Category Archives: Reviews
Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
Bring on the new trilogy! The Amazing Spider-Man reboots the Spidey franchise with new depth, better action and, most importantly, real dramatic subtlety. This new film by director Mark Webb makes the old Sam Raimi trilogy look like a Saturday Morning Cartoon. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at those old movies the same way again. Especially since lead actors Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy) make the old couple, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, look like community theater.
I had my reservations about a rebooted, darker Spider-Man film, but this new movie blew me away. The Amazing Spider-Man may be just a redo of the classic origin story, but it does it so much better than the previous film that it more than justifies the new direction.
Movie rating: 5/5: Great!
This is definitely a Spider-Man film. Despite most of the action taking place at night, giving the film a much darker look than its predecessors, The Amazing Spider-Man hits all the right notes to capture Spidey on the big screen. It’s got humor, it’s got costumed action, it’s got the overwhelming sense of responsibility and guilt, and it’s got a wonderful juxtaposition between Peter Parker living an ordinary life with his Aunt May vs. flying through the city in a blue and red costume.
But this is first and foremost Peter Parker’s movie. The focus is on how Peter grows as a man and becomes the hero we all love, and that may be my favorite part of the movie.
Peter doesn’t just become the heroic Spider-Man after Uncle Ben is killed. There are gradual stages that he goes through that change him from an angry, guilt-ridden teenager into the hero who saves New York. That’s the subtlety I mentioned above. Following that path and seeing the growth in Peter’s character made for a wonderful film. By the end, Spidey is a hero, the bad guy is defeated and we have ourselves a new franchise! I can’t wait for more!
Spoilers and more review after the jump!
Review: Teen Titans #10
Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. I’ve been demanding an issue like this since the very beginning of the new Teen Titans series. And now that I have it, the issue doesn’t live up to its potential. After finally ending the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. story arc, the Teen Titans get a chance to kick up their feet, relax and interact with one another on a personal level. They finally get some down time, and writer Scott Lobdell tries his darndest to write an issue where the characters act like real people first and superheroes second. But considering how wobbly and breakneck the series has been up to this point, he just can’t pull it off.
Teen Titans #10
This reads like a case of a 40-something white guy whose spent his career writing superhero comics trying to write teenagers being teenagers. The fact that they’re dressed in colorful costumes and hanging out on an island filled with dinosaurs doesn’t help.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright!
The biggest problem with this issue is that I just don’t care about the characters as people yet. They’ve been glued to their superhero identities for the entire series so far, attached at the hip to that ridiculous N.O.W.H.E.R.E. storyline. Now that they’re almost free of it and trying to be normal, it just doesn’t feel natural. Lobdell gives it the old college try, and for that it’s not a bad issue, but the emotional resonance that’s supposed to be behind all these scenes just isn’t there. When Kid Flash and Solstice share an adorable moment together, I was wondering when Kid Flash and Solstice were ever an item? When Superboy hugs the Titans like old friends, I asked myself when did that happen? When one character appears to die in the end, I just couldn’t care. The Titans on the page sure looked all broken up, but the series hasn’t spent enough time with these characters to make me care about them as characters.
So I guess this issue is just going to have to be a step in the right direction. Give me more like this, and maybe I’ll start caring. Though for the first time, the art of Brett Booth doesn’t work for me. His style has been a great fit for this series, but his colorful flashiness robs some of the down-to-Earth nature of some of the scenes.
Perhaps I’m just a big old curmudgeon, unhappy even when Teen Titans tries to give me exactly what I asked for. Oh well. Synopsis and more after the jump!
Review: Brave
Pixar’s Brave is a beautifully-rendered tale about a mother and daughter that has a lot of heart, but then takes a few missteps that keep it from achieving true greatness. The kids will love this film due to an overreliance on slapstick comedy. But I’m not a fan, so a lot of the comedy was just a drag to me. Fortunately, the drama is very well done, as is the emotional story between Princess Merida and her mother the Queen. And along with the depth of character, a wonderful visual style, the cornucopia of Scottish accents, and all around skilled craftsmanship, Brave is another fine addition to Pixar’s library.
Unfortunately, what starts out as a pretty great film suddenly veers into absurdism about a third of the way through. But this change is so integral to the story of Brave that the entire experience suffers. I am willing to accept that everybody else may love what happens, but I found it to be incredibly silly.
Movie rating: 4/5: Good!
There will be SPOILERS in my review, so I don’t want to give away what this change is in this opening segment. But it’s just so ridiculous that I think it detracts from the very point of the film. The plot is about Merida and her mother coming to understand one another, but the story of how they get there actually takes away from the overall film. It’s weird. I feel like the people at Pixar should have been able to do a better job in telling the story. I don’t think expecting greatness from Pixar is out of the question. They’re Pixar, for crying out loud! And there are hints at greatness throughout Brave. As if someone, somewhere wrote an amazing mother/daughter story set in ancient Scotland…only for somebody else to come along to throw a bunch of weirdness and slapstick comedy into the mix.
I would expect this kind of thing from Laika Entertainment, but not from Pixar. That link takes you to the trailer for Paranorman, one that the theater aired before Brave. I can’t remember a more pathetic, unfunny, by-the-numbers movie trailer. They wish they were as good as Pixar.
Also, I saw the film (reluctantly) in 3D. It neither adds nor detracts from the overall experience. Another pointless use of the gimmick.
Review: X-Factor #238
Last issue was a wonderful character-based story where a several members of X-Factor let their hair down, had a good time and settled the darkest demons of their soul. It was great. This issue is very similar, being an entirely character-based story which sees the members of X-Factor acting and interacting like real people instead of superheroes. While definitely a good read, this issue lacks the spark of energy and excitement that the last issue had.
X-Factory #238
Still, any issue where Multiple Man and Strong Guy banter about getting special jackets for their ‘Deathbeaters’ club is a good issue to me!
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
This is more of a transition issue than anything else, moving characters around to continue with the various stories being told. I wouldn’t say the issue suffers from being a transition issue, it mostly just suffers from mediocre writing and less-than-stellar art. Basically, all of the various members of X-Factor bump into each other and have little chats about what they’re up to and what stories they’re a part of, not all of which are connected. They make jokes, there is some humor, but mostly it’s just light, standard chatter. This issue is another example of why the cast of this book is just too big. With so many people making appearances, they only get a few panels and a few lines to make an impression. It doesn’t work for all of them.
Unfortunately, the art also takes a step back this week with new artist Paul Davidson. The characters are OK, and you can tell them apart thanks to their costumes, but it just looks a little amateurish. The art is just not very good.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more!
Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #6
Following up on last issue’s epic cliffhanger, Avengers vs. X-Men #6 does not disappoint when it comes to scale. Gone is the petty back and forth between the Avengers and the X-Men, replaced by much bigger and better things. Unfortunately, this also looks to be the issue where the story starts to get regrettably predictable. I still have faith that this series will be able to surprise me down the line. But I think it’s obvious to everyone where the story is headed from here on out. Marvel has definitely taken sides over who is right and who is wrong in this battle.
Avengers vs. X-Men #6
Of course, I’m still going to side with the X-Men! Down with the murderous traitor Wolverine and the bull-headed warmonger Captain America!
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
I have always loved the work of artist Olivier Coipel, and to see him take over the series is a delight. His characters are fantastic, the details are stellar, and the man can draw epic scale like none other. You really get a feel for just how huge this story has become. If only Marvel had been able to organize their entire comic universe to match this story, it would feel stronger. There’d be a lot of other problems to contend with, but at least this story would have the proper weight behind it. Instead, we’re just going to have to deal with Avengers vs. X-Men on its own, and that’s good enough.
But like I said, unless Marvel has some insane sort of awesomeness planned, there’s only one way this story is going to end. And that way sucks.
How do I think it’s going to end? Find out after the jump!
Henchman-4-Hire 