Casting Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom and the Ouroboros of MEGA-tainment

July 31, 2024 by Matt Oakes Posted in Editorials, Film Editorials Tagged Dr. Doom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Robert Downey Jr. 8 Comments

The recent announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will don the mantle of Dr. Doom after years of embodying Tony Stark/Iron Man sent shockwaves through the entertainment sphere. Unveiled at Nerd Mecca (Comic Con’s Hall H), the news was met with wild enthusiasm from attending fans. Soon, a torrent of think-pieces flooded the media, from entertainment outlets to daily news channels, all asking, “What does this mean?” And for good reason. This move is more than just a casting choice; it’s a microcosm of a broader insidious trend where creativity is sacrificed at the altar of commerce. Where the comforting allure of nostalgia trumps all. While looking backwards to carve a path forward may seem like a reliable strategy, nostalgia-plays inherently bank upon a limited resource. We will eventually run out of cameos and callbacks, especially if modern entertainment is already so focused on looking back. This ouroboros-like cycle, where the industry repeatedly consumes its past until past and present become intertwined, has significant implications for our broader cultural dynamics and the future of entertainment as well as society. Read More

Waititi’s ‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’ As Aimless, Superfluous As The MCU’s Phase 4 Writ Large

July 6, 2022 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Chris Hemsworth, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Natalie Portman, Out in Theaters, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Thor: Love and Thunder 2 Comments

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Kill the Gods

It’s probably safe to define Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth film in the main Thor series and eighth total appearance by Chris Hemsworth as the titular character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by what it is not. It is not as good as its predecessor Ragnarok. Going a step further, I’d wager to say that it’s likely the worst of the Thor-central flicks – the often maligned Thor: The Dark World included. It’s not well constructed; the story is jumbled and meandering, the tone is all over the place, the character arcs are fairly uninvolving and flat. It’s not as funny as it thinks it is; the jokes mustering some low-grade chuckles here and there but nothing at the level of writer-director Taika Waititi’s best work – nor is it even on par with Marvel’s better comedic showcases. In short, it’s just not very good. Read More

When Sam Raimi Lets Loose, ‘DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS’ Is Pure Dark Magic. Otherwise, Meh.

May 3, 2022 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Bruce Campbell, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen, Kevin Feige, Marvel, MCU, Rachel McAdams, Sam Raimi, Xochitl Gomez 1 Comment

Not Quite What the Doctor Ordered

The multitude of successes and failures of the larger MCU brand is put on full display with its most recent entry, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film directed by Spider-Man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, more than any other Marvel effort to date, underscores issues of creative overlording (Kevin Feige, master of the box office, checking in) that has long plagued the comic book production house. The push and pull between actual directorial style and ownership of said style and the larger corporatized Marvel Brand has never been so readily apparent in the finished product, resulting in one of Marvel’s most split-identity entries to date. One that also houses some of its most daring and dazzling segments across all of its 28 films and six Disney+ TV events. Read More

Clunky ‘ETERNALS’ Reveals Chloé Zhao Ill-Suited for Marvel Universe

October 28, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Chloé Zhao, Eternals, Gemma Chan, Harish Patel, Kaz Firpo, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Patrick Burleigh, Richard Madden, Ryan Firpo, Salma Hayek Leave a comment

Nomandland writer-director and Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao is celebrated as a humanist, naturalistic storyteller. A filmmaker who sinks into the very pores of the characters and communities she crafts her movies around. Telling stories from a deep understanding of what make these people tick and the idiosyncratic customs of their way of life, Zhao champions the use of non-actors and the backdrop of mother nature to achieve a lived-in, grounded aesthetic. With Zhao’s films, you often feel as if you’ve stepped into another universe, one that’s been squirreled away on some part of our planet we just didn’t know existed. Read More

Fantastical but Flawed ‘SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS’ Expands MCU’s Horizons

August 23, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andrew Lanham, Awkwafina, Benedict Wong, Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Marvel, MCU, Meng-er Zhang, Shang-Chi, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu, Tony Leung Chiu-wai 2 Comments

Indebted as much to Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as anything within the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the MCU’s spin on a Wuxia epic. Big fantastical action mixes with Chinese mysticism and Marvel’s signature mood-lightening jokes to create a unique, if imperfect, Marvel experience, one that introduces new characters, powerful Macguffins, new brand of superpowers, and even more hidden worlds to the ever-expanding MCU. Read More

Better Late than Never, ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Gives MCU’s Preeminent Shero a Fitting Sendoff

June 29, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Black Widow, Cate Shortland, David Harbour, Eric Pearson, Florence Pugh, Jac Schaeffe, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Natasha Romanoff, Out in Theaters, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, Reviews, Scarlett Johansson, William Hurt 1 Comment

The second to last of the original Avengers to get her own standalone bow (with Hawkeye’s very own miniseries hitting Disney+ late 2021), Black Widow has been long overdue her turn in the spotlight for some time now. If we weren’t living in an aggressively patriarchal society, it might seem strange that it took so long to get Scarlett Johansson, who has led the charts for most bankable actress alive for many years, her own feature film. But then again it seems that Hollywood suits only recently learned the lesson that the masses would turn out for superhero movies that starred people other than white men and so thus Black Widow was bankrolled into existence, 11 years after her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Read More

Marvel Resurrects Dead Hero in First Trailer for ‘BLACK WIDOW’

December 3, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged Black Widow, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Marvel, MCU, Rachel Weisz, Scarlett Johnasson, Trailers Leave a comment

It’s hardly a spoiler at this point to acknowledge the fact that Black Widow, Marvel’s first female superhero who has been played by Scarlett Johansson since 2010, is dead. The former assassin-cum-non-powered-superhero sacrificed herself in Endgame to save the world. More specifically, her friend and partner Hawkeye. Had the movie not come out in April and gone on to make literally more money than any other movie ever, I’d maybe try and dance around that fact but let’s be honest: either you know already or you couldn’t care less about the MCU. Read More

‘AVENGERS: ENDGAME’’s Epic Stroll Down Memory Lane Makes for Best MCU Film Yet

April 24, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Christopher Markus, Joe Russo, Josh Brolin, Marvel, MCU, Paul Rudd, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Stephen McFeely 5 Comments

The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in earnest when Tony Stark proclaimed, “I am Iron Man.” Then Nick Fury stepped out of the shadows and assembled a team. The movie industry shook. It was the beginning of something new; an unchartered holistic approach to franchise filmmaking and the genesis of a box office monolith unlike any to have ever proceeded it. Over the course of 21 films, the MCU has become the equivalent of global Saturday morning cartoons; serialized superhero adventure stories that somehow most of the world has bought into. And all that comes to a head in Avengers: Endgame, a movie that is so momentous, it’s difficult to classify in and amongst other general releases. Empty out your pockets now folks, cuz you’re gonna need to strap into this ride a few times. Read More

‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ Punches Through the Glass Ceiling With Style

March 5, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Anna Bowden, Avengers: Endgame, Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, Clark Gregg, Djimon Honsou, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Jude Law, Lee Pace, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Pinar Toprak, Ryan Fleck, Samuel L. Jackson Leave a comment

True to its name, Captain Marvel is pure Marvel. That’s not to say that it’s necessarily a top-tier entry to the now twenty-one film franchise (it is however a worthy middle entry) but the film perfectly sums up what the Marvel brand is: a family-friendly blend of sci-fi and action adventure, led by postured heroes in colorful spandex, lit up by busy, expensive CGI and regularly relieved with whip-snap jokes. It’s an origin story of somewhat common degree, one familiar with the storytelling roots of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America before it, that encapsulates the highs and lows of the superhero series in equal measure. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘BLACK PANTHER’

February 14, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andy Serkis, Angela Basset, Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker, Kendrick Lamar, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Marvel, MCU, Michael B. Jordan, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ryan Coogler 3 Comments

Heavy hangs the crown in Black Panther, a Marvel movie whose real-life cultural and societal implications overshadow its storytelling prowess. The import and impact of Black Panther as a chapter in film history cannot be overstated. Although this isn’t Hollywood’s first attempt to turn a historically black superhero into the main event, headlining their own tentpole film – consider Wesley Snipes run as the vampire-hunter Blade, Halle Berry’s turn as Catwoman, Will Smith’s alcoholic anti-hero Hancock or even Shaquille O’Neal’s turn as Steel – this feels like a first in part because of how much effort has been poured into its making and, more importantly, how readily it embraces its fundamental blackness, from its colorful African settings to its tribally-influenced makeup, hairstyle, and costumes to its predominately black cast and crew, a verifiable assemblage of talent that’ll turn even the most skeptical of heads. Read More