by rodvanblake | Mar 15, 2019 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Pacing, Storyline
For most who watched with bated breath as Earth’s mightiest heroes took a huge L in Avengers Infinity War at the hands of Thanos, the arrival of Captain Marvel was a much anticipated film. Brie Larson who stars as Captain Marvel kicked up a lot of dust with statements made at an award ceremony. Some were angered by the statements to the point of review bombing and even calling for a boycott of the latest installment to the MCU. I think it had less of an effect because people still wanted to see if there would be any bearing on Infinity War as well as influence on what is to come in End Game. Korath the Pursuer, Ronin the Accuser and Agent Colson All that aside I was going to see this film and I wasn’t alone as it raked in over 150 million opening weekend. I am also judging this film on its’ merits as a whole and not solely on political agendas as I do think they influence this movie but not so much that I couldn’t enjoy it. There were also many side characters that I knew were going to make an appearance and I was curious to see how they would fit in here. Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as a young Nick Fury. We finally get to see how he lost his eye! Don’t worry though no spoilers here. Young Nick Fury With this being Marvel’s first film starring a female lead most will want to compare it to Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot. As I stated I enjoyed Captain Marvel but had...
by rodvanblake | Jan 4, 2019 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Pacing, Storyline
Jason Mamoa as Aquaman Now at first I was a bit skeptical as to how Warner brothers was going to bring this character to life in his own feature film, especially after his introduction to the cinematic universe in Justice League. Jason Mamoa was an interesting and good casting choice in my opinion for a few reasons, but that did not mean the execution would go well. To begin with I like the fact that they ditched the traditional blonde haired blue eyed version we were originally given in the cartoons and comic of old. Nothing wrong with that aesthetic but we have plenty like that to choose from and having someone with Hawaiian heritage play the role has some symmetry to it. It fits. Being a marine biology major only adds to the surfer dude attitude and overall mans man vibe you get from him on screen. I was a bit worried about that when he appeared in Justice league as that was all we got to see of him. In this film he gets to do more, not much more but more nonetheless. Black Manta played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II The supporting cast is good in this film but there are some that I would have liked to see more of. Specifically one of Aquamans most known villains Black Manta could have used some more fleshing out but I think they’re saving him for a future film. The premise behind Aquaman is kind of silly and not to be taken too seriously and DC leaned into that but still had some serious moments without overdoing it. Dark...
by rodvanblake | Jun 25, 2018 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review
A lot has been said recently about this film and I saw it opening week end. However I had to go through copy edits for my second novel over the past few weeks to get it ready for formatting and the custom cover before publishing and that delayed my movie reviews. For that I apologize. This film had some things going for it but unfortunately in my opinion fell victim to the angst built up the wake of the Last Jedi. This film or at least the concept for it had been talked about for a long while. The Han Solo trilogy is a much beloved series of books from the now defunct EU. First off I liked the film. Was it the best? No but it was satisfactory with a few standouts, great cinematography, and good action. The biggest chink in the armor here is the story. I’ll break it down. Alden Ehrenreich plays the young Han Solo and he’s…not bad. There are moments when he seems believable and he has his moments where I can see someone saying #notmysolo. I don’t think he disrespected a much beloved character though which is a good thing. Donald Glover in my humble opinion did an awesome job. He kind of does Billy D’s voice just enough that you know what he’s going for without outright imitating him. Charisma and charm comes from the guy and he make Lando his own. If they decide to pick up the Star Wars story again I hope he is given a chance to reprise...
by rodvanblake | Mar 28, 2018 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Storyline
First off I would like to start of by saying this film is chock full of flaws but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Secondly if you are of the generation that grew up watching reruns of the old Godzilla films, Ultraman/Specterman, Voltron or basically anything that had giant monsters fighting giant robots or giant robots against giant robots then you should be able to suspend belief enough to enjoy this movie. If none of that was ever your thing then likely you won’t enjoy it at all as the rest of the film is not going to be enough to satisfy your tastes in film. If you saw the first Pacific Rim then you should already have a good idea of what’s going on. The first film starred Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi. They don’t return for this one with the exception of Rinko who plays Mako Mori, and a couple of the other supporting actors like Charlie Day, and Burn Gorman who reprise their roles as pivotal scientists. The main protagonist is played by John Boyega and I must say I was very happy with his performance and substance in this film unlike his arc thus far in some other recent films “Cough…cough Star wars”. He plays Jake Pentacost, the son of the deceased Stacker Pentacost (Idris Elba). In this film he introduces himself as the street version of his father choosing to hustle and take advantage of the apocalyptic results following the harrowing battle that cost his father his life saving the world...
by rodvanblake | Feb 19, 2018 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Storyline
This film was much anticipated and there were worries in some camps as to if it would be able to live up to the hype. In my humble opinion it does so easily. Is it transcendent? No. Is it perfect? No, but what it is, is inspirational and highly enjoyable because of what it delivers to many members of the African diaspora as well as everyone else on this planet. The plot is well thought out. The cast is amazing through and through. This film has a weight to it when it explores political themes without throwing everything in the viewers faces or being too preachy, and it solves what has been Marvels achilles heal when it comes to the MCU. In case you hadn’t guessed it by now I absolutely love this film! I’ve seen it twice, pre-ordered the UHD version and will likely see it a few more times while it’s in theaters. First I will go over what I had an issue with then I will continue to sing its praises and break down why I feel as I do. My one and only gripe with this film is the over use of CGI in the late battle scenes. I feel they could have inserted more practical effects to make them more visceral and up close and personal between the two main opponents. If they had done that I think they could have given us more Wakanda than we got. I know we are at the height of using pretty CGI and I love effects but...
by rodvanblake | Nov 3, 2017 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Pacing
November has begun with a bit of a bang with much more to come for fans of comic books, comic book movies which have become a trend or just science fiction and fantasy in general. The third Thor film released today with the Justice League set to hit theaters later this month on the 17th, and early next year the long awaited Black Panther hits some time in February. I must admit I was quite excited for this film after the teaser in the end credit scene of Dr. Strange which segues nicely into where this film picks up the trail of the God of Thunder as he and Loki search for their father Odin who’s missing. Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba and Mark Ruffalo all reprise their roles as Thor, Odin, Loki, Heimdall and The Hulk from the previous Thor films by Marvel studios. They are joined by newcomers to this series by Karl Urban, Cate Blanchette, Tessa Thompson, and Jeff Goldblum who play Scurge the executioner, Hela Goddess of Death, Valkyrie and the Grand Master respectively. Most of my anticipation for this film as I am sure it was for most people stemmed from the reuniting of Thor with Hulk who have had at best a rocky friendship beginning with the Avengers film which was easily one of the best efforts from Marvel studios to date. I would also add that they should do what ever it takes to give the Hulk the solo film he deserves but I understand that Universal...
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