanent or just remove it right away because it can make more complications in the future.

#spider-man #peter parker #tom holland #homecoming #far from home #No way home #spider-man homecoming #spider-man far from home #Spider-Man no way home #mysterio #the vulture #tony stark #MCU #Marvel MCU #Iron Man #doctor strange

[clueless-fan-critic]

Wakanda Forever: A Tribute to a Fallen Brother

As the final film in the MCU’s Phase Four and an anticipated sequel after the death of Chadwick Boseman, the film has a lot of hype and expectations to live up to for their fans.

After watching the film, it was very interesting to see how self contained and mature it portrays the themes of colonial powers and the overall power struggle for Vibranium. There were just as many epic fight scenes as quiet moments of self-reflection within the characters.

Shuri’s Journey as the Black Panther

Shuri has been portrayed as the comedic younger sister of the Black Panther T’Challa in the first film, but now we get to see a newer, serious side to her after the death of her brother. One scene that stuck out to me was her interactions with Kilmonger in the Ancestral Plane as Shuri has the same pain and suffering that drove Kilmonger in his crusade. This interaction creates a sort of conflict within her of whether she wants to seek vengeance or protect her kingdom.

Namor the Sub Mariner

So, I’ve never really heard of or followed the story of Namor the Sub Mariner despite his legacy of the first mutant introduced in comic books. This version of Namor takes a much different turn in how they portray more Aztec culture and heritage with an aquatic blend. Namor has shown a level of complexity that makes him both a sympathetic villain and a ruthless man. He does genuinely care for his people, but willingly sees the necessary actions for portecting his kingdom.

Riri Williams, the Ironheart

Riri Williams, in my opinion, felt like a lackluster copy of Tony Stark in the comics with being black as a major draw-in for comic reader without any personality to back her up. She doesn’t share the exact type of impression as Kamala Khan in both the comics and her tv series, but isn’t a bad character, just under-utilized in aspects.

In the movie, she’s the “macguffin” that makes her a target by the Talokanil, basically Aztec Atlanteans. In her first impression, Riri is a no-nonsense MIT student who strives to outsmart her own professors. Other than that, she’s the fish out of water dragged into a big storm, the scientist responsible for making technology that locates Vibranium.

Other Characters

There are a lot of great characters that stand out within the film, particularly Queen Ramonda played by Angela Bassett and Nakia played by Lupita Nyong’o.

Ramonda becomes the perfect blend of strong command and calm wisdom who takes on the responsibilities of ruling Wakanda with strong, decisive force. She demonstrates this authority when she strips Okoye of her rank and role in the military as she laments the possible loss of her family while all the sides of the world are slowing trying to take down her kingdom.

Nakia returns in the film as a teacher in Haiti who gets pulled back into Wakanda after Shuri gets captured by Namor. Nakia is a sympathetic ear for Shuri to lean on where Nakia tries to show her the sides of the fight that could end in devastation on both sides. 

M’Baku, played by Winston Duke, does have a surprising level of development from a brute to strong warrior who acts as consul to Shuri during her transition into Black Panther.

The Story

Wakanda Forever deals with the aftermath of T’Challa’s death from an unknown disease and the rising war between the Talokanil and Wakanda. The story felt almost natural that allowed for strong character moments. The scene between Shuri and Namor making a truce for the benefit of their people highlights how they are willing to put aside their grudges and make each other allies facing the threat of the other countries trying to steal from them.

Afterwards...

Wakanda Forever doesn’t end in an epic note, but a somber one that creates a level of ambiguity for what may come for Black Panther and the possible third film that could follow in the future. The film’s ending gives a sense of closure for T’Challa’s and Chadwick Boseman’s journey in the MCU through Shuri’s perspective.

#wakanda #wakanda forever #shuri #okoye #nakia #namor the sub mariner #MCU #marvel #black panther #chadwick boseman #riri williams #talokanil #kilmonger #black panther 2 #angela bassett #queen ramonda #letitia wright #lupita nyong'o #dominique thorne #tenoch huerta #m'baku #winston duke #black panther wakanda forever

[clueless-fan-critic]

Black Adam: A True Antihero for DC (minus the comedy)

Black Adam was an action-packed rollercoaster full of good acting, intense action, and an actually morally grey character.

I honestly thought he was going to be just the type of “villain” that turns out to be a superhero, but it turns out that Black Adam was an actual morally complex character. In the movie, he has to grapple with the idea that he’s not a hero but the world needs someone who can do what’s for the best. What makes him interesting is how he evolves into the role of a protector rather than a superhero, thus doing things like killing bad guys while keeping people safe. I also like that they changed him from someone seeking power and glory to a man lost in a new world.

The rest of the characters were kind of there as more modern guides for Black Adam to understand the world or save from the Intergang. I liked the scene with Sarah Shahi’s Adrianna Tomaz where she talks back at the Justice Society for being hypocrites about international stability and how the Kahndaq needs someone like Black Adam to get results. It showcases that superheroes are essentially in a box of moral hypocrisy where they talk the talk but don’t walk it most of the time. It also sheds a light on how the morals of the heroes come into the reality the people face.

It was an overall intense but fun action film that has some things to say without going too preachy and over-explaining its message.

#black adam #dwayne johnson #Justice Society of America #DC comics #teth-adam #hawkman #doctor fate #cyclone #atom smasher #kahndaq #intergang #sarah shahi

[clueless-fan-critic]

Werewolf By Night: An MCU Halloween Special

We’re getting a new type of MCU special that showcases the more supernatural elements of the universe aside from wizards and Asgardians with the more classic monsters of legend and myth.

I honestly thought it would be along the lines of Moon Knight with just a superhero show with magic and stuff, but it draws more inspiration from classic monster films with a blend of modern horror elements. The black and white colors add a whole level of authenticity to the monster theme.

Gael Garcia Bernal portrays Jack Russell with a level of genuine emotion that it’s quite jarring to actually see the Werewolf by Night in action, blood and growling in all. Laura Donnelly portrays Elsa Bloodstone as a conflicted woman with a complicated relationship with her father Ulysses. Harriet Sansom Harris stole the special with her passionate portrayal of Verussa Bloodstone as the crazily eccentric widow.

Overall, Werewolf by Night was one of the firsts for the MCU’s hand at more mature content like the Netflix MCU shows, which makes me excited to see what else could be used in other MCU specials. If you like classic monster films, you will love this Halloween tribute by the MCU.

#werewolf #werewolf by night #jack russell #elsa bloodstone #halloween #bloodstone #ulysses bloodstone #man-thing #spooky #happy halloween #Moon Knight #laura donnelly #harriet sansom harris #verussa bloodstone

[clueless-fan-critic]

Harley Quinn: DC’s Comedic Queen of Chaos: A funny superhero show to watch instead of She-Hulk

Harley Quinn’s animated show is much greater than many of the MCU shows for its unique sense of humor, character development, and interesting storytelling. While She-Hulk is different from the majority of MCU shows, it tends to flop from time to time in comedy and executing its lawyer-theme superhero premise.

What I love about Harley Quinn is how the characters are portrayed in a canonical way with a lot of fun poked at itself. Poison Ivy isn’t a fem fatale who seduces men but now a misanthrope who likes plants more than people and lacks any sort of people skills. While Harley is still chaotic, she confronts her own inner turmoil in order to move forward as a person and search for her own identity.

The show has an ongoing theme in all the seasons that tie into the idea of evolution and change. The series begins with Harley beginning to change into a more independent person, and then having her explore what she wants out of life, and finally see how that growth is seen within the character.

Season 1 - Harley’s Breakout

We get to see Harley Quinn in a new sort of role as her own person after breaking up with the Joker and the beginnings of her character arc of overcoming her toxic behaviors. Harley does fall into the same trappings of the Joker, resulting in her losing her friends, but bounces back to realize her mistake and siding with her crew rather than the Legion of Doom.

Season 2 - What Do You Want?

Harley’s goals shift from becoming a supervillain hellbent on chaos to someone looking to find some semblance of fulfillment. We get to see Harley actually putting her own needs aside for the sake of Ivy.

Season 3 - Relationship Goals

With Poison Ivy and Harley finally together, Harley supports Ivy in her plan to terraform Gotham all the while dealing with themes of change and evolution in terms of characters and their motivations.

Hopes for Season 4

Right now, Harley Quinn is a show that could go in any direction and makes our hopes for the fourth season go up as we get to see how Harley navigates the life of a superhero or antihero.

#Harley Quinn #poison ivy #king shark #clayface #batman #batfam #nightwing #batgirl #robin #hbomax #she-hulk

[clueless-fan-critic]

She-Hulk Overall Season Review

The Good

Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk

What kept me engaged with the show was how Jennifer Walters was portrayed by Tatiana Maslany. She gives a level of fun, charisma, and sincerity to the character while delivering fun lines. I also found her journey very fascinating compared to the oversaturated market of MCU Superheroes with someone who doesn’t want to be a superhero. I loved that it wasn’t another traditional superhero origin show but how an average person deals with the MCU madness. In the first episode, Jen and Bruce get into a conversation about how she’s choosing to go back to her normal life instead of embracing the good and bad of being a superhero. Jen wants to live a normal life by still being a lawyer and does so in the finale while also being a superhero in a way that doesn’t require big fights to win.

On the contrary to popular media, Jen Walters isn’t a “feminist icon who hates men” but rather a woman who experiences the problems that come with being a woman. There are subtle themes about how the males tell Jen when to transform and how she’s perceived by society. The eighth and ninth episodes show how Jen “Hulking out” is only shown throughout media coverage without actually covering why she did so or the attack on her, only make it about the spectacle rather than the person being impacted like Peter Parker in No Way Home. It also intersects that she’s also a Hulk who lost control like how Bruce Banner was like, but making it more her as an out of control public figure instead of a mindless monster.

Episode 7 “The Retreat”

This is one of my favorite episodes for how it characterizes Jen’s perception of She-Hulk with her superhero persona as something that everyone loves while no one wants Jen Walters. After being ghosted by Josh, Jen becomes upset that a guy she liked essentially made her feel like she wasn’t good enough from both sides. There’s also a whole session with the “reformed” Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, and other superhuman people that actually seem to have a genuine want to better themselves.

Episode 8 “Ribbit and Rip it”

Daredevil. Enough said.

But seriously, Matt Murdock returning to the MCU with a less darker attitude made it interesting to see Charlie Cox’s more comedic skills. The courtroom scene with Jen and Matt arguing the case for superhero anonymity was very satisfying to see, as well as a fight between Jen’s Hulk powers and Daredevil’s agility.

Jen’s anger at the end was realistically justified in a way that reflects how most women who’ve been attacked felt. Jen was targeted and embarrassed in front of her colleagues but made into someone who didn’t “need” to get angry, which I think is bullshit because she should get angry. 

Episode 9 “Whose Show is This?”

The Finale ends with Jen literally breaking the fourth wall to change the ending to her show that makes the most sense. I loved the way they incorporated the level of power she possesses with breaking the fourth wall as she literally took control of her narrative in her show. It’s kind of weirdly hilarious to see Kevin Feige portrayed as a supercomputer who makes all movie decisions. I also love that the show didn’t end with a huge battle of brawn but Jen using her legal skills to persuade KEVIN into a new direction.

The Flawed

Episode 3 “ The People vs Emil Blonsky”

This episode felt the weakest out of the series for the Light Elf court case as it seemed misplaced for some reason just to have Megan thee Stallion be a cameo. The CGI can also be seen at its most obviously bad on She-Hulk.

Supervillains

I felt the “supervillains” like Titania didn’t go anywhere in terms of story as she could have been a foil in how Titania could represent the illusion of strength in terms of character and morality like she’s putting on a show for an audience.

Don’t get me wrong, having Intelligencia as a reddit-type hate forum for She-Hulk was good to serve the story, but I just felt Todd as a threat wanting Jen’s blood kind of typical MCU bad guy. Making Jen fight a more social and/or legal threat than a physical one was much more interesting and the whole reason for the show as a legal comedy.

The Result

She-Hulk is a flawed but unique show that takes the step into actually changing up the status quo of DIsney+ MCU shows by making itself into a more comedic show compared to the forced humor in the more serious shows like Moon Knight or Loki. For season 2, I think Jen will try establishing her own firm while also dealing with the fallout of Intelligencia’s attack, as well as more legal drama and court room scenes that establishes Jen’s skills as a lawyer more clearly.

#She-Hulk Attorney At Law #she-hulk #Daredevil #Jennifer Walters #tatiana maslany #emil blonsky #the abomination #megan thee stallion #Moon Knight #loki #disney #disney+ #disney plus #wong #Spider-Man no way home #no way home #peter parker #bruce banner #The Hulk #titania #intelligencia #She Hulk #charlie cox

[clueless-fan-critic]

She-Hulk: Marvel’s Wall-Breaking Fourth Wall Breaker

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the newest superhero show in the ever growing MCU Disney+ universe. 

The feel of this show is much different to other MCU shows as it takes a more comedic route compared to its serious counterparts. Despite being the first episode, it completely sucks me in with its actual fun comedy and interesting characters. Sure, the other shows got funny lines, but this actually maintains a humorous tone throughout the episode without being out of place. I mean shows like WandaVision and Ms. Marvel were fun, but it didn’t really get full comedic like this show. I also find it refreshing that it doesn’t takes itself too seriously which makes it less dark like Moon Knight where you get themes of mental illness and child abuse.

To be honest, the whole “uncanny valley” doesn’t bother me so long as it doesn’t distract from the show itself. I get that she’s not real enough to look like she’s actually there but it’s the first episode, so I’m not exactly holding onto the hope it will look like she can exist outside of the screen. At least she doesn’t look like she’s wearing a layer of green paint smeared on her face.

Jennifer Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany, is a lawyer who inadvertently gains the powers of the Hulk after getting his cousin Bruce Banner’s blood into her body. We get to see Tatiana flex her comedic chops while also delivering an authentic portrayal of the character. One scene I liked was how Jennifer’s experiences are different from Bruce’s in terms of how she approaches her anger in a way that doesn’t seem forced but organic to the conversation without being preachy. We also get to see a different side to how people would react to having powers as Jennifer just wants to go back to her job and not become a superhero.

It makes sense that She-Hulk wouldn’t have an alter ego because Bruce had a more traumatic childhood like in the comics which in turn splintered his mind and repressed that rage. I think Jennifer telling Bruce that they’re different people isn’t saying that she’s better than him but rather they aren’t the same in their experiences and how they view their powers. With Bruce, he dealt with a literal struggle for control from a monster while Jennifer could see it as a means of empowerment and confidence that frees her inner desires.

So far, I’m now invested in what could happen to She-Hulk and her adventures as a superhero lawyer.

#she-hulk #tatiana maslany #jennifer walters #bruce banner #The Hulk #ms. marvel #wandavision #she-hulk attorney at law #she hulk #moon knight

[clueless-fan-critic]

Everything Everywhere All At Once: the Ultimate Multiverse Film

While MCU movies like No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness explore the multiverse, this Michelle Yeoh surrealist SciFi wet dream takes full advantage of a multiversal level threat and the madness that comes with it. The multiverse in the film is more utilized as a setting and character that’s also used to explore the internal struggles of the characters.

What Doctor Strange could of been...

MoM (Multiverse of Madness) did give us a better look at the MCU Multiverse, it just wasn’t something that kept me just as engaged as this film. EEAaO (Everything Everywhere All at Once) made me interested in actually wanting to know more about how their universes worked. MoM just had the Multiverse as more of an idea rather than an actual character where the characters only really explore one or two worlds.

The uniqueness and spectacle of the film’s multiverse was far more fascinating to explore than the superhero films. The ways of actually gaining abilities is pretty hilarious instead of just scrolling through universes as you need to do the least likely thing to gain them. The power of Dreamwalking is similar to Verse-jumping but made it more like evil possession, which was interesting from the Scarlet Witch’s use but still pretty one note. America Chavez is essentially a walking portal for traveling the multiverse and doesn’t get creative with this power.

What EEAaO Has...

The main core of the film is that Evelyn and Joy are the two beings who can be everything everywhere all at once but choose to stay together through the hardships and in the moment. The relationship between Evelyn and Joy reveals the sort of nihilistic nightmare of having many regrets and feeling life is pointless. They are essentially the same person from two different points in life and society.

Evelyn has many regrets and unfulfilled dreams while Joy is suffering under the weight of how her life and choices are meaningless no matter the difference. Like Jobu Tupaki, she begins to succumb to the darkness that her life and choices are meaningless with the only thing to do was only inflicting suffering onto others to fill the void. It’s only by embracing love from Waymond that she becomes untethered from nihilism and starts becoming a better person by using empathy to attack her enemies.

Joy, aka Jobu Tupaki, is a representation of how the younger generation is faced with infinite choices but feel that they can’t make any difference to their lives. As a villain, she makes it clear that she doesn’t care about anything, not even herself. It’s later revealed that she created the Bagel (essentially a Multiversal blackhole) not as a weapon, but as a means of destroying herself to “find peace”. Joy finally finds her peace by reconciling with her mother and not worry about her future and regrets.

After All...

The choices in both films allow for unique spins on the Multiverse, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a fully realized creation of the concept that also brings a great deal of love and warmth in the darkness.

#everything everywhere all at once #michelle yeoh #multiverse of madness #Spider-Man no way home #doctor strange #jobu tupaki #Scarlet Witch #America Chavez #evelyn wang #joy wang

[clueless-fan-critic]

Thor 4: What to Love and Finding its Thunder

SPOILERS. Like Seriously, don’t read unless you want to be spoiled.

Review

With the return of Taiki Waititi in the director seat, Thor is back with a fun bang of an epic soundtrack, silly action, and heartfelt moments. The movie itself was a fun adventure movie and little break from the MCU’s serious setup of the Multiverse. I personally like the movie as a popcorn film with a genuine amount of love in it. Its real strength comes from its fusion of intense action and absurd fun ranging from Thor doing a split to stop two space motorcycles to having an army of super children fight monsters. But the more heartfelt moments do tug at your heart from time to time including Jane’s death and Gorr’s wish for his daughter to come back to life.

Thor Odinson

Thor returns to his former glory from his Endgame breakdown into a strong bod god. Thor is the perfect blend of trying to find himself and who he is without being the superhero or Prince of Asgard. His interactions with Jane after their breakup was surprisingly sweet yet awkward like a lot of people who’ve broken up might act like. In the end, Thor takes up a father role adopting Gorr’s daughter and teaching her to become a hero.

The Mighty Thor

The return of Jane Foster begins with her dealing with cancer and finding a way to cure it, so she resorts to using Mjolnir and suddenly gaining the powers of Thor. The Mighty Thor comic is one of my favorite stories from Marvel that explores Jane’s willingness to become a hero in the face of death, thus an aspect of this story integrated into her movie portrayal. Her actions seems are incredibly fun with Mjolnir, fully assembled but still broken after Hela crushed it, breaking apart like a meteor shower and reassembling in her hand was one of the best parts to watch. I mean, it’s just satisfying to see the piece quickly reform back into the hammer.

Other Characters

Honestly, I don’t have too much to say about the characters outside of them being both fun and bizarre in a sense that they’re not as utilized as I thought they would be.

The Guardians of the Galaxy take up the same role as Doctor Strange in Thor Ragnarok, being a brief cameo rather than actually playing a direct role in the film.

Gorr the God Butcher is your typical movie bad guy with a sad backstory that makes us empathize with him. Christian Bale’s acting tends to swing from Joker-esque villain to quiet, subtle madman.

Valkyrie is surprisingly underutilized throughout the film with some standout moments and fun fighting.

The introduction of the gods in the MCU wasn’t as exciting as the rest of the film. I was kind of hoping for Gorr to find them in Omnipotence City and basically destroy most of them in an instance. Zeus was made more of a joke character rather than an intimidating threat, which is fine but would have been better to see a Thor vs Zeus battle.

OVERALL

Thor Love and Thunder is fun mixbag of action, romance, and awkward comedy with the typical MCU-isms you’d expect.

#thor love and thunder #Thor Odinson #jane foster #mighty thor #Guardians of the Galaxy #taiki waititi #avengers endgame #natalie portman #chris hemsworth #asgard #mjolnir #gorr #christian bale #marvel #marvel mcu #mcu #thor ragnarok