James Review -Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)

 

Since the 20th century, across comics, literature, film and TV and video games, people young and old have been mesmerized by superheroes such as Captain America, Batman and Mr. Incredible. There are so many superhero characters with decades of stories behind them, but one superhero stands out among the bunch, created by Dav Pilkey in the 1990s and having starred in twelve books as well as a movie and a few animated TV series. And that superhero is Captain Underpants.

The gist is simple. Captain Underpants was an ordinary school principle named Mr. Krupp, who was grumpy and hated fun, then two kids, George and Harold, hypnotized him and he became the red-caped, underwear-clad crusader of justice Captain Underpants from the kids' homemade comics. Krupp becoming Captain Underpants eventually becomes more than just fun for George and Harold, especially when real bad guys start causing trouble, bad guys such as Professor Poopypants or the Talking Toilets. Produced by Dreamworks, the Captain Underpants movie released in 2017 and I've seen it a few times with my dad and it is wonderful and funny.

Dreamworks' movie adapts both the first Captain Underpants book, the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants and some elements of Attack of The Talking Toilets, covering Captain Underpants' beginnings, featuring Professor Poopypants as the film's main villain, and the ending sees Captain Underpants, George and Harold dealing with Talking Toilets after, spoilers, Poopypants is defeated and his toilet robot is dumped at a scrap yard with its toxic waste transforming a pile of toilets. Captain Underpants is a special kids' movie, full of juvenile potty humor that can fly over a child's head and is picked up by someone older, but it is still family-friendly. 

If anyone wants to see a kids' superhero story involving a superhero running around in his undies while fighting bad guys and you're looking for a laugh, Captain Underpants' books by Dav Pilkey are for you, along with this movie. The film is beautifully animated, full of wacky scenes, and most of the music is incredible. Mr. Krupp aka Captain Underpants is voiced by Ed Helms with George and Harold being voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch respectively, Helms shows range as Krupp and Underpants, emphasizing Krupp's stern, fun-hating demeanor which contrasts with Captain Underpants' playful, friendlier side. You can't go wrong with "tra-la-laaaaaaaa". And I rate this film 9 out of 9. Worth a watch, never boring for a moment.

-James M 

All-Star Superman -James. M's Review

 

Been some time since I covered something related to DC. Well, after going to the local comic book store recently, I got something that is worth a review. This is All-Star Superman, written in the 2000s, and said to be an influence behind James Gunn's Superman movie that is set to release in July of 2025 as of this writing.

As you all know, Superman has been one of DC's top superhero characters for decades, with many iconic stories under his belt. All-Star Superman is no exception, and I see how so many people love it. I read this for myself, and the story is incredible, just as the art is beautiful to the max. To make a long story short, the storyline sees Superman suffering from overexposure to the sun's energies, and, with the time he has left before he dies, he works to accomplish as much superhero work as possible. I won't spoil it, just in case you never read the comic, but this one is fantastic.

Grant Morrison pens All-Star Superman, and his writing is really impressive, you can tell so much effort was put into making this story and the dynamic between Kal-El and Lois Lane is one of the major highlights here. I love this so much, I wouldn't mind reading it again at some point. All twelve issues are gripping, and you feel for Superman with the state he's in. Even when he's dying, he never gives up being a hero, and he will always help someone in need. 

That's all I got to say, folks. Take care, and help others whenever you can.

-James M

Marvel Monday -X Men (2000) review

 

Hello, true believers. Welcome to Marvel Monday, and today, we're going to be discussing an iconic superhero movie. Nearly 25 years ago, before we got Sam Rami's Spider-Man trilogy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20th Century Fox put out something unforgettable. We're talking about X-Men, which brought Marvel's world-famous mutant team to the big screen along with Wolverine.

Little interesting story, my parents and I first saw this in 2020 and I barely sat through the whole film b/c I was having sleep issues at the time. Later, I rewatched it and sat through all of X-Men without having any sleeping issues whatsoever. So, what do I think of this nearly 25-year-old superhero movie that helped cement the superhero craze?

Well, I really like it. From the musical score, to the action, and the cast. Hugh Jackman, an Australian actor, nails Wolverine, and Patrick Stewart, known for playing Captain Picard in Star Trek, makes for a good Professor X. Oh, and James Marsden as Cyclops is a cool little treat, not to mention you can never go wrong with Ian McKellen as Magneto, he was incredible. The film's story is gripping as it brings you into the world of the X-Men, where people with special abilities face scrutiny along with many other hardships, and the focus is on both Wolverine and a young girl named Rogue.

Magneto serves as the primary villain of the movie, and, light spoilers, his motivations are driven by the traumatic suffering he endured at the hands of the Nazis as a young boy. Yep, he lived through World War II, and the events of the Holocaust drove him to become the extremist that Magneto is today. Ian was the right pick for the role, and I can hardly imagine anyone else playing him, at least for now. I won't spoil the rest of the story, especially as there are those who haven't seen the rest yet.

9/10. In my fairest opinion, X-Men is one of those superhero movies that is legendary for its time, and it deserves a chance from newcomers in the Marvel fandom. Good luck, and make sure you see the other movies.

Hope to see you on Marvel Monday again soon.

-James M

Watchmen (1986) comic review -by James M

 

For decades, superheroes have been beloved by the public in pop culture. And yet, one rarely asks the question; "What if superheroes were real?"

There have been a handful of stories that answer the question, and one of them was published by the company that produced the likes of Superman and Batman. In 1986, with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, DC Comics produced WATCHMEN, a story set in an alternate world where costumed superheroes were thriving before being outlawed with only one individual having superpowers. This one is real dark and gritty, and risqué, so, if anyone wants to read it, be warned, you may be diving into mature territory.

So, allow me to summarize Watchmen's story.

In the late 1930s, costumed heroes rose up to fight crime and protect the innocent, inspired by comic book superheroes, leading to the formation of superhero groups such as the Minutemen and, later, the Watchmen. Years later, the government has outlawed superheroes, with a few individuals like Doctor Manhattan and The Comedian still working for the government while a mysterious man named Rorschach strikes out on his own against the scum of the world. In 1985, the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union is reaching its peak as The Comedian is murdered, setting in motion a mysterious plot that will forever change a world on the brink of nuclear war.

I discovered this comic after discovering the existence of the 2009 Zack Snyder film a couple years back (and after being informed of it by an old friend on Twitter). And, having watched the motion comic version on YouTube and, after reading it for myself on READ COMICS ONLINE while watching videos on it and finding information about this story across different websites, I will say, Watchmen is one heck of a story.

Well before this comic was written, superhero comics, and comics in general, were mostly for kids. However, the game changed in the 1980s with the likes of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Killing Joke being published, along with Watchmen. Times had changed, comics weren't just for younger audiences anymore. Watchmen examines the superhero genre, and offers a look into a world where superheroes are real, offering an alternate universe where events played out differently. In fact, while America lost the Vietnam War in our world, in Watchmen, we won the war. And yet, the existence of superheroes in this alternate world doesn't advert the Cold War period between the US and the Soviet Union.

Written by Alan Moore, WATCHMEN has some colorful artwork and engaging dialogue, but do not let the gorgeous coloring fool you, especially as this comic was not intended for younger readers. At best, Watchmen is aimed at ages 17 and up. And yet, if you like alternate history and want to see a world where superheroes are real, this one is basically for you. To be honest, I would give WATCHMEN a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and perhaps we should be fortunate superheroes don't exist in our world.

Thank you for joining me today, people, and take care of yourselves. Merry Christmas.

James' Review of SUPERHERO MOVIE (2008)

 

Ah, superhero movies. The greatest of our time, right next to sci-fi space adventures and war movies. You've seen Marvel movies, and DC movies, but to see a superhero movie that isn't associated with those two is quite rare. And then, we have the parodies, especially the Movie movie stuff.

2008 was a big year for superhero films. Iron Man came out, kicking off the MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE, alongside THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and then, there was THE DARK KNIGHT, the sequel to 2005's BATMAN BEGINS. And, among the many other superhero films, there's this movie...

SUPERHERO MOVIE.

Made by the same folks who made the SCARY MOVIE, er, movies, SUPERHERO MOVIE is a spoof of the pre-MCU Marvel films that were out at the time with some elements of DC. It spoofed Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men, and you get the idea. The movie tells the story of Peter Parker parody Rick Riker, who gets bit by a dragonfly and, after being in a coma for five days, he learns that he has super powers. After his uncle, a parody of Uncle Ben, gets shot, Rick becomes the superhero Dragonfly and fights injustice. Before long, he is battling the threat of HOURGLASS, an obvious Green Goblin parody, who is ought to drain the life force of almost everyone in the city to sustain himself.

Drake Bell plays Rick Riker, who is based on Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man from the Sam Rami trilogy with a bit of Christian Bale's Batman from BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT, and, like Peter, he's a high-school student with a crush on a girl who is his neighbor and lives with his aunt and uncle. Fun fact, years after the movie's release, Drake actually went on to voice Spider-Man himself in the Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Heroes.

Now, this movie is really, really crazy, and not just for being a spoof of Spider-Man and the other Marvel (and DC)-related movies. Throughout the film, you'll be encountering sex jokes and bathroom jokes galore. And for crying out loud, the reason Rick gets bit by a dragonfly is because his bully pushed him on top of animal dung and he tried to wash off the stain with some liquid that attracted a bunch of animals to the kid (complete with a dog humping his leg). The film is crazy for sure, but I don't think too much of things like blood, violence, swearing, sex jokes and I'm twenty-five years old!

Anyways, if you wanna watch a funny superhero movie and you're into juvenile humor, go ahead and watch, well, SUPERHERO MOVIE. Its an 8, and it can be fun, but don't expect to see Wolverine do any hero stuff. And by the way, light spoilers, the Uncle Ben parody survives, and its the Aunt May-type character who dies, which kind of predicted that Aunt May would get killed off in a Spider-Man movie years later.

Be safe out there.

-James M

James M's review of SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1994)

 

Face front, true believers. 

It's your old friend, and I'm here with a review of the Spider-Man show that ran from 1994 to 1998. Recently, me and dad finished watching the show, and it was gorgeous for it's time. You can never go wrong with a fun superhero cartoon about the adventures and heroics of Peter Parker as Spider-Man, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes.

The show ran for five seasons before it was cancelled after the Spider-Wars two parter, which ended up serving as the grand finale to the overall show, and it was the last time anyone saw this version of Peter before he made a triumphant return in X-Men 97. Yeah, this show shares a universe with the other 90s Marvel shows such as Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, basically the original Marvel Cinematic Universe before 2008's Iron Man.

Okay, quick little summary of the series. 

After getting bit by a radioactive spider and losing Uncle Ben when someone broke into the house, Peter becomes the superhero Spider-Man and fights against crime, also leading to some complications with his personal life. As Spider-Man, he battles the likes of Scorpion, the Lizard, Kingpin, Doc Ock, Hobgoblin, Morbius, and various other villains. In his regular life, Peter works at the Daily Bugle and lives with Aunt May. Oh, and he gets a girlfriend in Mary Jane later on... until she falls into a portal during a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.

Following this, Peter has a sort of relationship with the Black Cat aka Felicia Hardy, and, eventually, MJ comes back, but it turns out she was a clone. In the show's third season, Peter meets Madame Web, who tests him, which leads to many scenarios, including one from the comics where Spider-Man meets a terminally ill kid. 

In the final season of the show, Peter teams up with Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and Storm of the X-Men, a team he met earlier in the show, to fight against Doctor Doom and other villains on a desolate planet. This leads into the two-part finale, which is basically Into The Spider-Verse before we get Into The Spider-Verse, as Peter teams up with variants of himself to save the multiverse from Spider-Carnage. Long story short, the heroes saved all of reality.

For a show in the 90s, Spider-Man is well-animated, with plenty of 2D animation and an occasional inclusion of 3D animation, and no superhero project would be complete without any action and there is a lot of action sequences throughout the series with plenty of high stakes at times. As for the other characters, no offense to JK Simmons, but Ed Asner as Mr. Jameson is really good. The soundtrack kicks butt as well, and when the music kicks in during an action scene, that's when you know things get very serious.

 I say this would be my favorite show yet, and, despite certain issues in some areas, Spider-Man (1994) deserves a lovely 10/10. Oh, and if you don't know, Peter DID find MJ. How and where? We don't know. See you next time, true believers.

-James M

James M's review of Fantastic Four (2005) and Rise of The Silver Surfer (2007)

 

Hi, it's me, here to review FANTASTIC FOUR from 2005.

Before we start, I have quite the interesting relationship with this movie as this was the first live-action superhero film I ever watched, the first Marvel movie I saw, and one of the first PG-13 rated movies I ever watched. Heck, the first time I watched it in 2009, I was sick and was reading the novelization for the film with my mom at the time.

Okay, so what is the story behind this film?

Starring Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman, Chris Evans (the future Captain America) as the Human Torch and Michael Chiklis as The Thing, Fantastic Four sees Reed Richards and Ben Grim preparing for a space mission with Victor Von Doom, Sue Storm, and her brother Johnny. During the mission, a solar storm hits ahead of when Reed and Victor initially predicted it and the whole crew is drastically affected by it.

After returning to Earth, everyone appears normal, until the effects of the storm kick in as Johnny bursts into flame harmlessly during a skiing trip, Sue turns invisible, Reed stretches his hand, Ben mutates into rock, and Victor starts to develop metal under his skin. The rock monster that was Ben tries to talk to his girlfriend, only to scare her off, and travels to a bridge, which becomes the site of a traffic accident.

Reed, Sue, and Johnny, who come to the bridge looking for Ben, wind up performing heroic acts along with the rocky Ben and earn the respect of the public with the group being called the Fantastic Four. Reed starts running tests on the group while trying to figure out a cure, and Victor, discovering how bad his infection is, begins a path that leads to villainy.

Usually, I go further and talk about the last act of the film, but its easier to stop in case some of you haven't seen this. Anyways. I have watched FANTASTIC FOUR multiple times and it's really incredible. Fun fact, this was the SECOND Fantastic Four movie adaptation if you count the unreleased 1994 film, which I will watch at some point. The casting for this movie was decent along with all the action, the music, and the writing. 10/10, and I will give this film more credit. Without FANTASTIC FOUR, I wouldn't be a Marvel fan.

How about we discuss RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER a little?

Okay. Firstly, at the time of this writing, this film is one of the only PG-rated live-action Marvel movies in existence. A PG-rated superhero film is rare these days, you only get either PG-13 or R-rated superhero content. And a little interesting fact, my dad asked me if I wanted to see this at one point when I was a kid and I initially objected. Usually, when I say 'no', I'm not interested, but this was also because I hadn't seen the first film yet.

Rise of the Silver Surfer is the last film in the original Fantastic Four series and the last time we saw this incarnation of the FF, until Chris Evans recently reprised his role as Johnny in a freaking Deadpool film. *spoilers* Okay, so let's talk the story of the movie here.

Taking place after the first FANTASTIC FOUR, Reed and Sue are preparing for their wedding when a cosmic entity known as the Silver Surfer appears and craters start to pop up across the world. As the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm unfolds, everything goes south when the Silver Surfer pops by. Now, the Fantastic Four have to face the new threat, unaware that there is more to the Surfer than meets the eye, and reluctantly team up with Doctor Victor Von Doom.

Now for my honest thoughts.

Rise of the Silver Surfer is an interesting and kind of fun movie. The soundtrack is wonderful to listen to, and even with the PG-rating, the stakes are high even though you have to wonder why the heck they aimed for a PG instead of a PG-13. Either way, RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER delivers something engaging and worth a watch on many levels. We may not have gotten more projects set in this continuity, despite certain plans as evidenced by a mid-credits scene, but this film was a decent send-off for Reed, Sue, and their friends, even with many loose threads like Doctor Doom's fate.

9.6/10. Fox is a fine studio, and Chris Evans is my favorite superhero movie actor.

-James M

James M's review of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

 

Greetings, Bat-fans.

Well, this is it. 

After seven years and two movies, we've reached the end of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale, the series of Batman movies that brought the Dark Knight himself back to his darker roots and reinvigorated Batman for a new generation of audiences in an era where superhero movies were on the rise in popularity. 

And THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, our movie we are covering, came out in the same year as THE AVENGERS, the very film that really ensured the superhero craze that is still going on to this day.

Following the battle with The Joker and Harvey Dent/Two Face's death in THE DARK KNIGHT, Batman faces his greatest trial yet when Bane arrives in Gotham City to destroy it. The battle pushes the Dark Knight and his allies almost to the breaking point with Bane and his goons taking control of the city and threatening it with destruction, even Batman's taken out of commission for a time.

But in the end, Batman gets back up and Gotham rises up against its oppressors. And after a long-fought battle, Bane is defeated and Gotham is saved with it's dark protector seemingly sacrificing himself until Alfred discovers later that Bruce is still alive and has hooked up with Silena Kyle aka Catwoman, a perfect ending to a decently-made trilogy.

What else can I say about the movie? 

Christian Bale's acting was the best part of the film alongside Michael Caine's portrayal of Bruce's butler, even Gary Oldman nailed it as Commissioner Gordon. And you could say this was Tom Hardy's first comic book movie role, playing Bane, almost six years before he played the role of Eddie Brock/Venom.

The action in this movie is perhaps the most well put together in any action movie, especially superhero films. You gotta love the fight choreography as well as the musical score and how well the tone is handled with the story, you can feel suspense at nearly every turn to a point where you're worried about the future of Gotham by the end. I wasn't worried, I knew that our heroes would be fine.

Is there potential for more stories set in this universe?

Maybe, but for now, let the Nolan-verse version of Batman and his crew have their happy ending. However, rumor has it that Bale's Batman may show up in THE FLASH, which is coming out in 2023 and will be about exploring the multiverse. Michael Keaton's version of Batman is coming back, so why can't Christian Bale's version of Batman make his return as well?

Overall, this trilogy, along with so many other superhero films and film trilogies, is the best one yet. This film deserves the love it got at the time and I say the score is a ten out of ten just as the entire trilogy deserves that big old 10/10. Mr. Nolan, you were amazing. And Bale, congratulations on playing your role in making Batman a dark hero again.

Now, we rest.

-James M

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) -Movie Review by James M

 

Greetings to all of the true believers out there, we're diving further into the Spider-verse again with another Spider-Man movie. But this time, we're not in the live action realm, its the animation realm...WITH SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE!

Released by Sony and Marvel in late 2018 with the screenplay handled by Phil Lord, INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE focuses on the journey and struggle of Miles Morales (played by Shameik Moore) when he gets bit by a spider and has to navigate the ropes of becoming Spider-Man while teaming up with an alternate universe Peter Parker Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen and other Spider people to stop the corrupt Kingpin's plans before the multiverse collapses due to Kingpin's machinations.

You could say this is where the multiverse craze started, thanks to the success of Into The Spider-Verse, as we're getting a Flash movie about the multiverse and the MCU has been delving into the multiverse in certain projects set in the aftermath of Infinity War/Endgame. 

Even SEGA is distributing Sonic Prime, a Sonic cartoon about Sonic exploring the Shatterverse multiverse. Even though multiverse stories have been going on for years, Spider-Verse started the new multiverse craze.

We saw this film eleven months before the release of Spider-Man No Way Home (after we started hearing rumblings of the multiverse being involved with the movie) and, let me tell you, this movie is a blast. Into The Spider-Verse is perhaps one of the most beautifully made superhero movies and one of the best animated films ever, not to mention its a super cool animated superhero film.

In regards to it being PG rated instead of being PG-13, that's fine, even though PG rated superhero movies and action films are very rare these days. Regardless, the writing of this movie is simple and fun, just like the characters and the action pieces of the movie. Even the animation style is beyond gorgeous, the writers had a blast making this and even the voice actors seemed to be having a lot of fun playing their respective roles.

SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is a fun ride with a lot of beautiful nods and Easter Eggs related to Spider-Man's long history, it is also a wonderful tribute to the late Stan Lee, who makes one of his last cameos in the movie and briefly voices J. Jonah Jameson. Stan died shortly before the movie came out, but hearing him here one final time is heartwarming, knowing that his legacy will live on.

The movie was so well-received and successful, its getting a sequel that is finally coming out in late 2022. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (which will be divided into two parts) will continue where Into The Spider-Verse left off and explore the multiverse even further. The final post-credits scene is even humorous as it involves Spider-Man 2099 visiting the 1967 Spider-Man universe, leading to the pointing finger meme and popularizing it to full meme popularity once again. 

After seeing this baby twice and thinking about how fantastic it is, I will gladly give Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse a sweet 9.8/10. May this movie be remembered as one of the best made superhero movies and I wish the crew behind this film good luck with the sequel and future superhero movies in the years to come. See you later, true believers.

-James M

James M's Review of Batman Forever (1995)

 

Let us take a moment, shall we? The year is 1992 and the sequel to the 1989 Batman movie has come out, it is well received and all seems fine, but then as the reviews come in, there is an uproar from parents that the movie is too dark. So, with those complaints, how do you remedy the problem?

Simple, you try to be less dark in the next movie. It is 1995, three years have passed since Tim Burton's Batman Returns and a new movie is coming. This time, its lighter but still intense. Michael Keaton has been replaced by Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey is playing the Riddler and the new movie is BATMAN FOREVER!

Welcome back in the year of 2022, my friends. After reviewing the first two Batman movies, we're now delving into the movie that followed, my first true live-action Batman movie viewing. As you can see, its Batman Forever. So, what is it about?

Directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever sees the Dark Knight take on Two-Face (who is played by Men In Black's Tommy Lee Jones) while being challenged by Edward Nygma aka The Riddler and ends up taking on an unlikely sidekick in the form of young acrobat Richard "Dick" Grayson after Two-Face kills the young man's family and Batman starts to form a romantic bond with psychiatrist Doctor Meridian Chase (played by Nicole Kidman), who eventually figures out that he is Bruce Wayne.

I saw this movie a good year and a half before seeing the first two Batman movies and, what are my overall thoughts on this one, good friends?

To be frankly honest, it doesn't matter what the critics said back then. Even with the overall tone being lighter than the first two, Batman Forever is actually quite good and engaging. Val Kilmer was impressive and Jim Carrey really did steal every scene he was in as the Riddler, he was so full of energy and still is today. This is perhaps one of my new favorite Jim Carrey movies, even if Mr. Carrey is not the main character of BATMAN FOREVER.

Almost every action scene is nicely shot and put together, the musical score is moving and there's plenty of good moments here and there, such as the scene at the start when Batman tells Alfred he'll get drive through in response to the butler inquiring him to take a sandwich. According to some YouTube reviewers, this scene felt like it was made for a fast food commercial promoting Batman. Superhero movies had some crazy moments then and they still can now, no matter what tone they have.

Mr. Lee Jones did a fine job playing Two Face, showing that he's quite good with his various roles, and he hammed it home in the circus scene when he started acting like a crazy evil circus announcer at one point when Two-Face and his goons hijacked everything and took over the show. Tommy Lee Jones captured the villain's personality well, making him very crazy dangerous just as Two Face is meant to be. Even without the split personality disorder his canon self has, this version of Two-Face is a blast.

Overall, despite certain issues the film may have, Batman Forever is a fun chapter in Batman's history that's worth a watch. If you're a fan of Jim Carrey, you will not want to miss this. If you're a fun-loving Batman nerd looking for some fun 90s goodness, this is a film for you. Batman Forever gets a nine, I look forward to re-watching this sometime soon and remember this as one of my favorites...

See you next time, good friends.

-James M

James M's review of Spider Man 3 (2007)

 

Hello and welcome back, true believers. Today, we return to the Spider-realm to review the final entry in the original Spider-Man film series; Spider-Man 3 directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Hayden Church, Topher Grace, J.K Simmons, James Franco and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Released in 2007 a good few years after Spider Man 2, this movie served as the final entry in the Spider-Man trilogy and received mixed reviews while still a box office success. It was also the live action debut of Spider-Man's symbiote rival Venom (who'd made his debut in the 90s in the comics and cartoons beforehand). Initially, Sam Raimi wasn't going to include Venom in the movie, but Producer Avi Arid and the higher-ups at Sony made him do so.

So, what is the story about? Lets keep it short and simple.

Well after Spider-Man 2, Peter's life seems to be going smoothly for him, especially now that he finally has Mary Jane as his girlfriend and is about to propose to her. However, things shift when Uncle Ben's real killer Flint Marko breaks out of prison and becomes the Sandman before causing trouble.

Then Peter's friend Harry becomes the next Green Goblin and attempts to kill Peter, only to lose his memories after an injury and then gets them back later before ruining Peter and MJ's relationship, which gets strained after MJ sees Peter kiss Gwen Stacy as Spider-Man during a ceremony in his honor. 

As all of that is happening, Peter bonds with a symbiote that came down on an asteroid and gets a black suit. But when Peter realizes what is going on as its changing him, he gets rid of the symbiote suit and the creature known as Venom bonds with a journalist named Eddie Brock, who then teams up with Sandman to kidnap Mary Jane and try to kill Peter. Peter teams up with Harry and they defeat the bad guys, but the battle comes at the cost of Harry's life while Peter reconnects with MJ.

So, what do I think of the movie?

Its not that bad as people think it is, Spider-Man 3 is quite good and ends the trilogy off on a good note to an extent. Had Spider-Man No Way Home not happened, this would've been the last time we ever got to see Tobey Maguire's version of Spider-Man. Spider Man 4 was meant to happen at some point, but due to issues between Sam Raimi and Sony, it never happened and thus Spider Man 3 is the final one. After this movie, we would get the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man films, which we'll talk about later.

Overall, the action sequences are well created, the acting is decent and the musical score's perhaps the best of the best in this film. The tone was fine as well, it knew how to be light-hearted and when to be serious. The CGI and special effects were very good too, Sandman looks spectacular and Spider-Man's swinging through the city is still phenomenal. I salute Raimi's team.

Spider-Man 3 gets an 8.5 out of 10, now I say farewell. See you next time in another universe...

James M's review of Batman (1989)

Greetings, fellow movie viewers and superhero nerds. Welcome back to the superhero-verse where we once again discuss something related to DC and its brooding Dark Knight known as Batman. But its no crossover film or a comic we're discussing, its one of the biggest blockbusters of the 20th century, a piece of classic 80s cinema. That's right, we're talking about... BATMAN!

However, this is not the Dark Knight's first live-action project, Batman got a TV series of his own way back in the 1940s known as Batman & Robin with the caped crusader played by Robert Lowey. Almost a few decades later, we got the 1966 show BATMAN (which was a campy and more light-hearted take on the Dark Knight) starring Adam West and that spawned a made-for-TV movie.

It wouldn't be for another decade and a half until a true Batman movie came to life, one that paid respects to the Dark Knight's roots with the well-known Tim Burton at the helm. Today, we're here to discuss Batman 1989 (or just Batman), starring Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight and Jack Nicholson as the Batman's crazy nemesis The Joker (aka Jack Napier).

And for those who saw the campy 1960s show hoping for something fun on the same level as the old show, you're out of luck. This movie is rated PG-13 and it pushes it in many ways possible as it returns Batman to his dark and serious roots with lots of action, even The Joker is downright scary as he is meant to be. Tim Burton did not pull any punches, especially when he gave this film his own flavor.

Jack Nicholson, who was already known for certain movies like THE SHINING at the time, really sold it as the menacing Clown Prince of Crime, making him somewhat faithful to how The Joker is portrayed in the comics. Once you've seen what he does, that's when its clear you're no longer in the 1960s era of Batman. From here on out, its dark and gritty territory from here.

Michael Keaton handles the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman very well, playing the seemingly normal rich businessman and the black-clad protector of Gotham. He sells it well, especially when the character is thinking of his parents and what he went through that dark night in the alleyway when the man who would become The Joker killed Thomas and Martha Wayne.

That's right, the one who shot and killed Bruce Wayne's parents in this continuity is The Joker. Usually, in traditional Batman stories, its a regular small-time criminal named Joe Chill who does the deed, but having The Joker be the one pulling the trigger is one heck of a twist with Joe Chill being an accomplice of the man who'd later become the clown prince of crime.

For its time, Batman 1989 is an unforgettable experience and an incredible piece of 1980s cinema, especially at a time when the superhero genre wasn't as big as it was now. The musical score (some of which is heard in the LEGO Batman games) is well conducted, even the cinematography, special effects and scenery are fantastic. Heck, Gotham City itself looks amazing in several shots.

Tim Burton and his crew did their best, making sure that Batman '89 was the best it could be and the film was both a critical and financial success, leading to the sequel Batman Returns. 

The action scenes are very decently choreographed and the makeup department worked hard to ensure that Jack Nicholson resembled the character of The Joker very well. Even the tone of the movie has a well-found balance between dark and serious and lighthearted when its time to breathe between intense scenes.

Overall, Batman (1989) is a good experience from start to finish with the finest acting and casting choices in Hollywood history, good cinematography and a story that stays true to the core of what Batman is all about. My score for this film is a 10/10, if anyone has time, go watch this movie. I really had fun seeing it, so did my parents and everyone else. Now, I take my leave.

Good night to you all, fans of the Dark Knight.

-CVGWJames

James M's review of DC's Flashpoint

Hi, nerds. James M here and we're back to review a big DC story, FLASHPOINT!

While I was visiting the local comic book store many suns and moons ago, I had the time to purchase the DC graphic novel containing all the issues in the storyline known as Flashpoint by DC Comics. After that, I read the entire comic and it was a treasure to read. The comic was nicely constructed and the storyline was well written and is respectable, the folks at DC gave us quite the deep story.

Then, just recently (as of this), I had the time to watch the Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox movie and it is incredible. So, what's Flashpoint about? 

Its story's simple really: The Flash aka Barry Allen travels through time via the Speed Force and tries to stop his mother's death, but his actions cause history to change, leading to an alternate timeline where Bruce Wayne dies as a boy and his father Thomas becomes Batman, Kal El/Superman's Kryptonian ship crashes in Metropolis and destroys the city and the world is torn apart by a war between Atlantis and the Amazons of Themyscira led by Aquaman and Wonder Woman respectively.

Once The Flash realizes what's going on, he teams up with Bat Thomas/Thomas Wayne as Batman to defeat his nemesis Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom, stop the war and fix the timeline. After Professor Zoom is killed by Batman while battling Flash, The Flash breaks the time barrier and manages to stop himself from saving his mother, restoring the timeline but creating the new 52 Universe in the process.

Now that you know the story, what is the consensus around it?

Well, its a very good story. It may be dark, but it is nothing that anybody can't handle. If you're a fan of sci-fi and superheroes, this is for you. If you're familiar with Flash, Batman and the rest of the DC universe, you're in for a big ride.

The Flashpoint storyline took place in 2011 and has gone on to become an iconic story since then. Two years later, the people at Warner Bros put together an animated movie adaptation known as Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. The movie follows the storyline of the comic but also takes creative liberties with how the story is presented, even the way Thomas Wayne Batman kills Professor Zoom is different from how it was originally presented.

In the comic, Batman stabs Professor Zoom with a spear (I think) and, in the movie, he straight up shoots him in the head while he's taunting Flash. Either way, this version of Batman did help save the world (and the universe) since The Flash had trouble battling Professor Zoom due to him siphoning off Flash's Speed Force.

I saw the movie very recently and its quite good, I suggest that you watch it. But just a heads up, the movie is rated PG-13. By that, I mean HARD PG-13. The movie pushes the rating with the action, especially when blood is shown. 

That's right, the movie has blood in it. 

But thankfully, its not too bad and its not like super R rated gore with guts and brains spilling everywhere. However, it doesn't change the fact that the way Thomas kills Reverse Flash is, of course, brutal. We hear the gunshot and see Reverse Flash standing with shock, his eyes wide as blood trickles down his face and we see Batman with the gun through the hole in Zoom's head before the Anti-Flash drops dead.

Ignoring all that, Flashpoint and Flashpoint Paradox are fun stories worth reading and seeing for any DC fan or any Superhero fan in general. I give the comic an 8 and the movie gets a 9.5.

Assuming you all have time, find a copy of the Flashpoint graphic novel and, if you have an HBO subscription and you find the Flashpoint movie on there, watch it. You will be in for a fun ride and you will not be left feeling bitter disappointment or grief. That is all I have to say today, so be safe out there.

-CVGWJames

James Reviews: Spider-Man (1967)

 

Welcome back, dear true believers and Marvel nerds.  Time for us to wind back the clock to a decade that seems to be popular for pure cheese at its finest when it comes to TV shows and movies. But out of all the cheesy things to come from the 60s, we're looking at something amazing, something that is so iconic it will never be forgotten. 

I'll clue you in, who has radioactive blood and spins a web?

The answer: SPIDER-MAN!

Oh yes, we're talking about the 1967 animated series based off the Marvel comic and superhero known as Spider-Man, starring the late Paul Soles as the voice of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.

Right off the bat, each episode kicks off with an amazing theme tune that has gone on to become very iconic with Spider-Man history to this day and is considered Spider-Man's theme now and then. C'mon, who doesn't love the lyrics; /Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Does whatever a spider can, spins a web any size. Catches thieves, just like flies. Look out, here comes the Spider-Man./

If you want to hear the full song, the link is here in this review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z8N9TTvKeQ

Airing from, of course, 1967 to the year 1970, SPIDER-MAN ran for three seasons and each episode saw the web-slinger battling a variety of foes who originated from the comics or were created for the show . And often depicted Peter working for the Daily Bugle ran by none other than lovable, near-unlikable Hitler-mustached loudmouth J. Jonah Jameson.

My father saw this show years ago and we eventually sat down together to see some episodes during our days together in 2021, and, for a TV series with a decades-long legacy, Spider-Man 1967 is quite decent. The animation is smooth and the voice actors put a lot of effort into this one. My first episode of the show just happened to be the one where Spider-Man ended up in a jail hospital and tricks a band of criminals in order to get out of the hands of the police. 

It was dad who suggested that we see it, even though I didn't hold any interest in it then. But after that, the seeds for us watching the show were planted and we watched almost every single episode of it on Dailymotion and on YouTube. Having seen Spider-Man 1967, I can see why countless Marvel fans like this so much and why the internet makes memes out of this.

Paul Soles brought a wonderful Spider-Man/Peter Parker voice to the table and this man is unforgettable. He's almost like the Adam West of Spider-Man actors, except he's a voice actor for an animated Spider-Man and Adam West was the second live-action Batman after the 40s show.

My overall thoughts on Spider-Man 1967?

Its one of the best pieces of media to come from the 1960s and is a part of superhero media history, Spider-Man is worth watching and people should know about this cheesy part of Spider Man's long history in the multiverse of media. My score for this is a 9/10, cheesiness is so yummy. Thank you all for tuning in and have a great day, be safe out there, true believers...

-James. M

Guest Post -James M's review of Spider-Man 2 (2004)

 

Welcome back, good friends. Today, we're here to review the sequel to the 2002 Spider-Man film, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, released in 2004 over two years later.

Lets dive in, shall we?

Story time!

Sometime after the events of the first movie, Peter Parker is struggling to balance his life as a normal person and as Spider-Man, the latter part happens to be causing him issues too. At the start of the film, he works as a pizza delivery guy and is tasked with making a delivery, but he ends up arriving at his destination late when he saves some kids in the street as Spider-Man. 

Peter gets fired from his pizza job and ends up facing issues at the Daily Bugle too when Mr. Jameson seemingly fires him as well for getting pictures of other things unrelated to Spider-Man. Peter tells Jameson that Spider Man won't let him take any more pictures as he, Jameson, has turned the whole city against him. "That I'm proud of." Mr. Jameson says smugly. Peter then relents and gives him a picture of himself as Spider Man.

When Peter arrives at Aunt May's place that evening, he finds Mary Jane and Harry there with May as they're preparing to rejoice his birthday. Peter and Harry talk and Harry, who is now the head of Oscorp following the death of his father Norman in the previous movie, offers to introduce him to Doctor Otto Octavius, which Peter accepts as he will be writing a paper on him. After a chat with MJ outside and learning that she's seeing someone else, Peter talks with Aunt May, who gives him some money.

He heads back to his place of residence, a rundown apartment, where his landlord Mr. Ditkovich is demanding for rent. "If promises were crackers, my daughter would be fat." Ditkovich says jokingly when Peter makes a promise related to the rent.

Harry soon introduces Peter to Doctor Octavius, who reveals that he knows Peter's college science class teacher Doctor Connors and tells Peter, "Intelligence is not a gift, its a privilege, you can use it for the good of mankind." Otto then reveals he's preparing to do a fusion reactor experiment and Peter gladly accepts the invitation to see his work the following day.

That night, while on his way to see one of Mary Jane's plays, things don't go as planned for Peter as he has to suit up as Spider-Man to catch some criminals. As he pursues the bad guys, Peter suddenly loses his powers for a while. He manages to get to the theater where MJ is having her play, but the usher (played by Bruce Campbell) dismisses him due to Peter being late.

A day later, Peter attends Otto's experiment with Harry and many others, watching as the doctor reveals one of his inventions; a set of mechanical arms that are heat-resistant that attach to his back and have an inhibitor chip to prevent the arms from controlling Otto's mind. The experiment seems to go well, but then a spike happens with the fusion reactor and things go south quickly. 

During the chaos, Otto's wife Rosie is killed by a shard of glass and Otto's chip is damaged. Peter suits up as Spider-Man and saves Harry's life while shutting down the machine before it can do any further harm. Otto is rushed to a hospital, where he wakes up and attacks a group of doctors with his mechanical arms. Afterwards, he fleas to a pier where he starts planning to redo the experiment as the arms begin corrupting his mind.

When Mr. Jameson hears of what happened, he decides to name the new villain as Doctor Octopus aka Doc Ock (while taking credit for his assistant Hoffman's suggestion). Jameson reprimands Peter for not getting any pictures of the incident at Otto's lab and then tells him that he's needed to fill in for a high-society photographer at the local planetarium for a party in honor of his astronaut son. When Peter asks if Jameson will pay him in advance, Jameson just laughs.

"Pay you for what, standing there?" He asks, "Tomorrow night, eight o clock, there's the door."

Peter joins Aunt May at the bank as she's trying to get some money in an attempt to prevent her house from being foreclosed, but the visit takes a turn when Doctor Octopus arrives to steal some money. Peter heads off to suit up and returns as Spider-Man, a battle unfolds inside the bank and Doc Ock kidnaps Aunt May during the fight. 

Doc Ock and Spider Man's fight continues in the city outside and Peter manages to save Aunt May, who helps in return by hitting Doc Ock with her cane right before he can land an attack on Peter. Doc Ock gets away and Peter accepts Aunt May's thanks before heading off with her unaware as to who is under that mask.

That night, Peter arrives at the planetarium and, as he's taking photos of Jameson and his wife with the city elite, the guest of honor of the party, Mr. Jameson's son John Jameson, arrives with none other than Mary Jane herself. Harry, who is attending the party, voices his contempt for Peter stealing his father's love along with his "friendship with Spider Man". As if things couldn't get more crazy for Peter, he then discovers that Mary Jane has agreed to marry John, much to his dismay.

While swinging through the city as Spider-Man afterwards, Peter loses his powers again and falls in an alleyway. With his life taking a toll on him, Peter eventually gives up on being Spider-Man, deciding that he's "Spider-Man no more". In the days that follow, Peter's life seems to get better for him, especially in college as he starts studying more and seems to get higher grades than ever. 

However, despite giving up on being Spider-Man, Peter is eventually faced with doubts about his decision after he braves a burning building to save a couple's baby girl while someone dies on a higher floor. As he's visiting his aunt's place as she's preparing to move, Peter talks with Aunt May, who gives a speech about the importance of being a hero and that there is a hero in all of them. 

This almost implies that Aunt May somehow figured out that she knows Peter is Spider-Man, doesn't it?

In the meantime, Doc Ock almost has the new transfusion reactor complete and all he needs is tritium. Peter attends one of MJ's plays and chats with her, but he can do nothing to change her mind from marrying John and says that she'll be getting married in a church. Otto meets with Harry, who tells him to find Spider-Man through Peter while promising to get him the tritium he needs.

"Don't kill Peter!" Harry tells Doc Ock.

After talking with John and having a kiss with him, Mary Jane starts to have second thoughts about the whole thing and meets up with Peter at a diner. As the two are talking, Doc Ock arrives to kidnap MJ and threatens to kill her unless Spider-Man meets with him at the West Side Market clock tower by 3 o clock. Doc Ock heads off with MJ hostage and Peter's powers return to him.

With his strength back, the first thing he does is head to the Daily Bugle and snatch his superhero costume, right as Mr. Jameson is lamenting what he did to drive Spider-Man away. "Spider-Man was a hero, I just couldn't see it." He says, "He was a..." Jameson notices the suit taken and gets very angry, declaring Spider-Man a thief and a criminal who should be strung up by his web.

"I WANT SPIDER MAN!" Jameson yells.

Peter confronts Doc Ock on the clock tower and the fight leads to them battling atop a train, which the scientist sabotages by taking out the controls. As Doc Ock gets away again, Peter works to stop the train and succeeds, but not before people see him without his mask, which he removed when the wrecked controls of the train blew up in his face. 

Thankfully, the people vow to never tell anybody. Then Doc Ock returns and takes Peter into custody, taking him to the Osborn residence. Harry unmasks Peter and is shocked to see who is under the mask, Peter learns what Doc Ock is up to and then heads off to the pier to confront the villain.

Doc Ock is in the midst of starting up the reactor and Peter arrives to confront him, while discovering that MJ is there as well. Doc Ock is furious that Spider-Man is still alive after he thought Harry would be the one to kill him. "I should've known Osborn wouldn't have the spine to finish you." He says.

"Shut it down, doc." Peter says, referring to the reactor, "You're gonna kill a lot more people this time."

Peter and Doc Ock battle with the scientist pulling no punches and Peter manages to unplug the reactor, but it does no use. The reactor is self-sustaining now and New York will be devastated unless its stopped! Peter unmasks himself and reveals his identity to Otto, who initially tries to strangle him, but he manages to get through to the scientist and Otto vows to destroy the reactor by putting it in the river.

MJ is shocked to see that Peter is Spider-Man when she sees him unmasked and Peter saves MJ from the collapsing pier while Otto Octavius sacrifices himself to destroy the reactor and they both fall into the river while Peter and MJ make it to safety. Peter confesses his love to Mary Jane, but they almost know that they "can never be".

The next day, MJ is about to wed John, but she makes her decision at the last minute and runs away to Peter, leaving John at the altar alone. She meets with Peter at his apartment, having decided it doesn't matter what will happen with Peter as Spider-Man. As they are kissing, sirens go off in the city, indicating bad guys are up to no good. "Go get 'em, Tiger." MJ says.

Peter suits up as Spider-Man and swings through New York to fight crime while Mary Jane looks on from his apartment room window. Meanwhile, winding back time to the night of Doc Ock's defeat, Harry is at his place when he hears the laugh of the Goblin and his father Norman appears in the mirror and tells him to kill Spider-Man to avenge him.

Harry is reluctant and screams no, but when he throws the knife meant for Spider-Man in the mirror, it shatters and Harry discovers a secret room that his father apparently used for when he was the Green Goblin. Harry picks up one of the performance enhancers, setting up what he will do soon...

Final Thoughts:

When Spider-Man 2 came out in 2004, it was a massive hit and people see it as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time to this day. We saw this days after we saw the first Spider-Man and it is really good, no questions asked. Sam Raimi knew what he was doing and the special effects seem to hold up today if you view it again. Casting Alfred Molina as Doc Ock was a fine casting choice and, by the time I'd seen this film, I was oblivious to the fact I'd seen him before in 1981's Indiana Jones & The Raiders Of The Lost Ark and I'd kinda forgotten about that film. 

The story of this film is very well-paced and deeply thought out, the characters' portrayals are on the mark and the musical score really helps add to the flavor of the sequel. Fun fact, I actually briefly saw the train fight scene of Spider-Man 2 when I was blipping around on TV years ago. Heck, sometime after that (in 2008 I think), I saw some footage of the movie at one point when a TV in a trailer showed some stuff related to Spider-Man and this was before I was fully invested into superhero stuff.

Spider-Man 2 is somewhere along the lines of a masterpiece for its time, it is a very memorable superhero film that fans will be watching over and over from time to time. If you have the time and haven't seen it yet, watch it. I've you've seen it before, give it a rewatch. I've seen this twice already and I'll be happy to see it again down the line, depending on the mood.

Farewell, true believers, and have a good day...

-CVGWJames 

Guest Post -James M's review of VENOM (2018)

 

Hello, True Believers, we're here today to review a Spidey spin-off. But it ain't no ordinary Spider-Man spin-off movie, its... VENOM!

That's right, Spider-Man's dark symbiote counterpart has his own movie... starring TOM HARDY! Up until 2017/2018, this movie had been in development hell for years, goin' all the way back to 1997 back when the character of Venom had gotten off the ground. But years later and well-after Venom's theatrical debut in Sam Rami's Spider Man 3, Venom the movie finally happened and its intense, its rated PG-13 and ITS A SUPER GOOD MOVIE!

So what is the story?

Synopsis:

A manned space probe for the Life Foundation, run by the film's main villain Carlton Drake, discovers symbiotes on an asteroid amidst a space mission, a symbiote gets on board and the space craft crash lands back on Earth in Malaysia. The symbiote responsible for the crash escapes in a human female body before the Life Foundation successfully recovers the other symbiotes.

In San Francisco, Eddie Brock works as a reporter for the Eddie Brock Show and is engaged to Lawyer Anne Weying. One night, while Anne is sleeping, he goes onto her computer and discovers Anne is preparing for a court case involving the Life Foundation, which Eddie is about to visit to interview Carlton himself. The next day, when Eddie interviews Carlton, he asks about the deaths the Life Foundation is covering up. Carlton dismisses Eddie and has him fired which leads to Anne breaking up with Eddie. 

Carlton and his crew begin experimenting with the symbiotes.  Several volunteers including one named Isaac are killed after bonding with a symbiote. A Life Foundation doctor meets with Eddie in San Francisco and tells him he was right to accuse Carlton. Eddie sneaks into the Life Foundation, releases one of the symbiote host subjects from a cell and the symbiote attaches itself to Eddie.

The Life Foundation pursues Eddie, who escapes and flees back to his apartment. Shortly after, he starts eating a lot of food and throws up in the toilet at one point, while brushing his teeth, Eddie is shocked to hear a gruff voice inside his head telling him to do things. While walking the streets of San Francisco, Eddie goes right to a restaurant where Anne is with her new boyfriend and begins eating lobsters there.

Anne takes Eddie to an MRI with her boyfriend Doctor Dan Lewis and they scan him, but the scan causes a negative reaction in Eddie and he goes home again. Back at his apartment, Eddie receives a phone call from Anne and Lewis, who tell him he may have a parasite. The Life Foundation's henchmen arrive and Eddie fights them, using the symbiote's strength before escaping.

Carlton, who learns a symbiote has bonded with Eddie, sends his men after him. Eddie sees the symbiote in a reflection on a car window. He tries to escape on a motorcycle when a drone attacks and chases him through the streets of San Francisco which ends with Eddie being rammed and throw off the motorcycle.  

Just when it seems Eddie is at the mercy of the Life Foundation, the symbiote takes over his body and grabs one of the goons. He reveals himself and says, "Eyes, lungs, pancreas... So many snacks, so little time..." Then the symbiote bites off the head of a man and flees with Eddie to a pier where the symbiote introduces itself as Venom and says Eddie is his.

"You did not find us, Eddie. We found you." Venom says, telling him that he's inside his head and Eddie is a loser. The symbiote then makes sure to tell Eddie he needs Carlton Jake's rocket and, if he cooperates, Eddie may just survive.

"That is the deal." Venom tells Eddie.

Eddie heads to his old boss Jack's office (from when he did the Eddie Brock show) to try and show him evidence against the Life Foundation. On his way out, Eddie runs into a SWAT Team and Venom takes them down before Anne shows up. While at the doctor's office at the San Francisco hospital, the doctor puts Eddie in a room and uses loud sounds to drive Venom out of the body.

As Eddie is leaving, he is captured by Carlton Drake's men and taken to the Life Foundation where he finds out Carlton has bonded with a symbiote named Riot, whom Venom later describes as a team leader. Venom bonds with Anne and they go to save Eddie right as he's about to be executed by Carlton's men, Anne and Eddie kiss, leading to Venom re-bonding with Eddie. 

Venom tells Eddie about Riot and what is going on before declaring he likes it on Earth and that Eddie convinced him to stay. They see Riot heading to the rocket and Venom tells Eddie that Riot has got "shit that you've never seen", indicating that Riot is very powerful.

"Oh, f*** it, lets go save the planet." Eddie says.

Side Note: When I watched Venom on one of the DVR channels, they replaced the "oh f*** it" with "well" and had Eddie say, "Well, lets go save the planet."

Venom confronts Riot and the two engage in a battle that leads to the rocket, involving them ripping at each other and Riot taking Venom from Eddie at one point, even Carlton stabs Eddie by the edge of a platform and Eddie is saved by Venom before he dies. The battle ends with Venom destroying the rocket by cutting open the fuel cells, leading to a fiery explosion that kills Riot along with Carlton. Eddie seemingly loses Venom, but it turns out Venom survived.

Weeks later, Eddie talks with Anne about what happened and they part ways with Eddie walking down to Mrs. Chen's convenience store to find some food for Venom. A robber comes in to steal money from Mrs. Chen and Venom deals with the villain, threatening him at first and then proceeds to bite his head off right in front of a shocked Mrs. Chen, who asks Eddie what that was.

"I have a parasite..." Eddie says and bids Mrs. Chen good night before leaving, Venom angrily berates Eddie for calling him a parasite and Eddie eventually apologizes before asking what he'd like to do with Venom saying they can do whatever they want as the film ends.

A post-credits scene shows Eddie heading to a prison to interview Cleatus Cassidy, played by Woody Harrelson (who played Tobias Becket in Solo A Star Wars Story, which also came out the same year as Venom). Cleatus foreshadows the next movie as he says to Eddie that when he gets out of there, "there's gonna be carnage" and the scene ends with Cleatus's evil smile.

Final thoughts:

This is a movie worth watching, Venom is a nicely-paced action movie that handles the constraints of a PG-13 rating and pushes it now and then without going overboard into R-rating territory. 

And despite mixed reviews, Venom was a box office success and went on to earn a sequel, also rated PG-13. Tom Hardy was a good casting choice as Eddie and the special effects look decent. Venom himself doesn't look so bad either. The people behind this project really took their time and the movie does not feel like a soulless cash grab as some people say it is.

My mother was reluctant to see this film at first, thinking it looked stupid and super violent. But eventually, I got her to see it and VENOM got a good couple of laughs out of her, especially the scene where Venom called Eddie a pussy and the scene when he threatened the robber to make him an armless, headless and legless thing "like a turd in the wind". You may as well say, in her eyes, Venom is basically a comedy action movie and we all love comedy action films, don't we?

Venom 2018 gets a 9/10.  It was fun and worth watching multiple times and shows how great a Marvel movie can be, even if isn't set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. See you next time in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, true believers!

-CVGW-James 

Guest Post -James M's review of SPIDER MAN (2002)

Salutations, nerds and fans. CVGWJames here and we're back to review something unrelated to Sonic, a Marvel movie. But not just ANY Marvel movie or superhero movie, its SPIDER-MAN starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinging fella himself. Released in 2002 and directed by Sam Rami, Spider Man was a smash success and helped rejuvenate the superhero movie genre, eventually paving the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 with the release of Iron Man while scoring two sequels.

In light of the nearly earth-shattering Endgame-level SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME featuring Tom Holland's Spider Man meeting Tobey's Spider Man and 2012 Andrew Garfield's Spider Man through multiverse madness and with Spider Man's 60th anniversary looming, it is time we look back at the film that revitalized the superhero craze and landed Spider-Man on the big screen. SPIDER-MAN!

Side Note: Before we start, I will say that before we got this movie, there were many attempts to get a Spider-Man film off the ground for decades with James Cameron writing the script for his own R-rated Spider-Man flick at one point until things didn't work out. Now, onto the story...

Synopsis:

Peter Parker is a nerdy kid from Queens, New York, who is socially awkward, but attends school like everybody else. He's in love with his long-time crush Mary Jane Watson and his best friend is Harry Osborn, they both attend high-school together. 

One day, while on a field trip to a genetics university, after meeting Harry's father Norman (who's something of a scientist), Peter is taking photos of Mary Jane Watson when a radioactive spider lands on his hand and bites him. Wouldn't be a Spider-Man story without the classic "Peter getting bit by a radioactive spider" deal that's been part of his backstory since 1962, which is what ALL Spider Man origins should involve, am I right? *Glares at the Japanese Spider-Man show*

After returning home to his Uncle Ben and May Parker's house, Peter feels feverish from the bite and passes out in his room as his body begins to change. Meanwhile, Norman is faced with his company Oscorp being shut down by the millitary and volunteers himself for an experiment in a laboratory.

However, things don't go well during the experiment after Norman takes a performance enhancer as he passes out and his heart stops for a time. But when Norman wakes up, he attacks his assistant Doctor Stromm and basically kills him. At this point, this is where Spider-Man's most iconic supervillain known as the Green Goblin is born.

The next morning, Peter wakes up and notices that he's changed. Not only does he no longer need glasses, but he's muscular too. After heading to school, Peter discovers he has improved reflexes (when he catches MJ and a food tray after she slips) and can shoot webs from his wrist. An incident with his webs involving a food tray quickly lands him in a fight with Flash Thompson in the school hallway.

"I don't wanna fight you, Flash." Peter says as he tries to get out of the situation.

"I wouldn't wanna fight me neither." Flash replies.

So, Peter fights Flash and beats him. Then he runs off and learns he can climb surfaces like a spider can before he figures out how to shoot webs from his wrist. The night afterwards, after talking with MJ, Peter watches her go for a car ride with Flash in his new car and decides to enter a wrestling event to earn money for that car with his powers.

On the day he goes to the event after making his wrestling suit, Peter has a little chat with Uncle Ben, who then delivers the iconic; "With great power comes great responsibility." Peter then enters the wrestling match with the wrestler Bonesaw and initially tries to use the name "The Human Spider" as an alias, only for the wrestling announcer played by Bruce Campbell to change it to... "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN". Buddy, you just planted the seeds without knowing it.

Peter battles Bonesaw, who is no pushover, and at one point says, "That's a cute outfit, did your husband give it to you?" Oh, Peter, you're such a sissy, aren't ya?. Going off track, Peter defeats Bonesaw but, when he gets the money, he ends up getting less than what the ad promised since the promoter's a bit of a jerk.

As Peter is leaving, a thief named Dennis Caradine arrives and steals the money. However, when someone begs for Dennis to be stopped, Peter, out of revenge against the promoter for cheating him on the money, lets the thief get away. "I missed the part where that's my problem." He tells the man, not knowing that letting Dennis get away will have consequences, and suffer the consequences he does.

While Peter is leaving the wrestling place, he discovers that his Uncle Ben was shot by a carjacker and is dying. Ben barely has enough strength left to hold Peter's hand and say his name when he dies in front of the young man, who cries and then goes after the car thief. But when he confronts the car thief at a warehouse, it turns out the thief is none other than the same guy he met earlier.

Dennis pleads with Peter, who is outright furious with him for killing Uncle Ben. Oh, Peter, little do you know this isn't the case with who killed your uncle. Peter attacks Dennis, who trips over a pipe and falls to his death on a pier below, Peter heads home to mourn the loss of Uncle Ben with Aunt May. Sometime later, during a millitary flight suit test, Norman Osborn as Green Goblin attacks and kills the test pilot along with General Stromm and other millitary officials.

In the days following Uncle Ben's death, Peter graduates high school with Harry while Mary Jane breaks up with Flash Thompson during the graduation after the ceremony and Norman begins to get closer to Peter, seeing him as almost like a son to him just like Harry. After the graduation, Peter once again mourns the loss of Uncle Ben as Aunt May comforts him. He later reviews his old wrestling outfit and soon fashions himself a new outfit, one that everyone knows very well.

Under the new alias of Spider-Man and deciding to take the "with great power comes great responsibility" saying of his uncle to heart, Peter begins fighting crime in New York and takes out many criminals. Opinions about Spider-Man are mixed but his actions catch the eye of the Daily Bugle and its editor J. Jonah Jameson, played by remarkable J.K Simmons.

"If he doesn't want to be famous, I'll make him infamous!" Jameson remarks during a conversation with his employees.

Peter decides to put his photography skills to use and starts taking photographs of himself as Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle after seeing an ad in the paper for someone to photograph Spider-Man. Peter gives his photos to Jameson, who makes him a freelancer for the Bugle. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn finds himself facing a dilemma as the Oscorp board members declare that he's being voted out and will no longer be chairman. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE SACRIFICED?!" Norman yells.

During the Unity Day festival, the festivities are ruined when the Green Goblin arrives and starts attacking on his glider, causing chaos and killing the Oscorp board members out of revenge while putting people in danger. Thankfully, Peter steps in to protect the present MJ, who's dating Harry, and fights Green Goblin for the first time. "WE'LL MEET AGAIN, SPIDER-MAN!" Goblin yells as he retreats following the battle.

Following the event, Norman has a conversation with his Goblin self in a mirror and Goblin suggests that Peter could be an ally for them. The Green Goblin attacks the Daily Bugle and demands to know from Jameson who is the one taking photos of Spider-Man, who arrives on the scene and Jameson accuses of working with the Goblin.

Goblin gasses Peter and takes him up to the city rooftops, where the two talk and Goblin attempts to persuade the web-slinger to join him. "Think about it, hero!" Goblin sneers before flying away. Peter later saves MJ from a group of thugs attempting to... take advantage of her and they finally share their first kiss in an iconic scene as Peter hangs upside down as Spider-Man.

One day, while saving a baby from a burning building, Peter once again encounters the Green Goblin, who started the fire and again tries to make him join his side. "Are you in or are you out?" Goblin asks.

"You're the one who's out, Gobby! Out of your mind!" Peter quips.

"WRONG ANSWER!" Goblin attacks the web-slinger with spinning blades, one of which scratches Peter's arm, before he leaves the building while Goblin curses the hero for saying no to him. Peter and Norman arrive at the penthouse to join MJ, Aunt May and Harry for Thanksgiving dinner but tensions arise when Norman notices a cut on Peter's arm and leaves, secretly coming to the conclusion that Peter is Spider-Man while insulting MJ during a tense chat with Harry about women.

Goblin deduces the best way to get to Peter and make him suffer is to hurt his loved ones, despite Norman's protests. The villain attacks Aunt May's house while she's praying and May lands in the hospital, but she survives thankfully, and Peter realizes what is going on. While chatting with MJ in Aunt May's hospital about Spider-Man, Peter holds her hand and Harry sees them when he walks in, leading to him telling Norman (and the Goblin) about everything.

Aunt May wakes up and has a heart to heart with Peter about MJ and his feelings for her. Motivated by the discussion, Peter goes to call MJ on the phone only to end up learning that Green Goblin kidnapped her when Goblin's voice cackles on the other end of the line; "Can Spider Man come out to play?"

Green Goblin holds Mary Jane hostage on the Roosevelt Bridge and Peter arrives as Spider-Man just after the Goblin damages a tram system and takes the tram holding many kids in it hostage as well. "This is why only fools are heroes..." Goblin declares, offering Spider-Man a choice, "Because you may never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice; Let die the woman you love or suffer the little children."

Goblin drops MJ and the tram, telling Spider-Man to choose. Peter saves MJ along with the tram at the same time as the Goblin attacks and the New Yorkers defend their hero, throwing junk at the Goblin, who drags Peter to an abandoned hospital on Roosevelt Island where their final battle of the movie begins. And the fight is brutal, Goblin shows no mercy and lets Spider-Man have it. 

Side Note: This fight actually pushed the PG-13 rating, especially since Peter was going to spit blood from his mouth, and the fight was going to be more intense. But to ensure the film got a PG-13, the blood from Peter's mouth had to be digitally edited to just spit. 

As he beats Spider-Man down, Goblin tells him what he's going to do to MJ when its all over and threatens to finish her slowly. This enrages Peter and gives him the strength he needs to let the Goblin have it to, he beats him and punches him relentlessly until the villain cries out in Norman Osborn's voice, unmasking himself and pleading with Peter to help him and be like a son to him.

When Peter tells Norman that he has a father whose name was Uncle Ben, its revealed that the Goblin was pretending to be Norman and attempts to attack him with his glider. Peter evades and Norman gets stabbed by his glider blades, the man known as Norman Osborn dies, but not before telling him not to tell Harry about it.

Sometime later, at the graveyard, Peter and MJ chat again by Uncle Ben's grave and MJ asks Peter if he loves her while kissing him at one point. Knowing that he can't put her in danger as Spider-Man, Peter declines and walks away while MJ begins to suspect he might be Spider-Man. The film ends with Peter in his outfit swinging through New York City.

Final Thoughts:

Since its release in 2002, Spider-Man has been seen as an unforgettable movie masterpiece and a treasure by many Spidey fans, superhero fans and Marvel fans alike. Having seen it twice, I do see why it still holds up in many people's hearts after over two decades since it released. 

Sam Rami is a Spider-Man fan and the movie under his direction oozes with that Marvel passion most of the Marvel movies have, it is a very good movie that is worth your time if you want to sit down and watch a superhero movie like this one. 

Tobey Maguire has gone on to be a fan-favorite Marvel movie actor and is seen as the OG movie Spider-Man, which is true unless you count the made-for-TV movies from the 70s or 80s. After all these years, he's still synonymous with the web-slinger so much, I hear tell that some people hear his voice in their head when they read Peter's dialogue in the Spider-Man comics. Rosemary Harris played Aunt May fairly well and some people also apparently imagine her voice when they read the comics.

Willem Dafoe's casting as the Green Goblin was a swell idea to a degree at the time and J.K Simmons went on to play Mr. Jameson in many more Spider-Man projects such as the rest of the trilogy, a few cartoons and finally reprises his role in the MCU as a new variant of Mr. Jameson himself.

My final thoughts? Well, its fun, its got charm and its an inspiring superhero story. Could it be one of my favorite superhero movies? Sure, of course it is, man. Now, I must go. 

See you next time, true believers. Excelsior!

-CVGWJames

Guest Post -James M's Superhero Movie Ranking

Hey there folks, CrazyGamerHistorian1999 here and we will be ranking the superhero movies of awesomeness from top to bottom, the best of the best from awesome to super awesome!

So here we go...


7. Fantastic Four (2005) -Epic



6. The Incredibles -Incredible



5. Hulk 2003 -Great



4. Incredibles 2 -Super fantastic


3. Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer -Ultra incredible


2. The Avengers (2012) -Mega Awesome


1. Captain America The First Avenger -Super awesome

Do you agree with this list?
James M signing off!