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6 Thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

We have come to the end of an era. After years of waiting, a ton of behind-the-scenes madness, and a bunch of Marvel movie phases, we’ve finally reached the grand finale of the Guardians of the Galaxy series. I’m excited and sad in equal measure. It’s a shame we’ll never seen this team again, written and directed by James Gunn. But I also feel like we’ve had a lot of adventures with them, and it’ll be good to let them rest.

Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great

I had a great time with this film. I have few, if any, real complaints. I have loved the Guardians of the Galaxy movies since the beginning. I loved the comics that inspired the movies, I loved the heck out of those first trailers, and I have all the faith in the world in James Gunn. The man is at the top of his career right now, putting out golden projects left and right. So I’m very pleased that Vol. 3 turned out as good as it is. Everyone involved should be pleased and proud.

Join me after the jump for my thoughts and full review on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Expect FULL SPOILERS for the film. And feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments down below.

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6 Thoughts on DC’s Gods and Monsters

Last week, DC Comics, Warner Bros., James Gunn and Peter Safran announced the opening slate of Gods and Monsters, the first phase of their new DC multimedia campaign. I’m excited. I’ve long felt that DC’s movie catalogue has been mediocre at best, and a new direction and a somewhat clean slate were clearly in order. And I can’t imagine anyone better prepared to handle this new creative endeavor than James Gunn.

I tip my hat to you, sir

At first, I thought of doing a list of the characters I’d like to see going forward. But I don’t think that’d be any fun. I like a lot of what I see, and I’m sure everybody I might suggest has been considered. So I think I’ll just do a List of Six expressing my general thoughts on this opening slate. What am I excited for? What could I care less about? What will I be watching? What will I be skipping? There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get to it.

Join me after the jump for my thoughts on the new DCU slate of movies and TV shows! And feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments down below.

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The New DC TV and Movie Universe is Here and It Looks Great!

Today was the big day for DC Comics, Warner Bros and the new co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran. There has been so much swirling around since the pair were announced for a new, slate-clearing take on the DC Universe, all leading up to today: the announcement of the first 10 projects in the new cinematic universe.

Well those projects are here and they look great! I am fully on board with everything announced and look forward to watching all of it in the years ahead! You can check out the official DC on their website, and read my rundown of the projects below. Apparently, all of these movies and shows will have the chance to intermingle actors and characters, which is neat, obviously. They’re also going to be separate from existing projects, like Joker 2, The Batman 2, the Harley Quinn cartoon and those various Teen Titans cartoons.

More power to James Gunn, Peter Safran, DC, Warner Bros. and all of them!


Superman: Legacy – Movie


This is the big ticket item that everything is going to depend on, I bet. The next big Superman movie, focused squarely on Superman. That’s the right way to go, in my opinion. Gunn has indicated that he’s using All-Star Superman as inspiration, and that’s a great idea. That’s the greatest Superman story of all time, in my opinion, and it gets Superman exactly right. So that is the right way to go.

Superman: Legacy will focus on “Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

Gunn is writing the script, will hopefully direct, and it’s already scheduled to come out on July 11, 2025.


Creature Commandos – Show


I’m in. This one looks weird and special, and I am totally in. A cartoon series on HBO Max about a bunch of funky creatures going on military operations? Like Frankenstein and Bridge of Frankenstein and Weasel from Gunn’s Suicide Squad? Count me in without a moment’s hesitation!

Creature Commandos is already fully written by Gunn — awesome — and is already in production for seven episodes.


Waller – Show


Viola Davis is going to return as Amanda Waller to do her own series in between seasons of Peacemaker. So obviously Peacemaker, and perhaps even Gunn’s Suicide Squad, will be part of the new DCU. That’s fine by me. I loved both of those projects and would hate to lose them in this shakeup. And if Gunn needs time to come back for Peacemaker season 2, having the characters spin-off into an HBO Max show about Amanda Waller sounds fine by me.


Lanterns – Show


A big, live action Green Lantern show has been in the works for years with very little to show for it. So Gunn and co. probably took the reins on that and have turned it into Lanterns, a True Detective-style mystery procedural starring Hal Jordan and John Stewart as space cops.

I love the world of the Green Lanterns, and I would love a gritty, live action TV show about them doing cop stuff. So bring it on!


The Authority – Movie


This one should be really interesting. I’ve never read any of the original Authority comics, so I have no real connection to the characters or the team. But they’re a pretty bold choice for another big DC movie in this era. Will audiences be able to just get on board? Will it be too much too soon? Obviously I’m confident they’ll pull this off, but i think this one is their biggest swing in this slate.


Paradise Lost – Show


This is the one I’m least sure about. They’re promising a Game of Thrones-esque show about the birth of Themyscira and the world before Wonder Woman. What were their politics like? How was the society of Amazons formed? These are interesting ideas, but I’m not entirely sure they’ll be able to pull it off. It’s just such a nebulous concept without any real established story behind it.

Remember when DC did the show Krypton? About the politics of Krypton during the time of Superman’s grandfather? Yeah, I don’t either. No word on whether or not Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is still part of this new slate of projects.


The Brave and the Bold – Movie


I love Robin, you all know that. But I dislike Damian Wayne as Robin, even if he’s apparently James Gunn’s favorite Robin. So this is a mixed bag for me. Obviously, I’ll take any live acton Robin I can get, especially if this is the start of a really Bat-family heavy movie Batman continuity. We’re still going to get The Batman – Part II starring Robert Pattinson; that’s going to be in its own continuity. But The Brave and the Bold will be Batman’s big debut in the new DCU, with a focus on Damian Wayne. Does this mean we’ll get a Dick Grayson as Nightwing cameo? Maybe, who knows.

But yeah, I’m on board. I will gladly watch a movie focused on Damian if it also means we’re getting a movie focused on Robin.


Booster Gold – Show


Yeah, baby! This is one to get really excited about! Booster Gold is going to get a live action TV show on HBO Max and that’s brilliant. It’s going to focus on a “superhero’s imposter syndrome” and that’s a great focus for a show. Booster Gold is such a fun and easy concept to understand. He’s a hapless schmuck from the 30th century who steals a bunch of future tech and travels back in time to the 20th century, where he can use that tech to seem like he has super-powers. Booster Gold should have gotten his own project a long time ago, but in the hands of James Gunn, it should be better than ever possibly anticipated.


Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – Movie


Jumping right into a live action Supergirl movie is an interesting choice, though I suppose it’s not that big of a deal, considering we’re jumping right into a Superman movie. They should work well together, especially in establishing shared continuity. Give the new Superman actor an immediate place to show up again before his sequel.

This is going to be based on the recent comic by writer Tom King. I read and enjoyed the first few issues, and then picked up the whole thing in graphic novel form. It’s next on my list for bedtime reading, so I best get to that right away.


Swamp Thing – Movie


Last, but not least, is a new Swamp Thing movie. I don’t have any real connection to the character, so I’m not particularly interested or concerned. There has been a ton of great Swamp Thing content over the years — so I’ve heard — so I’m sure they can come up with a really great story.


Whew! And that is the whole list of shows and movies. They all look pretty great, they all look very diverse is style and superheroes. I’m definitely excited. It’s going to be called “Gods and Monsters,” which is a pretty simplistic title, if you ask me. And it’s also subject to change, if need be.

Whatever happens, I’m on board for all of it!

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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is Gonna Be Lit

We are living in an age of uncompromising Marvel Studios entertainment, people. We’re only a few short weeks out of the end of She-Hulk: Attorney for Hire, which was great. We’re only a few short weeks away from the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which early reactions hail as great. We had a great Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania trailer only a few days ago. And now we’ve got our first look at The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which comes out in a month!

Looks great to me! James Gunn and the whole cast are back to make a fun Christmas romp. I’m pretty sure this was Gunn’s idea, so it’s not like Marvel forced this upon him. So it should be a hoot and a half. And it’s going to set up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for next year, so that’s even better!

Meanwhile, Gunn has taken the job at the newly minted DC Universe of movies. Good for him! I loved The Suicide Squad and loved Peacemaker, so I’ve no doubt he’s going to deliver some great DC products going forward! Here’s hoping that’s true.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special comes to Disney+ on Nov. 25.

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6 Thoughts on the First Season of Peacemaker

Welp, here we are. After all the movies, all the drama, all the weird plans and random spin-offs. After all the acting controversies and reboots and new directions. After all that stuff, we finally have the best thing to come out of the DC Expanded Universe, and it’s a TV show about Peacemaker. How did this even happen?

TV Show Rating: 10/10 – Fantastic!

I’ll be frank, I’m not the biggest fan of the DCEU. I don’t particularly like Zack Snyder’s various Justice League movies, and I endlessly chortle at DC’s failure to ape the winning formula of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But I’ve watched it all, because I’m a sucker for superheroes, and I can confidently declare that Peacemaker is as good as it gets. There’s even a very strong chance that I’ve enjoyed Peacemaker more than every Marvel TV show so far. Blasphemy, I know, but Peacemaker is that damn good (I’ll probably walk back that claim pretty quickly in the long run). Peacemaker is damn fine TV and I’m so glad more seasons have already been ordered.

Join me after the jump for my full thoughts and review of the first season of Peacemaker. Expect FULL SPOILERS for the series as a whole. And feel free to share your own thoughts/review in the comments!

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