movie night

Movie Night: The Predator

Dr. K8 Comments

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PredatorLogo

Released: 14 September 2018
Director: Shane Black
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Budget: $88 million
Stars: Boyd Holbrook, Brian A. Prince and Kyle Strauts, Jacob Tremblay, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Trevante Rhodes, and Thomas Jane

The Plot:
When Captain Quinn McKenna’s (Holbrook) unit is slaughtered by a fugitive alien hunter (Prince/Strauts), he’s shipped off to a mental hospital while government agents, led by Will Traeger (Brown), examiner the Predator. However, when a larger, more powerful Predator (Prince/Strauts) arrives to finish off the fugitive, McKenna must team up with a bunch of military misfits to combat the creature, who targets his autistic son Rory (Tremblay) in a bid to breed the ultimate prey.

The Background:
Predator (McTiernan, 1987) began with the ridiculous concept of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) fighting an extraterrestrial opponent in a big bug suit and ended up being a box office hit widely acknowledged as one of the best of its genre. However, development of a sequel took some time as star Arnold Schwarzenegger passed on the project, but ultimately resulted in a critically successful cult hit. Its disappointing box office gross meant that the franchise was kept alive in ancillary media and crossovers before producer Robert Rodriguez was brought in to spearhead a standalone sequel. Sadly, although Predators (Antal, 2010) was a minor hit at the box office, reviews were mixed and any hopes for a direct sequel were soon dashed when the studio brought back writer/director Shane Black to pen something of a soft reboot for the series. Aiming to bring some spectacle and prestige back to the franchise, Black redesigned and expanded upon the creature’s armour and appearance and seeded a tenuous link to the sequel in the casting of Jake Busey while also focusing the narrative around a father/son dynamic to deliver a fresh new take on the formula. Once again, Schwarzenegger turned down the chance to come back; veteran actor Edward James Olmos also saw his role entirely cut from the film to reduce its runtime and the film was struck by controversy after a known sex offender joined the cast. Inexplicably, filmed endings included cameos by a time-travelling Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and Rebecca “Newt” Jorden (both played by Breanna Warkins), though these were, thankfully, also excised from the finished movie. Despite being subjected to a slew of reshoots, The Predator’s $160.5 million box office made it another minor hit for the franchise, but the film was largely panned by critics. While some praised The Predator’s gore and mindless entertainment factor and the performances of the ensemble cast, the tone and pacing were criticised almost as much as the controversial depiction of autism as some kind of superpower. Even star Boyd Holbrook and director Shane Black later spoke out about the film and any plans of following up on the film’s blatant cliff-hanger ending were upended when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox and opted to produce a critically-lauded franchise prequel in 2022.

The Review:
As much as I hate to admit it, the Predator franchise has had a bit of a tumultuous history. Despite the success of Predator, the underrated Predator 2 (Hopkins, 1990) didn’t really match the worldwide gross or critical reaction of its predecessor. We then had to wait fourteen years to see the ultimate hunter return to cinema screens, this time for the much-maligned and mishandled AVP: Alien vs. Predator (Anderson, 2004). While I actually really enjoyed the follow-up, AVP: R: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (The Brothers Strause, 2007) was a box office bomb and the franchise seemed to be dead in the water. As I mentioned in my review of Predators, I had high hopes of the franchise’s third entry, which was both pretty well received and made over double its budget in worldwide gross yet somehow didn’t earn a direct follow-up. Instead, 20th Century Fox made the bizarre decision to bring back Shane Black, who had featured in the first film and even contributed uncredited rewrites to the script and made a name for himself as a director in the years since. Predators’ cliff-hanger was ignored in favour of returning to Earth for a more suburban jungle escapade with a ridiculous title and a strange mish-mash of the previous films that was supposed to act as a soft reboot…despite Predators having already done. The movie opens promisingly enough; the credits font and outer space beginning recall the opening of Predator and Alan Silvestri’s iconic Predator theme is nicely resampled by Henry Jackman into something noticeably punchier and more action-packed, and this emphasis is furthered by the depiction of a space laser battle between the “Fugitive Predator” and its peers. When its ship is damaged and ultimately crashes, the hunter escapes to the dense jungles of Mexico just in time to disrupt a hostage retrieval operation led by crack sniper Quinn McKenna.

Crack sniper McKenna finds the Predator’s gear and is soon fighting to keep his gifted son safe.

McKenna stumbles upon the crash site and swipes the Predator’s helmet and gauntlet before witnessing his entire unit be slaughtered by the Fugitive. McKenna survives thanks to the gauntlet and beats a hasty retreat right as shady, arrogant Traeger and his team arrive to claim the Predator and its tech. Recognising that he’s stumbled into something far beyond his paygrade, McKenna has his loot mailed away for safety and is quickly apprehended and marked as the patsy. Far more than some mindless, musclebound soldier, McKenna is wise enough to see he’s being set up to take the fall yet continues to sport a snarky, bad-ass attitude throughout the film; though the damaged veterans he forms a bond with aggravate him with their bickering, tics, and childish behaviour, he’s fiercely loyal to them and sees them as his “unit” but, above all else, his priority is his family. Realising that his autistic son has been placed in mortal danger after the Predator tech he stole ends up at their house, McKenna pulls his team of misfits together and orders them to get their shit together to keep Rory safe. Similar to AVP: R, much of The Predator’s plot is focused on a suburban town where McKenna’s estranged wife Emily (Yvonne Strahovski) raises their son Rory as best as she can considering McKenna’s long stretches away from. As the wife of a military man, Emily is pretty capable in her own right; she doesn’t stand for any shit from McKenna’a loony new friends and openly defies Traeger’s authority, though her impact on the overall plot is minimal compared to Rory’s. A child savant of sorts, Rory is a quiet little boy with a penchant for puzzles and languages; the subject of ridicule amongst other kids, Rory’s autism sees him extremely sensitive to sounds and changes to his routines. He’s therefore hesitant to go out trick-or-treating, even with a mask on, and would much rather fiddle around with the Predator’s helmet when it accidentally gets redirected to their house. Inquisitive and curious, he quickly activates the Predator’s technology, inadvertently triggering a signal that brings bigger, badder “Upgrade Predator” to come hunting for the Fugitive. Rory’s condition means he struggles in social situations; alongside this outspoken nature is a lot of the same fighting spirit as his parents as he also openly mocks Traeger’s attempts to talk down to him and cannot help but put his extraordinary mind to use even when taking hostage by the Upgrade Predator. Rory’s even strangely desensitised to death and violence; he attains a body count of his own thanks to the helmet’s auto-fire capabilities and is noticeably unfazed when McKenna uses lethal force to rescue him from Traeger.

McKenna is forced to work with a misfit team of damaged veterans, each with their own odd quirks.

Despite impressing Traeger with his wit and demeanour, McKenna is fingered as a dangerous and unstable threat and shipped off to a nut house. On the bus, he meets a bunch of clinically-discharged fellow soldiers, all of whom have their own little quirks and character traits that make them all pretty entertaining. These five – Gaylord “Nebraska” Williams (Rhodes), Baxley (Jane), Coyle (Keegan-Michael Key), “Nettles” (Augusto Aguilera), and Lynch (Alfie Allen) – are already very familiar with each other thanks to attending group therapy together, with the film even suggesting by the end that Baxley and Coyle have a homosexual relationship, and have built a rapport based on mutual respect and dislike. Consequently, they’re very childish and like to rib on each other and their conditions; Baxley makes the most obvious impression such he suffers from Torrette’s syndrome and cannot help blurting out crude remarks, swears, or having facial and body tics. For the most part, this is played as comic relief and leads to some amusing banter between him and the rest of the group, and awkward situations when he accidentally slips out vulgar terms to the film’s female characters. Similarly, Coyle exhibits the most childish demeanour of them all; damaged after accidentally opening fire on his own men, he resorts to jokes, winding the others up, and rarely takes anything seriously, even the threat of extraterrestrial hunters, leading to some moments of contention between him and the others (and, even then, he continues to crack wise). “Nettles” is the most, shall we say, “socially awkward” of the group; he showcases a perverse nature that’s not really very appropriate and threatens to get him in trouble whenever female characters are around. Even Lynch, probably the most forgettable of the group, showcases a talent for close-up magic and has a penchant for overkill in his methods. Of them all, McKenna forms the closest bond with cool-as-a-cucumber Nebraska, a man who was once so disturbed and horrified by the constant cycle of death and conflict in his life that he shot himself in the head to try and end it. McKenna quickly becomes the default “adult” of the group, giving them something to focus on and orders to carry out once things get serious, although there are times when their dialogue is needlessly mumbled or drowning out by ambient noise.

Dr. Bracket is caught up in Traeger’s obsession with acquiring the Predator’s technology.

McKenna and his bunch of misfits prove surprisingly effective; they might be damaged but their proclivity for violence and combat is not only beneficial once the Upgrade Predator comes to town but is even enhanced by their instability, despite their more lewd traits bringing the ire of Emily and evolutionary biologist Doctor Casey Bracket (Munn). Much like Special Agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) in Predator 2, Traeger is well aware of the Predators (with this now being the official designation of the creature and his race since it “cooler”), their methods and their technology, and is overjoyed to finally have a live specimen to examine. However, since alien biology is a little outside of his area of expertise, he arranges for Dr. Bracket to help study the creature under the enthusiastic guidance of Sean Keyes (Jake Busey). While the government is growing antsy at the increased frequency of Predator sightings, Keyes couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of studying an actual extraterrestrial lifeform; Dr. Brackett is similarly awestruck (though not enough to criticise the government’s naming of the creature’s as “Predators”, a running self-deprecating gag that really doesn’t land for me) though her excitement turns to horror when she learns that the Fugitive Predator’s genetic makeup is infused with human DNA, suggesting the creatures are either mating with other species or partaking in genetic engineering. barely surviving the Fugitive’s escape, Dr. Bracket bumps into McKenna and, while they awkwardly try to impress her and continually make fools of themselves due to their eccentricities, she tolerates them out of necessity and is forced to rely on them for protection after Traeger orders her execution to keep everything nicely covered up. Traeger’s concern is that the hunters are looking to invade, to supplant humanity before we destroy ourselves through war, social upheaval, or global warming, whichever comes first, and correctly guesses that the Fugitive was bringing humanity a weapon to fight back before they can strip-mine human DNA for their own purposes. Fundamentally, his concern is for the safety of the world, but Traeger’s methods make him a reprehensible individual since he’ll happily kill or threaten anyone, women and kids included, in order to get his hands on the Predator’s technology.

It’s hard to believe that one of these two is supposed to be on our side…

For the majority of the film, the Fugitive Predator is depicted and viewed as an antagonistic force and it’s difficult to argue against this; despite having ejected from its crashing ship, it still goes out of its way to stalk and kill McKenna’s unit, skinning one of them, luring them in with its voice imitator while cloaked, and blasting away with its signature plasma cannon. When it awakens in Traeger’s lab, the Fugitive goes on a tear, even biting the arm of one of his scientists with its mandibles, effortlessly manhandling others, slashing with its claws, and even using surgical equipment and a rifle to add to its body count. However, the film introduces the twist that this Fugitive is actually on our side; a renegade who disagreed with the gene-splicing program, it sought to not only warn humanity of an impending invasion but also prepare them to combat this, but you’d never know it as it slaughters humans at the slightest provocation. The Fugitive displays more personality than any Predator since, even the purposely humanised “Scar” (Ian Whyte) from AVP, showcasing a morbid sense of humour as it uses severed limbs to escape the facility, motioning to McKenna’s group to drop their weapons, and exhibiting the same understanding of human speech as its counterpart from Predators. The Fugitive Predator sports all of its usual weaponry and abilities but also brings some new toys to the table courtesy of its gauntlet, which shoots shurikens and spits out a small orb that allows him to cloak. We also see more of the Predator’s ship this time around; not only do we get to see it producing a wormhole for space travel and firing its armaments, but the Upgrade Predator’s craft results in some explosive ariel action sequences and plays a significant part in the finale. The Fugitive is modelled almost exactly like its counterpart from the first movie (Kevin Peter Hall); its armour, helmet, and even the design of its butt-ugly face all draw from Stan Winston’s classic design, evoking a sense of familiarity with the creature similar to Predators’ “Classic Predator” (Derek Mears). The Upgrade Predator is ridiculously tall and bulky; rendered entirely in CGI, this nightmarish abomination is not only bigger and stronger, it’s the first of its kind to have its words translated onscreen not just through subtitles but also a piece of in-film technology; like Predators’ “Super Predators” (Brian Steele and Carey Jones), the Upgrade hunts using hounds, but forgoes both the traditional helmet and armour thanks to its impenetrable exoskeleton and cybernetic implants. The Upgrade is the Fugitive’s superior in every way, easily crushing its rival’s head and ripping it off, and showcases both hyper aggression and hunting wiles that present it as the most dangerous Predator yet.

The Nitty-Gritty:
There’s a surprising amount of depth to The Predator, certainly far more than the usual themes of survival of the fittest, man vs. monster, and nature vs. technology that’s normally at work in these films (though these elements are still prominent). However, I’m not entirely sure if all of them are suitable, appropriate to the genre, or even work; obviously, I’m no expert on autism and don’t really know much about it beyond the fact that it can take many different forms. Still, I don’t think it’s ever been touted as the next step in human evolution, or depicted as being some kind of “superpower” than an alien race would want to harvest for their own benefit. The depiction of the condition is all over the place, with Rory being ostracised, socially awkward and hesitant, and prone to panic attacks as much as he is capable of seeing patterns that others miss and displaying an almost genius-level intellect at times. I guess we’re supposed to figure that the Predators would be able to extract the “benefits” of autism form Rory’s DNA to mitigate the disadvantages but it’s still a strange execution; it’s possible that the film was going for a sense of empowerment and inclusivity for the autistic community, but I wonder if it actually managed to accomplish that. Similarly, unlike every previous Predator movie, The Predator deals with the fallout of post-traumatic stress and focuses on a misfit group of soldiers who have been psychologically damaged from years of killing and warfare; even the relatively “normal” McKenna is depicted as being twisted and somewhat broken on the inside, meaning it doesn’t take much to label him as psychologically unstable, but his newfound unit exhibit far more explicit signs of emotional and psychological trauma. Again, I’m no expert; I know soldiers see and go through a lot and they need all the support available to them since they sacrifice so much for others, and I think it’s an interesting dichotomy to depict more vulnerable characters as opposed to the all-action, gun-toting soldiers seen in previous Predator movies, but a lot of their quirks are played as comic relief so again I have to question whether these depictions were wholly appropriate or respectful to our military veterans.

I enjoyed the gory violence and references but the new elements were awkward, at best.

The Predator is, at times, a little at odds with itself; there’s a degree of comedy in the film that doesn’t always land, and it’s not always surrounding McKenna’s socially inept group. Traeger is constantly cracking wise and giving it the big-I-am, which helps to make him a thoroughly unlikeable character even when he’s not threatening a confused little kid and culminates in an extremely anti-climactic death when he blows his own head off with the Predator’s plasma cannon, and even the Fugitive Predator’s rampage in Traeger’s lab is played for laughs here and there. The Predator also attempts to expand upon and broaden the nature of the Predators, suggesting that they hunt not just for trophies and glory but also to acquire the best genetic sampling from spinal fluids in order to genetically enhance themselves. The film also suggest one of the reasons for increased Predator sightings is because humanity is drawing closely to self-extinction, infusing this action/sci-fi romp with a clunky environmental message, and depicts the Fugitive Predator as wanting to give mankind a fighting chance before its genetically superior peers wipe us all out and claim the planet as their own. While these all make for unique elements in the film, The Predator stumbles to stand out since it mashes together many plot threads and ideas from every previous Predator movie: The Fugitive hunts and stalks through forest areas like in Predator, is hunted and targeted by government types as in Predator 2 (it’s not explicitly stated in the film but Sean Keyes is actually the son of Peter Keyes), dips its toe into the Predator society like in AVP, depicts a suburban area being attacked like in AVP: R, and even features alien hounds and two warring Predator classes as in Predators. Predators also introduced the idea that the hunters change their weapons, armour, and tactics with each hunt and kill but The Predator takes that concept to the nth degree, resulting in the revelation that they’re artificially jump-starting their evolution by sampling DNA from other species. On the plus side, photographic evidence, dialogue, and weapons at Traeger’s facility all reference not only the first film but, finally, explicitly reference the events of the second; even Alexa “Lex” Woods’ (Sanaa Lathan) makeshift spear and Ms. Cullen Yutani (Françoise Yip) make brief appearances, subtly suggesting that the AVP movies are still canon in the Predator universe.

Despite losing his team, McKenna bests the Upgrade Predator and prepares himself for war.

After Rory sketches a map to the Fugitive’s crashed ship, Traeger takes him hostage to acquire their technology; thanks to a conveniently tamed Predator hound, McKenna is able to lead his rag-tag group of soldiers there to rescue Rory. The two groups are forced to put their differences aside, however, when the Upgrade arrives, makes mincemeat of Traeger’s disposable grunts, blows Lynch’s arm off, and retakes the ship. Before destroying the ship, it challenges “McKenna” to lead the survivors in a traditional hunt, with “McKenna” as his prize; while this results in quite the body count, it’s Traeger and his men who suffer the most due to their arrogance, stupidity, and naivety, resulting in the Upgrade picking them off easily and Traeger blowing his own head off. In comparison, McKenna’s group work to lure the Upgrade into a trap using themselves as bait; while the Upgrade is damaged during the assault, this unfortunately results in Coyle and Baxley being mortally wounded and forced to mercy kill each other. When the Upgrade kidnaps Rory (the “McKenna” is spoke of), it attempts to leave on its ship and McKenna, “Nettles”, and Nebraska leap onto it to try and force it down; although McKenna and Nebraska manage to avoid being sliced up by the ship’s forcefield, “Nettles” isn’t so luckily and Nebraska ultimately chooses to sacrifice himself to destroy one of the ship’s engines and send it crashing to the forest below. Although outmatched by the Upgrade, McKenna is aided by the timely and ballsy intervention of Dr. Bracket and is…somehow…able to send the creature tumbling over a cliff; Rory then severs the creature’s arm with its ship’s forcefield and McKenna finally finishes it off by firing its own explosive bolt back at it using the blade from its severed arm. One final subversion of the classic “What are you?” line sees McKenna end the creature once and for all and he and Rory sombrely pay their respects to their fallen comrades. This would’ve been a decent place to end the movie but, instead, we get one final scene before ethe credits where a fully reinstated McKenna finally gets to see what the Fugitive brought for humanity: a ridiculously over the top nanotech battle suit that he plans to use to stave off future incursions for yet another unresolved cliff-hanger ending. Personally, I would’ve preferred to see Royce (Adrien Brody) and Isabelle (Alice Braga) emerge from the pod with a bunch of stolen Predator tech but what the hell do I know?

The Summary:
Honestly, as great as it is to see some vicious Predator action there are some flaws that cause The Predator to stumble, primarily revolving around the film’s pacing. It’s like Shane Black wanted to cram as much as possible as he could into the movie and set up for a sequel and, as a result, the focus is very sporadic. It seems that every time the narrative starts to get bogged down by all of the many different ideas Black is trying to incorporate and every time you begin to question the plot and things that don’t make sense, a gory action scene is thrown at you to distract from these issues. I feel it might’ve been simpler to paint the Upgrade Predator as the villainous rogue trying to engage in genocide rather than the Fugitive Predator as the later sure kills a hell of a lot of people for a creature that claims to be trying to save humanity with a “gift”. I like the acknowledgement, however brief, of previous Predator films but it does annoy me that The Predator didn’t actually try to wrap up the franchise’s loose ends and instead focused on setting up for a sequel that never happened. It’s is a shame as there was so much potential for The Predator to be a decent action/sci-fi film; it did a great job reminding audiences why the Predator is such a bad-ass creature but there’s nothing really new here as so much of it is simply remixed elements from all the previous Predator films. What new elements we do get are clunky at best and uncomfortable at worst; I really enjoyed the rapport and personalities of McKenna and his group, even if they are a bit too cartoonish at times, and I liked that the protagonists were all broken veterans struggling with their violent experiences. But the depiction of autism is problematic, the weird environmental message is very misplaced, and the sub-plot of the Predators genetically modifying themselves doesn’t have much impact as the Upgrade Predator is dispatched pretty easily all things considered. In the end, it’s a decent entry, but nowhere near as good as the originals or Predators and it’s easily the black sheep of the mainline Predator series.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

So, what did you think to The Predator? What did you think to the depiction of autism and PTSD? Which of the film’s characters did you like the most, or the least? What did you think to the Upgrade Predator and the idea of the creatures splicing genetic traits from other species? Were you disappointed that the film wasn’t a continuation of Predators and which of the Predator movies is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on The Predator, do please leave a comment below or on my social media and be sure to pop back for more Predator action.

Movie Night: Avengers: Infinity War

Dr. K28 Comments
AvengersInfinityWarLogo

Released: 27 April 2018
Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Budget: $325 to 400 million
Stars: Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, and Zoe Saldaña

The Plot:
Thanos (Brolin) carves a path of self-righteous destruction across the universe in search of six all-powerful cosmic gems that will allow him to erase half of all sentient life with a snap of his fingers. Though fractured from recent events, the Avengers scramble to oppose the Mad Titan’s plot, and join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to seek out and protect the remining Infinity Stones and acquire the means to combat Thanos and his vast army.

The Background:
“There was an idea […] to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could”. For decades, superhero films existed in self-contained bubbles; sure, there would be sly hints towards other heroes, but costumed avengers primarily fought alone on the big screen. That all changed with Iron Man (Favreau, 2008), the first tentative step towards the largest interconnected series of movies ever created, but the unprecedented success of Avengers Assemble/The Avengers (Whedon, 2012) saw the MCU make massive strides towards becoming an unstoppable multimedia juggernaut. After success with characters both known and obscure, the MCU’s flagship characters came together once more; although Avengers: Age of Ultron (ibid, 2015) saw writer/director Joss Wheden part ways with the studio and critical reception was mixed compared to the first film, Age of Ultron still grossed $1,404 billion at the box office and Marvel pushed forward with their biggest venture yet, a two-part Avengers film shot back-to-back by established MCU directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Although Whedon initially had no plans for Thanos when he included the Mad Titan in a post-credits scene at the end of Avengers Assemble, Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige quickly began planting the seeds for Thanos’s quest for the mysterious Infinity Stones throughout the MCU for this massive production, which drew significant inspiration from the memorable Infinity Gauntlet (Starlin, et al, 1991) and Infinity (Hickman, et al, 2013) stories.

Multiple characters, comic inspiration, and complex CGI brought to life the MCU’s biggest film to date.

After explaining away a blink-and-miss it inconsistency regarding the all-power Infinity Gauntlet, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely set to work deciding which characters they would use, in which combinations, and gearing the first movie towards a series of unique interactions and set pieces. The Russos worked closely with other MCU directors, like James Gunn, to ensure that the tone and characterisation of the individual films could be retained, although characters from the popular Netflix shows unfortunately did not appear in the massive line-up. Central to the film was, of course, Thanos himself; though his obsession with Lady Death was removed from his motivation, Thanos was cast as the hero of the film and brought to life as a complex digital character thanks to the work of Digital Domain. Featuring nearly every character in the MCU and spanning the galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War boasted over 253 shots from animation studio Framestore alone, to say nothing of 200 digital shots of Thanos produced by Weta Digital, and over 3000 overall digital shots from a variety of studios to bring to life the Russo’s ambitious and complex plan for the unprecedented team-up. Avengers: Infinity War was the very definition of hype, with the first trailer alone becoming the most viewed trailer of the time; this, naturally, translated into astronomical financial success as the film made nearly $2.050 billion at the box office and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. Reviews gushed over the film’s perfect balance between drama, action, and humour, the characterisation of Thanos, and the sudden gut-punch of its ending. After a year of agonising hype, speculation, and anticipation, the story continued in Avengers: Endgame (Russo and Russo, 2019), which was actually more critically and commercially successful and the MCU continued on into its fourth phase with more momentum than ever before.

The Review:
If you’d told me all those years ago when Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey Jr.) graduated from a C-list Marvel hero to the face of the largest, most successful superhero franchise ever conceived, that we’d see him not only team up with some of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes but also end up rocketing into space to fight alongside obscure characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and punching a massive purple alien in the face to safeguard half of all sentient life from the misuse of six cosmic space gems…well, I would’ve called you mad. Superhero films just didn’t do this sort of thing; they were always “grounded”, based in some kind of reality, even when they dealt with cosmic subject matter. And they never, ever interconnected. The closest we ever got were some sly references, or teams of characters who already existed together, but we never got to see an interconnected universe like in the comics. And, quite frankly, I couldn’t be happier. Go and pick up The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (Lee, et al, 1964) and see how many gratuitous cameos are wedged into the Sinister Six’s first appearance alone! Marvel, DC, hell almost every comic publisher has a shared universe of heroes and, as much as I’ve enjoyed the solo superhero movie efforts of the last forty-odd years of my life, I couldn’t be happier that the MCU actually has the balls, and the skill, to pull of such a vast, interconnected series of movies that is both respectful of the source material rather than ashamed by it and offers a fresh, new take on these beloved characters.

Thanos, and his mad desire to bring a twisted “balance” to the universe, is the focus of the movie.

However, with all that said, Avengers: Infinity War isn’t about Iron Man; it’s not the story of the titular Avengers, or a celebration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes coming together to oppose a maniacal despot. No, this is the story of Thanos, the hulking, conquering Mad Titan himself. Previously cameoing at the end of the last two Avengers films, and popping up in Guardians of the Galaxy (Gunn, 2014), Thanos was more of an ominous, looming force throughout the galaxy. Unless you’d read the comics, you probably had no idea why he was such a big deal but Infinity War establishes his threat immediately by having him ransack the Statesman alongside his “children”, the Black Order, in search of the Space Stone. In the build up to this film, I always assumed Thanos would be introduced by slaughtering Odin Allfather (Anthony Hopkins); after all, what better way to establish the biggest bad in the MCU than having him kill an actual God? However, since Odin is already dead, Infinity War establishes Thanos’s power by having him already be in possession of not only the Infinity Gauntlet, but also the Power Stone, having sacked Xandar off-screen. Thanos then has his henchman kill half of the remaining Asgardians, puts a sound beating on Doctor Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Ruffalo), and chokes the life out of beloved anti-hero Loki Laufeyson (Tom Hiddleston). Unlike in the comics, were Thanos was driven by a desperate desire to win the affection of Mistress Death, the MCU Thanos has a twisted take on the destructive and wasteful nature of the universe; since his warnings failed to save his home world, Thanos made it his life’s mission to purge half of all life on every world so that billions more will be saved in the long run. After realising that the six Infinity Stones can make his dreams come true with a literal snap of his fingers, Thanos sets his minions out into the cosmos to acquire them while he tracks down his adopted daughter, Gamora (Saldaña), the only person who knows the location of the Soul Stone.

Blasted into space, Iron Man is determined to bring the fight to Thanos before he can threaten the Earth.

Since Thanos brings death in his wake, the arrival of his minions, Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) and Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary), on Earth naturally causes quite a stir. Forewarned of Thanos’s impending arrival by the shellshocked Banner, Doctor Steven Strange (Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) quickly recruit Stark to help them prepare a defence. Despite having retired (…again…) from the superhero life and ready to start a family with Virginia “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) Stark doesn’t hesitate to show off his brand new nanotech armour and stand against the alien invaders, though his arrogance and recklessness causes him to quickly butt heads with Dr. Strange. Still in possession of the Time Stone, housed within the Eye of Agamotto, Dr. Strange is as focused on the big picture as Thanos, in many ways; while Stark wants to commandeer the alien spacecraft and bring the fight to Thanos in a pre-emptive strike, Dr. Strange is more concerned with keeping the Time Stone from being misused and, despite his Hippocratic Oath, is fully prepared to let Stark and even Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Holland) die if it means protecting the greater good from the Time Stone. Having sensed the Black Order’s arrival, Spider-Man jumps in to help with his usual blend of heroism, enthusiasm, and desire to impress his mentor, but soon ends up blasting through the cosmos in an alien vessel and garbed in his “Iron Spider” outfit. Although Stark is pissed that Spidey tagged along for the ride, he dubs him an Avenger (much to Peter’s immense pride) and prepares his make-shift allies for the coming battle. While Dr. Strange is right that Stark is bolstered by his overinflated ego and sense of superiority, Stark’s reasoning for wanting to confront Thanos is fully understandable considering that he’s been taking the direct (if reckless) approach ever since he escaped from that cave. Traumatised by his brief glimpse of the vast danger that awaits in the universe, Stark wishes to protect the world in a suit of armour and has constantly been working to find ways to prepare the planet for greater threats. His methods, however, have been highly questionable; not only did they lead to the creation of Ultron (James Spader), but his willingness to sign the Sokovia Accords directly led to the disassembling of the Avengers right when they’re needed the most, and yet he’s determined to power through and to prove he was right by ending Thanos’s threat before it can begin.

Cap and Natasha turn to Wakanda for help, but Wanda’s forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Since the Avengers are splintered, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans) has been on the run; having grown out a delicious beard and donning a modified version of his famous suit, one that casts him more as a nomad than a representative of the United States or Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Steve and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Johansson) have been forced off the grid to avoid being arrested by Senator Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) for opposing the Accords. His main concern at the start of the film is locating Wanda Maximoff (Olsen) and the Vision (Bettany), who took off for some alone time and ended up being viciously attacked by Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon) and Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw) of the Black Order; since the Vision has the Mind Stone imbedded in his forehead, he receives the brunt of the attack and is left in critical condition, leaving Steve no choice but to take him to Wakanda so that Shuri (Letitia Wright) can help separate him from the stone. There, they’re reunited with T’Challa/Black Panther (Boseman) and James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who offer them safe refuge and some much-needed allies for the coming battle. Thanks to Wakanda’s advanced technology, the heroes are effectively shielded from Thanos’s army, but his alien monstrosities are relentless and think nothing of tearing through the energy shield even as it shreds them to pieces, forcing Cap to lead a battle into war once more. Despite being on bad terms with Stark, Cap’s dedication to his friends and the safety of the world remains his top priority; he’s largely clueless to the magnitude of the greater threat at hand, and yet doesn’t hesitate to oppose Thanos when he comes to claim the remaining Infinity Stones, literally throwing himself in front of his friends to try and buy them time. Sadly, it’s Wanda who suffers the most; despite Shuri’s best efforts, the heroes run out of time and Wanda’s forced to use her unmatched powers, born from the Reality Stone, to destroy her lover to keep the Mind Stone out of Thanos’s hands…only for the Mad Titan to turn back time, wrench it from the Vision’s head, and force Wanda to see her beloved rendered inert before her eyes.

Rocket and Groot aid Thor in creating a new weapon, while Gamora is captured by her mad foster father.

Thanos is able to accomplish this goal despite the best efforts of the MCU’s greatest heroes thanks to an ill-timed emotional outburst from Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Pratt). Touring the galaxy alongside his friends and fellow Guardians, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Quill’s masculinity is tested when the group stumble upon the beaten body of Thor Odinson (Hemsworth) out in the endless void. Already traumatised after the death of his father and the destruction of his home world, Thor buries his grief and anguish beneath a determination to re-arm himself with a Thanos-killing weapon courtesy of weaponsmith Eitri (Peter Dinklage) at Nidavellir, a titanic forge orbiting a dying star. After furnishing him with an artificial eye, Rocket tries to console Thor, whose losses have been absolutely devastating, but, though the God of Thunder brushes off any concerns for his welfare with his usual bravado and is determined to kill Thanos as recompense for his actions, it’s clear that Thor is wracked by denial and despair at the loss of his brother and people. He finds new allies with the Guardians, despite Peter feeling threatened by him, and Rocket and Groot help him to reignite Nidavellir’s forge to craft his new weapon, Stormbreaker, a mighty axe capable of summoning the Bifrost and unbound by Odin’s enchantment. Meanwhile, Gamora, shaken by how close her adopted father is to completing his life’s goal, begs Peter to kill her if it comes to it to keep the Soul Stone out of Thanos’s hands. Although he’s reluctant, he actually shows a willingness to go through with this, only to be thwarted when Thanos manipulates reality in his favour. Gamora’s repeated attempts to kill herself and defy Thanos are similarly deflected by the Mad Titan, who forces her to divulge her knowledge to spare her sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), from a macabre torture. This sees Gamora accompany Thanos to Vormir, where the ethereal presence of “The Stonekeeper” (Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull (Ross Marquand) making a much-welcome return to the MCU) details that the stone can only be claimed if one sacrifices someone they love. While Gamora is initially amused by this, believing Thanos is too twisted to ever love anything, she (and audiences everywhere) is soon aghast to find that Thanos truly did love his adopted daughter, and thus he casts her to her death on the rocks below to get one step closer to achieving his goal. The knowledge of her lover’s death drives Peter into a rage, ruining the carefully laid out plan he and the others concocted to subdue Thanos with a multi-stage attack and Mantis’s sleep-inducing abilities. However, while many may rage at Peter for being so stupid and costing them their best chance at removing Thanos from the source of his power, his outburst is fully understandable given how deeply he cared for Gamora, and ultimately plays into his overall characterisation as a flawed human being rather than some infallible hero.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Since Avengers: Infinity War features so many characters, you might think that some are more developed than others, but that’s not really the case here. Thanks to the core cast featuring in their own movies and team ups prior to this, Infinity War easily jumps right into the central conflict without having to worry too much about establishing origins or motivations. While this is great for long-time followers of the MCU, newcomers might be a bit bewildered but if this was your first MCU film then that’s really on you more than anything else. While not every character gets a significant sub-plot or side mission, they still find some way to make an impression, even it’s something as simple as being funny or having an action scene. Despite having his own vendetta against Thanos, Drax is basically a non-factor in the entire proceedings; his one attempt to kill the murderer of his family leaves him crippled by the power of the Reality Stone, but he makes up for this with some hilarious moments such as his attempts to be “invisible” and his ridiculous “Why is Gamora?!” line. As ever with an MCU production, it’s the little things that make the most impression; things like Spider-Man not being able to remember everyone’s names, Star-Lord flipping Thanos the bird, and Eitri and Thor’s “Only if I die” exchange are great moments of levity and characterisation, especially in a film where the stakes are so high. The Russos do a fantastic job of recreating the look and feel of each separate character and franchise so it all feels seamless. While some seemed confused as to why Thor needed to create a new weapon after harnessing his lightening powers in Thor: Ragnarok (Waititi, 2017), the point is to have something tangible to focus his energies through, to craft a weapon specifically to negate the Infinity Stones and kill Thanos, and to give Thor a goal to work towards so he can feel useful and not give in to his utter despair. On the flip side, it’s true that we never really get (or got) much time to invest in the Wanda/Vision romance; their connection is undoubtable and a pivotal part of the film, but we very much pick up with them trying to figure it out rather than discovering it.

While there’s not much Hulk action and the Black Order are a bit random, we do learn a lot about Thanos.

Similarly, there’s a sub-plot regarding the Hulk’s refusal to emerge after his thrashing at Thanos’s hands; while this is amusingly played as an allegory for sexual performance, it’s never actually stated why Hulk won’t come out. It’s assumed that he’s scared and humbled, but we’re told (outside of the movies, so it doesn’t really count) that the Hulk was just sick of fighting Banner’s battles. Personally, I do feel the excised scenes of the Hulk bursting from the Hulkbuster armour would’ve only added to the action-packed finale (and I would’ve loved if he’d been the Grey Hulk as well), so Hulk fans might be a little disappointed by how small a role the Jade Giant plays in the proceedings. Additionally, we really don’t learn anything about the Black Order except their absolutely loyal to Thanos and pretty sadistic villains in their own right; introduced and offed over the course of this film, the foursome is really only here to act as Thanos’s proxies, and I still think it would’ve been cool if guys like Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and even Loki had filled these roles. Still, it’s honestly nothing short of a miracle that Infinity War manages to juggle all its characters and interweaving plot lines so well; I’ve seen team-based movies that have struggled with less than half the amount of content of this film, though it helps that the MCU has a competent plan, enthusiastic directors and actors, and so many films behind it to lay all the foundations. Some characters are notable in their absence, like Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), but these characters got their due in the follow-up so it all works out. Infinity War had easily the highest stakes of any MCU film at the time, with the fate of literally half the universe in the balance, and the whole film is framed as a frantic chase to prepare for, and stop, Thanos from reaching his goal. Fittingly, we do learn quite a bit about Thanos; easily the most complex and layered villain in the entire MCU at that point, Thanos believes himself the hero of the story. He longs to save billions of lives and to balance the universe through the culling of millions and is more than willing to kill anyone who stands in the way of that goal, but also shows respect, compassion, and genuine affection for both his foes and his adopted family. Through Thanos, we also learn a bit more about Gamora and Nebula’s chaotic and violent upbringing, and the film definitely goes out of its way to present Thanos as both a maniacal despot bent on genocide and a reasonable, well-meaning individual who actually has some solid arguments…even if he goes about enacting his plot in the most diabolical way imaginable.

The film’s visual style is absolutely top notch and bolstered by loads of fun, unique action and interactions.

The scope of Avengers: Infinity War is simply off the charts. The narrative is constantly jumping between the outer reaches of space and here on Earth, and characters travel to several different, visually interesting worlds and locations during the course of the film. Many of these are established places in the MCU, like Wakanda and Knowhere, but even these locations are given a new perspective thanks to Thanos’s influence; the sight of his monstrosities tearing across the Wakandan plains makes for one hell of an epic shot and fight sequence with a grander scale than anything we’d seen in the MCU up to that point. Indeed, the CGI and visual effects are fantastic all throughout Infinity War, with Thanos being the obvious standout. A fully realised, flesh and blood character, his creation is so intricate that you’d barely even realise he was a computer creation so detailed are his physical quirks and emotive qualities. While the CGI on Iron Man’s nanosuit is a little spotty, and Spider-Man’s mask vanishes a little too smoothly for me, all the visual effects are undeniably top-notch on both characters, and it’s frankly astounding that everything looks and feels like it’s actually real despite how much of it is all digitally created. Thanks to the Reality Stone, Thanos is free to bend reality and physics to his will, reducing Drax and Mantis to cubes and ribbons with a thought, leaving Taneleer Tivan/The Collector’s (Benicio del Toro) museum a flaming shambles, and even projecting a lush, verdant recreation of Titan to parallel the desolate wasteland it has become since his people ignored his warnings. This sets the stage for the climatic battle between Thanos and Iron Man’s makeshift team, in which Dr. Strange puzzles the Mad Titan with his incantations and the maniacal despot implodes a moon and curls its fragments at his foes! There’s so much happening in each of these battles that you can spot new things every time you watch the film, and every character gets a little something to do, whether it’s Spidey frantically webbing up his new friends as they’re tossed about, Bucky spinning Rocket around so they can blast at Thanos’s creatures, or Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) carpet bombing the invading army around the Wakandan perimeter.

In a shocking twist, Thanos succeeds in his goal and snaps away half of all life in the universe!

Obviously, the thing that separates Infinity War from the rest of the MCU (and most comic book movies) is the fact that the villain actually wins in the end. Stark and the others were able to keep him off balance long enough to largely avoid him using the Infinity Gauntlet, but Star-Lord’s outburst costs them the chance to get the gauntlet off him and results in the team being soundly defeated. Skewered and left gravely wounded, Iron Man is unable to keep Dr. Strange from bargaining for their lives with the Time Stone; while it seems as though this goes against his earlier declaration to sacrifice them in favour of the stone, it’s actually all part of a larger endgame as Dr. Strange had looked into the future and found only one outcome where the heroes were victorious out of billions of possible scenarios, and that outcome was predicated on Thanos being victorious. Thus, armed with the collective powers of Reality, Time, Power, Space, and Soul, Thanos is easily able to teleport to Wakanda, swat aside Cap’s fledgling opposition, and tear the final Infinity Stone from the Vision’s head. Thankfully, Thor is on hand to enact his revenge, driving Stormbreaker right into Thanos’s chest and seemingly saving the day but, sadly, he didn’t go for the head and, just like in the comics, Thanos snaps his fingers and the worst possible scenario plays out before our eyes. All noise, whether ambient or otherwise, is sucked from the film and we’re forced to watch as these iconic characters literally turn to dust before our very eyes! Bucky, Groot (hell, all of the Guardians except Rocket and Nebula!), Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and even Black Panther disintegrate into nothingness but easily the most harrowing loss is that of the young Spider-Man. Clinging to his existence with a tenacious desperation, he fades away in the arms of his stunned mentor, and Stark is left hurt and injured with the weight of his monumental failure. Similarly, those left alive are barely able to comprehend the scope of what has happened and end the film in a dazed confusion, the realisation that they have lost (and lost badly) just sinking in. Even now, many years removed, this remains a haunting and deeply impactful ending; never before had the MCU witnessed such instant and total failure and the shock of seeing some of its most iconic characters simply sniffed out with but a thought remains a disturbing visual to end on. As for our “hero”, Thanos makes good on his promise to retire following his victory, happy in the knowledge that the universe will be better off with half its population dead, and unaware that a small glimmer of hope for those left has been signalled to assist.

The Summary:
As someone who had waited his entire life to see a group superheroes finally come together in one movie, to share an interconnected universe just like in the comics, and to interact with each other in unique and fun ways, I was super excited for Avengers Assemble. I remember watching the MCU unfold back in the day and still not quite being able to believe that this was actually happening, and then being blown away when it actually did and the MCU exploded into a massive success. Now, take all that and multiply it by a hundred and you have Avengers: Infinity War! Not once would I have ever guessed that we’d see Thanos, or an adaptation of The Infinity Gauntlet, make it to cinema screens. Hell, I was surprised the Avengers came together to fight Loki and the Chitauri rather than a gaggle of their solo villains, and the idea of this tyrannical dictator carving a path of destruction throughout the universe (not just Earth), besting the MCU’s strongest characters and even succeeding in his diabolical goal was just unprecedented. And even if I could have guessed that we’d see that, I never would have imagined that such a villain would be presented as a complex and, yes, relatable character. Even setting aside the MCU’s “villain problem”, it really wasn’t the normal thing to frame a superhero film’s bad guy as the lead character, one with lofty dreams and understandable motivations, especially one created entirely out of CGI! The idea was laughable, but damn…Marvel Studios did it; and not only did they do it, but they absolutely smashed it! Avengers: Infinity War was a near-perfect culmination of the MCU’s long ten-year journey. All those solo films, team ups, the risks taken on obscure characters all paid off in the biggest superhero crossover ever conceived at the time. An astonishing blend of action, humour, heart, and visual effects flawlessly captured the look, feel, atmosphere, and characterisations of these different franchises and they all felt perfectly at home co-existing in this vast fictional universe. I say “near-perfect” only because Angers: Infinity War isn’t one movie; it’s two. I don’t say this as a detriment, though; what I mean is, Infinity War is bumped up to perfection when viewed alongside Avengers: Endgame, which completes the story in a way that fundamentally changed the landscape of the MCU going forward. It all started here, though, with the Avengers’ greatest failure, an ending that never fails to leave an impression in its raw morbidity that just leaves you salivating to throw in the next film and see this tragedy undone through the noblest of sacrifices. And yet, Avengers: Infinity War still works incredibly well when viewed by itself; it’s packed with spectacle and more superhero action than you could ever imagine and is a fitting love letter not just to fans of these movies, but lifelong comic book fans such as myself who dreamt of the day when the sprawling, interconnected tales we grew up with would make it to the big screen.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to Avengers: Infinity War? Were you impressed by the scope and spectacle of the film or were there a few too many characters for your liking? Were you disappointed that the Hulk didn’t play a larger role in the film and which characters were missing from the film for you? What did you think to Thanos, his revised motivations, and his depiction in the film? Were you annoyed that Star-Lord cost the heroes their best chance at stopping Thanos? How did the ending affect you at the time, and how do you think it holds up today in hindsight? What did you think to it as an adaptation of The Infinity Gauntlet? How are you celebrating the debut of the Avengers today and what are some of your favourite Avengers storylines, characters, or adaptations? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on the Avengers in the comments below.

Movie Night: Black Panther

Dr. K8 Comments
BlackPantherLogo

Released: 16 February 2028
Director: Ryan Coogler
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Budget: $200 million
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Martin Freeman

The Plot:
After helping to bring his father’s killer to justice, Prince T’Challa (Boseman) assumes the mantle of the Black Panther is crowned king of the hidden kingdom of Wakanda. However, his reign is challenged by his cousin, N’Jadaka/Erik Stevens (Jordan), now a brutal mercenary known as Killmonger who seeks to overthrow T’Challa and begin a global revolution using Wakanda’s advanced technology.

The Background:
Having co-created Marvel Comics’ First Family of superheroes, the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced a number of additional characters and concepts in the pages of the foursome’s adventures, with T’Challa/The Black Panther being one of the most prominent since he was the first black superpowered character in comic books. The Black Panther went on to feature in a critically acclaimed series, join the Avengers, and featured in a number of pivotal Marvel events and politically charged storylines. The Black Panther also saw some exposure outside of the comic books, featuring in the 1994 Fantastic Four cartoon and his own Marvel Knights motion comic series, but a live-action adaptation had been in the works since 1992. Back then Wesley Snipes was attached to the role and became heavily involved with the project, which repeatedly stalled throughout the nineties and failed to get off the ground into the early 2000s. Snipes was forced to bow out of the film by 2010 due to his conviction for tax evasion and, ironically, the very next year Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige pushed the movie into production, though it would be some six years before the film would properly take shape. Chadwick Boseman won the title role after outlining his plans for the character, making his debut in Captain America: Civil War (Russo and Russo, 2016), though the world was shocked and saddened to learn of his death some years later and that he had been battling cancer throughout his MCU tenure. Director Ryan Coogler aimed to make Black Panther a personal, progressive showcase of a sovereign nation that put the spotlight squarely on African-American actors and important messages of racial equality. Accordingly, the production design, sets, and costumes pulled from a variety of cultural influences from Sub-Saharan Africa to mix the traditional with a wash of science-fiction, with this latter aspect being the realm of the numerous visual effects studios employ to bring Wakanda to life. Black Panther proved a massive financial success; it grossed nearly $1.350 billion worldwide and was universally lauded by critics. Reviews praised the film’s refreshing presentation, the performances, and the sheer visual spectacle but, more than anything, Black Panther was praised for tackling themes of racial oppression and depictions. Following Boseman’s untimely death, Feige announced that the role wouldn’t be recast and that Black Panther’s sequel would move the concept into a different direction to ensure a lasting legacy for the beloved performer.

The Review:
One of the things I love about the MCU is the way they’ve always strived to not be completely dependent on the same characters over and over; while Warner Brothers struggle to utilise any DC Comics characters that aren’t Bruce Wayne/Batman or Clark Kent/Superman, Marvel Studios have been seeding, introducing, or debuting new characters and superhero icons all throughout the MCU to help keep things fresh, expand and enhance their interconnected cinematic universe, and lay the foundation for future crossovers. This has also helped to keep the MCU diverse and dabble in portraying different cultures and types of characters, despite what some naysayers will say about the narrative tone most MCU films take. It’s not surprise, then, that Black Panther proved to be quite a monumental release; we’d seen black superheroes before, of course, most famously Eric Brooks/Blade (Wesley Snipes), but never before had a super film gone so in-depth at portraying an African society, tackling the issues of slavery and oppression felt by the Black community everywhere, or in establishing a fictional African-American culture as one of the most formidable forces in superhero cinema. It can be tough to rewatch Black Panther knowing not only that Chadwick Boseman was battling cancer throughout it but also that he has since passed on; I might not be the most knowledgeable Black Panther fan out there, but his performance really inspired me to want to read more Black Panther stories to explore the character.

Afforded superhuman abilities as the Black Panther, T’Challa must now step into the role of king.

My knowledge and experience of the Black Panther isn’t as learned as with other superheroes but he’s definitely been on my radar over the years, often popping up in Marvel cartoons and crossovers I’ve watched and read. Still, my expectations were simply to have a good time with the film and learn a little more about T’Challa as a character; in Civil War, T’Challa was a soft-spoken, honourable, and fiercely loyal man driven to vengeance after his father, King T’Chaka (John Kani) was killed. His arc was about realising that revenge is all-consuming and that there’s a better, more purposeful path he (and anyone, for that matter) can take, even if it means allowing reprehensible villains to live so they can be brought to justice for their actions. In Black Panther, T’Challa’s focus shifts towards the burden of the crown; not only must he stand as Wakanda’s greatest warrior and protector but he must also assume the role of a leader to his hidden nation, one he accepts out of a strong sense of duty and fiercely fights to earn by defeating challenger to the throne and tribal rival M’Baku (Duke) in ritual combat. T’Challa has an easy coolness to him that makes him warm and relatable; he can easily shift from a more light-hearted demeanour to being a warrior and a king and he’s afforded a great sense of vulnerability from the revelations he learns in this film, his feelings for Nakia (Nyong’o), and the times when he’s forced to fight without his powers. Thanks to a mysterious heart-shaped herb, T’Challa is granted superhuman strength and reflexes; these, along with his highly advance Vibranium suit, allow him to defend his nation as the Black Panther, but he’s forced by tradition to have his powers removed by Wakandan shaman Zuri (Forest Whitaker) in order to prove his right to the throne through his natural guile and abilities. luckily, T’Challa is more than up to the challenge and is equally determined to maintain the pretence that Wakanda is a struggling Third World nation in order to keep the wider world from learning of their Vibranium and the true extent of their advanced technology. Ruling not through force or oppression, T’Challa has an extremely relaxed and approachable demeanour; he goofs around with his tech-savvy and enthusiastic younger sister, Shuri (Wright), and makes efforts to extend the hand of peace to all of Wakanda’s nations despite M’Baku’s desires for the throne. However, he’s reluctant to open Wakanda’s borders and share their technology and resources with the world given that, in the past, outsiders have sought only to take the Vibranium for themselves, by force more often than not, and use it for nefarious ends.

T’Challa is surrounded by strong, loyal, and very capable allies, most of whom are female.

This is a view not readily shared with Nakia, T’Challa’s former flame and a “War Dog” from Wakanda’s River Tribe; at the start of the film, Nakia is out in the world fighting to help those less fortunate. Her time in the outside world as one of many undercover Wakandan agents brings her a deeper knowledge of the suffering and neglect that is happening all over the globe, especially to those in Third World nations, and she actively encourages T’Challa to set aside tradition and share Wakanda’s resources and advances with those in need. Others within T’Challa’s close-knit circle aren’t as open to this idea, however; his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), and Zuri are both deeply entrenched in the centauries-old traditions of their nation, though only Zuri has witnessed first-hand the lengths Wakanda will go to to keep their true nature a secret. T’Challa’s loyal bodyguard and commander of Wakanda’s formidable Dora Milaje forces, Okoye (Gurira), is quite blunt in her stoic distrust and dismissal of “outlanders”. Although his most trusted lieutenant, she’s duty-bound to accept Killmonger as her king when he assumes the throne but her loyalty to T’Challa sees her, Shuri, Ramona, and Nakia forming something of a rebellion against Killmonger’s tainted rule. Shuri, who may very well rival Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in terms of scientific acumen and arrogance, relishes the opportunity to aid Everett Ross (Freeman), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) liaison to Wakanda, after he’s injured and in using her advanced technology to help break James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes’ (Sebastian Stan) brainwashing from his days as the Winter Soldier. An energetic and somewhat rebellious young girl, Shuri is far more comfortable in street wear, mocking Wakanda’s traditions, and tinkering in her lab; Shuri outfits T’Challa with his gear, including a fancy brand-new fancy Black Panther suit comprised of Vibranium nanotechnology and capable of absorbing and distributing kinetic impact. She’s also able to use hologram technology to remotely drive a Lexus from their lab and, later, even contributes to the final battle against Killmonger and his fellow extremists to safeguard her nation, proving she’s a patriot at heart.

Allied with Klaue, Killmonger is one of the MCU’s most driven and relatable villains.

Eccentric South African arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), now sporting a plasma cannon hidden in a fake arm after his encounter with Ultron (James Spader), returns, now allied with Killmonger, a mercenary with a thing for anime whose entire torso is covered in self-inflicted tribal scars that showcase his bloodthirsty nature. A patient, learned, and driven individual, Killmonger is actually T’Challa’s cousin, N’Jadaka, who was abandoned decades ago after T’Chaka was forced to kill his own brother, N’Jobu (Sterling K. Brown), after stealing Vibranium alongside Klaue to give power back to oppressed Black people. Just as T’Challa continues to honour his father’s ways, so too does Killmonger seek to use his claim to the throne to acquire the technology and weapons needed to give Black people a fighting chance for the first time. T’Challa is devastated to learn that his father’s ways caused him to grow up without his cousin, and twisted Killmonger into a figure of hatred and radical action, ad his reign as king is tested when Killmonger betrays and kills Klaue and bursts into the Wakandan throne room to challenge his cousin. T’Challa’s reluctance to pursue and kill Klaue, and his alliance with White outsiders, causes some friction between him and his closest friend and ally, W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), who readily accepts Killmonger and backs him as king for his more forthright demeanour. Killmonger’s prowess is enough to not just best T’Challa but also to seemingly kill him; he then sets about destroying the heart-shaped herb to cement his legacy as the one and only king of Wakanda and orders arming the thousands of Wakandan spies across the world so that repressed Black people everywhere finally have the means to seize power for themselves. Michael B. Jordan is a real standout here, and Killmonger represented a turning point for MCU villains; while, yes, he does end up donning his own Black Panther costume (more of a Golden Leopard) and he does disappear for a large chunk of the movie, Klaue more than fills the void as a side villain, and the justifiable chip on his shoulder from the oppression of his people and his separation from Wakanda due to the actions of T’Chaka makes his motivations not only believable and relatable, but deeply personal not just for T’Challa but for oppressed minorities everywhere.

The Nitty-Gritty:
As soon as Black Panther begins, you can tell that this is a very different film to the usual MCU offerings. In the build up to Avengers: Infinity War (Russo Brothers, 2018), Marvel Studios definitely doubled down on world-building, character pieces, and smaller scale films with far reaching potential in recent years. However, Black Panther doesn’t just separate itself through a highly advanced society built purely around the marriage of technology and tradition, but also by tackling the subject of race of oppression in our society, making it an extremely relevant and politically-charged film. Now, I’m just a regular, run-of-the-mill White guy, so Black Panther’s appeal and messages hit a little differently for me; I remember the first time I saw it and thinking how I maybe wasn’t the target demographic since its running theme of the oppression of ethnic minorities hasn’t affected me as it would, say, the Black community. It’s not my place to comment on this strife as I haven’t had to experience it but it’s telling that Killmonger is widely regarded as one of the best and most well-rounded MCU villains. In truth, he’s more like an anti-hero, a dark opposite to T’Challa who is just as loyal and dedicated to his people and his cause but in a way skewed more towards a violent uprising. And, honestly, why not? His people (“brothers and sisters”, as he calls them) have suffered atrocities for generations; his personal vendetta against Wakanda for abandoning home and, in his mind, selfishly hoarding their technology perfectly aligns with a very understandable need to strike back at a world that has shown nothing but contempt for “minority” races. In another life, it’s entirely possible that Killmonger could’ve been a force for good and positive change within Wakanda, and T’Challa even has a respect and sympathy for what’s he’s been through, his suffering and his cause, but Killmonger would rather die free as a martyr than even consider being a prisoner.

A mixture of technology, tradition, and warrior spirit make Wakanda a prosperous nation.

The main thrust of the film is to set up Wakanda ahead of Infinity War and you really get a good sense of their society, one built on tradition and respect as much as the technological wonders afforded by their massive stockpile of Vibranium. Wakanda’s true nature is a secret to all; not even Everett Ross is aware of his advanced they are thanks to a protective, holographic shield around the mainland and a major plot point throughout the film is the lengths Wakanda’s royal family have gone to to maintain their secrecy out of fear of their Vibranium being misused. This is at the centre of both T’Challa and Killmonger’s stories and shapes both of their perspectives throughout; T’Challa comes to realise that Wakanda needs to change and put their resources to good use and Killmonger has no hesitation about perverting those same resources to incite an all-out revolution. While so much of Wakanda is rooted in tribal rituals, from their structures to their traditions and their attire, the nation is bolstered by highly advanced technology that more than rivals Stark’s. Black Panther utilises a suit of almost magical nanotechnology, one that forms over his entire body at his convenience and makes him functionally invincible since it can absorb and unleash kinetic energy. Wakanda’s tech is so advanced that they’re entirely self-sufficient, Shuri can create energy-based weapons in gauntlets and shields and such, and they’re able to heal critically wounded people with ease, to say nothing of their futuristic craft that boast cloaking technology, electromagnetic pulse devices, and fly at incredible speeds. Although Wakanda is a largely peaceful and united nation, there are ripples in the water; W’Kabi is suspicious of T’Challa’s dealings with the outside world and T’Challa’s rule is challenged by M’Baku, whose animalistic and antagonistic Jabari tribe has distanced themselves from the luxuries enjoyed by mainstream Wakandan society. Though noticeably different from his comic book counterpart, Man-Ape, M’Baku is a fantastic addition to the film; he and his tribe have little interest in helping those who they feel look down on them. M’Baku’s proud nature and disapproval of T’Challa’s reign resulted in some powerful moments, such as him dismissing Everett Ross and even restoring T’Challa to life and power despite their rivalry. While he initially has no interest in helping T’Challa further than that, M’Baku is a man of honour who recognies Killmonger’s threat, leading to an unlikely and enjoyable alliance between the Jabari and the Dora Milaje after Okoye finally chooses loyalty to T’Challa over loyalty to the throne.

T’Challa’s gifts and the ways of his people afford him both great strength and conviction.

While traditions and technology are very much at the forefront of Wakanda, Black Panther is also rooted in spirituality; not quite the cosmic or more tradition magic seen in the MCU before, this spirituality is more supernatural and natural, imbuing the heart-shaped herb with properties that bestow superhuman abilities and allowing T’Challa to converse with his father’s spirt on the Ancestral Plane. We’ve seen since how the MCU has really taken the concept of multiple Gods and afterlives and really ran with it, but it all started here, in a kind of meditative wrapping that showed a deep connection to oneself and the lineage that had come before. This spirituality and belief in ages-old traditions is tested when Killmonger reveals T’Chaka’s shady past, but still heavily informs T’Challa’s character; he loves his homeland and will do anything to protect it, whether that’s shielding it from thieves like Klaue or opening Wakanda’s borders to provide aid to the oppressed. This spirituality also informs many of the film’s fight scenes; there’s a serene grace to the Black Panther, who moves with a deft agility that makes him an extremely effective combatant even without his costume. Okoye and the Dora Milaje favour more traditional weapons, but ones augmented by Shuri’s tech; in Wakandan hands, spears and shields before advanced weapons requiring years of training and physical skill to wield as their form and function is rooted in traditional tribal weaponry. They also have futuristic vehicles and energy-based weapons, which allow even the likes of Shuri to hold their own in battle and allow Black Panther to have a unique visual flair to its action and fight scenes. Even when undercover in a casino in Busan, the film separates itself from its MCU predecessors by first infusing a James Bond influence and then showcasing Okoye’s swift and brutal spear-play. Klaue might not pose the physical threat that Killmonger represents but his despicable nature, cruelty, and unsettling artificial arm cannon make him a reasonable secondary threat; he’s mainly there as a loose end and a means to an end to grant Killmonger entry into Wakanda but still manages to cause T’Challa trouble during an incredible car chase through Busan. Twisted by Killmonger’s influence, W’Kabi defends his new king’s designs for Wakanda, even to the point of clashing not just with the Dora Milaje but with his own wife, Okoye, allowing Black Panther to conclude with a suitably dramatic large-scale conflict that even sees Everett Ross put his life on the line to stop Killmonger from taking Vibranium weapons out of the country.

Despite some dodgy CGI, the film’s ending hits hard and changes Wakanda’s ways forever.

Forshadowing the large-scale battles we’d see in the next two Avengers movies, Black Panther ends with two big action set pieces: one pitting those loyal to T’Challa against Killmonger’s fanatics (including armour-clad rhinos and Vibranium weapons galore) and another, far more personal fight between the two would-be kings. As impress as all these sequences are, however, it can’t be denied that the CGI falters somewhat here; Black Panther and Killmonger don ridiculously similar costumes and their fight is largely realised through rubbery CGI characters against the dark and overly visually complex Vibranium mines. While I get the idea of Killmonger wanting to take T’Challa’s place (literally and figuratively) and claim his mantle, I think his default appearance was suitable enough and it would’ve been better to lean into that for his “costume” so that they could be more easily distinguishable. Still, if you can overlook that, their final clash is quite the intense affair; with Killmonger threatening to pervert everything Wakanda stands for, and having already proven himself T’Challa’s equal and better without the benefits of superhuman powers or technology, this is as much a clash of ideals as it is fists. In the end, T’Challa’s greater experience with Wakanda proves to be the difference maker as Shuri’s able to disrupt both of their suits to put them on equal ground and allow T’Challa to outmanoeuvre Killmonger and deliver a mortal wound. Sharing his own experiences with revenge and sympathetic to his cousin’s plight, T’Challa offers mercy but Killmonger refuses, opting to witness his first Wakandan sunset and die peacefully rather than be incarcerated. T’Challa takes the whole experience to heart, however, and works to make amends for Killmonger’s cause and harsh upbringing; he establishes and outreach centre in the United States and reveals Wakanda’s true nature to the world at the United Nations with the promise of sharing their resources with those in need. To exemplify just how beneficial Wakanda can be to even the most tortured individual, a post-credits scene shows Bucky (affectionately referred to as the “White Wolf”) being gifted a new Vibranium arm, now firmly on the road to recovery. It’s a bittersweet ending knowing that we’ll never get to see Chadwick reprise his most iconic role, and considering all the hardship Killmonger and others like him have had to endure over the generations, but one that sends a message of hope and positive change for all repressed peoples.

The Summary:
We’d seen a lot from the MCU when Black Panther came out and were on the cusp of some ground-breaking and game-changing events, and yet it still managed to make one hell of an impression. At the base level, it’s a beautiful film to look at and really captures the allure and mysticism of Africa; Wakanda is such a unique place, like a slice of cosmic, futuristic utopia amidst the wrappings of nature and centuries-old tradition, marrying tried-and-tested ways and beliefs with highly advanced technology. T’Challa is no slouch either, being an affable and alluring hero who it’s easy to root for; he’s gifted great power and capable of great things, but remains loyal and true to himself, never cracking under the burden of responsibility to backing down from a challenge, while still remaining level-headed enough to use diplomacy wherever possible. Naturally, a standout was Killmonger, probably the MCU’s most complex villain yet; his commentary on the oppression of ethnic minorities remains sadly all-too relevant even in modern society and he’s easily the most interesting and multi-faceted of Marvel’s dark doppelgängers. Ultimately, Black Panther is a very different superhero film, one that is as much about world building and politics as it is about kick-ass action sequences and spectacular special effects and sets. T’Challa, who has evolved from a revenge-obsessed renegade into a self-assured, prideful leader of a nation, was a welcome addition to the MCU and had such potential as a worthy leader of the Avengers. The final act of the film is maybe a little rushed, with perhaps two or three too many plot lines being mashed into the narrative, but it never feels like the pacing is off. The goes to great lengths to set Black Panther up as a diplomat who is not against suiting up and fighting against injustice when it rears its ugly head, but also to establish Wakanda and its people as a force to be reckoned with going forward no matter who assumes the Black Panther’s mantle.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Black Panther? How do you think it holds up compared to other MCU films and as an adaptation of the character? What did you think to the film’s visual presentation and fight scenes? How did the depiction of racial oppression affect you, if at all? Where would you rank Killmonger amongst the hierarchy of MCU villains? Who would you like to see become the new Black Panther? Whatever you think about Black Panther, feel free to share your thoughts and memories of Chadwick Boseman in the comments below or on my social media.

Movie Night: Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Dr. K9 Comments
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For those who have been living under a rock for the last forty years, Star Wars is one of the most successful and popular science-fiction media franchises of all time and, perhaps, one of the most beloved trilogies ever crafted. In 1999, series creator George Lucas began his Prequel Trilogy which, thanks to their abundance of CGI, questionable acting, and much-maligned narrative choices, left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, they immediately set to work in reinvigorating the franchise by beginning not just a new trilogy of movies, but also an entirely new series of spin-offs and multi-media merchandise. Excitement was high for Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015), which saw the return of fan favourite characters Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo/Peter Mayhew), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). For me, The Force Awakens had just as many positives as it had flaws; it had some great characterisation and action and was way more exciting and interesting than any of Lucas’ prequel movies. However it suffered from leaning maybe a bit too hard on nostalgia by mirroring very closely the plot of Star Wars: Episode VI: A New Hope (Lucas, 1977). This might have been a thematic choice but I feel that the massive time jump over the new renaissance of the revived Galactic Republic and Jedi Order in favour of a inexplicably overpowered Empire proxy, the First Order, and the renewed destruction of the Jedi.

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“I wonder if she means Old Luke Skywalker?…”

Anyway, The Last Jedi picks up immediately after the end of The Force Awakens; the traditional opening crawl is quite sparse as a result but, basically, the First Order apparently now reigns supreme and chaos has swept across the galaxy despite the destruction of their Starkiller base. Relentlessly pursued by the First Order’s fleet, the remnants of the Republic (now reverting to their original branding as Rebels), led by General Leia Organa, organises an evacuation of their base but they end up running low on fuel and being constantly bombarded by the slower First Order ships. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found former Jedi Master Luke Skywalker living in isolation on a hidden planet. Swamped by her own fears and uncertainties, she attempts to convince him to rejoin the Rebellion and to train her as a Jedi. Luke, however, is a broken shell of a man, haunted by his failure to keep Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) from succumbing to the dark machinations of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

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The Last Jedi is all about the new blood.

After Leia is injured from the First Order’s attack, hot-headed Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), former Stormtrooper turned Rebel hero Finn (John Boyega), and newcomer Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) hatch a plan to locate a master hacker and sneak onto Snoke’s ship to disable their systems and allow the survivors can escape to safety. These three storylines weave in and out with the continued development of Kylo Ren, who continues to struggle with his legacy, his actions from The Force Awakens, and his attempts to tempt Rey to join his cause.

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The Last Jedi is nothing if not visually stunning.

If The Force Awakens drew heavily from A New Hope, The Last Jedi is heavily influenced by Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980) primarily in its juggling of multiple storylines happening concurrently and in topping the planet-destroying super weapon of their previous film with a more personal, intense storyline. Like the asteroid field chase from Empire, the Rebels end up in the slowest chase in history when they manage to stay just out of range of the First Order’s barrage, Rey’s training is as brief and vague as Luke’s, Finn and Rose are forced to turn to a rogue for assistance, and the Rebels end up in a desperate battle against Imperial walkers. There are also various obvious call backs to Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983); Snoke attempts to turn Rey similar to how the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) tried to turn Luke, the Rebel forces get absolutely obliterated by the First Order similar to the one-sided Endor battle, and there’s some cute new critters used thankfully far more sparingly than the Ewoks to help boost sales of tie-in merchandise. The Last Jedi felt like a massive course correction and righted a lot of the wrongs I took away from The Force Awakens; I didn’t like that Snoke was a thing, I felt that it would be far more interesting and different to see Ren and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) at odds but in command of the First Order rather than repeating the tired “evil old wizard in command of the galaxy/pulling the strings” storyline we’ve seen for six previous Star Wars movies. As a result, I was happy to see Kylo kill Snoke and crown himself the new Supreme Leader of the First Order but, as a result, Snoke died before we ever learned anything about who he was or where he came from.

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Want to know more about Snoke? Well, too bad!

Also, while we get to see Poe develop from a trigger-happy, impulsive pilot to a competent leader, Finn’s side plot with Rose ended up just being a convoluted and largely insignificant addition that existed just to give him something to do, and his showdown with Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) was a similarly minor moment in the grand scheme of the narrative. Phasma, with her chrome-plated look (and armour that actually reflects lasers), had the potential to be a stand out character but, in this sea of new characters and overlapping plot points, is basically a nothing when she really could have been Ren and Hux’s primary enforcer. Finn’s best moment comes when he resolves to sacrifice himself to save the Rebels from being blasted by the First Order’s “Death Star cannon” but even this is stolen away from him when Rose randomly jumps in to save him and, effectively, spell the destruction of the remnants of the Republic. As we all know, Carrie Fisher tragically passed away during the production of this movie; as a result, it seemed as though her character would receive a dramatic send off, possibly in a way of adding to Ren’s impressive resume of asshole actions. Instead, she manages to use the Force to survive being blown into space and, although she spends a great deal of time injured, returns to active duty to comfort Rey by the finale. In the meantime, her duties are taken over by Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) who, for no other reason other than manufacturing tension, keeps vital information away from what remains of the Rebellion.

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It’s fair to say that Luke is not in the best place, emotionally.

Turning to Luke, I felt this was a great performance by Hamill, who really showed the depth of his acting ability here. While I am annoyed at not getting to see Luke build and lead a new Jedi Order, and I find it hard to believe that he has become a mythical figure when he hasn’t really been away from the public eye for that long, it was great to see him as a broken old man who has isolated himself to die and end the Jedi’s place in the galaxy. Rey helps to nudge Luke back into action not only through her Force proficiency (revealed to be a by-product of her lineage, another plot thread just dumped on the floor), but also reminding him that he is, for many, the personification of hope and the Rebellion in the galaxy. After a few interactions with Kylo Ren through the Force, Rey decides to leave behind her Jedi training and attempt to turn Ren back to the good side and fill the role that Luke is refusing. Although Ren dramatically kills his master and teams up with Rey to fight Snoke’s praetorian guards, they ultimately reject each other’s arguments for turning away from their chosen paths. After a conversation with the Force ghost of Yoda (Frank Oz), who is lovingly realised as a CGI-enhanced puppet, Luke comes to realise that he has to face up to the (extremely uncharacteristic) mistakes he made with Kylo. After an initial fake-out, where it seems Luke is taking a page out of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Alec Guiness) book by giving his life to buy his allies time and teach Kylo a lesson in true power, it actually transpires that he was smart enough to project himself into that climactic battle, a feat which takes the last of his energy as he peacefully fades to the Force.

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Kylo’s “burn the past” mission statement appears to be Disney’s mantra when it comes to Star Wars.

Was The Last Jedi perfect? No, not really. It was probably about as good and bad as The Force Awakens, which basically means that, as much as I enjoyed the film, I still prefer Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Edwards, 2016). Rogue One utilises nostalgia in a far more natural way as, being set before A New Hope, it makes sense that it’s using the traditional seventies aesthetic. This Sequel Trilogy, however, seem to be a mish-mash of nostalgia, tried-and-true Star Wars narratives, and an attempt to establish a new generation of characters. With the passing of Luke and the fate of Leia up in the air due to Carrie Fisher’s death, the central Star Wars narrative as a Skywalker tale is effectively over, with only Kylo Ren carrying that story forward. All unanswered questions from The Force Awakens are either waved away or dropped entirely; what could have been an interesting tale of a benevolent Galactic Republic being whittled away by the remnants of the Empire under the command of Kylo and Hux (or Grand Admiral Thrawn) is returned to the status quo of the rag-tag Rebellion fighting an oppressive Empire, and the promise of a rebuilding of the Jedi is side-stepped in favour of a new last of the Jedi in Rey. Having said all that, The Last Jedi is still a great film; it’s big on action, humour, and heart but there are some questionable decisions that, for me, keep it from being better than, say, The Empire Strikes Back. Obviously, nostalgia plays a lot into that and there are some parts of Empire that aren’t perfect but, in the end, I can’t get over some of the biggest plot points, such Rey’s parentage and Snoke’s origins, being given no resolution. It’ll be interesting to see where the narrative goes for Star Wars: Episode IX given how The Last Jedi concludes and that I get the sense that Disney are kind of making up each film as they go along.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better


Recommended: Sure; Star Wars and action/sci-fi fans will love this movie, I’m sure, and general audiences should be enthralled by the special effects.
Best moment: There were two for me; Kylo and Rey’s team up against the praetorian guards and Luke’s penultimate battle with Kylo.
Worst moment: The film dramatically slows down after the opening action scene, the awkward and frustrating personality of Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo stands out, but definitely the entire side plot involving Finn and Rose, which ultimately ended up adding nothing to the larger narrative.

Movie Night: Alien: Covenant

Dr. K8 Comments
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In 2012, Ridley Scott attempted to present to audiences with a prequel to his seminal 1979 science-fiction/horror masterpiece, Alien. When I first saw Prometheus, I was actually very supportive of it; the film reeked of 1970’s science-fiction trademarks (such as a slowly building narrative, wide expansive shots, and deeper philosophical questions regarding humanity against the backdrop of science-fiction). However, upon repeated viewings, Prometheus is more of a massive missed opportunity for the larger Alien franchise. Rather than being a straight-up (perhaps predictable) prequel to Alien that explained what the Space Jockey was, how the alien spacecraft got to LV-426, and where the Xenomorphs came from, Scott appeared to have gotten too caught up and too preoccupied with establishing a disconnected film that was part of an entirely new science-fiction/horror franchise. The result was a convoluted, mixed-up film that wasn’t quite sure what it was or what it was trying to accomplish.

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Weyland doesn’t exactly live up to David’s expectations.

Now, quite some time later, Scott presents the sequel to Prometheus and what is rumoured to be the first in three more prequel films set before Alien. Alien: Covenant opens not directly after the events of Prometheus but some time before that movie as we witness the activation of David (Michael Fassbender), the calculating android from Prometheus, and his initial conversations with his creator, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). This conversation establishes that David is just as inquisitive as his human creator and has little desire to live his life purely as a servant to those who believe themselves to be better than him simply because they created him. The film then jumps ahead to ten years after Prometheus. Walter (…also Fassbender, though with a pretty convincing American accent) is maintaining systems onboard the titular Covenant, which is carrying a whole bunch of colonists on a seven year journey to a new planet to colonise. A random neutrino bursts damages the ship and Walter is forced to awaken the crew, though captain Jacob Branson (James Franco) is roasted alive in his cryo-tube, leaving Christopher Oram (Billy Crudup) in charge. As a man of faith rather than science, and given the tough decisions he has to make in the wake of this tragedy, Oram struggles with his newly-appointed position and to get the ship repaired so they continue on their way. However, during the repairs, the ship picks up a recognisable melody coming from a nearby hospitable world that they somehow missed during their research. With the drew reluctant to return to cryo-sleep after the fate that befall their captain, Oram elects to pop down to this new world despite the objections of Branson’s widow, Daniels (Katherine Wilson).

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These viscous little buggers kick the film into action.

Upon landing, they discover the world is fully vegetated but devoid of animal life. They stumble across a crashed Engineer craft and, along the way, disturbed some dark vegetation that infects two of them. The infected crew members quickly succumb to the alien parasite and, in spectacular fashion, become hosts to the Neomorphs. During the violent birthing, the crew’s craft is destroyed and many of the survivors are besieged by the Neomorphs until they are rescued by David. David takes them to a safety in a lifeless city whose grounds are littered with the twisted bodies of vaguely-humanoid creatures. While some of the crew attempt to radio the Covenant for a rescue, David relates to Walter, Orum, and Daniels the fate of Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Repace) and what happened following Prometheus: Shaw put David back together and he piloted them to the Engineer homeworld, falling in love with her along the way. Although she died during the journey, he bombarded the planet with the black alien goo from Prometheus, which destroyed the entire Engineer civilisation. Since then, David has been taking the Engineer’s technology and modifying it for his own ends.

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Yeah, this doesn’t end too well…

Confronted by Orum, David reveals that he killed Shaw and that he has gestated a number of large, familiar-looking eggs. A facehugger latches onto Orum and (very soon afer), a chestburster emerges. David then protects the young Xenomorph by fighting with Walter so that his ultimate plan to obliterate the human species can be realised. With Tennesse (Danny McBride) fighting through the planet’s hostile atmosphere to rescue the survivors, Walter manages to get Daniels and Lope (Demián Bichir) onto the rescue craft, where they are attacked by a fully-matured Xenomorph. Although they kill the Xenomorph and make it back to the Covenant, another emerges from Lope and kills the rest of the crew before Tennesse, Daniels, and Walter suck it out into space. Injured but alive, Daniels returns to cryo-sleep…only to learn far too late that it was David, not Walter, who survived the earlier battle. David puts her to cryo-sleep and prepares a fresh batch of facehugger embryos with which he can infect the entirety of the Covenant’s colonists and crew to continue his experiments.

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So much for that plot thread…

Alien: Covenant still has its fair share of issues, mainly relating to continuity: like Prometheus, the film renders the AVP: Alien vs. Predator franchise (Various, 2004; 2007) no longer canon, but it also has some issues with the continuity it established in Prometheus. Mainly, we saw cravings and imagery of the Xenomorphs on Prometheus, suggesting that the Engineers had already created them (although it could be argued that David merely perfected the art of Xenomorph creation with his experiments). Secondly, it feels as though a big chunk of the film is missing as we only get one brief flashback to David’s annihilation of the Engineers and only get told about what happened to Shaw and between the films. Finally, the gestation period between facehugger and chestburster continues to be agonisingly fast; I understand why (to move events on and pick the pace up) but it’s still a bit jarring. However, Alien: Covenant more than makes up for the mediocrity that was Prometheus; the film looks and sounds fantastic and is much closer to the aesthetic of Alien. Much of the cluttered, convoluted plot elements from Prometheus are abandoned in favour of more recognisable elements, which may be a little disappointing as it makes the previous film feel like even more of a massive waste of time and I can’t help but think that we’ve had to endure two movies to tell a story that could’ve been accomplished in one movie.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews and some harsh negative comments about this film, but I have to disagree. If this is to be the beginning of a new series of films set before Alien, I’d say that we’re in for something much more entertaining and enjoyable than more films that emulate the style of Prometheus. If Scott can continue to address and make up for the flaws of the film and extenuate the strengths of his world and the creatures that inhabit it, we could be one step closer to getting a film just as flawless as Alien before long.

Recommended: Absolutely, if only to wash the taste of Prometheus out of your mouth.
Best moment: The vicious birth of the first Neomorph; the little bastard spews out of the back of its host in fantastically gory fashion.
Worst moment: The sudden decimation of the Engineers and the abandonment of what was once the most intriguing, unanswered question of Alien.