Tag: Pedro Pascal

The Mandalorian and Grogu Won’t Save Star Wars, But It’s Honestly Kind of Charming

At long last, The Mandalorian and Grogu is on home video (released August 25, 2026) and was it worth it for the bonus features?

The Mandalorian and Grogu PosterIs the Star Wars franchise dead? Considering how long it took me to finally watch The Mandalorian and Grogu, not even a cute baby Yoda is enough to get me watching new releases on a timely schedule. The IP is in a meh state, and I haven’t even watched The Ninth Jedi yet, despite its critical success and strong word of mouth. I need either originality or the return of characters I fondly adore to keep watching.

What has kept this galaxy far, far away alive for nearly fifty years is its love of pulp adventure. Those roots remain intact with this pairing, and the performances feel much more lived-in. But somehow, I didn’t feel the need to know what happened right away. All this cinematic offering does is show its version of “Lone Wolf and Cub” doing their thing, only better. The home video release reinforces that point with its standard collection of mini-docs and behind-the-scenes looks. The only aspect I cared to know more about was how Zeb, Embo and Rotta were translated from animation into live action.

Continue reading “The Mandalorian and Grogu Won’t Save Star Wars, But It’s Honestly Kind of Charming”

Fantastic Four First Steps – A Visually Daring Reboot That Undercuts Its Own Cosmic Legacy

Marvel’s Fantastic Four First Steps embraces a retro-futuristic vision and moral complexity but stumbles by downplaying 1960s history and reimagining Galactus as a lesser threat. A thoughtful but flawed cosmic reboot.

Fantastic Four First StepsFantastic Four First Steps is a visually striking and thematically ambitious take on Marvel’s “First Family.” Having read the early comics, I appreciated how the film evokes the optimistic worldview of a time when humankind stood on the brink of space exploration. Yet while it aims to capture that spirit, it also sanitises the era it tries to portray.

The 1960s weren’t all sleek rockets and moon landings. Assassination, war, and civil unrest—JFK, Vietnam, and the violent targeting of civil rights leaders—shaped the decade. The film glosses over these realities. And while its alternate-universe setting may justify the omissions, the lack of historical weight ultimately weakens the choice to set the story in this time period at all. That’s because the narrative Stan Lee originally crafted contained all those themes, and it’s beautifully explored in the essay “How Did the Original ‘Fantastic Four’ Change Comics?” published on History.com.

Despite a committee-written script and Matt Shakman’s steady direction, the film’s strengths lie more in its aesthetic than its narrative. It’s full of promise—but frequently stumbles.

Continue reading “Fantastic Four First Steps – A Visually Daring Reboot That Undercuts Its Own Cosmic Legacy”