Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Is A Rare Gem Of A Superhero Flick That Carries Both Charm And Heart

      The Spider-Man franchise has experienced its series of ups and downs since it first blasted into theaters in 2002 with the Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire trilogy. While the first two Spider-Man films in that trilogy are considered some of the finest comic book films ever made, the third film was a huge letdown and disappointed large portions of fans. It was apparent that Raimi's reign of directing the Spider-Man franchise has run its course and it was time for a restart. Fast-Forward five years later and a full ten after the release of the original Spider-Man in 2002, Sony studios attempted to reboot the franchise once again with Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 directed by 500 Days Of Summer's Marc Webb. While the first film in that series was fairly successful despite mixed reviews from critics, the second one got even more divisive reviews than Spider-Man 3 with many reviewers pointing out that Sony basically made the same mistakes of that film by cramming too many villains into one story and creating a narrative that's uneven, showing a lack of passion for the source material and more interest in making money. With the failure of the second film, Sony went back to the drawing board and decided to bring the character into the MCU with their third rebooted attempt with Tom Holland in the title role. First introduced in Captain America: Civil War and later Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the third reboot attempt at bringing the character to the big screen proved to be a huge success with audiences loving Holland's Spider-Man just as much or more than Tobey Maguire's. With the success of Holland's Spider-Man, Sony decided to try their hand at creating an animated Spider-Man film with LEGO Movie filmmakers Phil Loird and Christopher Miller being hired to write and direct the film. First  announced in 2015, Loird and Miller aimed to give the animated film a unique style, using Sony Pictures Imageworks computer animation pipeline with traditional hand-drawn comic book techniques inspired by the works of Miles Morales co-creator Sara Pichelli. The film also required the largest crew ever assembled by Sony Pictures Animation with a total of 140 animators bringing the story of Miles Morales to life. Their efforts are much appreciated as Into The Spider-Verse isn't just a visually breathtaking animated film, it's a great comic book origin story that often feels amazing at times while ranking as being one of the best Spider-Man films ever put on the big screen thus far.

      The plot for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse centers around a young teenager named Miles Morales (Voiced by Shameik Moore), being bitten by a radioactive Spider and uncovering a realm of alternate realities where he not only becomes Spider-Man but meets multiple versions of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. As he struggles with school, friends, and his newfound powers, he trains to become the new protector of New York City. What makes Into The Spider-Verse a different take on the iconic figure that appeals to audiences, is it keeps the Peter Parker storyline but presents it in a different angle by showing a new kind of hero wearing the mantle. Miles Morales is a character whose story has never been touched upon prior in the cinematic comic book universe giving the filmmakers the opportunity to make Spider-Man feel fresh again for audiences the way it did in 2002 with Raimi's original and 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. The end result is a story that's beautifully told, visually stunning with a hit soundtrack to accompany the characters as well as the story, and most importantly, it carries tremendous levels of heart and charm with it. As good as Spider-Man: Homecoming was at re-establishing the main character in a third rebooted attempt, Into The Spider-Verse somehow gives audiences back that magical feeling they had when seeing the original Sam Raimi film in theaters. It might've been because Homecoming was attached to the rest of the MCU, which held it back from fully delivering the same kind of feel but Spider-Verse makes its audience feel like young kids again watching its origin story while paying homage to all the Spider-Man tales that came before it with examples being the narration of the Peter Parker's revealing their past storylines to catch up the audience to current events. It's handled in a way where it's not only funny and entertaining for the audience, but it actually makes sense in the context of the films story which revolves around bringing all the different Spider-Man universes together. Into The Spider-Verse feels like a special kind of experience for comic book fans not because the animation is simply downright beautiful, but they are witnessing a new kind of hero being born whose in a sense relatable to today's youth of kids with a story surrounding him that's full of action, humor, heart, romance, charm, and a genuine thrill for seeing a new origin story brought to the big screen in a way that's unique and memorable. It's more than well-deserving of its Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

      In terms of voice acting, the ensemble cast that Into The Spider-Verse carries is remarkable with talented actors such as newcomer Shameik Moore shining through in what's unquestionably ]his breakout role. Moore is terrific here bringing a sweet innocence to Morales character that channels that of Peter Parker's in the original Spider-Man with them discovering their powers while trying to balance out their lives. Like Parker, Miles experiences tragedy witnessing the original Spider-Man being murdered at the hands of Kingpin and feels that someone must continue his legacy. Shameik doesn't just play Miles Morales so well, he becomes Miles Morales as his range is sensational here. Chris Pine does a strong job playing the original Peter Parker, despite having minimal lines, he still leaves an impact on the audience when his character is killed in the beginning. Jake Johnson shines as Peter B. Parker, delivering a strong enough performance that balances out the chemistry he shares with Moore on the screen. Hailee Steinfeld does a great job playing Gwen Stacey and like Johnson, shares great chemistry with Moore in their scenes together. The audience can really feel the friendship and bond developing between the two. Academy-Award winner Mahershala Ali shines as Morales Uncle Aaron, the person who tries to be there for Morales when his father is too busy to focus on him or too strict given his stature as a police officer. Lily Tomlin does well playing multiverse Aunt May with Zoe Kravitz being effective as Mary Jane, Luna Lauren as Rio Morales, John Mulaney leaving a humerous performance as Spider-Ham, with Kathryn Hahn shining as Doc Ock. The two standout supporting roles that leave definite impressions with the audience is Nicolas Cage in what's arguably his best performance since Kickass as Spider-Man Noir and Liev Schreiber proving to be a great Kingpin. Outside of Vincent D' Onofrio's performance as Kingpin in the Daredevil series, Schreiber is the second best Kingpin on film. The cast here is extraordinary and does a beautiful job bringing this story to the big screen as everyone delivers terrific performances and breathe life into their parts.

      As far as the directing and writing goes, the trio filmmakers Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman all combine their directing talents to deliver a stylish and enchanting animated experience that's a complete marvel to watch. It's fast, its got visual flare, and is full of passion and heart that's been clearly poured onto the big screen. For the audience, it feels as if they are watching a groundbreaking animated experience from Sony with the filmmakers giving each character a distinct look and personality that's mesmerizing to watch. The writing by Phil Loird and Christopher Miller is the films strongest asset with the first 30 minutes of the film having some of the best writing ever for a comic book movie with the way the characters and story is set up. The screenplay is full of character development and dialogue that's rich, poignant, and carries with it a sense of realism to it with the plot delivering surprise twists and turns along the way. For an animated film, Into The Spider-Verse carries with it a mature tone that feels like a mixture of an art-house film meshed together with a teen drama meshed with a comic book origin story, that manages to blend together so effectively while keeping the story grounded and personal. The key to the films success lies within the writing presented here, the audience looks at Miles Morales and they can picture themselves in his shoes while enjoying the meshing together of all the multiverse Peter Parker's. Loird and Miller do a brilliant job of combining all the history of the past Spider-Man universes and bringing them all together in a style that feels natural, exciting, and never forced.

      On a technical level, this film was a risky venture for Sony that ultimately proved to be a tremendous success with both the art style and decorative look of the film being spot on. There aren't enough words to describe the beauty of the films visual style other than it leaves a commanding presence. The characters are brilliantly written and drawn out perfectly with Morales, the other Spider-Man's and Kingpin all looking larger than life on the big screen. The visuals are colorful, flashy, and have a human like presence with the emotion being shown on the characters faces. Every scene is beautifully filmed and voiced out showing the huge amounts of dedication that went into bringing this story to life. The films pacing is perfect as the film never feels like it moves too fast nor too slow. The first third of the movie is all about setting up the character of Morales while showing the passing of the torch with the old Spider-Man handing off his duties to Miles with the tragedy that changes his life, ultimately making him discover his true destiny. The soundtrack is effective and hits home with its usage of songs, particularly the inclusion of Lil Wayne's I'm Not Scared Of The Dark. With all the technical elements of these films coming together, the end result is one that is not only visually striking but is hands down one of the most visually appealing films animated films ever made with the perfect balance of story, animation, superhero action, and tons of heart.

      If this is Sony's way of apologizing for putting its audience through three rebooted attempts with the Spider-Man character then its an apology more than accepted. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a pleasant surprise and is pretty much the Spider-Man movie that fans desire the live-action films to be. Given how many Spider-Man films that are canon, the filmmakers always knew it was important to bring a fresh and original approach to the story and here they do just that. The whole experience is thrilling, exciting, moving, and unbelievable that Sony was able to pull this off. It could've easily ended up being the forgotten animated gem that Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm became in the 90's despite being a cult classic today, but Into The Spider-Verse is too groundbreaking and impressive of a film to just be easily brushed aside. A lot of passion, dedication, and heart went into telling this story not just from the actors but from the filmmaking team behind it. As far as ranking goes, the original 2002 Spider-Man film is still the best followed by Into The Spider-Verse and Far From Home. What began as a bold move on Sony's part ended up paying off handsomely with the film not only becoming one of the best movies of 2018, but also one of the best comic book movies of all time. It has everything that fans could possibly want in a superhero movie with the end result surpassing all expectations. Perhaps next time Sony or another studio decides to take another stab at an animated comic book movie, they'll feel more confident in doing so looking at how well this one turned out. Fans of Spider-Man and comic book fans in general should give Into The Spider-Verse the benefit of the doubt, it will surprise them and make them agree that every Spider-Man film should aspire to reach this level of greatness.

Final Verdict: If you haven't seen Into The Spider-Verse yet, check it out.

Bumblebee Is The Transformers Movie That Fans And Audiences Have Been Waiting For. It's Full Of Heart

      It seems that when audiences discuss movies with their family and friends and when great film franchises are brought up, the Transformers franchise is either snubbed or looked upon with much distaste from the majority of filmgoers and for good reason, just about every single one with the exception of the first movie are terrible. While the first Transformers film wasn't perfect by any means, it managed to have a sizable dose of heart to go with Michael Bay's constant explosive action mayhem. Not to mention the first Transformers movie was the first time audiences saw the robots on the big screen in live-action form so everything was fresh and brand new (Not to mention the robots looked simply incredible). The film also benefitted from having up and coming stars Shia Labe, who later went onto appearing in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull and Megan Fox who later went to star in Jonah Hex, Jennifer's Body, and Bay's produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. With Steven Spielberg as producer and Michael Bay as director, the two seemed like they would be the perfect filmmaking duo to bring Transformers to the big screen finally. Not only was the first Transformers a major hit with audiences and got reasonably solid reviews from critics, it left audiences with the feeling that the sequel would only continue the level of awesomeness the first movie had. They were wrong, not only was the second movie a massive disappointment, each sequel that preceded it got progressively worse than the other with the films lacking a heart and soul along with good filmmaking outside of the impressive visual effects. With the announcement of Bumblebee, audiences weren't expecting much from the prequel given the poor quality of the previous films. Suddenly there was a moment of hope when it was announced Bay would step away from the directors chair and settle for producer. For fans of the series, the news of Bays departure from the directing chair brought a breath of fresh air as well as relief as the movie now had a chance to be a substantial improvement over the others. Enter Travis Knight as Bays replacement with two Oscar nominations under his belt and a producing history that consisted of well-received animated films such as ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings. With this critical replacement in the directors chair, it felt as if the Transformers franchise could finally begin to clean up the long trail of mess left behind by four awful sequels. Much to the surprise of many fans, Bumblebee provides the breath of fresh air that the Transformers series desperately needed. Not only is it the best Transformers movie thus far in terms of storytelling, its full of heart and charm that's been missing from the series since the first film. Bumblebee to put it blatantly is the Transformers movie that both fans and audiences have been waiting for and wanted.

      The plot for Bumblebee takes place in the 1980's era prior to the events of the first film with the story taking place in 1987 and centers around the origins of Bumblebee, the yellow Volkswagen Beetle, who shares an affectionate relationship with an 18-year old teenage girl Charlie, who saved him from a junkyard in a small California beach town. Going back into the past with the films story is a brilliant move as it mirrors that of ET: The Extra Terrestrial sharing numerous similarities while providing nostalgia for audiences with its 1980's setting. Everything about Bumblebee feels like the film was handled with genuine care and passion for bringing this story to the big screen and getting it right. The heart of the film lies not within its action sequences, but with its character development and moments between the young girl Charlie Watson played by Hailee Steinfield and Bumblebee. Their relationship is masterfully crafted by the writers and director making it feel both natural and heartfelt. Seeing them together and Charlie sharing emotional moments with Bee is where the movie demonstrates its power over the audience. The film shows that its possible to return fun, thrills, and emotion back to a franchise that's become extremely bloated and reliant on special effects. Whereas the action overpowered the story and characters in the sequels, Bumblebee does an absolute noteworthy switch and places the characters and story front and center with the action taking a backseat though still thrilling to watch. Bumblebee shows fans how its done and also what the series can be if they have the right directors and writers behind it.

      If Steven Spielberg made a Transformers movies in the 1980's, chances are it would look something like this as the film pays endless homage to his masterpiece from that era with E.T. With the character of Charlie, the writers as well as Travis Knight establish a strong female character whose struggling to find her place in the world and trying to overcome the loss of her father with the process of grieving. The audience feels this level of grief and empathize with her, it also makes her friendship with Bumblebee more believable as he essentially fills the void with her loneliness giving her a cushion to lean on. Despite Shia Labeouf's character Sam Witwicky being an appealing male star in the first Transformers movie, Charlie's character is more fleshed out, more complexed, and more believable with her character being socially withdrawn due to coping with her fathers absence and feeling lonely as her mother is too focused on her new relationship to recognize her grieving. Whereas Witwicky was a dorky kid essentially who tried to impress a girl that appeared to be out of his league at first, Charlie much like Elliot from E.T is looking for that special friend who will fill the void for the absence of the father in both storylines. On a storytelling level, this is by far the most thought out fleshed out Transformers movie in terms of plot and characters. The opening battle sequence in the future with Bumblebee fighting the Decepticons before heading to Earth in an earlier time frame feels almost like the opening scene of T2: Judgment Day with both stories mirroring each other regarding the machine and human forming a bond much like what happens here.

      As far as acting performances go, Hailee Steinfeld is terrific here and plays a large role in making the movie what it is. Her performance is charming, heartfelt, believable, and absolutely fun to watch. Watching the film, the audience never doubts the relationship between her and Bumblebee and actually cares a great deal about them, especially in their final scenes together. Her moments with Bumblebee showing them having an exciting adventure together are the key to the films impact with the audience. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. shines as Charlie's friend and love interest Memo, who gets drawn into the secret regarding Bumblebee. John Cena does a solid job playing Agent Burns, an agent colonel pursuing Bumblebee believing him at first to be a threat to humanity before reversing his opinion later in the story. Jason Drucker delivers a noteworthy performance playing Charlie's annoying brother Otis with Pamela Adlon and Stephen Schneider being likable as Charlie's fun yet clueless parents/step-parents. Easily the best acted Transformers movie of them all as the actors have characters that for the most part aren't one-dimensional and they can actually breathe life into. The actors all deliver performances, that help draw the audience into this different yet brilliant time period for the story. The vocal performances are terrific as well with Dylan O' Brien shining as B-127/Bumblebee, Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus Prime and being just as effective and awesome as ever, Angela Basset impressing as the voice of Shatter and Justin Theroux as the voice of Dropkick. Combined, all the actors whether human or non-human work together to help put this franchise back in the game.

      In terms of directing and writing, Travis Knight proves to be a great choice for handling this film and brings his A Game to it in a way which was largely absent from the previous Transformers movies after the first one. Knight clearly has a passion for telling this story and directs it in a way he imagine it as a kid watching the film during the 80's period. He trades Bay's style of action and constant mayhem in exchange for a quieter and more emotional story, that actually works not just as its own movie but as a redeemer for the entire series as a whole. Knight also incorporates humor into the film which doesn't feel awkwardly forced nor shoved down the audiences throat like the way Bay presented it with his films. Here the humor is more thought-out and cleverly inserted making the main characters appeal to the audience. Knight just doesn't give the film a heart, he literally gives it a soul. The screenplay by Christina Hodson is a strong one and well-written even if some of the beats have a been there and done that feel to them, such as the whole kid finds the robot scenario and the military capturing Bumblebee then realizing they were wrong about him once the Decepticons show their true colors. Its been done before but still has a feeling of freshness to it because of the new twists added to the story with the character of Charlie and the decade the era the film takes place in. Hodson's best strengths as a writer are the fleshing out of Charlies character as well as her relationship with both Memo and Bumblebee. The romance in this film between Charlie and Memo feels more natural than the relationship between Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes in the first film. While that romance wasn't bad, it had moments where it was forced and felt unnatural at times. Another weakness with the films writing is the generic cardboard characters written as the military personnel. While John Cena's character works within the context of the story, he's not as well developed as the main characters. Despite the writings minimal flaws, the film works because it surrounds the action with large doses of emotion particularly with the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee. It feels as if Knight and Hodson sat down together and studied E.T as well as some of John Hughes classic films as the film mirrors both closely while creating its own story centered around themes such as love, bond, and overcoming grief.

      On a technical level, Travis Knight was the perfect person to direct this film. The films cinematography was great giving the film a legit 1980's feel with the art-set design being right on the money. The films music was suttle and used effectively particularly during the quiet moments between Bumblebee and Charlie. The films editing made the story fly by without ever feeling too long or slow. In the case of the film being so well done though, one wishes it was a little longer to dwell in the films awesomeness but it also would've felt like it was being dragged out as everything that needed to be shown on the screen was put there. The films visual and sound effects are top notch as usual with the action sequences that do appear in the story being ones that leave an impact with the audience and not feeling like overkill. The film has a perfect balance of story and emotion that's equally complimented by the films strong technical aspects. For the first time since 2007, audiences legitimately feel like they are seeing a Transformer for the first time with an even greater dose of movie magic and heart behind it.

      Its quite a shame that this wasn't the Transformers movie that came after Michael Bay's first film because had it rode off the success of that one, this could've ended up being a pretty cool franchise in comparison to what it ended up being prior to this film. Bumblebee uses all its magic and heart to redeem the series while making the case to audiences that the franchise isn't dead and has a new light. Whereas the previous Transformers movies offered little to no soul outside of the first film, Bumblebee gives endless amounts to its audience as well as a character bond that makes the film feel genuine. Bumblebee is a Transformers movie that largely goes against audiences expectations and proves to be pleasant surprise as well as the redirection the franchise needed in terms of setting the course right. Its not a perfect film as it has elements such as some parts of the writing that make it feel like familiar territory as well as how much it leans on Spielberg's movie for comfort but the films flaws are manageable with the end result still being one that packs an emotional punch while putting a smile on fans faces that a Transformers movie for once is handled with care and passion behind telling its story. Easily one of the best movies to come out in 2018 and much deserving of the praise it got, its just a shame that Michael Bay didn't step down as director sooner as the audience now see's the potential this series has when they allow more capable storytellers to handle the material. If you haven't seen Bumblebee yet or are afraid to because of how bad the previous four movies were (Transformers 2007 doesn't apply in that statement), then you should absolutely give this film a chance, it will shock, surprise, and ultimately leave a smile on your face after its over that a Transformers movie has arrived and is finally done right, done absolutely right. Bravo to Travis Knight and the team behind Bumblebee for showing fans there's hope for this franchise still.

Final Verdict: SEE IT

      

Aquaman Provides The Entertainment, Thrills, And The Hope That The DCEU Will Find Its Stride

      

      The DCEU as audiences are aware has experienced quite a bumpy start in terms of getting off the ground since it first began in 2013 with Zack Snyder's hit-and-miss Man Of Steel. While that film was flawed, it still served as an entertaining and effective blockbuster, that was a hit with audiences spawning the horribly missed opportunity which was Batman V Superman. The failure of that film on a critical level signaled that the DCEU was in serious trouble along with the misfire of David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman however provided hope that the universe would make a complete 180 with its strong critical reception and that Justice League would benefit from having Avengers director Joss Whedon take over as director after Zack Snyder left the film due to a personal family tragedy. While Justice League wasn't horrible, it served as being just passable entertainment that lacked the impact needed to stick with audiences. With the latter film underperforming, audiences questioned whether the DCEU as we knew it was finished as their signature film failed to draw both critical acclaim and huge box office success (It became the lowest grossing movie of the DC Cinematic Universe). With James Wan's Aquaman, the answer is that the DCEU is still alive and gives audiences hope that things can get better if the right directors are behind the project. Aquaman is an extremely entertaining CGI driven superhero flick, that works due to the films appealing cast, particularly Jason Momoa in the films main title, as well as the exciting action that the film presents. What makes it standout much like Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman while separating itself from Zack Snyder's movies in the universe is simply that Aquaman knows it wants to be a fun popcorn blockbuster and goes about being just that while bringing its main title character to life in a way that's effective as well as appealing to audiences. With Aquaman, James Wan turns out one of the three main good films in the DCEU thus far. (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam).

      The plot for Aquaman centers around the main character going on a quest to prevent a war between the worlds of ocean and land. Being a human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, he feels compelled to defend both worlds from his half-brother's (Played by Watchman and Conjuring's Patrick Wilson) plan to destroy the surface. Despite Aquaman being a DCEU movie, the story almost feels like a parallel to Marvels Black Panther with the same set up with the fight for the throne with the main difference is Aquaman's kingdom is underwater and the story presented here could essentially be seen through Kilmonger's perspective from Black Panther. Aquaman has themes that pertain to one struggling to choose their allegiance as they're split between two sides as well as the desire to be reunited with a long lost parent. Other themes that Aquaman dives into are War, betrayal, discovering ones roots, treason, revenge, and forgiveness with the overall film carrying a message that says heroes fight for everyone, not just their own kind. Like Wonder Woman, Aquaman's greatest asset which aligns itself with Patty Jenkins film as well as the newly released Shazam, is that all three movies carry both heart and charm to them in regards to presenting their respective origin stories. All three movies present heroes and heroines that the audience can get behind and ultimately idiolize. With Aquaman, the film never forgets that its main objective is to entertain its audience while presenting a new kind of hero to the big screen. If Wonder Woman is meant to be the DCEU's Captain America than Aquaman is its Thor. The film feels like a cross between Black Panther in terms of story as well as James Cameron's Avatar with the visual underworld being a bright and colorful experience.

      In terms of acting performances, Aquaman follows the tradition of recent comic book movies by putting together an all star cast and using them to help bring the story to life in the most epic fashion. The highest praise obviously goes to the films main lead Jason Momoa. As the main lead, he is charismatic and believable in the role of Aquaman, while possessing great comedic timing and being dramatic when the story calls for it. He also manages to allow his physicality to do much of the acting for him. Amber Heard shines in her role as Aquaman's love interest Mera, she shows strong chemistry with Momoa and could arguably be declared the stronger performance of the two. Not only do both leads look good together, but both share strong enough chemistry to promote solid laughs in between the explosions. Nicole Kidman shines as Aquaman's long lost mother Atlanta with William Dafoe turning in a strong supporting role as his trainer and ally Vulko. Patrick Wilson is quite good as Aquaman's half-brother and antagonist in the film showing both his menacing traits as well as his vulnerability upon realizing the truth. Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul Mateen ll, and Temuera Morrison shine in their supporting roles with Lungren having a great comeback year appearing in both this as King Nereus and Creed ll, Yahya stealing the show with his performance as a vengeful son Manta, and Morrison delivering a small yet heartfelt performance as a husband and father longing to see his wife again after sudden abandonment. In the acting category, the entire cast is fantastic here and delivers performances that are both on key and nail it.

      As far as writing and directing goes, James Wan delivers what essentially looks like what his version of Avatar would've looked like in the comic book world. This movie is stunning to look at visually and carries a great deal of energy behind it in telling its story. Wan aims to entertain his audience with a popcorn blockbuster ride while humanizing his main character, both of which he does very well. Wan directs this film with absolute confidence knowing exactly what it wants to be which is silly fun with a sentimental message behind it about accepting ones role in life while forgiving ones enemies. Wan knows how to direct and entertaining film and brings his A game here while being accompanied by a strong script from writers Will Beall, David Leslie, and Johnson McGoldrick. The screenplay felt like it borrowed the best from the previous successful DC movies which were Batman Begins and Wonder Woman. Aquaman goes as far as to show him being trained by an instructor on how to fight and protect both the underworld and the surface in the same vein Bruce Wayne was taught by Ras Al Ghoul to fight injustice. Despite Aquaman's orgin story being the strength of the film, the subplot involving Black Manta felt underdeveloped and rushed, making audiences feel as if it should've been omitted and saved for the sequel as it lacked the impact needed for audiences to truly care despite an impressive fight sequence with Aquaman later in the story.

      The films writing is not the films strongest aspect nor original by any means as the film carries with it elements and subplots that are typical, cliched, and repetitive as you've already seen them before with one-dimensional characters also being present. An example is the whole subplot of the half brothers fighting for the title of King and even having a Gladiator style battle to fight for it which mirrors what audiences saw previously with Black Panther. Despite King Orm being an effective antagonist, he's not as memorable nor as striking as Kilmonger was in terms of playing off the same style of character arc essentially. One can say that Aquaman not only aims to reach for the stars with its story and by doing so borrows heavily from other great comic book and science fiction stories. However, Wan and the writers frame the script to have a strong foundation regardless of its overlapping issues with a concept, that has a strong message hidden deep in its core with a lead who helps to carry the film on his shoulders with Wan creating his own Avatar style universe that audiences are clearly digging. Much like Avatar, both that film and Aquaman borrow from other great and iconic storylines with the strength of their filmmakers making them work on their own and connect with audiences in an impactful way. Like that film, Aquaman carries with it strong environmental themes with the character of Orm having a motive to go after the surface with most of the seven underwater kingdoms because of the way the ocean is being polluted. The film at times feels like a condemnation of humans with the character of Mera admitting her disapproval of humans at one point for the way they've treated her underwater home though Aquaman admitting during one of their banters that the surface has idiots running it but not all humans are bad people. The themes of the film despite coming across as rather preachy at times, do a good job of placing the audience into the shoes of the main characters, both making them see Aquaman's standpoint while also questioning whether Orms stance though extreme and maniacal is justifiable in a sense.

      On a technical level, Aquaman is quite an impressive spectacle to be seen, especially for those who watched it in theaters. The film doesn't move at a fast-paced given its 2.5 hour running time and takes time to develop its story and characters, but there's plenty of action and entertainment to maintain the audiences interest with the films big payoff happening within its third act. In terms of visual effects, the film is both breathtaking and beautiful to watch with the vibrant atmosphere of the undersea world being on full display. Aquaman's undersea world looks like a far superior upgrade from the Gungan underwater civilization shown in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The visuals are complimented by the equally awesome art-set decoration, cinematography, and costume design with a great attention to detail going to the first and latter categories. The undersea world has a great variety of set locations, creature designs, and a rather interesting mythology. The films soundtrack is also highly effective particularly within the moments where the action scenes take place as well as going into full synthesizer mode. The films sound effects and mixing do a great deal to bring the action in the films story to life making it loud, explosive, and a rollicking good time watching it especially with the films third act including an epic climactic battle sequence that screams comparisons to both Black Panther and Avatar.

      For some viewers Aquaman may come off as being a goofy and rather silly comic book film but given its a film in the DCEU, its rather refreshing to see a superhero movie knowing fully aware of what it wants to be and does so with the utmost confidence and energy. James Wan delivers a thrill ride that's driven by his talent to entertain his audience with the film centered around Jason Momoa's character. As fun and entertaining the rest of the film is, it wouldn't have been as successful without Momoa's charisma in the lead role much in the same way Wonder Woman wouldn't have worked without Gal Gadot in the main title role or Zachary Levi as Shazam. As all three of these movies show, the key to the DCEU's success is not only through their choice of directors but also their casting decisions as the actors and actresses present the talent, the dedication, and the heart to bring these characters to life. Is Aquaman a perfect movie? No, the narrative is rather uneven at times particularly with the whole revenge subplot revolving around Black Manta, the dialogue has moments where its extremely cheesy, and the movie is longer than it needed to be but these are minor issues as the overall experience is one that's highly entertaining and ranks as being one of the strongest films in the DCEU this far (Though that isn't saying much given they've only had three official good movies with Man Of Steel borderlining on being passable). With this film, Momoa and Wan managed to successfully bring a new kind of superhero story to the table, that's full of extreme amounts of fun and awe while building a new world of their own which they will inevitably return to with the sequels. Aquaman shows that not all comic book movies have to be over the top dark and serious toned but can still be laid back and have fun while presenting a mature storyline, that has something to say about the pollution of the ocean as well as accepting ones rightful title. For comic book fans as well as fans of the DCEU, this film is a treat and worth seeing.

Final Verdict: If you haven't watched it yet, see it.

     

     

     

     

    

     

    

   
   

Creed ll Works As A Strong Sequel To Creed And An Amazing Sequel to Rocky IV

      Just when audiences thought the Rocky franchise was over with the surprisingly good finale to the first six Rocky films with Rocky Balboa, out of nowhere comes Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's powerful boxing drama Creed which serves as both an extension of the Rocky franchise as well as a reboot for the series. What made Creed such a hit with audiences was how it took the long-running series and reinvigorated it, moving the story from Rocky's arc (Though still making him a prominent player in the new series in a role similar to his own trainer Mickey) and continuing it through the arc of Apollo Creed's surprise son Adonis. It was a brilliant and clever way of keeping the series going as it brought the story into today's generation while honoring the legacy that came before it. It also served as a vehicle for the rising status of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan, both of whom proved to be a dynamic team with their work previously with the acclaimed drama Fruitvale Station and the Marvel smash hit Black Panther. It was a dream team that mirrored the early days of Martin Scorsesse and Robert Deniro, or Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. Their collaboration proved to be a winning team regardless of the type of project they worked on together. The first Creed was a fantastic reboot of the Rocky series not just because it presented another pivotal arc that it can continue the story from, but the fact that it had heart which was essential to making the first Rocky film such an impactful experience with audiences while staying true to the roots of the series by presenting an underdog that the audience could relate to and get behind. With the outstanding success of the first Creed, it was inevitable that a sequel would emerge and that the story would find its way to return to the saga of Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago with Adonis now in the picture. Creed ll tackles that subplot head on making not just a really good sequel to Creed (Though it never tops that film) but a great sequel to Rocky IV.

      The plot for Creed ll takes place after the events of the first Creed with Adonis now becoming the worldwide boxing champion with Rocky as his professional trainer. Rocky is soon visited by his old enemy Ivan Drago (Played once again by Dolph Lundgren) and his up and coming boxer son Viktor (Played by Florian Munteanu), who reveal that they wish to challenge Rocky's fighter Adonis Creed's (Played by Michael B. Jordan once again) title while also hoping to settle an old score between Rocky and Drago. Creed ll's story serves as being a sequel to two films, the first being a sequel to Creed while feeling very much like the Rocky ll to that film while also serving as an official sequel to Rocky IV showing audiences what happened to the character of Ivan Drago after the fight at the end of that film. Given this challenging task, Creed ll manages to juggle both duties very well although it sometimes finds itself relying too much on Rocky ll for comfort. Adonis mirrors Rocky's own journey in that film with Adonis proposing to his girlfriend turned fiance Bianca played wonderfully by Tessa Thompson. Adonis is also being courted by Drago and his son Viktor to fight the latter in a public showdown with the underlining reason being Drago is using his son to right the wrongs of his past such as losing his fight to Rocky which essentially ended both his career and marriage. The films smartest card it uses is showing audiences the aftermath of Rocky's fight with Drago with Ivan essentially being outcasted in Russia for losing the fight to Rocky along with his wife leaving both him and Viktor in shame. Drago see's an opportunity with his son to correct the mistake he made and pushes him to be the most efficient boxer possible even if he lets his thirst for revenge overshadow the love he has for his son. Adonis clearly sees the fight as an opportunity to get justice for what happened to his father and accepts Viktor's challenge much to the disapproval of Rocky. Whereas Apollo died in the ring after experiencing a severe beating from Ivan, Adonis gets to experience his first real defeat and finds his way to build himself back up to take Viktor again in an inevitable rematch. Creed ll's story is unquestionably bigger than the previous films in regards to scope as well as the stakes being much higher this round, but it sometimes finds itself treading down old familiar territory and feeling like a by-the-numbers Rocky/Creed sequel despite doing so very well.

      As far as acting performances go, the cast of Creed ll delivers strong to exceptional performances. Michael B. Jordan is terrific as Adonis, he really feels like he's eased into this character and gives him life. Sylvester Stallone is once again strong as Rocky, its really quite impressive and special to see his character essentially morph into the role of his old trainer Mickey, while also serving as a father figure/guardian to Adonis. As strong as he is in this film, his Oscar nominated performance in the first movie still remains superior as his character no longer deals with the shocking yet effective arc that he had to not only serve as a trainer for Adonis but battle Cancer on the side. Tessa Thompson once again shines in the role of Bianca as she essentially plays Adonis version of Adrian. She's not only quite talented as an actress and moving here but she can also sing as demonstrated by both Creed films (Her introduction song titled I Will Go To War in the final fight is amazing). Dolph Lundgren shines in the role of Ivan Drago with the script allowing his character to be completely fleshed out this time. Whereas his character played more like a killer cyborg in Rocky IV, here Drago has a personality and is completely humanized as audiences sympathize with his post-Rocky fight legacy despite committing cold-blooded murder essentially. Lundgren is terrific here giving audiences glimpses of the old Drago while showing an older version whose angry and bitter about the loss that ruined his life. Florian Munteanu delivers a strong performance as Viktor, he's both intimidating and aggressive making the audience despise him when he fights Adonis though experiencing empathy for him once they see how dysfunctional his family has become and how hard he's being pushed by his parents to make up for his dads mistake. Phylicia Rashad returns as Adonis mother from the previous Creed and shines once again as she disapproves of Adonis decision given what she witnessed with Apollo but will stand by her son regardless. Brigitte Nielsen also returns as Ivan's cold-hearted wife from Rocky IV and delivers a small yet effective performance. One knew that she was a questionable person in Rocky IV though it doesn't become apparent until seeing this film how terrible of a person she actually is. As a whole, the entire cast is strong here and delivers great performances. Everyone appears to be enjoying the experience of making this movie and getting the chance to play these iconic characters once again.

      In terms of directing and writing, Ryan Coogler didn't return to direct this film due to being busy with Black Panther, instead serves as executive producer. Instead newcomer Steven Caple Jr. takes over directing duties and does a pretty solid job of maintaining a similar style of directing that Coogler showed with the first film. Caple hits all the right notes as a director of the series giving the film its share of intimate character moments as well as using impressive cinematography to film the films key fight sequences as well as providing a slick training montage that manages to top the first ones. As for writing, Sylvester Stallone safeguards this series by taking over writing duties for the sequel due to Coogler's absence and teams with co-writer Juel Taylor to pen the films script. Overall the end result is very strong and feels like true sequels to both Creed ll and Rocky IV although the problem is as good as this sequel is, it relies too much on the past for comfort. It was always inevitable that the series would return to the Ivan Drago storyline now that Adonis has been brought into the franchise as there was no way to go around it. Bringing Drago back into the mix is a Rocky fans dream come true as it brings everything full circle. The script works best as a screenplay to Rocky IV as it feels like a natural progression for both the story and characters. As a sequel to Creed ll, it remains very strong though it sometimes relies too much on past elements to craft its own story. It can be argued however that it was intentional to have Adonis life moments mirror Rocky's with him proposing to Bianca and them having a child together. One wishes that instead of Rocky refusing to support Adonis fight Viktor and watching the fight at home, he was present to see Adonis lose his first match up with Viktor, showing Rocky enduring the same situation he experienced with Apollo and Drago. The film could've then played off Rocky's remorse for letting Adonis get pummeled in the ring and not stopping it like before which would've been more powerful than just him watching Adonis lose the fight at home. Its also never really explained why Viktor dislikes Adonis so much as he had nothing to do with his father losing the fight to Rocky. One questions why there's so much animosity directed towards him, particularly the first fight. Rocky also not speaking to his son and being hesitant to contact him comes across as strange giving their relationship grew stronger at the end of Rocky Balboa.

      Despite the minimal flaws that Creed ll has, it does an absolute damn good job of trying to play two sequels merged into one, a sequel for Adonis story as well as a sequel that continues Rocky's arc. Creed ll does a terrific job tackling themes such as grudges, loss, grief, legacies, using the sons to right the wrongs of the past, revenge, and reconciliation. The films ultimate message is one that says that meeting a challenge should be about one's own growth, not for someone else's benefit. The film also says that family is ultimately more important than winning, which feels as if its playing to the arc between Drago and Viktor as Ivan used his son for his own benefit but later realizes when seeing Viktor's mom walk out again, that his son is more important than winning a boxing match which makes their final scenes shocking, poignant, and ultimately touching. As far as remaining consistent with the first film, Creed ll doesn't match it but it comes pretty damn close. One wonders how the end result would've turned out if Ryan Coogler returned to direct and help co-write the film with Stallone. Perhaps it would've had a few changes to it that would've made it appeal to award ceremony members as the end quality is very strong. This film not only serves as the greatest continuation of the story from Rocky IV, which also happened to be the most successful Rocky film of that era in the original series, but it also works as a worthy sequel to Creed that manages to successfully expand the story while bridging what potentially looks to be a beautiful trio of movies revolving around the story arc of Adonis. The main problem with how well Creed ll handles the Drago story arc and closes the book essentially, is how the filmmakers plan to do a third film as Adonis arc is essentially complete with him avenging his fathers death and remaining the champion boxer. One has to wonder what the motivation would be for getting him back in the ring with the third movie as it has to be something big. Whatever the plot turns out to be, it has to make sense while maintaining the humanity of the story as the first two films are done so well. Creed ll is an extremely good sequel that proves to be a worthy installment of the Rocky franchise, while deserving major props for performing double duty as sequels to both extensions of the same franchise. Its thrilling, its powerful, its exciting, its moving, and ultimately its worth the watch as a fan of the Rocky saga. Here's hoping Creed lll is amazing and finishes off Adonis story on an epic note.

Final Verdict: A MUST SEE