Black Adam Movie Review!!!

Black Adam entered theatres with mixed reviews from movie critics, as comic fans enjoyed the film for the most part. Black Adam generated $391 million dollars from a budget of $230 million, categorizing this a failed project by DC Comics. Moviegoers would agree that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could be the reason Black Adam didn’t generate more profits in its theatrical run. The success of the first Black Panther gave way for an easy win for its second film, taking away much interest in Black Adam after two weeks. Black Adam made an early digital release on November 22nd, 2022, then begins streaming on HBOMax December 16, 2022.

What do you think of Dwayne Johnson‘s portrayal of Black Adam? Dwayne expressed his desire to play Black Adam for some time, even being a part of production when Shazam was in development. In this cinematic story, Black Adam is released from his prison to become champion of Kahndaq once again, freeing the people from intergang mercenaries of the present day. Black Adam’s power is tested against Sabbac, ultimately and seemingly making Black Adam worthy of the powers originally bestowed to his son.

Black Adam and Captain Marvel are opposites sides on the same coin. In both films, The Wizards imbued young boys with the power of Shazam. Billy Batson accepted his power to protect his family and save the world from evil while Teth Adam used his power to take revenge for the death of his family. Neither character is featured in either film as a contender or ally. It’s suggested in both films that neither the Shazam Family nor Black Adam is aware of each other’s existence.

In Shazam’s deleted scene, there is one more seat in the Throne Room that is not filled. Is this seat for Black Adam? Is this the reason why Black Adam felt that taking the throne of Khandaq was wrong after defeating Sabbac? Will Black Adam and Shazam come face to face, since the possibility of battling Superman is nonexistence now that Henry Cavill will no longer be The Man of Steel?

The Justice Society of America made its intro to the cinematic world as the team to take down Black Adam. Ethnic background changes seem to be the norm now in comic films such with Hawkman, Cyclone, DeadShot, Human Torch and Heimdall just to name a few. What bothered comic fans was the death of Dr. Fate. Why would writers change Dr. Fate from being an immortal hero to becoming vulnerable? In the comics and television series, The Justice Society and Justice League works together to battle global and universal threats. Do you think we will see such union in future films? Will The Rock make his return as the champion of Khandaq or is this the end for the antihero? Leave your comments below, give us your take on Black Adam! Check out Sideshow Collectibles for Black Adam sculptures and many more!!

Logan Movie Review

Logan is the third film for the character Wolverine, which gave comic fans an graphic, R rated version of a character much like Blade, Deadpool and Spawn. Logan grossed $247.4 million opening weekend, which is a considerable profit from a small budget of $97 million. This Logan story stems from the comic book series Old Man Logan, but many changes was made to that story, only to fit this film properly in the cinematic universe.

X-23 is introduced in this film as the focal point of the plot. In the cinematic timeline, X-23 is cloned from Logan’s blood, which was taken from Alkali Lake in the ending credits of X-Men Apocalypse. X-23 is among many other children who are born in captivity, bred to become controlled weapons for the government. X-23 escaped captivity with the hopes of living free among other mutants who has survived the times of extinction. X-23 is a high skilled killing machine with an aggressive attitude like her father. Even though X-23 and Logan met under dire circumstances, they formed a strong bond, willing to protect each other with their own lives.

In the flashback of the comic series Old Man Logan, Wolverine is responsible for the brutal death of the X-Men, where the film conveyed it as Charles Xavier who brought his students to destruction. Charles has grows old and gradually loses controls of his powers. Charles accidentally kills the X-Men, in a similar fashion he could have killed them in X-Men United with Cerebro. Similarly in the comic book and film, Wolverine gave up on his life as a hero. His healing factor slows down and he tries to live as a normal human being with no avail. Pain always seems to follow Logan and there is always a need for the Wolverine…

A clone of Weapon X was created in this film as an additional antagonist, who murders Charles Xavier during his mission to retrieve X-23. Charles was the last of Logan’s friends and he perished in attempts in helping a mutant to freedom. Throughout the comics, Charles Xavier suffered many near fatal situations and even has died on different accounts. Do you think Daken would have been a better choice as the special weapon created by Transigen? Not only would the Daken element complete the clawed mutant family on screen but this would also given Hugh Jackman a much grander exit, as this is his final time portraying Wolverine…..

The adamantium coated skeleton did impede the healing factor to a small degree, but not enough to make Wolverine vulnerable to death as suggested in this film. Wolverine’s body adapted to the adamantium to a much greater degree after it was ripped from his body by Magneto, then later reinstalled by Apocalypse. Adamantium eventually took Wolverine’s life during his attempt to stop the creation of any more weaponized soldiers, but this is among the many times Wolverine has died throughout the comics. Is it possible Hugh Jackman would appear one more time for the upcoming Infinity War as the character appeared in the story Infinity Gaunlet?? Let’s only hope!!

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Spiderman: Far From Home Movie Review!!!!

To date, Spiderman: Far From Home has grossed $970 million dollars, with Entertainment Weekly stating thatSpider-Man: Far From Home is a worshipful, slippery ode to Iron Man”. This is the wall crawler’s second solo film in the MCU, along with his featured appearances in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. This movie is a sequel to the Endgame, and the life of Spiderman after the lost of Tony Stark.

This film explains how Earth’s inhabitants began to cope with life after The Avengers defeat Thanos and those who died in the Snap, returning 5 years later as life moved on. Peter wants to live a normal life, but soon realizes that as an Avenger, he is always on call, especially when dealing with Nick Fury. Peter is gifted with Tony’s glasses codename E.D.I.T.H., Happy Hogan as his entrusted personal mentor, and has access to Stark’s technology. With this tech, Peter has a way to make any suit needed in his crime fighting career as Tony did. Will we see more of these web suit concepts in future films? How about tech features of the E.D.I.T.H sunglasses? Do you believe such technology exist today? Now that Happy Hogan is dating Aunt May, how do you think this would affect Peter’s personal life as well as his duties as Spiderman the Avenger?

What were your thoughts on Mysterio? Before the release of this film, there were rumors that the Multiverse would be involved in the story plot. During the course of the movie, the audience believed that Mysterio was a good guy from another dimension when the multiverse was mentioned. Maybe at that point in Peter’s mind, he believed Tony Stark could be alive in another dimension. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays the villain well, with first belief as being a new hero to the world but then later revealing himself to be a disgruntled former employee of Stark. Quentin used Stark’s tech that he helped design, to make illusions of grandeur.  Even after his defeat, Mysterio was able to be a step ahead of Peter by revealing Peter’s secret identity to the world, a wild card Toomes probably felt he’d keep for himself during the ending credits of SpiderMan: HomeComing.  What are your thoughts on Jake portraying the Master of Illusion?

 Comic book fans instantly recognized the four elementals that Mysterio used to deceive the public. The first elemental Mysterio battles is Earth, which is reference from the comic villain Sandman. There was a small scene in the movie where MJ mentioned that there were reports of a scientist that could control sand after being a victim of an experiment gone wrong. The next elemental that was seen was the Air element, which was representing the villain Cyclone. The most notable villain that we recognized was Hydro man when Mysterio was battling him in Venice, Italy. That scene was an incredible display of CGI effects. The last Elemental we see was Fire, which was referenced from the comic villain Molten Man. These villains were brought to the MCU as illusions, will the MCU feature SpiderMan’s real villains like Sony did in the Amazing SpiderMan series or will the MCU SpiderMan only face threats that are only handled with the Avengers?

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What are your overall thoughts for this film? What will be the the future for SpiderMan in the MCU? Will Peter continue to work alongside Happy Hogan, create more suits and become more involved as an Avengers or will he stay as the friendly neighborhood SpiderMan, now that his identity has been revealed by Mysterio and J. Jonah Jameson??  Leave your comments bit below and make sure to check out the SideShow Collectibles newest addition for SpiderMan: Far From Home! You don’t want to miss this!!

 

 

Avengers: Endgame Movie Review!!!!

To date, the Avengers: Endgame grossed $2.7 billion dollars worldwide, becoming Marvel Studios highest grossing movie! Endgame has broken Titanic‘s record by $544 million, while falling short to Avatar by $44 million. In In this sequel to Age of Ultron and Infinity War, The Avengers are on a mission to restore the Universe using time travel. This movie has moments that bring fans back through the films of the MCU and there are cliffhangers that show a possible future for the Avengers.

Tony became familiar with the threats that exist outside of Earth as one of the leading members of the Avengers and the only way to defend Earth is to upgrade his tech accordingly. The strike on New York put Tony in a state of anxiety and fear throughout the years until he faced Thanos face to face in Infinity War. Tony nearly losing his life against Thanos caused him to retired from Iron Man, to become the family man he set out to be. The idea that the universe can be saved with time travel, is what brought Tony back into action, for time travel is an achievement that Tony has wanted but yet to accomplish.

In the end of this film, Tony takes control of the Gems to defeat Thanos, ending both of their lives in the process. With the help of Banner and Rocket, Tony’s nano tech is able to use the power of the stones, as the original Gauntlet did. With the nano tech Gauntlet, Tony could easily transfer the gems from the nano Gauntlet to his armor, without struggle like before. In the 2010 Avengers#12 comic story, Tony Stark has possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, in hopes of making the world a better place. Instead it was decided that the Gems be hidden away from the likes of Thanos.

Pepper‘s story begins as Tony’s assistant at Stark Industries. Pepper and Tony form a personal relationship which turns to marriage and the creation of a family. Throughout the years, Pepper has criticized Tony for being Iron Man because she believes its hazardous to his well-being and his business. By the third Iron Man film, Pepper was deep into Tony’s alternate life where she began to see the threats that Tony faces, especially with her own life in jeopardy. When the Avengers made their stand against Thanos, Pepper came to Tony’s side in battle with her own armor, which was an amazing visual for all comic fans! This brings the question, when did she decide to have her own armor constructed after all the effort she put into Tony to mantling the life of Iron Man?

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War Machine grew along with Iron Man in the cinematic universe, beginning as a weapons showcase for Hammers Industries. War Machine becomes a member of S.H.I.E.L.D, then an Avenger after the battle with Ultron . The War Machine armor changes designs with each movie but never reaches the stage of nano tech like Iron Man. When the War Machine took on heavy damage from Thanos surprise attack on the Avengers facility, Rhodes later shows to battle in an upgraded Iron Patriot armor. It’s appearance resemble a space like armor, could this be the works of Rocket? If so, would War Machine be a great addition to the Guardians of the Galaxy or should he stay on Earth and continue on with the remaining Avengers?

Endgame is the closing story for Captain America. In cinema, his character spans over seven films, including his three solo films and four films with the Avengers. Thor put the Avengers to the test to see if anyone was worthy to lift his enchanted hammer. When Steve took his turn, Mjolnir slightly moved under his effort, bringing a moment of shock and nervousness to Thor. Some fans believe Steve was always worthy of Mjolnir but never showed it to avoid hurting Thor’s pride, while others feel Captain was not fully worthy at that moment. In this film, Captain wielded the hammer to save Thor’s life and to begin an all out offensive against the Mad Titan. This fan favorite moment signified when when Steve wielded Mjolnir in the comics. Movie goers were amazed to see Steve summoning Stormbreaker to his hand but his moment was cut short when Thor insisted on switching Mjolnir for the Stormbreaker, in a comedic style during battle. Steve’s ability to use of the lighting was from the enchantment Odin laid on the hammer and observing Thor in battle over the years.

Since the Winter Soldier, Falcon became Steve’s new sidekick and he has appeared in many other MCU films as well. At the end of the Endgame, Steve passed the mantle of Captain America to Falcon, after returning the Infinity Gems to their rightful place in time. According to the comics, it was Bucky who took on the role of Captain America before the role was given to Falcon. Do you think Marvel Studios will make a solo film for Falcon as Captain America or will this cliffhanger be left for the imagination?

Steve gets into a fight with his past form, in the time of the New York City attack led by Loki. The current Steve took advantage of the fight by telling Steve of the past that Bucky was alive. That made the Captain of the past lower his guard because he was still adjusting to his new world and still feeling lonely over the lost of Bucky. When Steve goes back in time to return the Infinity Gems to their original places, he remains in the past with Peggy, to live the life he planned to have with her, when he returned from his fight with the Red Skull in The First Avenger. With Steve’s decision, would that have altered the past for Bucky? In Steve’s new timeline, did Bucky perish never to return or did Steve face Bucky again as he did in The Winter Soldier?

Failing to stop Thanos from wiping out half of the universe was still fresh in Thor’s mind at the beginning of this movie. Over the following years, the people of Asgard has settled in Norway, where Odin died in Ragnarok. Thor became a beer drinking slouch than a mighty ruler he set out to be after Ragnarok. When the option became available, Thor and Rocket travels back to the time to the period of a Dark World, to extract the Ether/Reality Gem from Jane Foster. Thor reunited with his Mother, to his surprise, she was aware that Thor was of from the future and she could sense the journeys he’d been through during the years after their current timeline. What comic fans loved the most was before Thor returned to his natural time, he summoned Mjolnir to his side to see if he was still worthy of its might. Taking Mjolnir from that timeline would not change the outcome of the Dark Elves attacking Asgard or preventing the death of his mother. Thor believes Mjolnir would give him more of a fighting chance.

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Some believe if Thor was in physical and mentally shape, like his battle in Wakanda, he would completely dominate the battlefield at the end of this movie. There is also a belief that Stormbreaker can be wielded by anyone because its not enchanted like Mjolnir. It’s noted that Stormbreaker was lifted by Groot and Captain America, even Thanos held it for a brief moment during the battle. Thor naturally has powers that flow through him but its his weapons that help focus and magnify his powers. Without the ability of super strength, a normal person would have difficulty lifting or using weapons of Nidavellir in battle for Thor stated a person’s mind would turn to madness.

Loki cameo happens during his apprehension in the first Avengers film. Loki escapes with Space Gem, leaving fans to wonder where his destiny leads. If Loki also took the Casket of Ancient Winters from Asgard’s vault before releasing Surtur, could he have stood a better chance against Thanos and his forces when they invaded the ship in Infinity War? Valkyrie returns as well, but what surprised the audience was her entrance to the war, along with Asgardian soldiers. In Ragnarok, all of Asgard’s soldiers were slain by Hela, leaving only Asgard’s common people. So where did Valkyrie get the warriors? Were they also revived by the snap made by the Hulk? If this was the case, it would have been a special moment for fans to see Heimdall, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three arrive to aid Thor, giving him the complete momentum he needs to unleash his full might. At the end, Valkryie is given the title Queen of Asgard, as Thor leaves to be apart of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Thor left Earth to join the Guardians because they could provide Thor with adventures in space that he always wanted. Do you think if Thor was chosen to revive the Universe, would he have survived the Gauntlet’s power at a greater degree than the other users? Or, what if Thor uses the Gems to recreate the realm of Asgard as it was before Surtur’s destroyed it?

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This scene like many others have been deleted from theatrical release. What do you think of this scene was leading to? Instead of the Avengers using the Guardian’s ship to face Thanos, Thor would open the Bi Frost to reach the Mad Titan. This could have taken place after Thor summons Stormbreaker in front of Carol Danvers. The transformation into his battle armor and teleportation to Thanos could also be a further gesture to Captain Marvel, display how he is the strongest among the Earth defenders. Just like her, Thor also has the ability to move across the universe and take on any situation that he may come across. Do you think it would be better for Thor to pair with Captain Marvel or continue on with the Guardians of the Galaxy?

At the end of The AntMan and The Wasp, Scott was in the Quantum Realm collecting energy when Thanos eliminated half the universe. Pym, Janet and Hope were in control of Scott going and coming from that dimension until they were among the people erased in the purge. With their sudden disappearance, Lang was trapped in the realm with no sign of return. He finally comes back five years later only to discovered life on Earth has moved on and he was pronounced dead among the millions.

Antman is the major reason time travel was a possibility to the remaining Avengers. Scott teams with Banner, Tony and Rocket to build the time machine and the quantum suits needed to travel in the vortex of time and space. This film was the third time Scott was able to enlarge himself in battle but this time, the strain of growing to a huge size doesn’t affect him like it did before. During the course of this film, Scott becomes a full time member of the Avengers, which personally fulfills him just like it did Peter Parker when Tony anointed him. What’s the future for Ant Man and the Wasp? Will they continue the work they set out to do before the universal purge or will their next on screen début by as members of the Avengers?

Infinity War is Dr. Strange‘s second major appearance in the MCU. He returns in the Endgame as the last battle unfolds in front of him. In the Infinity War, Strange vowed to protect the Time Gem but still surrendered it to save Tony’s life. This time, Strange didn’t tell Tony how they would win because Strange knew that through his vision, the one chance of winning was through Tony’s sacrifice.

In the comic story Infinity Gauntlet, Strange has similar roles in the comic as he did in the MCU. Strange orchestrated the assembly of Earth’s heroes and transport, to and from the battle field in space. Do you think the battle in the Endgame would be more epic in space? What if Strange cast a spell where all of Earth heroes could survive in the vacuum of space, with the Moon being the battlefield? The comic version of Dr. Strange was never the keeper of the Time Gem, as his medallion is really the Eye of Agamotto. Was the Endgame the last of Dr. Strange or will he continue on with future films?

After losing his family to the universal purge, Clint‘s pain led him to his second alter ego as Ronin the Assassin. Now as an anti-hero, Clint goes on a killing spree wiping out Mexican cartels and asian gangs, much like Deadpool in his second film. Clint doesn’t hesitate to the chance in bringing his family back, so he joins the Avengers once again with a will greater than before. He volunteers to test run with the Pym Particles and the time machine first, with its success, the Avengers proceed with their revival plan. In the comics, Hawkeye used the Pym Particles on himself and became the hero named Goliath, named after the biblical giant.

Hawkeye and Black Widow are assigned to retrieve the Soul Gem. Natalia and Clint battle each other for the sacrifice, with Natalia giving her life for the gem. This brings a big spotlight to this situation because as explained in the Infinity War, you have to sacrifice a soul for a soul, one you love most. With every film released in the MCU, fans sensed a strong relationship between the two characters. What was later shocking Clint having a wife and daughter. Since Clint lost his family, Natalia was the next closest person to him. Natalia finds Clint and convinces him to join the Avengers once again in hopes to reviving his family. Clint has a strong bond with Natalia because he spends more time with her as Hawkeye than he would as husband and father at home. Natalia’s love and respect for Clint as a father is what drove Natalia to make the ultimate sacrifice, especially since she can’t have kids for her own. Her sacrifice was for Clint’s family.

Throughout the films in the MCU, the Hulk has taken on most foes with great success, even taking on a full powered Surtur in Ragnorak. What was very shocking to fans was the Hulk being defeated by Thanos in the Infinity War. After losing to Thanos, the Hulk we know disappeared and Professor Hulk was born. Banner utilized gamma radiation once again to bring a peace between him and the beast that resides within him. Professor Hulk appearing in the Endgame is parallel with the comics.

The comic version of Professor Hulk was reluctant in joining against the fight with Thanos than the cinematic version. The Professor only participated in battle and was in full control of the fight until Thanos overpowered him with the Gauntlet’s power. What was confusing to fans is why the Russo Brothers decided the damage Hulk sustained from the Gauntlet is permanent, when his powers from the comic blueprint allows him to heal from all forms of damage? Also it was mentioned that the gems give off gamma radiation. If this is the case, wouldn’t that have made the Hulk even stronger instead of weakening him? Maybe turning Banner into the Grey Hulk, Savage Hulk or maybe even the World War Hulk? This leads into another question. What is the future of The Hulk on screen? Will we get to see the different versions of the Hulk, maybe see General Ross become the Red Hulk himself? Or, will the She Hulk finally make an appearance on the silver screen?

Black Panther returns from death with the Wakandan Army, Shuri and Okoyo. It was unclear in the Infinity War if Shuri met her demise when Thanos did the snap. After Civil War, Black Panther became an ally to Steve Rodgers, providing safe haven to Bucky and provided Vision protection with the Wakandian army when Thanos’s forces arrived. T’Challla has taken on a new responsiblity to providing Wakanda’s resources to the world.

In the ultimate battle of Endgame, Hawkeye and Black Panther meet face to face once again since their encounter in Civil War. This time, Black Panther assists Hawkeye by running the Gauntlet across the battle field for him. That scene further displays the strength and power of his Vibranium suit and how it could be the strongest battle armor we’ve seen during the fight and throughout the MCU. That scene make fans recall back in the comics when Black Panther had the power of the Gauntlet at his fingertips. If Black Panther used the Gauntlet in this film, would his suit be strong enough to absorb and disperse it’s energy, without bringing physically harm to T’challa? Tony Stark has yet to encounter T’Challa’s Vibranium suit or even get a chance to experience Wakanda’s superiority in technology. If he did, would Tony’s latest armor be constructed with Vibranium? Would Tony also consider Shuri as a partner in science as he did with Rocket, Banner and Scott Lang?

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Wakanda has been restored and its defenses upgraded since Infinity War. Black Panther made a big impact in the MCU since his introduction in Civil War and with his 2018 solo release. Will the Black Panther become a new member of the Avengers in future films? It’s been rumored that Killmonger will make his return in the next Black Panther movie. If so, what big impact would his character bring now that Wakanda has already faced its biggest threat with Thanos?

In the ending credit scenes of Infinity War, Nick Fury sends out a distress signal to Captain Marvel before turning to ash. In Captain Marvel 2019 ending credits, Carol arrives to Fury’s beacon, which is now in the Avengers Headquarters. It has been twenty-three years since Carol left Earth in her solo film. Carol missed over two decades on Earth, unaware of all the heroes that have spawned up over time. Because of this, Carol assumes that she is the strongest hero Earth has and her alliance is what would ensure the Avengers victory. This statement provoked Thor because before Carol, he is the strongest off world ally Earth has, mainly based on his war history, god status and power.

During this film, Carol had short roles for she was occupied helping other worlds in the Universe. In this movie, Carol is responsible for returning Tony back to Earth and being apart of the first mission to face Thanos on his sanctuary planet. Carol enters the final battle, destroying Thanos flagship as she enters Earth’s atmosphere. Captain Marvel almost overwhelms Thanos, who at that time had a completed Gauntlet. Thanos removes the Power Stone and simultaneously hit Carol with it, taking away her presence on screen until the end at Tony’s memorial. With this footage, its unclear if Carol is actually stronger than Thor, for in the comic book blueprints, Thor is the strongest between himself and Captain Marvel.

Thanos goal is to bring balance to the Universe for he believes life can destroy itself if it consumes all the resources it uses to survive. Thanos has been in the population control for some time until he discovered with the Infinity Stones, he could do the job once and then retire his status to leave in peace. Using time travel came with a consequence to the Avengers in the form of Nebula. When she travel back in time, her mental systems linked with past self, showing Thanos a visual recording of his success and then his death by hands of Thor. This knowledge sparked the creation of a new plan, to erase the universe and recreate it, so no one could remember there was a purge at all.

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The Gauntlet of the MCU is different from the one in the comics because this Gauntlet backfires on the user with damaging or fatal effects. Was the Power Gem and Reality Gem responsible for this? The Power Gem was featured in Guardian of the Galaxy Vol.1, where any normal mortal would instantly be blown apart by its power. The Reality Gem also has corruptible power on mortals in the example with Jane Foster but it would work in unison with Malekith. Thanos snapping his fingers is not a way of using the Gauntlet, but more of a simple gesture used to show the simplicity of wiping out the Universe with ease.

Vision’s characters doesn’t return for this film. What do you think happened to Vision, even after the Universe was restored? In the Infinity War, it was theorized by Banner that a lot of Vision’s interface would be left after the Mind Gem was removed. It would have been a great fan service to see Vision enter the battle field with Black Panther, Shuri and Okoyo. It would make sense that an arc reactor would be in place of the gem or even the creation of the Solar Jewel that Vision has in the comics. Gamora like Black Widow, could not return as their original selves because their souls were required to get the Soul Gem. The Gamora of the past takes the place of the fallen Gamora, but her character disappeared from the film with Nebula after the final battle, leaving Quill to begin his search for her.

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ayesha plans to take revenge on the Guardians with her creation of Adam Warlock, a character who became leader of the Earth forces against Thanos in the comic series. Adam’s team consists of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora and Pip the Troll, which is very similar to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Could Adam become the next adversary for the team? Now they have Thor on their side, how will the team fare against the cosmic being?

The MCU spans over 22 films, mainly created around the Avengers as a team and it’s individual members. SpiderMan, Black Widow, and Black Panther are among the characters that will have more movies to come in Phase 4 of the MCU. In cinema, The X-Men will have their final battle as well with the Dark Phoenix. What if the X-Men became apart of the MCU? How much cooler would the ending battle scene of the Endgame have been if the X-Men arrived to the battlefield to take on Thanos with the Avengers?? Leave you comments below and be sure to check out Side Show Collectibles latest releases for the Avengers Endgame!!

Morbius Movie Review!!!

Morbius is introduced to the cinematic universe through Sony Pictures, with a lot of negative reviews from movie critics. Morbius initial appearance was in the first Blade film before the credits, which didn’t make the theatrical cut. Because of the Covid Pandemic, this film suffered a delay on its release date, originally slated for July of 2020. With the time given by Covid, wouldn’t it been possible to make corrections to this film making it among the top rank vampire films? Despite the setback and many unfavorable reviews, Morbius generated 167.5 million from an $83 million dollar budget.

What did capture the audience’s attention for the most part was the visual effects. The display of superpowers Michael used as the living vampire was incredible, very reminiscent of Dracula Untold. With this display of vampiric power, it’d be cool to see Bruce Wayne take the serum for himself, especially in the Christopher Nolan series or even when battling Superman and Doomsday in Batman V Superman. Do you think this cinematic version of Morbius can take on Marcus Corvinus in a fight?

Do you think Morbius should have been introduced through Spiderman like in the comics? If so, this would have been an excellent third story for Spiderman portrayed by Andrew Garfield. In the ending credits of this 2021 feature, Morbius comes face to face with the Vulture presumably making a deal to work together. This is blending Sony and Disney’s interpretation of Marvel characters. We see this same instance in the ending of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where Venom and Eddie Brock is transported into the MCU. Were these attempts to correct the cinematic background stories of Venom and Morbius, knowing that these characters didn’t exist without the story of Spiderman? What will become of this film, will there be another? Leave your comments below, tell us what you think of this feature! Also, take a visit to SlideShow Collectibles for their feature sculpture pieces of Morbius and many more characters!

 

Shazam Movie Review!!!

Shazam has entered into the DC Cinematic Universe, with good success and minimal criticism from comic fans! To date, the film has generated $325.5 million worldwide and with Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90%, Shazam gains popularity like his cinematic counterparts the Justice League. This 2019 feature by DC Comics is a comedy action adventure, for it emphasizes Captain Marvel’s adolescent behavior to the audience. Billy Batson is a kid with superpowers, that must learn the importance of responsibility and family.

When Shazam was first announced with it’s release, fans instantly thought Shazam would battle Black Adam. Instead, Shazam’s first rival was with Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, a scientist who studied magic in hopes to achieve what science cannot. In the comics, Thaddeus is responsible for freeing Black Adam from imprisonment, believing he could learn the magical arts from the ancient being. In this film, Thaddeus gained powers from the collective force of the Seven Deadly Sins, making him as powerful as Shazam. DWayne “The Rock” Johnson continuously petitioned that he would love to play the role of Black Adam, instead becoming the executive producer of this film! Even though Black Adam was absent, Dwayne’s involvement leaves the door wide open for a sequel and his awaited appearance as Shazam’s primary nemesis.

Another notable change didn’t resonate with comic fans was casting Djimon Hounson as the Wizard Shazam. This is because Djimon played as the King of the Fishermen in Aquaman, and recently reprising his role as Korath in 2019 Captain Marvel. Was Djimon used to connect the two characters together on screen because of sharing the same name Captain Marvel? And how is it Djimon is playing two characters in the same universe?? The Wizard’s ethnicity changed, much like Samuel Jackson playing Nick Fury or Idris Elba playing Heimdall. Do you think changing the ethnicity of comic characters is necessary for story and character development on screen?

One surprise to the film was the introduction of the Shazam Family. Much like the Family of the comics, Billy passed on the power of Shazam to his adopted brothers and sisters. The Family assisted Billy in defeating, then imprisoning the Seven Deadly Sins. In turn, Billy gained not only an adopted family in human form, but also a super team of his own. Since this is the case, should Shazam even join the Justice League as a recruit? Do you think the Shazam Family is strong enough to overpower the League?

The DC Universe has yet to show a successful cinematic universe with the consistency like The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shazam could have been a great extension of the Justice League, as mentioned by Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince at the end of the 2018 film, where Bruce would use the old Wayne Manor as a place to expand the Justice League. Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck both dropped from their character roles, once again leaving fans wondering, who will be the next Batman and Superman? Not only that, will the next chosen actors supersede the earlier portrayals?

So what were your thoughts on the movie? Shazam is a great film that WILL be overshadowed when Avengers: Endgame is released as well as Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker later this year. Just between Captain Marvel 2019 and Shazam 2019, Marvel and DC, who do you think had a better movie between the two characters?? Leave your thoughts below!

Dragonball Super: Broly

Akira Toriyama is back with his third anime film Dragonball Super: Broly! Dragonball Super: Broly is the highest ranking film created around the Z Fighters and this film is a retold story of Broly and Bardock. This story takes place after the Tournament of Power, Goku and Vegeta are at new levels of power and are unaware there is another fighter in their own universe that is strong enough to challenge their refined saiyan god powers……

Broly of the non canon story,  grew up hating Goku because of the internal memory of Goku constantly crying in the saiyan nursery. Broly’s power was so great, it had an adverse effect on his personality and mental stability growing up. Paragus grew fearful of his son to the extent of controlling the saiyan through artificial means. This control later turned on Paragus in the form of hatred, thus losing his life to his son. In the canon story, Broly  grew up with a dislike for Vegeta, which was trained in him by Paragus. Just like the non canon version of Broly, King Vegeta didn’t accept Broly’s extraordinary power because the child was labeled as a lower class saiyan and Broly’s power challenged all those of royal blood. Broly and his father was exiled from the planet instead of going through a failed execution attempt. Paragus vowed to take revenge on the King for his oversight, with the extinction of the saiyan race, Vegeta was the next best option for revenge since Vegeta is the survivor of the Saiyan throne. The story of Bardock was retold as well, thus making Goku’s origin to Earth even more like Superman. In Bardock’s story, fans were also introduced to Goku’s mother Gine, a character never expressed in history until this movie.

Dragonball Super: Broly satisfied fans this time around with visuals of Vegeta as the super saiyan god. This form was introduced in the film Dragonball Z Battle of the Gods, which was a form attained by absorbing the power of 5 pure hearted saiyans. This is important among DBZ fans because this was the second time Vegeta was observed catching up to Goku in power but not displaying his work to attain each level as Goku did. Then the stage moved to Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, otherwise known as Super Saiyan Blue. Vegeta amazed fans becoming super saiyan blue in the Resurrection of Frieza, completely skipping over the super saiyan god level. Then Vegeta learned to evolve the super saiyan blue form into a new power level. Dragonball Super Broly has also made Gogeta an official character in the canon series. Not only that, Gogeta is able to become super saiyan god just like his fusion counterpart Vegito. Fusion is an extremely powerful card to play on the battle field and it was surprising to fans that Broly could withstand the power of the fusion before Gogeta went Blue. If this is the case, would Broly be in fact stronger than all the saiyans in the Tournament of Power?

Comic sites have theories on how the Super Saiyan Four could become canon. Sites such as Comicbookmovie suggest that the road map to Super Saiyan Four is through Broly.  Whis, being a witness to the entire battle, could give Goku and Vegeta new training methods to fully bring out their saiyan potential as Broly did. So far, Whis trained the Vegeta and Goku to master their ki to god levels but never taught the saiyans how to unlock the power aspects their race could wield. Or, is it possible Whis already knows the full potential of the saiyan race and could show the saiyans how to use the legendary stage as well…

Even with Broly eliminated in the non canon Dragonball Z story, that was something anime fans could not accept for the character. Dragonball Super gave fans the idea of Broly with the introduction of Kale. Her outstanding power amazed the Gods in the tournament and she was ranked among the top 5 strongest fighters. During the seasons of Super, fans can see that Goku, Vegeta, Caulifla and Cabba has similarities that make them parallel with each other.  Now that Broly is made canon, will he apart of surviving saiyans, even becoming a mentor with his parallel counterpart Kale? What was your overall feel for this movie? Do you think this Broly is the best we have seen or do you think his previous version was better left untouched?

ComicMultiverse fan favorite poster of Dragonball Super: Broly goes to the DeviantArt artist: Limandao! Excellent work!

 

 

AquaMan 2018 Movie Review!!!

The Justice League film spawned the solo movie for AquaMan with great success! This feature generated $1.150 billion dollars worldwide to date! Zack Snyder introduced the character to the big screen, but it was James Wan brought out the full details of the character. Jason Momoa turned out to be a perfect choice to portray the AquaMan character because Jason and Arthur both originated from people of the water and of the land. The costume designs were perfect for each character because they closely resemble those seen in the comic publications. Some comic fans find the underwater visuals on par with James Cameron’s Avatar. Even though this film used a lot of CGI, it, along with 2017 Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, and the Batman from Christopher Nolan, are the top-ranking origin films for DC Comics.

When it comes down to character development on-screen, what fans loved about this film was how producers took time to explain and show visuals of how AquaMan’s powers work, especially during the training with Vulko. Since Aquaman is half human, he is physically stronger than all Atlantians and he has the unique ability to communicate with the animals of the sea. This telepathic ability help prove Arthur’s worthiness to the Trident.  Once wielded, Arthur’s telekinetic abilities expanded, connecting him to the Life Force of the Seven Seas. Even the vast amount Trench creatures came under control of AquaMan, a task believed to be impossible because of their savagery. When making a worldwide connection to sea animals, this visually looks similar to Professor Xavier using Cerebro in the X-Men films. In magic, the Trident is similar to Mjolnir by way of controlling lightning and weather. So what Trident was Arthur wielding in Justice League if he had his mother’s Trident in his possession before the Trident of Poseidon?AquaMan 2018 would be Mera‘s second appearance on film, her first being cameo in The Justice League. In this film, Mera stuck closely to Arthur, helping him along the way to realize his importance as King of Atlantis, then later becoming his Queen to be. Mera is hydrokinetic like the Water Tribe of Avatar the Airbender. On film, we’ve seen Mera extract water from Arthur’s body, even turn wine into sharp, deadly projectiles. One question that was raised among fans is what was the reason for Mera to create an air bubble to speak to Arthur in Justice League, but never used that technique in this film? Was that a correction the producers wanted to make in concerns to Atlantean communication underwater? Or is this a different in style between Zack Synder and James Wan?

The main antagonist of this film was no other than Orm, Arthur’s half-brother. This family rival is similar to Thor and Loki or T’Challa and N’Jadaka. What’s common with these rivals is that the tensions begin for the rights of the throne. The unworthy King would use deception to become ruler but later become defeated by the rightful heir. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis was similar to this film, with the theme that a new King is needed in the underwater kingdom and to stop an impending war on the surface world. There were key differences in the films, but both were considered great origins stories of the AquaMan. Orm is imprisoned for his crimes but like most popular villains, it’s only a matter of time until he returns…

This film was big enough to feature another of AquaMan’s primary villains, The Black Manta. This Black Manta is quite different from the one in the comics. This film showed Manta as a pirate who has a strong relationship with his father. Arthur allowed Manta’s father die while they were on their hijacking mission, and this started the war between these two characters. In comic publications, during his youth, Black Manta was a victim of human trafficking. While at sea, Manta saw AquaMan and signaled for help to escape his kidnappers, but the King didn’t see this signal. Just as depicted in the comics, Black Manta is Orm’s human soldier who helped set up the stage for Atlantis and the surface to engage in war. Orm shared weapon technology with Manta so he could destroy Arthur but was defeated in the process. End credit scenes predict Manta’s return, but this time he may become a bigger threat than he was before….

What are your thoughts on this film? If we are to receive sequels to this film, how will they be incorporated in any future Justice League films? Rumors suggest Ben Affleck will not have his solo movie for Batman, and Henry Cavill is no longer playing Superman. DC Comics is down to two characters on-screen: Wonder Woman and AquaMan. Let’s hope the Shazam movie is just as outstanding as AquaMan 2018 to keep DC cinematic universe alive for the comic fans. Also make sure to Check out these amazing statues provided by SideShow Collectibles!!

Independence Day: Resurgence

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Movie Review!!

Independence Day: Resurgence is the anticipated sequel to Independence Day. Resurgence brought in 143.7 million dollars opening weekend, much lower than the first film which was a blockbuster hit in 1996. The first film was released on July 2 coinciding with it’s film’s events, unlike Resurgence which was prematurely released from that date. In Resurgence, it took 20 years for the aliens to return to Earth which ran parallel in taking 20 years to make a sequel to the first film. Resurgence received much negative reviews than positive. What was your take on the film?

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Twenty years ago Earth was invaded by hostile aliens, which in fact had Earth on it’s sights since 1947. On July 2, 1996, the invading alien forces came to Earth to conquer it, but on July 4th, the aliens were defeated by small collective of survivors before being brought down worldwide. Defeated, the hostiles sent a distress call back to their home world before being captured as prisoners or destroyed. During the 20 year span, Earth was rebuilt and improved by the salvaged alien technology from the two day war in 1996. Earth has accomplish what they always wanted: a space defense against future threats and the means to expand their space exploration within the solar system.

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According to the first film, when the alien pilot invaded President Whitmore’s mind, it was revealed that the aliens move to different planets like locust, consuming the planet’s resources which results in the destruction of the planet. In Resurgence, it was explained when the aliens consume planets, they would drill down to a planet’s core to harvest it. Once harvested, the core is used to power all of the alien ships and weapons. The harvested energy is also used to sustain a planetary ecosystem on board of the mega mothership. This way of planetary consumption is very similar to how Galactus replenishes his cosmic power in the Marvel Universe.

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Much of the cast returned to the film for the exception of Will Smith, who had the role of US Fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller. Because of his commitment with Suicide Squad, his character Captain Hiller was killed off in Resurgence, with only portrait and photos cameos left of him. Within the 20 years between the two Independence Day films, Will has starred in many blockbuster sci-fi films. Could his experience in the sci-fi film category been a great influence on Resurgence, thus making it a huge blockbuster like the first film?

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The return of Dr. Brackish Okun portrayed by famous Brent Spiner was the most confusing spin of the movie. In the first Independence Day, his character was actually killed after he was used as a voice puppet for the captured alien, brought to Area 51 by Captain Hiller. Resurgence changed Okun apparent death to a 20 year old coma which was uplifted when the alien reinforcements arrived. Not only was Okun able to connect with the aliens, the doctor made a friendly alliance with another extraterrestrial that arrived to Earth to help against the invasion. This alien technology also offered to level up the Earth’s advanced technology even further. The alien tech also set plans to level up Earth’s advanced space travel to interstellar traveling, all in hopes to invade the alien’s home world and end the alien’s reign of the universe. Do you think Independence Day was perfect the first time around without this sequel or should the story continue?