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How to Be A Black Widow Isn’t Easy in MCU’s Latest

As a stand-alone product, Black Widow is a very moody film.

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Spoiler Alert

The long wait to understand why Black Widow is who she is gets muddled on the big screen. I’ve known about her origins by reading the graphic novel collections and consulting the Internet. To finally see her solo adventure in cinema is more of a let’s stick to the MCU tradition: Every hero needs his or her solo adventure, and let’s try not to riff off of Captain America: Civil War too much.

We’ve seen snippets of this superspy’s training from past films. To know how these past scenes and other bits play to her psychology isn’t examined. I was hoping part of the tale would flashback to specific moments of her life and lead up to how she died in Avengers Endgame. Sadly, this would mean viewers would have to know those past movies. There’s no guarantee everyone would understand when the film ends with her broken body, and the last words from her lips muttering, “No regrets…” It can work had it started as an intro, and reference those movies so some fans can go rewatch them again. Movies that are built through flashbacks can be done.

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On Vacation with The Addams Family 2

There’s not too much to take from the trailer which recently released. We can expect a lot of crazy funky sit-com type situations to which previous live-action iterations to which this series is based on. I

Release Date:
October 1, 2021

The Addams Family are on vacation! While the release date for the sequel is unusual–it’s playing this Autumn–the idea is straight in line with their ideology to never do things when it should happen but at the worse time.

This film directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon looks to add to the kooky. We see them visiting Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon and Miami–along with many other famous American locales.

There’s not too much to take from the trailer which recently released. We can expect a lot of crazy funky sit-com type situations may be comparable to the live-action iterations this series is based on. It doesn’t look like it’s going to follow up on how the family and neighbourhood have come together after the events from the last film.

Instead of the satire on being true to thyself and the look at modern society, this latest take is updated for the Millennial generation. We can certainly expect the family bond to tighten up (or should that be falling apart?) going on by this film’s end.

On Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Snyder’s return merely reshuffled and added stuff from the cutting room floor to make the many subplots more intelligible and up the wow factor.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

Fans of Zack Snyder‘s DC Universe are not likely to see his set of films completed. He told Vanity Fair his vision and all we can do is sigh and start the #restorethesnyderverse movement. After years of campaigning, reshoots and post-production madness, a new cut of Justice League still has fans divided. The good: the story makes much more sense and the heroes–namely Cyborg (Ray Fisher)–have a role to play. The bad: the setup for the finale won’t see fruition when considering all the politics involved to get this expanded takes finessed for all to view.

This version sets up the coming of Darkseid proper and does not shy away from showing us how bad he can be. They look more like creations from Michael Bay’s imagination, and I doubt there’s a cinematic villain who can rival Ming the Merciless’ fashion sense from Flash Gordon!

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All Eyes are on Superman & Lois

It’s hard to say where this new series fits in the Arrowverse since the Crisis of Infinite Earths crossover event. I suspect it has to be before the alternative dimensions merged.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Thankfully, Superman & Lois‘ entry into the Arrowverse is a departure from all the other DCEU television shows. When most of these programs are dealing with superheroic adventures of the title character to save the Earth (or someone) from a villain of the week, this take has a different focus. These parents have to teach their values to the next generation!

The world found here continues with Tyler Hoechlin playing Clark Kent. I still have trepidation whenever he’s in Kal-El mode. He’s certainly gained some mass since appearing in Supergirl, but the look doesn’t work. Part of the reason is that his hair is too slicked back. Over the years after Reeve took on the role in cinemas, finding the ideal actor who can fill in the suit (after his passing) has been tough. Brandon Routh’s swagger makes playing Supes easy and he easily channels the awkwardness of being a Clark that Christopher made famous.

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Back to the Past with Wonder Woman 1984 and the Future of the DCEU

Diana’s role as a curator or director of antiquities in all the films she’s been in suggests she’s an Indiana Jones type figure. I’m game with seeing sequels about her adventures to rescue lost artifacts like the Dreamstone and continue to deal with tricksters wanting to keep them in play to ruin humanity.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Limited Release
Please check local listings for theatres screening near you

Wonder Woman is a heroine for all ages, and Gal Gadot is embracing the character lock, stock and barrel. In the comics, she represents the independent woman. The first film gave us hints of where she came from, and this sequel continues down a similar path.

The prologue is set back in the island paradise of Themyscira and teaches the very young Diana Prince (Lilly Aspell) an important virtue–you can’t take shortcuts to get ahead. Perhaps including being careful in what you wish for should be added too. The rest of the film attempts to explore the latter in Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), a business executive with less than stellar credentials. He wants a high life. The fact someone loved him enough, and they had a son suggests he was truly happy once. But he’s a single parent, and I’m curious why he isn’t with his kid more. The picture isn’t complete. Just why he is interested in ancient artifacts is not made clear either.

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