By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
While Avengers Endgame is a very satisfying blockbuster and cinematic experience, a lingering thought may well be in the minds of some. Could The Russo Brother‘s time travel story be avoided? I’m not entirely against their idea, but I feel to use a traditional science-fiction solution to solve all problems is not all that creative.
The obligatory break is provided as I delve into heavy spoiler territory. Continue reading
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
* Spoiler Alert
Ever since Venom hit the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #300, his fame meter can hardly outshine another star-studded film debuting the same weekend. The movie’s action is essentially Terminator 2 on steroids and given a The Streets of San Francisco vibe. The title character does not feel the same as the one represented in comics. Without an arch-nemesis, this anti-hero lacks punch. I wanted to see the white Spider-Man logo across his chest. Without it, the interest in this film was minimal, other than to see how well the CGI works this time around.
The version in Spider-Man 3 had Sam Raimi’s trademark touch on it. The effect looked cheap. With digital effects far superior now, the goo looks wonderfully slick, and to see the story from Eddie Brock’s (Tom Hardy) perspective is the right choice. He’s a television reporter who cracks down on local cases Geraldo Rivera style, and when he asks the wrong questions to Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), the CEO of Life Foundation, he is out of a job. He also loses his girlfriend and has taken to drinking.
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
To restart the Spider-Man movie franchise for the third time may seem to some industry observers a crazy attempt by Sony Pictures to keep a hold of this Marvel Comics property. Much like how 20th Century Fox does not want to let go of the Fantastic Four, eventually some give and take must be reached. Thankfully an agreement was reached to bring the hero back to where he truly belongs (perhaps, why the title Homecoming is used). At the same time, to see this character come alive in a recognizable manner reveals plenty of wholehearted fun akin to the race to get home in Ferris Bueller into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
After seeing this movie for the second time, I had to make sure my feelings for this film does not change. Further viewings are needed to pick up on some nuances I noticed in this movie. A few scenes deliberately mimicked moments from another familiar character. The personalities between Spidey and Deadpool are different, but to see these two white spectacled hooligans trying to save the day does need mentioning.
Most of the laughs come from how Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is hoping for another chance to work with the Avengers. After his introduction in Captain America: Civil War, dealing with neighbourhood crime is not the same. When he finds weapons powered by powerful alien tech illegally trafficked, nobody at Avengers Headquarters seems to care. Spider-Man has to investigate and put the criminal ring down himself.
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
The LEGO Marvel universe did more than explode when TT Games announced development of the game LEGO Marvel Superheroes for multiple platforms. Mini-figures began appearing since 2002 with Spiderman and ever since then, interest has been a slow burn. The video game, which released Oct 22 is only testament to the fact that Marvel’s superheroes are a hot commodity. And no sooner than Stan Lee can say, “Make Mine Marvel!” the enviable had to happen: expansion into other media. Toys and an animated series are available for fans of this comic book universe to consume.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (LMSH:MO) is a web series that can be found on Disney and Marvel Entertainment’s Youtube channel, and it’s surprisingly good. The simple reason is that it does not tickle the funny bone too much. The 3-4 minute length is perfectly suited for viewers looking for light-hearted entertainment. That’s how these LEGO videos should be constructed. Movie length LEGO films are hard to pull off. To maintain the humour needs a good wit than silly foreplay, and that’s one reason why LEGO Batman: The Movie failed.
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