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*To Be Edited in 2026  Let's take a second to talk about the late, great Chadwick Boseman. This guy has received the respect of so many MCU fans, as it was discovered that he was actually quite sick while filming 'Black Panther.' Diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, the man carried on, not mentioning his illness to many more than a few close family members. It is admirable that he kept going to film something like 'Black Panther,' a film that has gone down in cinematic history for black culture. Boseman was a fighter and an inspiration, and he will be missed.
Boseman's T'challa also marks (I think) the only MCU character not to be recast but to have a story worked around his real-life death instead. Names that come to mind are Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle as Rhodes/War Machine, Ed Norton with Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, and recently, the puzzle of casting that went to Cassie Lang, first by Abby Ryder Fortson, then by Emma Fuhrmann, and now portrayed by Kathryn Newton. One can simply argue that none of these are posthumous replacements - but look at the fact that Harrison Ford is to replace the recently deceased William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. There seems to be a certain heavy respect for Boseman - but does it hinder the final product? The film quite literally opens with T'challa's off-screen death due to an unspecified illness. While Shuri (Letitia Wright) tries like hell to synthesize a cure from the heart-shaped herb (the thing that gives the Black Panther power). To no one's surprise, it all fails, and Shuri is soon left with a broken heart, having lost her brother and probably best friend. A year passes, and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is pressured by other nations to share their vibranium. The Queen refuses and even makes some examples of people with the knowledge that so many of these nations are bound to weaponize it. This soon leads the CIA and US Navy SEALs to use a vibranium detector to find another potential deposit underwater. This is where Namor (Tenoch Huerta) attacks the highly trained professionals, leading a group of blue aquatic superhumans. Recognizing a vibranium race at hand, Namor easily blames Wakanda for the interference of their underwater realm. Namor offers an ultimatum - deliver the scientist who created the vibranium detector or begin a war with Namor and his overpowering underwater race. Soon enough, Shuri and Okoye (Danai Gurira) discover from Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) that this inventor is Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), an MIT genius, nothing short of Tony Stark, himself - in many ways, actually. And this is where the film turns into a bit of an "escort mission" movie, which is actually a criticism of mine. Don't get me wrong, it all makes sense in its execution. However, going through this, I definitely got reflections of 'Multiverse of Madness' because the film is mostly about protecting a brand-spanking-new character. There, we had America Chavez; here, we have Riri Williams, aka Ironheart. I theorize at the point of writing this that they will eventually assemble a new, all-female team of "Young Avengers," who will include no less than Iron Heart, Chavez, Bishop (New Hawkeye), Ms. Marvel and maybe Yelena Belova (New Black Widow). It's just a theory, but we'll see what happens with all of that. Anyway, perhaps the "escort mission" aspect is a bit of a nitpick on my part, as it all makes sense in both stories. I just don't wanna see a whole bunch of it start happening now. Overall, the film is decent and enjoyable, but I have to admit that I didn't appreciate it nearly as much as I did the first film. The film's cleverness is the idea of a precious resource that people are willing to go to war over and all that comes with that. When it comes to something like vibranium in the MCU, that makes perfect sense, and I appreciate that whole aspect. However, there were just too many nitpicks about the film I had along the way. In some cases, the film ends up being predictable - especially the answer to "Who is this new female Black Panther we see in the trailers?" I never understood how that was such a mystery - but that's just me. Further to that, I wasn't too big on our villain here, thinking Killmonger left a hell of a lot more of an impact in the first film. I also liked Shuri herself way more in the first film. She was much more fun and charming then. And I GET why she has an air of super seriousness here now - it all makes perfect sense, but as I mentioned, this is me nitpicking. A lot of this was just me saying, "I might have done that differently", not so much, "That was dumb," or anything so negative. I think it's a decent watch, but it has nothing on the first 'Black Panther' film. With this, we bring "Phase 4" to a close, and I must admit it's done so in a pretty sweet way instead of a brutal cliff-hanger. The film is clearly dedicated to Boseman, and its heart is definitely in the right place. If I was to use a term to describe its overall execution: "bittersweet". MID-CREDITS SCENE: Shuri learns that Nakia has been raising a child she had with T'Challa named Toussaint, who reveals his Wakandan name to be T'Challa. 3/5
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*To Be Edited in 2026  I'm going to come right out of the gates here saying that my opinion on this will probably differ greatly from most. Critically, this didn't seem to turn out entirely bad, but it's not what we'd call "top of the list" when it comes to MCU films. I went in there expecting pretty much exactly what I got... well, almost. I'm not gonna say this wasn't without a few stand-out problems, but I still look at this one in a positive light, and I'll get to everything I think makes this movie good.
We open by meeting our (somewhat) sympathetic villain-to-be, Gorr (Christian Bale) and his daughter (India Rose Hemsworth) crawling through a desert in dire need of shelter and sustenance. Although Gorr prays many times to their God, Rapu, his daughter doesn't make it. While mourning his loss, Gorr hears the Necrosword (a God-killing blade) calling to him. Eventually, circumstances bring them together, and he is tasked by the Necrosword to kill all of the Gods. He then gets a gift/curse placed on him with which he can manipulate shadows, creating nightmarish creatures from them. However, like a Cancer, the sword spells impending doom for Gorr with corruption and eventual death. On the lighter side of things, we get a bit of a recap of events that we didn't see, told through Korg (Taika Waititi), giving us a brief history of Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) time with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), their breakup, and his post-'End Game' adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy (sans Gamora). The Guardians get a short amount of screen-time, so if this is what you came to see, don't get your hopes up too high. During one adventure, we see how they all function together to pretty funny results. However, once Thor receives a distress signal from Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Thor, along with Korg, parts ways with the Guardians to find Sif and learn that New Asgard is about to be levelled by this "God Butcher" fellow. Thor heads to New Asgard to help defend it against Gorr and his shadow creatures and happens to come across an interesting surprise - Dr. Jane Foster as a whole new Thor. Jane, now in the midst of a battle against Cancer, has been called and chosen by the now shattered (after 'Ragnarok') and on-display in New Asgard, Mjolnir (Thor's old hammer). This is corny, but it's all based on Thor's love for Jane while Mjolnir was still in Thor's life. Like this sort of accidental love spell that allows Jane the power of the Mighty Thor. Soon, the group learns that Gorr is after Thor's new fancy weapon, Stormbreaker, which will allow him access to powers that will assist him in his mission to kill all of the Gods, Kratos style. So let me get into the rest of the review by pointing out what I didn't enjoy. I think, first and foremost, is the Guns 'n Roses drilling. this film did. Don't get me wrong, I love this music - it suits the overall style of this flick, and there's a great nostalgic factor to some early Guns 'n Roses for me. Hell, I even appreciated where they used all of these songs. But then there's other hints of it, like Heimdall's son wanting to be called Axl, a GnR poster seen in the background, and I'm almost positive I'm missing a few other references. It's to the point of me rolling my eyes after a while saying "okay, we get it, you love Guns 'n Roses". On top of that, we also have one of these awkward situations where Jane as Thor is incredibly awkward in how she talks - however, she is written that way, as a sort of self-aware joke. And I have to say, Valkyrie wasn't nearly as entertaining as she was in 'Ragnarok'. However, let's not take away any highlights this film has. In particular, I loved Christian Bale's performance as Gorr here. I sincerely don't know enough about the character, but what I saw here, I really enjoyed. I further appreciated how, like in 'Ragnarok', they too the outlandishness of it all and twisted it into a little more of a comedic, sci-fi premise than a perpetual fish-out-of-water thing. I think that if you enjoy the MCU's more fun titles that don't take themselves too seriously, then this can be a fun time. It has a few things here and there that irk me throughout, but none of it is enough to claim the movie is even really "bad". In truth, I might say it's my second fave in the 'Thor' series, behind 'Ragnarok'. Even with all of the corniness that lies within, I still had a lot of fun with this one, and I found it fairly easy to overlook a lot of the ridiculousness of it. People are bound to be very split on this one, and they may say Waititi can do much better. That may be true, but this also had a very Waititi feeling, regardless of any bad writing. It's not top-list material, but I was definitely entertained! MID-CREDIT SCENE: We revisit Omnipotence City, where Zeus (Russell Crowe) is recuperating in the aftermath of a previous fight scene Thor was the cause of. He then asks of his son, Hercules (Brett Goldstein), to find and kill Thor. POST-CREDIT SCENE: Jane Foster arrives at the gates of Valhalla, where Heimdall (Idris Elba) welcomes her. 3/5 *To Be Edited in 2026  At first, I wondered if one might have to go through 'WandaVision' to really appreciate this. I might not deem it 100% necessary, but I might say you'll get more of a connection to this in watching that, as opposed to just the first 'Doctor Strange'. I'm also gonna go ahead and say, straight up, that this is one that was made for Raimi fans. We take the fun of his original 'Spider-Man' trilogy, mash it up with the oddity that is his 'Evil Dead' trilogy, allow Raimi full creative control this time, and this is the product.
The biggest takeaway I got from this was that it was a lot of fun in the same ways the 'Guardians' and the latest 'Thor' movies are. The only difference is that this is, as advertised, quite a bit darker. This was originally advertised as being Marvel's first horror movie, but we're talking about the "horror" we see in a movie like 'Army of Darkness' - it's a bunch of cornball elements blended with a jump scare here and there and out of this world (literally) ideas and effects. The only real downside to it is that at its core, the story is basically a simple "escort mission" meant to introduce a powerful new character in Ms. Chavez - a girl with the ability to "dimension-hop". The film opens up with a chase, as we see America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and an alternate Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) being pursued between dimensions by some sort of demon. In Chavez's fear, she inadvertently triggers a gate to Earth Dimension 616 (which is where our MCU stuff takes place) where she runs into our Strange and Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) who both rescue her from the creature. It's here where her powers are divulged, and her interdimensional-hopping ability is what these demons are after. A set of witchcraft runes then leads Strange to Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) who he, despite recent events involving hurting innocent people (aka 'WandaVision'), still considers an Avenger. Soon enough, we realize that Wanda is actually the one behind these attacks. If she can use the Darkhold (think a sort of "Book of the Dead" for the MCU) to aid her in capturing Chavez, she can further use it to harness her abilities, and finally live a life of peace alongside her children, Billy and Tommy (Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, respectively). If you're wondering where her kids came from, all of those answers are presented in 'WandaVision', which again gives you a reason to maybe check that out beforehand. In the meantime, it's all about Strange and Wong doing what they can to protect Chavez, as they search for the mythical "Book of Vishanti" (a sort of counter to the Darkhold) and fight a new, formidable foe in the form of their former Avenger teammate. While the plot is actually quite simple, this is another case of the execution being that thing that truly sticks out. One bit about this I truly appreciate is how the multiverse comes across. We do get a cool scene where Strange and Chavez do a bit of dimension-hopping all at once, and a lot of the creativity behind these dimensions lends itself to the idea of infinite realities. Without giving too much of the scene away, we see, for example, a reality where they are both animated. What makes this so much cooler is the concept of "dream walking". We learn that our dreams are, apparently, us seeing other versions of ourselves in other dimensions. Regardless of what science says dreams actually are, I quite honestly love this idea. Beyond some cool ideas and concepts, however, I thought it was cool to see Wanda go full-villain here, and her purpose wasn't to "take over the multiverse" or anything like that. Her motives are simple - she just wants a happy life with a happy family. Although she was never really my favourite MCU character, I have to admit that she is probably one of the best developed (especially when she "outgrew" her Russian accent). In many ways, this is actually kind of her movie - it just needed a hero, and Strange makes the most sense for it. Having said that, there was no real disappointment in watching this unfold. This is a Marvel movie full of cool things. It's probably worth seeing more than once, just to pick up on the things you missed, scattered throughout the film. Perhaps the most intriguing is the introduction of a Marvel-based Illuminati, featuring a handful of cool, new Marvel characters as well as a Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart - who basically everyone knows is a part of this by now) that's probably done better and more accurately than any 'X-Men' movie in the past has done him. With everything involved in this, there's still a few minor but neat things I haven't touched on, worth seeing. Of the "Beyond Infinity" films released so far, this is easily one of the most fun. MID-CREDIT SCENE: Strange is approached by a sorceress named Clea (Charlize Theron) who warns him that his actions have triggered some kind of attack. He then follows her into the Dark Dimension. 4/5 *To Be Edited in 2026  Okay, so I'm gonna start this one off with a bit of the film's development history. During the production of 'Homecoming', a third MCU 'Spidey' film was already being looked at. Sony and Marvel were negotiating to work on this film together, but by August, 2019, Marvel ultimately left the project. Fans found out how they can't play nice, and once again, we kinda sorta won with our voices - like that time we needed 'Deadpool' to have a hard R rating.
Just one month later, a new deal was struck, and they said "look, we have fans, and fans actually equal money, and we'd be stupid not to hear what they're saying." On top of that, they actually had a solid opportunity to deliver something really good, and make yet more cinematic history by combining their efforts. And with 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', it all seems to mean two things. One, the tug-of-war is finally over, and two, it leaves quite a bit of possibility open for the upcoming three new movies Holland has signed on for. It's my hope that he'll eventually pass the torch to a young Miles Morales, but we'll see. I'm going to keep this review spoiler free, as this is still quite fresh, and absolutely riddled with spoilers. By the way, do yourselves a favour if you haven't seen this yet and avoid doing any research on IMDb or Wiki, as a lot of these spoilers are revealed. It's like trying to navigate a minefield at this point, so I say, see it ASAP - but please be safe about it! Anyway, the short of the plot, you already know with the spoiler. In the last movie, MJ (Zendaya) found out that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is Spider-Man, but then by the end, so did everyone else because of J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) and his big mouth. This movie picks up immediately after that final scene. As a result of this, Parker locates Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and tries to get him to cast a spell that will make people forget that he's Spider-Man. However, during the casting of the spell, Parker causes a distraction, and causes Strange to accidentally open up the multiverse, sending in several characters from the "Raimi-verse" and the "Webb-verse". It's not long before Spidey finds himself facing off against some strange characters that he doesn't know, but they somehow know him. Can Parker take on a multiverse, hopefully with some help from Doctor Strange? There's plenty more to it, but again, the spoilers are so much that I've even left several names out of the "Character Appearances" list. But all you really need to know here is that this is probably the 'Spider-Man' movie that 'Spidey' fans have been waiting for. This one is another piece of MCU history, in which Sony and Marvel actually made peace and said "let's work together, because fans deserve more than our rivalry". I don't pretend to know what this means for the future, entirely, but by the end of the movie you get a pretty good idea. It's hard to believe, but we're up to MCU title #27 now - already fourth in the series that follows 'The Infinity Saga'. I will admit that 'Black Widow' and 'Eternals' were a bit underwhelming, and 'Shang-Chi' was really good, but still playing with an "unknown". As soon as any aspect of this leaked, it was about getting the other ones out of the way - especially 'Eternals'; speaking for myself, there was never any real draw for that. But as soon as a trailer dropped showing us Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), we were discussing all of the possibilities that could be in this movie. Excitement for an MCU flick hadn't hit me that hard since 'Endgame'. There's honestly so much more I want to say about this, but still want to keep it as spoiler-free as possible. So, I'll say a few little things I appreciated about it that round the film out into sheer awesomesauce were use of effects and camerawork that add to the excitement of a story that is, indeed, very on-par with 'Spider-Man' comics we all know and love. I also really have to give it to the performances here! Things end up getting pretty damn dramatic, and I really think that some of these characters are absolutely in love with their respective roles. And the costume design here? *chef's kiss* BEAUTIFULLY DONE! Anyway, instead of rambling on and on about everything I loved about it, what about some criticism? I think any real criticism I do have about this movie amounts to personal nitpicks, and things I might have done differently if I were in charge. But I honestly went into this figuring there would be things I might not like about it. Again, sheer nitpicks on my part. As far as I'm concerned, this movie took the past 20 years of 'Spider-Man' and made a small 'Endgame' out of them. I had an amazing time with this, and sort of consider it an early Christmas present for us holding onto hope in these hard times. I have to sit on it for a little while, but we have a potential new personal fave as far as MCU movies go... MID-CREDIT SCENE: We see Sonyverse's Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) having a drink and chatting with a bartender about the MCU's events involving Thanos. This is briefly before he's sent back to his home dimension - without leaving the bartender a tip. POST-CREDIT SCENE: First look at 'Multiverse of Madness' 5/5 *To Be Edited in 2026  It might be kind of lame, but I have a tendency to keep track of this Marvel franchise as far as interests are concerned. For example - trailer that successfully got me the most hyped, 'Guardians 2', or 'Black Widow' being the only MCU movie I've missed on the big screen (thanks, Covid, ya dink). 'Eternals' here holds a personal record as well - longest I've waited to watch an MCU movie. I mean, here I am finally getting around to it two weeks after its release.
Personally, this one never really grabbed me with its trailers. It certainly doesn't help that 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' released its trailers that overshadowed this so hard that it practically disappeared. You might think because it's new, unfamiliar territory, but 'Guardians' definitely pulled me in with it's trailer, and it was the same deal. It also didn't really help that the Eternals all seemed to have some sort of ability I've seen before. For example, Ikaris is so Superman that they even have a gag about it in the movie. The basic difference is that Ikaris doesn't wear a cape. Anyway, we open this up by getting to know who the Eternals are. In 5000 BC, ten of them are sent to Earth to exterminate the "Deviants" - an invasive species that the Eternals are meant to protect humankind from in order for them to advance. Among the Eternals are *deep breath* leader, Ajak (Salma Hayek), star of the show, Sersi (Gemma Chan), the super powerful, flight-enabled Ikaris (Richard Madden), our (sort of) comedy relief, Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), who looks like Peter Pan and Tinkerbell's love child, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), a technological helper for humankind, the super speedy and deaf Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), the mind-controlling Druig (Barry Keoghan), the super strong Gilgamesh (Don Lee), and master fighter, Thena (Angelina Jolie). Sent by a Celestial named Arishem (David Kaye), the Eternals eventually carry out their mission of elimination by the year 1521. After that, they await Arishem's return for the next 500 years, divided on what exactly their role is now, especially with humankind. They all separate over varying opinions, but we soon find Sersi and Sprite living together in London, Sersi dating a human named Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) who... well, no spoilers, but if you wanna know, hit up that Google. The trio end up getting attacked by a Deviant named Kro (Bill Skarsgård... eventually), which ultimately brings Ikaris back into play, saving the trio. Now that Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite all know about the Deviants returning, they spend a good chunk of the movie "getting the band back together". Eventually we learn about the purpose behind the Eternals and Deviants constantly battling. This ends up dividing the Eternals even further over their differing beliefs and morals. All in all, it really does end up being a bit of a repeat of... "Thanosism?" and I think that's where the film really falters. The threat of Thanos and what he was gonna do was built up over so many movies while this provides a threat that's almost as big, and it does have to do with "thinning the numbers for the greater good". I don't think I minded this one as much as others, seeing as it's basically the lowest rated MCU movie out there right now. But I'm not trying to be in the 1% either. I liked a lot about this, including some of the action sequences, and visuals. As a spectacle, it worked very nicely in IMAX 3D, and it provided a sort of feast for the eyes, giving us things we may not have ever thought possible. Ever wonder what Galactus SHOULD have looked like in 'Rise of the Silver Surfer' way back when? Well, doors are certainly opening up here, and things are getting way more comic book-like. There actually was something I appreciated about it. But for me, the characters and overall story were all kind of weak. Character-wise, there wasn't really anyone here I totally got behind. I can say that I wasn't a fan of Sprite at all, but to say who I DID like is a bit beyond me. All of the good from this movie, at least for yours truly, came visually. It's a movie that makes a lot of things look really cool. But there's something so stiff about the acting here, and, as mentioned, I think the story is almost too much for a one-off movie. This felt more like something that should have been built up to. But with that said, if this AND 'Spidey' are any indication, we're probably about to get into some real superhero overload... yeah, even more than we already are. But I do feel like we're shifting from stale to fresh again. MID-CREDIT SCENE: We, along with Eternals Thena, Makkari and Druig, are Introduced to Eros, aka "Star Fox" and Pip the Troll, who offer their services. POST-CREDIT SCENE: Dane Whitman discovers the Ebony Blade, which hints at the Black Knight coming soon. Off-screen, we hear an unfamiliar voice ask if he's "really ready for it". 3/5 *To Be Edited in 2026  While 'Black Widow' is the film that officially launches "Phase 4" of the MCU, I tend to see it as a bit of a Prologue to Phase 4, just as 'Far From Home' was something I saw as an epilogue to 'End Game', which wrapped up what was pretty much a long, ten year-plus experiment where they kept coming out with history-making material for the cinema. It was a long journey, but it makes very little sense to stop when there's so much more to explore with Marvel's heroes.
'Shang-Chi' is where I would consider the official beginning of Phase 4, as 'Black Widow' acts as a flashback. Here again we have a wonderful example of Marvel introducing us to a pretty tertiary Marvel character, overall, and doing it really well. In my humble opinion, perhaps the best job they've done with an "unknown" since 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. Not to knock the others in the category, especially titles like 'Black Panther', but this is the most strongly I've felt personally about the introduction of a new hero (or group of heroes) in the MCU since then. I wasn't really hyped for this, due to unfamiliarity, and the trailers had me curious, but not chomping at the bit. This was especially due to the latest 'Spider-Man' trailer, which honestly made me want to skip over this and 'Eternals' and just get to it. Upon watching it, however, I am VERY happy that I didn't hold off. I can say with full confidence that this is easily one of my favourites of 2021, and it completely rinsed out any bad taste left behind by 'Black Widow' - a passable film, but perhaps too little too late, and underwhelming due to the overwhelming Covid problems surrounding it; including push-backs and, if you live where I live, it was Disney Plus only (for a cost) for quite a while. It now marks the only Marvel movie I have missed in theaters. By the way, if you have the means, and remain careful about it, this is definitely an experience for the big screen if you can manage it. Our story starts ages ago, a man named Xu Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) happens upon the Ten Rings - ten bracelet-like rings that give their user Godly abilities, and immortality. He soon establishes the Ten Rings organization, who spend time throughout history toppling governments and kingdoms. Come 1996, Wenwu begins searching for a village of mythical beasts known as Ta Lo where he would have the potential to expand his powers. He is, however, held back by the village guardian, Ying Li (Fala Chen) and the pair fall for each other; Li running off with Wenwu upon his rejection from the village. They eventually have Shang-Chi (Jayden Zhang, as a child) together, and soon Wenwu raises him as a fighter to eventually do battle with the Iron Gang. However, with other plans at 14, Shang-Chi (Arnold Sun, as teenager) runs off to San Francisco to live an average life, adopting the name "Shaun" (Simu Liu, as adult). When we first meet "Shaun", he's working a job, parking cars with his friend, Katy (Awkwafina). I give a massive kudos to the film for not making these two a couple, or romantic item in any way - just best friends. We get hints that there might be something there, but it's only what our imagination allows. It's always a breath of fresh air to see a man and a woman play our main protagonists and not have to think about anything lovey-dovey. They simply work and hang out together. But I digress. The bottom line is that we see them get attacked by the Iron Gang on a bus (during an amazing fight sequence, by the way). It seems they are after a pendant, given to him by his mother in the past. What they want with it, Shang-Chi doesn't know, but his sister, Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) has one too, so Shang-Chi and Katy travel to Macau in order to protect her. I already feel like I'm saying too much, so I'll cut to the chase. We do eventually learn what is wanted with these pendants, who exactly is after them and why. As things unfold, we are given some incredibly well-rendered mythical creatures, amazing fight sequences in interesting settings, a taste of Chinese culture, including a lot of use of the language. The whole thing is beautifully filmed, and things just sort of flow as it all unfolds. There was a certain sort of enchantment the film had on me. It really managed to "take me away" from my reality, and it was cool to be somewhat immersed in the culture. This was the most pleasant of surprises in recent film viewings, and I can only hope that 'Eternals' has some kind of similar effect... though for some reason I'm not holding my breath. MID-CREDIT SCENE: Shang-Chi and Katy follow Wong through a portal, in the middle of a meal out with friends. There, they are introduced to Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers who examine the Ten Rings' origin. Evidently, they act as some sort of beacon, but to what, remains a mystery. The pair are then told that their lives are about to be forever changed. POST-CREDIT SCENE: Xialing is shown as the new leader of the Ten Rings, despite having told Shang-Chi that she would disband the organization. Here, she treats men and women as equals in their training. 5/5 *To Be Edited in 2026  After a long year of waiting, 'Black Widow' finally has her own movie. But is this too little too late? After all, Marvel seemed to reach its peak with 'Endgame', add a nice epilogue with 'Far from Home', and it feels a bit like it's time to move on. Not to mention, the idea of a 'Black Widow' movie has been on Marvel fans minds since her first appearance in 'Iron Man 2'. Personally, I was actually fine with the film's timing due to a few things in the film, but I can also see the point when people claim it should have come right after 'Civil War' - which is incidentally when it takes place.
That's not before we delve into the past, and the intro to the film is a slice of origin, taking us back to 1995. In Ohio, we meet a surrogate family, starting with two young girls, Natasha Romanov (Ever Anderson) and Yelena Belova (Violet McGraw) who are enjoying their lives, having fun etc. That is until super soldier father figure, Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) enters the scene to warn his Black Widow wife, Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) that their time is short. The parental units take the girls on an "adventure" to escape the scene with some SHIELD intel successfully stolen. Arriving in Cuba, they rendezvous with their boss, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone) who then has Natasha and Yelena sent to the "Red Room" to be trained. The credits start, and the opening is actually pretty damn disturbing. As years pass, Romanoff eventually becomes an Avenger with a checkered history, as we all know, and we do get some answers as to what she did so wrong in her past. To add to that, the year is now 2016, and she is a fugitive on the run for violating the Sokovia Accords (see 'Civil War'). Meanwhile, Yelena stays a Black Widow, and discovers that the Red Room holds a pretty significant dark secret, while Shostakov is in a secluded Russian prison, and Vostokoff is living on a farm somewhere. Once discovering the Red Room's secret, Yelena attempts to coax Natasha to help in her own subtle way, which will ultimately mean helping other Widows and hopefully bringing down Dreykov and his Red Room antics. Meanwhile still, a villain known as the Taskmaster (uncredited) is sent onto the scene to retrieve something Natasha and Yelena are carrying. The idea for Taskmaster is really neat - he can simply mimic anything he sees. So for instance, watching a newsfeed of Captain America fighting allows him to use a shield as a weapon very efficiently. The thing is, if anyone has a problem with any part of the movie, it's probably going to be Taskmaster fans being wronged. From my perspective, I'm very unfamiliar with the character comic-wise, so didn't see a big problem with the character. But for fans? I can definitely seeing this being the equivalent of Deadpool showing up in 'Wolverine' looking like Baraka. All that aside, it's time to get down to my personal opinion on this. There was actually a lot I liked about it, but first let's mention the negatives. First, I find it a touch odd that they actually brought in a few horror elements to this with the opening credits. It's creepy enough, but soon you find out just what they did to these girls in the Red Room and it sounds like a living nightmare. To be fair, that is the point, but I wasn't sure I expected it to get that dark. I expected a bit more of a 'Dark Angel' scenario. But that's just being nit-picky on my part. Sometimes the action is a bit over the top for something you'd think would be more grounded, and going back to Taskmaster, I can see that being the biggest disappointment of the film. Like I said, however, I did like a lot about this. It's a solid girl power theme without being so in your face. I liked the introduction of some new characters, namely Yelena and Red Guardian. I thought that the performances were good, and despite some of the action being over the top, I enjoyed that it was a Marvel take on a bit more of a spy/espionage movie, which really hasn't been done yet. To me, this is Marvel's answer to the 'Mission: Impossible' films - very similar in style. In the end, I definitely liked it more than I disliked it, but I will admit that it's one of Marvel's lesser films. I might suggest continuing the wait and not feeding Disney that extra cash. POST-CREDIT SCENE: Set after Romanoff's death in 'Endgame', Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) shows Yuleena Belova her next target; Clint Barton, who she claims to be Natasha's killer. 3/5 |
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