For reviews of older superhero movies click here and here. It felt like it was time to get rid of the "baggage" those older entries carried, so I started again from October 2018's Venom.
Of course the coronavirus has disrupted the film industry between the last entry and this one, but it's 2020 nevertheless and I still feel that superhero movies have lost a lot of their novelty. I'm not saying they've gotten worse, I'm not saying they're going to decline in popularity, but I am saying that from this point onward I'll be more inclined to view them as just films, and judge them on their own merits.
Superhero Movies On The Way
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023 in the States)
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (June 2023 in the States)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2022 in the States)
Aquaman 2 (December 2022 in the States)
Captain Marvel 2 (November 2022 in the States)
The Flash (November 2022 in the States)
Black Panther II (July 2022 in the States)
Thor: Love and Thunder (May 2022 in the States)
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (March 2022)
The Batman (March 2022 in the States)
Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel (December 2021 in the States)
Eternals (November 2021 in the States)
The Suicide Squad (August 2021 in the States)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (July 2021 in the States)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Taiwan Release Date Unknown, June 2021 in the States)
Black Widow (April 30, 2020 in Taiwan, May 2021 in the States)
Morbius, the Living Vampire (March 2021 in both Taiwan and the States)
Wonder Woman 1984
What I Liked: The movie makes a lot of emotional if not logical sense. It's a lot like Avengers: Endgame that way. Gal Gadot is making great strides as an actress, and Kristen Wiig (one of my favorite actresses) was an excellent choice for Cheetah. The fight at the end was well done, and the movie feels conclusive in a way that the first didn't.
What I Didn't Like: I felt like Maxwell Lord's character could have been realized better. He never seemed to have enough motivation to do what he was doing. The subplot involving his son hits all the right notes, but impoverished beginnings wasn't enough to explain his great ambition.
A couple other things bothered me, namely: why was a fighter jet parked with a full tank of fuel in the Smithsonian parking lot? And what was the deal with her suddenly being able to turn things invisible? At a certain point in the movie you have to throw physics out the window, but those two details really bothered me.
Future/Sequels: The next DC film will be James Gunn's The Suicide Squad in August. After that it's a LONG wait before we finally (hopefully) see The Flash. As far as Wonder Woman goes, there's an Amazons movie planned, and sometime after that Wonder Woman 3 will appear.
The New Mutants
What I Liked: It was better than I thought it would be. The general atmosphere and the way in which the characters relate to each other is in line with what writer Chris Claremont did in the comics. Anya Taylor-Joy is good as Magick, even though her one-liners near the end made me cringe.
What I Didn't Like: This movie just doesn't give itself enough time to get going. A good horror movie is all about building up tension, and there's precious little tension in this movie. As it is the "bad guys" (who are obviously not the real bad guys) just appear out of nowhere, there's a giant bear, and then the movie just ends. Do we blame director Josh Boone for that? Or Fox? Or Marvel? I have no idea.
Future/Sequels: Nope. Marvel owns this property now, and the best anyone could hope for is an offhand reference in the next, Marvel-produced Deadpool. IF that movie ever happens.
Bloodshot
What I Liked: A guy movie if there ever was one. If you liked any of The Fast and the Furious franchise you'll probably like this one too. It's a solid action film. Oh, and the actress that co-stars alongside Vin Diesel is achingly beautiful.
What I Didn't Like: That "underwater kata" scene is unintentionally hilarious. It doesn't quite derail the entire movie, but it seemed like an odd choice. Why was that necessary for Guy Pearce's plot to work?
Future/Sequels: A Valiant Cinematic Universe? There were plans for Bloodshot 2, two Harbinger movies, and then a movie featuring both Bloodshot and Harbinger. As of now Harbinger has moved to Paramount Pictures, so all of that's uncertain.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
What I Liked: The fight scenes are cool. Ewan McGregor - in what little screen time this movie can afford him - makes a great villain.
What I Didn't Like: Everything else. As a character Harley Quinn is a complete enigma - and not in an interesting way. Huntress and Black Canary are far easier to relate to, but again, Harley Quinn's endless monologues push them into the background. To top it off this movie is terribly, existentially boring.
Future/Sequels: Lord I hope not. Wonder Woman 1984 is due this summer, and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is due next year, but if the directors of those movies have any sense they'll distance their films from this one.
Joker
What I Liked: This movie is brilliant. Joaquin Phoenix doesn't disappoint, and director Todd Philips more than rises to the occasion. Just the way the title pops up in the beginning is masterful. This is the kind of movie that sparks debates, avoids safe choices, and gets people riled up. It's also a harrowing portrait of both one man's struggle with mental illness and the uncaring nature of the society he lives in.
What I Didn't Like: This is a small complaint, but I think this movie tried a bit too hard to tie the Joker into the larger Batman mythos. Having Thomas Wayne in the movie was enough; there was no need to include other members of the Wayne family.
Future/Sequels: Please Joaquin Phoenix, DON'T do another one. And don't appear in anything else Batman-related. This one was just about perfect the way it was. Just leave it there and it'll age like wine.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
What I Liked: Zendaya. She was my favorite thing about this movie. Her character holds the whole thing together. Without MJ this movie wouldn't make a lot of sense.
Also Mysterio's illusions. I don't think I'm giving any plot points away when I mention them. His illusions are some of the more visually impressive things in the MCU.
And speaking Mysterio's illusions, the battle at the end is great. Setting this battle in London was a good choice.
What I Didn't Like: You can see the plot twist coming from a mile away. Maybe not calling him "Mysterio" right of the bat would have helped.
Future/Sequels: A third one seems likely. Still no word as to whether this take on Spider-man will tie into Sony's other Spiderverse films.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Got bored and saw it the other day. It was blazing hot outside, and there wasn't much else to do.
What I Liked: For one thing it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the reviews would lead you to believe. It's definitely NOT great, but if you were able to sit through Apocalypse you'll be able to sit through this one. It's actually not bad up until Jean visits the house, though after that point...
What I Didn't Like: At times this movie just doesn't make sense. WHY do the cops show up after Jean visits that house? And WHY do the two mutant factions fight in New York? And WHY do the aliens insist on boarding the train from the other end, when they're clearly walking all along its length, thus making it incredibly easy for the X-Men to fight them off?
To make things worse, Sophie Turner really can't carry a movie. Watching her interact with some of the other, more talented cast members is truly cringeworthy. As bad as this movie is, it's still better than X3, and yet I found myself missing Famke Janssen throughout the film.
Most inexplicable of all is Magneto. First he says revenge is wrong and that he's given up on it. Then someone gets killed and he's all about revenge again. Then he learns about the Phoenix Force and he's all about saving Jean. This, and that magnetism/telekinesis battle between him and Jean is the most unintentionally hilarious thing I've seen in a long time.
Future/Sequels: As far as anyone knows, The New Mutants is still coming out next year. After that it'll be a long wait before we see Marvel Studios' take on the same set of characters.
What I Liked: For one thing it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the reviews would lead you to believe. It's definitely NOT great, but if you were able to sit through Apocalypse you'll be able to sit through this one. It's actually not bad up until Jean visits the house, though after that point...
What I Didn't Like: At times this movie just doesn't make sense. WHY do the cops show up after Jean visits that house? And WHY do the two mutant factions fight in New York? And WHY do the aliens insist on boarding the train from the other end, when they're clearly walking all along its length, thus making it incredibly easy for the X-Men to fight them off?
To make things worse, Sophie Turner really can't carry a movie. Watching her interact with some of the other, more talented cast members is truly cringeworthy. As bad as this movie is, it's still better than X3, and yet I found myself missing Famke Janssen throughout the film.
Most inexplicable of all is Magneto. First he says revenge is wrong and that he's given up on it. Then someone gets killed and he's all about revenge again. Then he learns about the Phoenix Force and he's all about saving Jean. This, and that magnetism/telekinesis battle between him and Jean is the most unintentionally hilarious thing I've seen in a long time.
Future/Sequels: As far as anyone knows, The New Mutants is still coming out next year. After that it'll be a long wait before we see Marvel Studios' take on the same set of characters.
Avengers: Endgame
What I Liked: Everything. This movie is awesome from beginning to end.
What I Didn't Like: Only two (very small) complaints: 1) Bruce and Nebula's explanation for their "heist" probably isn't going to satisfy anyone who bothers to think it through, and 2) the part at the end where all the "Marvel superheroines" line up and go into battle seems a bit too much like checking off an item on a checklist.
Future/Sequels: The next MCU offering is Spider-Man: Far From Home later this summer. No other films have been given a release date as yet. I think it's fair to say that Marvel will make a big announcement soon.
Hellboy
What I Liked: Uh... it's more... British than the original? That's good, right? More interesting?
And uh... the fight with the giants is kind of cool. Brief but cool.
This movie has the quirkiness that made the Mignola comics good. Upping the gore was also a good idea. Not sure about the humor though. Seems like they should have doubled down on that part. Making this movie funnier would have also differentiated it from the original. As it is it strays too close to the Del Toro version.
What I Didn't Like: It's pretty bad right from the beginning. For me the worst thing was the sequence explaining Hellboy's origins. This part of the movie ventures so close to Del Toro's version that you can't help but compare this one to that one, and this one is always going to suffer by comparison. They should have avoided that altogether.
Future/Sequels: Ha ha not likely.
And uh... the fight with the giants is kind of cool. Brief but cool.
This movie has the quirkiness that made the Mignola comics good. Upping the gore was also a good idea. Not sure about the humor though. Seems like they should have doubled down on that part. Making this movie funnier would have also differentiated it from the original. As it is it strays too close to the Del Toro version.
What I Didn't Like: It's pretty bad right from the beginning. For me the worst thing was the sequence explaining Hellboy's origins. This part of the movie ventures so close to Del Toro's version that you can't help but compare this one to that one, and this one is always going to suffer by comparison. They should have avoided that altogether.
Future/Sequels: Ha ha not likely.
Shazam!
What I Liked: Zachary Levi and Asher Angel are both examples of great casting, the story is well thought out, and the battle at the end takes some interesting twists and turns. I consider Shazam! a vast improvement over Aquaman, which was trying to do too much in too short a time, and also Captain Marvel, which was in my opinion one hot mess of a movie. Shazam! is much smaller-scale compared to those other two films, but its smallness works to its advantage. It's very focused and to the point.
Mark Strong, who was wasted on Martin Campbell's Green Lantern, has much more to do in Shazam! Even if his reasons for being "evil" aren't that well thought out, he's still a good (bad) villain.
What I Didn't Like: The battle at the end goes on a bit too long. I think shortening it would have made for a better movie. The introduction of the rest of the Marvel Family feels a bit rushed, even if it was gratifying to see them onscreen together.
Future/Sequels: No definite plans for any sequels as yet, but one of Shazam's other villains is introduced in a post-credits scene. It's early to say, but I think this movie will be well received and I'd be surprised if a sequel isn't announced soon.
Captain Marvel
What I Liked: There's a part about halfway through, when Carol Danvers is reunited with an old friend. In that part you can see Brie Larson's skill as an actress.
The fight on the spaceship near the end is oddly satisfying, but some of my satisfaction may have to do with 90s soundtrack, and the fact that I was a much younger guy when those songs were everywhere. Nostalgia, in other words.
The fight on the spaceship near the end is oddly satisfying, but some of my satisfaction may have to do with 90s soundtrack, and the fact that I was a much younger guy when those songs were everywhere. Nostalgia, in other words.
What I Didn't Like: Going back to the comic books, I never found Carol Danvers especially interesting, and this movie did nothing to change my mind. Really, what is her reason for doing anything in this film? At what point does her character change or make any real kind of discovery?
She's also so much more powerful than anyone she comes up against in this movie. There's no sense of threat when "danger" strikes. Jude Law? Nope. The Skrulls? Not really. Ronan the Accuser? Their confrontation is a non-event.
I've also got to say, the explanation given for Nick Fury losing his eye really bothered me. It's always seemed like this event should be of crucial importance, but in the movie it's explained in such an offhand manner. The randomness of this explanation diminished the entire film.
She's also so much more powerful than anyone she comes up against in this movie. There's no sense of threat when "danger" strikes. Jude Law? Nope. The Skrulls? Not really. Ronan the Accuser? Their confrontation is a non-event.
I've also got to say, the explanation given for Nick Fury losing his eye really bothered me. It's always seemed like this event should be of crucial importance, but in the movie it's explained in such an offhand manner. The randomness of this explanation diminished the entire film.
Future/Sequels: Strap yourself in because Avengers: Endgame is less than two months away. After Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home Marvel has announced no other films, though if Captain Marvel does well I'm sure we'll see a sequel. I've heard a lot of talk about an Eternals movie, but we'll see.
I think what's going to make or break a Captain Marvel sequel is the Asian market, especially China. If it goes over big in Beijing and Shanghai (as Aquaman did) you can be sure there will be another one. If, however, this movie fails to find an audience in such places, I imagine Kevin Feige will start vaguely alluding to "future adventures" without making any real commitment.
Does this one count? Batman and the Justice League are in it. It also features the newer and older versions of Aquaman.
What I Liked: It's a funny movie, though not as good as the first. This said, it's not nearly as hyper as the first one, which might be a relief for those who found the first film slightly overwhelming.
What I Didn't Like: It does drag a bit toward the end. It's weird to say, but I found myself having to really concentrate on Lego Movie 2. There are SO many references, to so many things, that after the first hour my brain got tired.
Future/Sequels: There might be a sequel to the Lego Batman movie, though there's no release date as yet. There might also be The Billion Brick Race.
I think what's going to make or break a Captain Marvel sequel is the Asian market, especially China. If it goes over big in Beijing and Shanghai (as Aquaman did) you can be sure there will be another one. If, however, this movie fails to find an audience in such places, I imagine Kevin Feige will start vaguely alluding to "future adventures" without making any real commitment.
Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Does this one count? Batman and the Justice League are in it. It also features the newer and older versions of Aquaman.
What I Liked: It's a funny movie, though not as good as the first. This said, it's not nearly as hyper as the first one, which might be a relief for those who found the first film slightly overwhelming.
What I Didn't Like: It does drag a bit toward the end. It's weird to say, but I found myself having to really concentrate on Lego Movie 2. There are SO many references, to so many things, that after the first hour my brain got tired.
Future/Sequels: There might be a sequel to the Lego Batman movie, though there's no release date as yet. There might also be The Billion Brick Race.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
What I Liked: Everything. In my opinion this movie's awesome from start to finish. The characters, the plot, the animation, the soundtrack, all of it's great. I suppose it depends on how it does financially, but Spider-Verse could be a real game-changer for CBMs.
For me the best part of the film was the Bill Sienkiewicz-inspired sequence halfway through. I've been a huge fan of that guy for years, and seeing his art animated almost brought tears to my eyes. That version of the Kingpin? That's all Bill Sienkiewicz.
What I Didn't Like: Small complaint: no Spider-Woman. I've always liked Spider-Woman more than Spider-Man, and it would've been wonderful to see Jessica Drew (finally) show up in this movie.
Future/Sequels: There's talk that Spider-Woman could feature in the sequel alongside Spider-Gwen and Silk, but such plans are tentative of course. It's entirely possible that a sequel would feature Spider-Man 2099 instead.
Aquaman
What I Liked: Atlantis looks cool. Amber Heard is easy on the eyes. The battle in the end - aside from a ridiculous pause in the action for a predictably romantic moment - looks amazing.
What I Didn't Like: Weird moments of exposition. Instead of showing the audience what's happening/has happened, the characters in this movie often feel the need to stop whatever they're doing and explain things. The only part of this movie where the action flows seamlessly is when Aquaman and Black Manta have their big showdown halfway through.
The part in the beginning about Aquaman's parents could have been removed entirely. It adds absolutely nothing to the story, and starting the movie from the adult Aquaman's first appearance would have made a lot more sense.
This movie gets dumber as it goes along. By the end I was laughing at certain scenes and bits of dialogue, and I wasn't the only one. And before someone chimes in with "at least it doesn't take itself so seriously," let's remember there's a difference between laughing WITH a movie and laughing AT a movie.
The small ray of hope being that it's not as terrible as Justice League. Not that this is saying much.
Future/Sequels: Shazam!, also set in the DCEU, will be out in a few months. After that it's a long wait until Wonder Woman 1984. Aquaman 2? It's kind of early to tell, but the movie's been doing well in China, and those wanting a completely brainless superhero romp will be all over this one.
Venom
What I Liked: After a really clunky beginning there are some great action sequences. Everything after Venom shows up is much better than the 15 minutes that try (and fail) to set up the story. The fight between Venom and Riot near the end is very good.
What I Didn't Like: That beginning part. It feels like they weren't sure what kind of movie they were making. Horror? Action? Science fiction? Going more for the "body horror" elements would have improved the film, and the spaceship/alien invasion subplot could have been dispensed with altogether.
As clunky as the beginning is, the dialogue throughout the movie is by far the worst part. None of the actors seem at ease with what they're saying, and a couple of lines are unintentionally hilarious.
Future/Sequels: There are plans for a sequel with Woody Harrelson's Carnage in a bigger role. I think that after setting up the general premise, a sequel is bound to be better. Harrelson would also make a great villain. Last I heard, Sony's next comic-based movie will be Morbius the Living Vampire, with Jared Leto as Morbius. There may be some crossover between Venom and Morbius.
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