Tag: MCU

Phase 4 shows the MCU is running on empty

No, I’m not being paid by Warner Bros. or DC to write this.

Honestly, for the longest time I rejected this notion. Marvel Studios had a really good track record here at this site. Aside from “Thor: The Dark World,” most entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe received a 3 out of 5 or higher from yours truly.

For those who may not know, that’s enough to get a “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. That was true right up through the summer of 2019.

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REVIEW: ‘Eternals’ is a low grade MCU entry

Director Chloé Zhao had had a great track record with 2017’s “The Rider” and last year’s “Nomadland,” the latter winning Academy Awards.

Unfortunately, her venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t as good.

This MCU entry features characters older than all of the heroes audiences have been introduced to since 2008. Those characters are the Eternals, a race of warriors with special powers created by a being known as Arishem. Their purpose is to protect life across the cosmos from dark creatures known as Deviants.

Their latest mission brought them to Earth at the dawn of humanity, where they defended mankind for centuries from Deviants across the planet. The movie picks up with the Eternals in the present day, living among humanity and waiting for future orders from Arishem. However, their now normal lives are upended when the Deviants, long thought defeated, come back.

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Summer 2008: Looking back at the two films that changed cinema

Ten years ago yesterday, “The Dark Knight” was released to theaters across the country.

It was the second of two films released in the 2008 summer season that changed the world of cinema. That other movie was “Iron Man,” released May 2, 2008.

While both films have had a major impact on the world of film, though, their legacies are quite different.

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REVIEW: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ powered by super couple

Superhero couples are relatively rare in Hollywood, with the one featured in “The Incredibles” series being likely the most prominent. Fortunately, Marvel Studios has added to that catalog.

This sequel to the 2015 “Ant-Man” again follows the life of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). The movie picks up with the character on house arrest, a punishment he received following the fight between members of the Avengers at an airport.

Despite this factor, though, the father-daughter duo of Hank (Michael Douglas) and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) once again recruit Scott for a mission. Despite having reservations about working with Scott again because of his recklessness, Hank explains that he needs Lang’s help to save his long lost wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer). The mission doesn’t feature Scott on his own this time, though, as Hope gets her own advanced suit and joins the mission, going by the Wasp alias.

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