Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Star Trek Into Darkness
I am not a Trekkie. I never watched the original series. I’ve only caught glimpses of Next Generation. And I didn’t even see the 1980s Star Trek films until only a few years ago. Of all the things I’m geeky about, Star Trek simply isn’t one of them. So keep that in mind when I tell you that Star Trek Into Darkness is a phenomenally exciting film, with some of the best characters and action since The Avengers. This is how you make an action movie. In space.
Star Trek Into Darkness is a wonderfully entertaining movie from beginning to end. It takes some of the coolest characters in sci fi history and puts them into harrowing, twisting scenes full of action, energy and, most importantly, heart. Because an action movie without heart is just Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. And nobody wants that.
Movie Rating: 5/5 – Great.
The best way to describe the new Star Trek franchise is that it’s definitely a 21st century action movie, but one told using beloved characters and iconic sci-fi history to better enrich the experience. The action is fast-paced, the editing is rapidly cut, and there’s an emphasis on camera movement and angles. There are explosions and there is gunfire, but those are no longer the biggest draw of an action movie. Instead, Star Trek Into Darkness is mostly about the characters, and the extreme action and big set pieces that they find themselves in. I love the movie for that.
Like I said, I’m not a Trekkie, but Star Trek is so infused in our pop culture that even I love seeing Kirk and Spock kicking ass and exchanging vows of friendship. I love seeing Scotty use his engineering know-how to save the day. I love seeing Klingons show up in the movie, just because I know what it means to have Klingons hanging around. And I love the reveal of the villain, and how his true identity makes him just that much more evil and fascinating than if he’d been just an original character.
Star Trek Into Darkness is a fantastic sequel, easily expanding upon and surpassing the first Star Trek from 2009. It takes the iconic characters we met in the first film and puts them into a bigger, badder adventure, while simultaneously growing them as people and as heroes. And possibly most important of all, Star Trek Into Darkness embraces its beloved fandom. This is not a movie that shies away from it’s geeky roots. Heck, there’s a tribble in this movie, for crying out loud!
Join me after the jump for my full review. There will be some SPOILERS here and there, but I’ll try to avoid spoiling some of the big stuff. If you want to remain completely unspoiled, then read the rest of my review only after you’ve seen the movie. Because right now, I really, really want to talk about Star Trek!
Review: X-Factor #256
This is it! The big finale! The Hell on Earth War comes to a crashing conclusion this issue, and it’s…pretty good. It’s not great, but then I don’t think X-Factor has been mind-numbingly great for some time now. I would definitely say this was one of the best issues of the Hell on Earth War, that’s for sure, giving the story a resounding climax. And that twist ending is definitely something special. I did not see that coming. But then the comic just ends. Right on the verge of giving us a proper denouement, the comic just stops, and that was just as jarring as the twist ending, but in a bad way.
X-Factor #256
I know there are going to be plenty of comics following up on this ending, but I don’t want to have to wait another month to read them. This issue should have been double-sized or expanded so that Peter David could have given his story a proper epilogue in the proper place.
Comic Rating: 4/5: Good!
In terms of a fitting conclusion to the Hell on Earth War, this issue more than succeeds. This is as action-packed and seismically epic as X-Factor has ever been. The action and art are great, but as I’ve been saying all along, the characters themselves don’t get much to do. Most of the emotional weight of the story still rests on Tier’s young shoulders, and while he does an admirable job as the star, I just can’t bring myself to care all that much about him. I care far more about the actual members of X-Factor.
After I finished this issue, I thought back to where the comic began, with Jamie, Guido and Rahne setting up their own detective agency in the pages of MadroX. How the heck did we get from that to this, where those characters battle the forces of Hell for the fate of the entire world? X-Factor has definitely been one long, strange trip, and maybe the time has come to let the comic end. PAD has told a lot of amazing stories, and breathed new and wonderful life into all of these characters. Letting him end the series on his own terms is the perfect way to end X-Factor.
Besides, we all know what would have happened had PAD left the series. X-Factor doesn’t have the best sales, and a lot of them have to be boosted by PAD himself. So if Marvel had decided to put some new writer on the title, X-Factor probably would have languished for half a dozen issues before they’d put it out of its misery. So this is for the best. PAD gets to say goodbye the way he wants.
Though I’m still going to hold out hope that his new project will be some kind of new Madrox solo series for Marvel NOW! Wave 2. Fingers crossed.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/11/13
Another week, another good load of comics. Everything is mostly good this week, except for, well…I’m not digging Justice League of America. Maybe some of you are, maybe there are people who really enjoy that comic, but for me, it’s a total dud. And that’s just disappointing overall. I think it’s a surefire sign that, in the end, DC’s New 52 reboot is going to crash and burn. This JLA was given a big push, and it’s written by Golden Boy Geoff Johns, but I just think it sucks. I think DC is floundering these days. They come up with strange comics like The Movement or The Green Team as if they think those will actually sell. Then they cancel those titles in six issues because they couldn’t match up to the popularity of Batman.
Pretty soon, all DC Comics are just going to be extensions of the Batman, Superman and Green Lantern franchises.
Fortunately, Marvel is still kicking butt with their Marvel NOW! campaign. It’s proof that you don’t need to reboot your entire universe to make things feel fresh and exciting. In fact, much to my surprise, Comic Book of the Week is going to Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers this week! I’ve generally disliked that comic, but Hickman hits it out of the park this week – possibly because he finally focuses on a little team interaction and character development.
I’m going to say that now every time I go gambling
Plus watching Sunsport and Cannonball make pals with some disenfranchised A.I.M. henchmen is just awesome.
Comic Reviews: Avengers #11, Batman #20, Batman and Robin #20, Justice League of America #3, Thor: God of Thunder #8, Uncanny Avengers #8.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/4/13
May the Fourth be with you, everyone! And not only that, but it’s Free Comic Book Day! And I saw Iron Man 3 yesterday afternoon! What a fantastically nerdy weekend! Sometimes I have to pinch myself to truly appreciate how geeky the world has become. Just think about it: the Iron Man threequel is expected to break box office records. The world loves superhero movies! Back when I was growing up, to even hope for quality superhero movies was a fool’s dream. Now the movies are awesome, and the comics are awesome. These are good days.
This week’s load of comics is a mix of good issues. Not a stinker in the bunch. There are some duds, like the latest issue of Age of Ultron, but that whole series has been a dud so far. I’m much more excited by comics like Hawkeye, Aquaman and All-New X-Men, which I’ve awarded Comic Book of the Week this week. Not for any particular reason, it’s just that out of all the very good comics this week, I decided I liked X-Men the best.
Plus I’m a sucker for adorable hugs. Though maybe I should have given the award to the new issue of Superior Spider-Man, which makes a pretty momentous change – except that the change isn’t nearly the big deal that some fans are making it out to be. It’s more ho-hum, as far as I’m concerned.
Comic Reviews: Age of Ultron #7, All-New X-Men #11, Aquaman #19, Hawkeye #10, Indestructible Hulk #7, and Superior Spider-Man #9.
Review: Iron Man 3
Iron Man has defeated the three movie curse! With a blast of repulsor ray and that signature charm, Robert Downey Jr. and company easily live up to expectations, and deliver on the promise that there are still movies to be made after last year’s The Avengers. Iron Man 3 is a fantastic action film, one built on the shoulders of Downey’s command performance as Tony Stark. Is there any cooler or more popular character in Hollywood right now than Tony Stark?
Iron Man 3: 4/5: Good!
While Iron Man 3 doesn’t match the spectacle of The Avengers, it doesn’t have to. Instead, Iron Man 3 shows us the blueprint for all of these upcoming superhero solo films. It focuses on Tony, the man beneath the armor, and it does an exceptional job. The Avengers went big, so Iron Man 3 gets personal. This is Tony’s movie, and Downey carries it with ease. The rest of the cast do their best to keep up, but Pepper and Rhodey can’t match the excitement and energy of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk. Still, they try, and mostly succeed. Gwyneth Paltrow, especially, steps up in a big way as Pepper Potts. This may be her best of the three films. As for the new characters, they mostly hold their own, but none of them – including the villains – are anything to write home about.
Though the Mandarin is pretty awesome, and not at all what any of us probably expected.
I’m very happy with Iron Man 3. It’s not a perfect film, but whatever complaints I might have are very minor. The first third felt a little mediocre, I suppose. The humor and one-liners weren’t as funny as other Marvel films. The emotional connection wasn’t very strong. And the villains didn’t have a lot of depth. But seriously, these are very minor, almost meaningless gripes.
The Iron Man franchise is as strong as it’s ever been, as is the Marvel Movieverse. Iron Man 3 could serve as the series finale, and I would be perfectly happy with that. But I bet we’ll see an Iron Man 4, and hopefully Robert Downey Jr. will be a part of it.
Join me after the jump for my full review! There will be some SPOILERS, so be warned. Plenty of reviews on the web are spoiler-free, but I’d like to be able to talk about some of the cooler moments in the movie. So please, if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now. It’ll be worth it, trust me.
Henchman-4-Hire 