Month: April 2022

If there is one thing you learn most as you get older, it’s that time flies by quicker than you could say “Avengers….Assemble!” In the case of 2012’s The Avengers, how in God’s name has this thing turn 10 years old already?! Granted, today technically marks the release of the movie in the UK, whereas it didn’t come out in the US until May 4th (which is odd considering one of the Avengers is Captain America himself), but this was the day that most folks overseas got to experience the cinematic event of the decade, perhaps century like not other on the very biggest screen possible. The one movie that basically change blockbusters and movie making for better and for the worse (mostly worse) has now been around for one full decade!

It’s hard to describe The Avengers (or also know as Avengers: Assemble in the UK) as being underrated or overlooked considering at one point it was one of the biggest box office hits of all time and considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. That being said, I still can’t help but get the feeling that this movie isn’t as appreciated as it is today and people seem to forget the overall impact it has had on cinema throughout the 2010s and 2020s. Perhaps it has to do with many of the the other big, epic comic book movies that have come out as of late. Perhaps it has to do with the success and impact of Infinity War and Endgame that felt bigger and grander in scale and scoop. Perhaps it has to do with what has come out with Joss Whedon himself and revealing that he’s quite an a-hole. Regardless, just because there have been other superhero flicks that have come out after this and the director has been exposed for being a complete jerk, that still doesn’t change just how brilliant the first Avengers movie is!

When reaching the movie once again last night, I still honestly believe that this is my favorite of all the Avengers movies. Sure, it may not be the glorious sloppy imperfection that is Age of Ultron, the massive, action-packed spectacle that is Infinity War, or the impactful, triumphant wrap-up that is Endgame. However, I don’t think any one of them was as air-tight or accomplished it’s own goals as much as the original Avengers did.

With the Avengers sequels, there was always something that I felt hold the films back just a bit for it to live up to it’s fullest 100% potential. Age of Ultron was just….a beautiful mess, Infinity War suffered from a scattershot first act and a ending/sequel that made the whole thing feel like a giant prologue, and Endgame had the baggage of 11+ years of MCU history that at times became quite noticeable. Even Winter Soldier and Civil War felt like much bigger and wider scoop films than they probably should have been. That’s not a knock on any of these movies as I mostly like them all to some extent but what the original Avengers gets right that some of these sequels was held back by, was not biting off more than it can chew but biting JUST as much as it could chew! It was able to be it’s own complete stand-alone film that hinted at what the future can be without having to be muddled by it in it’s own established picture.

When comparing all four Avengers movies and the two Captain America sequels, it would be easy to mistake this as being the least ambitious of those movies. After all, this is the one movie that seems to have the most straightforward plot, the most simplistic and recognizable character arcs, not having to juggle quite as much as the other movies, and doesn’t feel the need to spend time setting up the sequels that may or may not have gotten made. However, it is very important to remember the context of this movie prior to it’s release in 2012.

What many seem to unwillingly forget is that back in 2012, The Avengers were an untested property. There was never a superhero movie quite like it that has ever been displayed on the big screens before. Many folks have said for years that this kind of movie could not or should not have been made. It would be too much of a good thing or just too much at all. Most importantly, this is what Marvel had been building to since 2008. This is the one movie that they had to get right with a bullet point or else all of this build up will have added up to nothing. Even with the other sequels that were in development (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, etc.) and probably would have still came out, none of the would have mattered if The Avengers didn’t work. Fortunately, it did and it would work out very well!

Even then, I do think there is something underneath the surface of the original Avengers that don’t get talked about as much now. A big criticism of Endgame was how it felt like a celebration of it’s own existence and just felt like Marvel patting itself on the back. I do wonder if those people that have made that critique have considered that observation for the other three Avengers movie as well. Every one of them had subtext that both felt meta yet earnest at the same time with Marvel being honest with itself with what it is trying to do. Age of Ultron was Marvel coming to the realization that they won’t be able ride the wave they are on forever and they should be willing to enjoy the success at the time that they can. Infinity War was Marvel trying to squish all of their action figures they have collected to that point onto one playset to show off their very impressive rose gallery they have made up to that point. Endgame was Marvel showing off to the world the legacy they had fully built for themselves and let the audiences witness their amazing accomplishments before their very eyes. The original Avengers, however, was Marvel themselves asking the same question as we did when we heard there was gonna be an Avengers movie, is this thing actually going to work?

That’s the key component that the original and even the sequels have that keep them from being more than just big, dumb loud popcorn flicks. In the case of the original Avengers, it’s Marvel basically questioning the own existence of it’s premise and using that has the main through line. Can the Avengers actually function? Will the Avengers learn to fight as a team? Is there enough time and character development giving to each individual Avenger? What is there to care about for the personal stakes and conflicts of the story to make the audiences care despite knowing deep down that most of them will likely live to fight another day? Most importantly, why make the Avengers at all?!

Not only does the movie provide great answers to every single one of these questions but it uses those first two/thirds of the movie to let the audiences know that this movie is in safe hands. They now what they are doing, their reasoning for making it, and are using the first hour and 45 minutes of the film to justify the answers to every single logical question that they might have. Yes, the Avengers can get along despite having personal differences with one another. Yes, each Avengers gets plenty of time and an arc to themselves, along with a great action scene and line or two to themselves, despite this most likely not being the end for them. Yes, this movie is a notification of the achievement that Marvel has accomplished and it will hopefully open the doors for other franchises and themselves for future franchise maintenance.

Then, we get the last third of the movie which is not only one of the grandest final 45 minutes in any movie ever but it basically acts as a firework celebration for itself. While there is plenty of exciting action, mind-blowing special effects, and plenty of juicy, delightful banter presented throughout the course of the final battle, it’s one shot in particular that makes the whole thing come together. This one shot showcases exactly what the entire movie and even the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe was building to up to this point. This is the moment that the movie knows that it accomplished history! It’s this moment that Marvel is thanking the audience and themselves for being along with the ride up to this point and hoping you stick around for many more rides to come! This is when the Avengers truly assembled!

There are definitely things you can nitpick at with The Avengers. Things such as an iffy prologue, Hawkeye being underutilized/underdressed, and Captain America’s downright silly outfit are noticeable cracks in the armor but nothing can take away the amazing experience that this movie was able to provide. The kind of experience that no one will be able to replicate ever again. The kind of experience that was just made for the big screen! The kind of experience that makes the Avengers assembled like no other movie has ever had before! The kind of experience, despite it’s aftermath, was more than worth experiencing!

Happy 10 years birthday, Avengers!

Other comments:

• I was gonna wait until May 4th to make this post since that was when my country was able to actually see it. However, I have something special planned for the month of May that I will go into detail with very soon. Stay tuned!

• Also, happy three year birthday to Avengers: Endgame as well! The Avengers movie that actually was able to the whole world on April 26th!

As we continue throughout this post-Covid timeline and the age of streaming services, there has been multiple questions about the future of cinema surrounding movie theaters. Are people actually willing to go out to theaters anymore to see a new film or would they just rather wait another three to four months when that said film will be available through Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, or Disney Plus, etc..? While the big blockbusters that come out will definitely get folks climbing out of their rocks every once in a while, what about for some of the lesser knowns films? The ones that might not be as well marketed, profitable, or high budgeted but arguably have more craft put to it that was just made to be seen on the big screen and not so much on a streaming app on your phone.

The big reason theaters going away entirely will ruin one important aspect when watching a film, the experience. Not just with watching it with other people in a dark room on a comfy seat, with food and beverages, and where you are forced to be glue to where you are sitting and watch the film from beginning to end without live tweeting it, but to get that sense of experience of watching a glorious and beautiful new feature on the biggest and widest screen possible. Infinity War and Endgame wouldn’t have had the impact they did if it wasn’t for the audiences responding gleefully and cheerfully to the crowd pleasing and fist bumping moments throughout. Had it just been only available to watch through Disney Plus or Netflix, while both movies would still be fun, they wouldn’t have been nearly as fulfilling. Just remember the first time you watch Captain America holding the Mjolnir WITHOUT hearing anyone scream!

Then comes a more smaller and independent film like The Northman, a film that feels like it was made for the experience on the big screen as oppose to a streaming service. The kind of film that the vision of Robert Eggers is on full display with this action-packed and visually appealing feature about Vikings, vengeance, and what happen when those two elements clash with one another. It made not be the most revolutionary story ever told in a film but the way it’s told with it’s great filmmaking makes it revolutionary enough in it’s own right.

Premise: We see a young boy named Amleth (played in the first half hour by the young Oscar Novak) who has come to idolized his father, King Aurvandill War Raven (Ethan Hawke). The two being to get closer with one another when they take part in a spiritual ceremony helmed by Heimir (Willem Dafoe), where they both consume a hallucinogenic substance which allows for them to envision themselves as animal-like creatures. By taking part in this ceremony, Amleth has now tapped into powerful visions of his lineage and learn more about his family tree than ever before. However, the very next day, a group of warriors led by Aurvandill’s brother Fjolnir (Claes Bang) ambushes the King. It’s then that Fjolnir murders his own brother in cold blood, seizes his queen, Gudrun (Nicole Kidman), and takes over the kingdom. Young Amleth, who is forced to watch his own uncle and capture his mother, narrowly escapes the clutches from Fjolnir’s men and is able to vanish without any of them knowing his true identity. We then see Amleth many years later (played for the rest of the film by Alexander Skarsgard) who finds himself forced to track back to his father’s killer. It’s then that him along with a woman he later meets with (Anya Taylor-Joy) must use his survival and animal-like traits he inherited from his father to get revenge on his Uncle in a way that would be the most satisfying and fulfilling.

Okay, admittedly, on paper, this is not necessarily the most original premise ever. The typical revenge story is something that we have seen a thousand times before in all sorts of medium. Sometimes it works out well (John Wick), other times not so much (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Here, it basically plays like a mix between The Lion King and The Revenant with the way it uses it’s revenge trope by having personal tie-ins and spending the majority of the time with the main character as they fight and claws their way to survival with some hallucinations thrown in there.

However, unlike the latter movie, there is at least more going on here than say Leonardo DiCaprio nearly killing himself for that Oscar. We do see Alexander Skarsgard, Amleth’s conflicting with himself has to how he goes on about his means of revenge and when is the right time to strike. There is also a couple of family dynamics thrown in to the mix that does make it more personal and complicate for the protagonist as it’s meant to question his heritage and if he was looking up to the right man all along. Plus, it also helps that unlike poor Leo, Amleth actually gets to interact with other human beings throughout the course of the film and can even actually speak.

At the same time, I don’t think that is what Eggers was going for when making this movie. This isn’t necessarily a film where you are guarantee to walk away from it with some sort of new knowledge about Vikings, prehistoric times, or give you a new meaning of revenge. This is a film where Eggers is willing to take these ideas and concepts and do it in a cool, interesting way. For the most part, that’s what he accomplishes pretty well.

Throughout the whole film, we see plenty of men engaging in sword fighting, deaths and executions done in a pretty gruesome wade, hairy shirtless men doing their slave duties, beautiful blond women lecturing about sorcery and engaging in feminine whiles, visions that take place in the supposed afterlife (kinda like the ones from Black Panther), and even scenes where we see Skarsgard communicating and engaging with animals out there in the wild. At times, it may come across as pretentious, but no doubt, that it serves a purpose within the film. Not just with what we see as a Viking that has learn to adapt to the survival of the fittest but learn to become one of them as well to get what he wants.

What also makes it work is that they don’t necessarily paint Amleth himself as strictly a good guy. As he learns more about his family and the connections to them, he sees that they might not be as heroic as he might lay one. His mother might be still alive but at what cost and was she even really faithful or care much about his father. His uncle might’ve killed his own brother and Amleth’s father but what if the actions that the former King was headed for would have made factors worse for everyone involved in the kingdom. In the end, the actions he will make to get his years long waiting revenge on Fljonir will make it feel worthwhile or if he just threw away his life to become the thing he swore to destroy.

The performances are top-notch throughout. Alexander Skarsgard is engaging and compelling as this poor, tortured soul of a protagonist that is interesting enough in his own rights that you spend time with to see whether his head is set on being a hero or anti-hero. Anya Taylor Joy does a great job in a role that feels entirely made for her, as being the one woman that represents the slimmest bit of light that lies within Amelth’s heart. Claes Bang is intimating as the antagonist of the picture and makes for a great mire image of Amelth’s arc throughout. Ethan Hawke makes for a impressive brief appearance as the father and king, which makes it easy to buy him actually being Skarsgard son in real life. Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Bjork admittedly don’t get nearly as much screen time as I would have like but they definitely do get a chance to chew up the seniority every time they come on the big screen.

However, the most important thing that this movie had to get right is it’s spectacle and craftmanship and oh man, does everyone on the creative team nail it. The production values are top notch, with some of the perfect costume design and make-up possible for the type of movie that this movie is set in. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschike is jaw dropping with perhaps some of the best shots and location shooting I’ve seen in a movie all year. The afterlife scenes in particular, are the type of visual metaphors that will be on your mouth for quite some time. The editing by Louise Ford will undeniably be noticed upon by the Academy at least nine to ten months from now. The score by Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough is brilliantly done and mixed perfectly well with the environment and atmosphere that this movie is set in. This was a feature that needed everyone to bring their absolute A game to make it worthwhile and everyone did exactly that.

If there is one thing that is missing from the picture, it’s perhaps a more emotional connection to the characters in the film. While superbly well-acted and well-made, there isn’t much in here that might require you to get a handkerchief or something. Not to say every movie in the world needs to make me cry, but with a movie that sees poor broken people suffering and eating each other up, you get the sense that there are moments that should comes across as more meaningful than just epic. Then again, as the protagonist tends to learn in the film, tears won’t make your problems go away, a sword and fist will!

The Northman is proof that The Witch and The Lighthouse were no flukes and Robert Eggers should be notified as one of the next big directors to keep an eye on for future projects. While I’m not sure it’s has well-crafted as the former or as bizarrely entertaining as the latter, this is undeniably Egger’s biggest and most ambitious film to date and one that is the most worth the theatre going experience. While a familiar premise and lack of tears might hold it back a bit, it’s spectacle and craftmanship more than makes up for any possible shortcomings. It looks amazing, the cast is terrific, it’s glorious excessive and action packed, and has probably one of the most satisfying third acts I’ve seen in quite some time.

The Northman is proof that it’s not just the big blockbusters that are worth savoring the theaters for, it’s also the big independent films as well!

Bring on, Nosferatu!

Other comments:

• I guess I actually have to watch the original Nosferatu now!

• I haven’t seen the newest episode of Moon Knight but if Ethan Hawke died in this week’s installment, then he’s must be looking to become the next Sean Bean.

• For those that complain but lack of original movies, you better get your ass down to theaters this week and help do something about it. Between The Northman, Unbearable Weight of Massive Talents, and The Bad Guys, this is a weekend of original releases. See at least one of them this weekend or else you can’t complain!

• Also, see Everything Everywhere All At Once! Just see it!

Whenever there’s a sub genre that’s successful, Hollywood always tend to ride that success train as long as they can. Whether it’s sci-fi like Star Wars or superhero cinematic universe movies like Marvel, they will milk it until the cow is 100% dry. Even then, about five or so years later down the road, they will just find another cow to milk until that one is also completely dry.

Right now in Hollywood, what’s looking to be the next successful sub genre is with the concept of multiverses. While multiverse have always been around in some form for some time now in comic books, tv shows, and video games, it hasn’t really been presented as such on the big screen until now. With the box office success of Spider-Man No Way Home and Into the Spider-Verse along with the inevitable box office success of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we’re about to see multiverses from every major movie franchise out there like no other. It has already been introduced in video games as of late with Ratchet and Clank, Crash 4: It’s About Time, and later on in the future with Spongebob: The Cosmic Shake. There’s even rumors that the new Sonic the Hedgehog Netflix Series will have it’s own multiverse with it. Let’s also not forget that Flashpoint movie that’s suppose to come out when DC finally decides to release it or finally recast the role and dump that psycho Ezra Miller. While it has not made the impact yet on Hollywood, there’s no doubt that the impact is on the rise and will change the future of blockbuster cinema.

Meanwhile, we now have A24, the studio that is most beloved by film experts and most hated by movie goers everythere. The studio that is always guaranteed to get rave reviews by critics and a F on CinemaScore deciding to play in the sandbox of a successful subgenre just before it’s about to take the world by storm. However, unlike with 99% of media who has used the multiverse concept thus far, this one isn’t based off a well-known IP, this is it’s own thing.

This is a top to bottom original story with original characters using the multiverse idea to craft a mind blowing creative and imaginative tale on the meaning of life and nihilism. A film that uses the multiverse not to simply go back in time and hit the same beats of movies we already love, but go back to create interesting and unique beats of it’s own. A film that uses the multiverse to create some of the best and most inventive action setpieces you will see all year. A film that gives editor Paul Rogers the biggest challenge of his life of taking multiple different shots from multiple different time periods in the film and somehow have it all feel cohesive. A film that is basically about an older woman trying to be everything she can be all at once yet somehow is also able to be nothing at the same time. A film that basically tells us that this is Michelle Yeoh’s (and also Ke Huy Quan’s) world and we are all just living it! The film we have is Everything Everywhere All At Once, the best movie of the year so far and will definitely be one to top for the remaining eight months of 2022!

Synopsis: Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is an aging Chinese-American woman who is struggling quite a bit with her life. She’s running a struggling laundromat that is on the verge of bankruptcy, her business is being audited by IRS after she incorrectly filed her taxes, has a lesbian daughter (Stephanie Hsu) who is trying to get her new girlfriend Becky, accepted by her family, her dying father (James Hong) is making his way towards town, and lastly, her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) wants to fill for divorce. This makes her business and personal matters even more troublesome when during a meeting with an inspector of the IRS (Jamie Lee Curtis), she gets interrupted by a Waymond from another parallel universe. It’s then that this Alpha Waymond explains to Evelyn that there are multiple parallel universes that exist and every single choice she makes can create a brand new universe of her own. However, the multiverse is in danger by the hands of Jobu Tupaki, originally referred to as Alpha Joy, who can control these universes however she likes and may just have a big connection to Evelyn herself. Evelyn must now master the powers of controlling these parallel universes and stop this Jobu from destroying the space time continuum.

How’s that for a premise!

Most of that synopsis don’t go past the first act but it’s quite astonishing how multilayered and far-stretch the film is willing to go with this premise. It’s not just filled with references and call-backs to movies that we all like (although there is a VERY welcome shout out to Ratatouille), it’s able to use this bizarre concept to construct an interesting and compelling story in it’s own right. The multiple different versions we see of these characters and also Evelyn is not just to show off fancy new visuals and set pieces (Although, they are nothing sort of amazing!), but it makes for a really fascinating character study on Evelyn herself.

We constantly see multiple different versions of Evelyn throughout the film and nearly every single one magically has it’s own arc that ties into the main character herself and gets a resolution of some sort by the end of it. There’s a universe where she’s a chef, a universe where she’s a movie star, a universe where she’s a martial artist, and even a universe where she’s has hot dogs for hands and fingers. There are plenty more examples than that but regardless of how many different alphas of Evelyn we may see, they are all in service of the overall arc that our main character goes throughout the course of the movie. Each one of them is referenced and is given a pay off of some sorts along with help gaining new abilities for Evelyn to use as the film goes on.

Evelyn is a woman that, regardless of what universe she may appear in, is suffering from an identity crisis. Regardless of what version she is, there is always something that feels empty inside of herself. There always come some sort of shortcoming that leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Whether it’s from her husband, her daughter, her father, or her main job, she can just never be the best version of herself. No matter what choices she makes or the direction she decides to go in her life, it always ends up hitting a brick wall.

This makes a terrific showcase on how far someone will go to find their purpose in life. They will try multiple different things and even do some of it all at the exact same time. Yet, they still feel unsatisfied. They try to be so many different things at once yet ends up not being much of anything. Or in the case of this movie, Evelyn tries to be everything at everywhere all at once yet that could be the exact thing that leads to her downfall. There are plenty of things we would like to be throughout our lives but it’s overwhelming to try to be all of those things at the same time because then you will likely end up with nothing when all is said in done. Despite there being many movies that have tackled the themes of identity and purpose, there hasn’t been one that has done those themes as fascinating as Everything Everywhere All At Once.

The main selling point of this movie is Michelle Yeoh herself and man, she has never been better on the big screen than she has been here. For a movie where she is basically asked to play over a dozen different characters at the same time, she is able to nail every single one of them without losing side to the version that she is playing at that exact moment. It’s easy to get absorb into her performance as we follow her as she takes a weird, cosmic journey to the unknown of the unknown as she discovers which version of herself best illustrates who she is deep down while also trying to save the multiverse from her own mistakes. Plus, even for a woman in her later ages, Yeoh is quite convincing in the action sequences, especially during the moments where she gains new abilities. This is the kind of movie that lives and dies based on how our lead does in front of the camera and man, does our lead absolutely kill it. If Yeoh is not at least nominated for Best Actress by next Oscar season, prepare for the Academy to lose even more credibility than ever before.

The rest of the cast should absolutely not go unnoticed here. Stephanie Hsu is a tremendous standout here playing as Evelyn’s daughter. It’s hard to go too deep into her performance because that would result in spoilers but she is absolutely captivating every time she is on screen. She’s a born movie star than I have ever seen one. Tallie Medel is lovely as Joy’s girlfriend. James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis don’t get as much screen time as the main trio of leads but do get their own moments to themselves with their characters. However, it’s the unexcepted but welcome turn of Ke Huy Quan that helps make this movie the most worthwhile.

You might remember Quan as a young kid where he played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data Wang in The Goonies, but it’s so great to see him back on the big screen as a proper adult. Quan has stated that the reason he took a break from acting was because of a lack of Asian representation in movies but I really hope this one is able to inspire for more representation because he’s so good here. He does make a great counterpart to Evelyn’s conflicts she must face throughout the film as not just a husband who wants a break up but also acts as a starting guide to herself and the audience to the multiverse this movie introduces. He also gets plenty of exciting action beats to himself, the big one being one where he introduces the power and abilities he gains from traveling across the multiverse. I sure hope to see more of Ke Huy Quan down the road because the man more than deserves it. And also, did anyone notice that Randy Newman makes an uncredited cameo as *Spoiler*’s *Spoiler*.

The movie itself looks absolutely breathtaking. The Daniels were able to show off their kind of direction style in Swiss Army Man and their imagination shines even brighter here. While some might find the style to be a bit “in your face”, there is always a sense of reasoning behind every single shot framed and edit to make their unique vision fit well on the big screen. Editor Paul Rogers deserves MAJOR props with the way he had to put this whole movie together filled with multiple different versions of each characters in the movie and have it all be some sort of coherent. There are plenty of quickly-cut montage that could be overwhelming whenever you see them unfold but no doubt, Rogers is able to figure out the right mix with spinning so many different plates in the air at once. The costume designs by Shirley Kurata are inspired, the makeup effects by Michelle Chung and Anissa Salazar look great with all different versions of the characters, the action sequences are well choreographed and unlike anything you have ever seen in recent memory, and Son Lux’s score is mesmerizing and will likely be stuck in your head moments once the credits start rolling. Every single individual that was a part of this creative team deserve every single prop imaginable to make this film become a reality.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a movie that feels like it’s existence at all seems like a miracle. It’s proof that there are still movie directors out there that aren’t afraid to put their own stamp on filmmaking. It’s proof that creativity and surprise is still possible for movies out there. It’s proof that you can take a concept that is sure to get tiresome soon or later and can still something worthwhile out of it. I have a handful of gripes such as a somewhat overlong resolution and a couple lines of dialogues that feels like it should have been SHOWN instead of TOLD by the characters, but nothing can take away the worthwhile time I had with Everything Everywhere All At Once.

It’s has if the Daniels are taking a great look at the future of films and decided to make a movie with a familiar concept, not to simply mock it, but show the best version they can of it possible without the need to neglect or devalue the ones that come before it or will after. I didn’t love Swiss Army Man as much as I wanted to but the Daniels absolutely sold me as unique filmmakers with this marvelous achievement. We’re only in April and I’m sure there are plenty of great films on the rise, but I’m positive I will see nothing like Everything Everywhere All At Once for the rest of the year.

Your move, Benedict Cumberbatch!

A couple of other notes:

• Sorry for the delay on this review but I’ve had other things going on along with wanting to let this movie sit with me a bit before completing this review.

• This is the first movie that isn’t a main blockbuster in recent memory that I could recall most of the crowd in my screening stayed until the very end of the credits. I think that’s a good sign with how the majority of audience will view this movie.

• I never thought I would need a Ratatouille sequel 15 years later but, here we go!

So, Michael Bay is the good guy now? After years and years of critics and movie goers going on and on about Michael Bay is the devil and he’s all that has gone wrong with movies today, we are now all suppose to just turn around and claim that he was actual an angel risen from heaven all this time?! Sorry but I don’t buy it!

I’m not gonna claim I’m a full blown Michael Bay hater. There are definitely films of his I do admit to enjoying, whether it’s as a guilty pleasure (Bad Boys, Transformers, Dark of the Moon) or as a genuine work of art (The Rock, Bad Boys II, 13 Hours), but he is definitely not a director worthy of sympathy or deserving as having some sort of reappraisal. Especially since when you get right down to it, he’s one of the most financially successful directors working today, so he already had his legion of loyal fans from the gecko. While his notable good work should be notified, so should all of his bad work.

Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Island, Revenge of the Fallen, Pain & Gain, Age of Extinction, The Last Knight, and 6 Underground.

Those were all poor to downright terrible movies. When you do the math, there is more bad in his filmography than there is good. I’m not someone that likes to drag someone through the mud because they made a bad movie or two but when there’s been countless bad ones on one’s resume, then plenty of people have reasons to not overrated or praised a certain director.

So, forgive me for not thinking that Mr. “I only make movies for teenage boys” was the savior of cinema all alone just because he has his own sort of “style” and has never directed a Marvel or superhero movie in his life. Or someone that nearly got part of his crew killed when filming the movie I’m about to talk about and even nearly sexualized an underaged Megan Fox in Bad Boys II (which almost makes me want to take it off the list of his actual good movies). But, hey don’t tell Film Twitter that or else they’ll have to go on about how Zack Snyder is the actual final hope for humanity from now until the end of time because we didn’t slober over his garbage DC movies.

Anyways, I’m gonna keep my thoughts on Ambulance brief as I don’t have a ton to say about it that could cover for a big review. Plus, I’m more interested in exposing the hypocrisy of those involving with discussion of films along with the same, tired cycle of pretending to be a fan of someone or something you were never a fan of to begin it. It’s an obnoxious trend that I’m getting sick and tired of seeing and I feel the need to address it.

First things first, how’s Ambulance? It’s fine, I guess. Definitely not something I would put in the absolute failures of Bay’s filmography but certainly not something to lump in side with his actual good movies. It falls into the same tropes that Michael Bay movies usually consist of. Mindless explosions, over-the-top action, shaky cam, exciting practical stunts, dirty humor, high saturation, references to his own films, and even having a military character of some kind. That being said, it’s still able to get away with most of these tropes with the film’s overall sense of intensity throughout it’s runtime, some admittedly solid direction, and it’s compelling cast ( Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Elza Gonzalez being the standout) that get you invested in them just long enough before you stop finding a reason to care. However, like with most of Bays movies, it is one that will fade through your head moments after you see it and will most likely make you feel exhausted by the end of it.

I’ve seen many people compare this movie to being in a five-star chase in Grand Theft Auto. The problem with that is those chase parts in a GTA game wears out it’s welcome after less than 30 minutes when playing it. Sure, it’s cool to be able to kill fake people and blow up fake cars and see how long you can get away with it without facing any actual consequences, but once you done that like once or twice in one sitting, it just become stale and you feel like doing something else. Plus, I don’t recall in a GTA game where you are able to kidnap a hostage for long stretches unless you stole a bus or going through a certain story mission. Just like when playing a bad guy in a typical free realm, open world game, Ambulance has a premise that really only works in small doses and becomes clear why throughout it’s near two and a half hour long running time.

A couple of other problems is that there are certain character’s actions that don’t make a ton of sense, certain motives that constantly keeps changing every 20 or so minutes, and at times, it can be hard to figure out who side is suppose to be on who because of some decisions that are made by the characters. Even if that’s what Bay was going for, I don’t think that was handle as well as it could have been. I do at least admire though that the third act didn’t go massively overblown with explosives and mindless action that most of Michael’s movie have suffered from, (something that nearly ruined the third act of 13 Hours). So, I guess that’s refreshing.

Overall, if you’re looking for an entertaining enough action thrill ride that will keep your interest on a free day, Ambulance is serviceable for a price-off Tuesday afternoon at your local theater. However, for those that have grown tiresome of the kind of movies that Transformers had become over the years along with plenty other dumb, brainless blockbusters, then you best skipped this one. I would probably put it somewhere in the middle of Michael Bay’s filmography as a movie that doesn’t deserve much scorn but not one that deserve much praise either.

As far as ratings, I’d say it’s a 2.5 stars at best and 2 stars at worst. Make of that as you will!

That being said, the overall quality of Ambulance is not the actual reason for me wanting to write this post but to talk about this absurd reappraisal of Michael Bay as a filmmaker. It’s about the most absurd reappraisal for movies since blind Star Wars fans trying to convince themselves that the Prequels were actual masterpieces and beloved all along by everybody (Try telling that to poor Jake Lloyd!). And it will most likely be the most absurd reappraisal until the edgelord contrarians come out from their tunnels when the MCU’s Fantastic 4 comes around that the Josh Trank’s trainwreck that somehow was able to find it’s way into theaters in 2015 was actually some sort of misunderstood gem (Something that not even the people who worked on that movie would agree on).

If there’s anything I despise more in the world when it comes to talking about movies, it’s being the contrarian. I don’t mean in the sense of having a different opinion than others on a movie, that happens all the time. What I mean is making your entire platform filled with contrarian takes on movies as a means of trying to take a shot at another successful movie series or trying to come across as more clever than you actually are. Whether that’s because these people believe that’s the only way they can grow their viewership or that’s what they really think deep down is beyond me, but it’s incredibly obnoxious nonetheless.

In the case of film discourse surrounding Michael Bay’s new movie, Ambulance, is how there are certain folks how there that have come out claiming that Michael Bay, who has for the longest time been considered the scapegoat of everything wrong with blockbuster filmmaking and a whipping boy in the film industry, was actually good all along and is now somehow one of the very few filmmakers left that have a bold “vision” of their own. Something which is 100% false by the way!

While I know there are definitely folks out there that have had this opinion on Michael Bay and his films for the longest of the time, even when it became the “cool” thing to hate on Michael Bay, there is no doubt that this opinion was absolutely not share by the majority of film critics and everyday movie goers. All you have to do is read the hundreds of negative articles and posts on Michael Bay as a filmmaker and how a certain new movie of his is the worst thing ever! All it takes is a quick google search to find titles of said websites that doesn’t sound very nice to Michael Bay or the films that article will likely be about.

Obviously though, the real reason why these bizarre takes are happening now in the wake of a new Michael Bay movie is so critics or big movie reviewers can take a shot at the kind of big budget movie franchises that are going on right now. The one franchise in particular is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has become the cool thing to hate on the Marvel movies in recent memory because of how overly popular they are and there have so many films in that universe for the past 10+ years. Because of that, there has become to trend to hype up the next big movie or director that doesn’t have anything to do with that universe to give a sense that there is still some other form of creativity in filmmaking. These sort of movies that have come out, regardless if they are good or not, are often being treated as the equivalent of student movies, just be happy that they got made at all because at least it’s not Marvel. I can’t tell you how much this annoys me.

Don’t get wrong, it’s perfectly fine not to like Marvel or their movies/series. There has admittedly been a lot of them as of late but that doesn’t make it any better to try to praise another movie that’s not from that series of film as a means to try to take down the other film. It’s not a very healthy mindset, especially when you are trying to make those that like Marvel to feel bad about themselves because they like those movies and don’t like the ones you are hyping up. What makes it even worse is when these movies they are trying to hype up are not even remotely good.

Two weeks ago, there were folks that were trying to defend Mobius simply because it’s not apart of the MCU or it wasn’t “woke” (Whatever that word is supposed to be even mean nowadays). Yet, none of those defense or hot takes went into why the movie was even good. What was the story? Where was the character development? Was the action any good? Did the humor or emotional beats land? How was the music and the acting? None of that mattered because it didn’t matter that it wasn’t good, it mattered because it wasn’t the MCU. That’s the exact kind of mindset I’m getting with these takes on Ambulance.

To be sure, Ambulance is a far superior movie to Mobius. There is actually things to like about it and works find as an enjoyable crazy action thrill ride, but you shouldn’t have to try to use that movie to take down another to give it a recommendation. There’s nothing wrong with comparing one movie or the other or even preferring that movie to the other, but that should not be the only selling point to the movie or make anyone feel ashamed of themselves if they are not interested in seeing or supporting it.

What’s even more crazy though is that there are plenty others movies out right now and coming later this year being made by directors that I would argue deserves to be hyped up. Not just for the big movies but actual smaller, more original films from good/great directors. Those are the ones you should focus on spreading the word from in a genuine matter. There are several that have come out now and will come out this year. They are out there, you just have to look deeper. Here’s a handful examples of some movies I’m talking about:

• Kimi by Steven Soderbergh
• After Yang by Kogonada
• Fresh by Mimi Cave
• The Adam Project by Shawn Levy
• X by Ti West
• The Lost City by Aaron and Adam Nee
• Everything Everywhere All At Once by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
• The Northman by Robert Eggers
• Dual by Riley Stearns
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent by Tom Gormican
• Men by Alec Garland
• Bullet Train by David Leitch
• Nope by Jordan Peele
• Don’t Worry Darling by Olivia Wilde
• The Woman King by Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Babylon by Damien Chazelle

Those are 17 examples I just mention of directors who are not nearly as well-known than the likes of Michael Bay with original features coming out that I would argue is or will be more worthy of your time than Ambulance.

Yet I’m not seeing that same energy being put into anticipation for those films with promising directors who have the potential to be a name as big in Hollywood as Michael Bay or even well-liked /well-known directors like Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Quentin Tarantino, etc.. It has to be strictly Michael Bay because, well, he’s a well-known director and he has made big movies that aren’t superhero movies. Because of that, we have to give more attention to him and Zack Snyder or whatever director it has become cool to hate but have to like now, just because.

That in general, is what irks me the most about this form of movie discourse. The amount of energy that has spent trying to convince everyone that “a director or movie that you previously hated but is actually great and you were just too dumb to realize it” nonsense could be spent in trying to build anticipation and excitement of seeing lesser known directors with the potential to be more recognized with more successful movies. You know they are out there, I know they are out there.

How about showing some support to directors and their movies who need it as oppose to someone who might have haters but also has all the supporters in the world to where he can keep going to making movies and grow his fanbase even further?

Or is just trying to being the contrarian more important to you?

Think on that!

*Warning*: This post contains minor spoilers for Sonic The Hedgehog 2! If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want anything spoiled, then I would advise to watch the movie first before reading through what I’m about to say. Nothing major but you have been warned!

There’s a moment in Sonic 2 where Sonic is snowboarding down a mountain and he happens to find Knuckles right on his tail. Sonic’s response to him is, “Oh, great! The Winter Soldier!” While that is clearly meant to be a funny gag and a pop culture reference, I look at it in a different way.

Here’s an actual clip of it on Youtube!

In case anyone is unaware, the Winter Soldier is a character from the Captain America side of Marvel movies. The character came into full force into Cap’s second solo entry in the MCU titled Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There are many that consider that movie to be one of the best, if not the very best, of all the Marvel movies. It’s one that made the character of Captain America more popular than ever before. What was seen by some as being too much of a goody two-shoe kind of hero or too much of a patriotic nerd, The Winter Soldier made him into a legit interesting protagonist showcasing that there was much more to the character in modern society than what the past might have claimed for him. It also made Captain America into a total badass and best of all, actually made him cool. That is the exact kind of energy that I felt was brought to all the Sonic characters throughout Sonic 2, most notably Knuckles.

Granted, Tails himself shined quite well in this movie too. While most recent Sonic media (mostly just Sonic Forces) kinda framed him as being a scared little child who can’t seem to do anything without Sonic around, this was able to show how he is capable of standing his own ground if he needs too. Sure, he’s still a young kid who looks up to Sonic and can’t be afraid time, but they were able to explore his vulnerability without taking away any of his credibility. While the movie didn’t quite dive into being the Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius that he is, it was a pretty faithful adaption of the character that I don’t think could have been adapted more faithfully. His model is perfect, Colleen O’Shaughnessey is probably the best Tails voice to date, and my god, is he not so darn cute!

However, there was not one character in this movie that shined as well as Knuckles did in this movie, portrayed perfectly by Idris Elba.

If you were to ask any Sonic fan the last time Knuckles has had any sort of role for the Sonic series that wasn’t as a background character or comic relief, they would probably take a long, deep thought and realized that it has been quite a while since that happened. The closest one could argue that the character played a legit major role was either in Sonic Adventure 2 or maybe Sonic Heroes. Just about every other big game in the series either sidelined him (Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 2006, and the storybook games) or just made him a complete joke (Generations, Lost World, Rise of Lyric, Forces). Sure, he might have had a bit more to do in the spin-off games (Battle, Riders(?)) and shows (X, Boom) but even then those still couldn’t help but make Knuckles lose his own sense of credibility. Yes, Knuckles has always tented to be gullible and manipulative but he usually always have a good reason to do so and make sense why he would believe the things he does. And yes, Knuckles has always been quite y’know a knucklehead but that’s mostly has been part of the charm of the character and at least knew that he had an actual functional brain in his head. Despite being a fan-favorite character since it’s debut in 3 & Knuckles, he has really lost it’s sense of purpose and relevancy in the series. That was until Sonic 2 the movie came around.

I might need a little more time to think on it but I’m fairly confident in making the statement that I believe Sonic 2 has the best iteration of Knuckles in any Sonic-related media. Everything about him in this movie feels so right. From his actions to his backstory to his goals/motivations to his smexy voice and to his actual menacing screen presence, the red echidna has simply never been better. Here’s five main things that Sonic 2 nailed perfectly about Knuckles!

1.) His Goal

If there is one trait that the Sonic series have ignored about Knuckles for so long, it’s his overall goal. His main goal has always been to protect the Master Emerald at all cost. It’s something that he has sworn his life to look after. Not just because the master emerald contains the power of being able to transform thoughts into reality, but because it’s something that he promised his ancestors that he would watch over it. The Master Emerald represents the last remains of Knuckles and his tribe. It’s what defines him as an important character and as just a warrior in general. I don’t know why the series for so long has forgotten about that one important trait of the character, the one trait that basically made the character the way he is. I’m so glad that Sonic 2 was able to bring that back and arguably explores it even more than it has before.

And speaking of ancestors and tribes!

2.) His Backstory

This is actually one aspect that this series has barely touched upon, where Knuckles came from. There has always been hints of Knuckles coming from an ancient tribe and that he is actually the last of his kind. Sonic 2 is the first time I can recall that actually put that major aspect of the character in the spotlight. While the backstory scenes themselves mostly consists of about 30 second long clips of younger Knuckles, it gave just enough insight as to where he came from and why it has made the character the way he is today. It does make for quite a tragic backstory where nearly his entire kin was wiped out by the owl tribe. What makes it even more tragic is that it’s believed to be the same kind of owls that Longclaw, the one that raised and mentored Sonic, were the ones that caused it. Then again, most heroes and villains don’t tend to have the kindest pasts. I’d be very curious to see if that new spin-off series will explore more of that to further develop this character even more.

3.) His Actions

Just about nearly every single choice the character makes is completely believable for him. Sure, you could argue that he was gullible for trusting Eggman but he had perfectly valid reasons for doing so. He was looking for the Master Emerald and believed that helping Eggman track down Sonic would be the only way he would be able to get it. This also came from the same Sonic that was raised by those same owls that Knuckles believes to have killed all of those that raised him. Why wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to take that blue demon down, one that is possibly link to both the Master Emerald and the death of his own kind? Not just that, but the action that Knuckles make throughout the course of the movie is not just in character but also makes him feel like an actual character instead of just a punchline. While he definitely has some laughs in the movie, there’s nothing he does that takes away from Knuckles himself as being as awesome as he is. It’s throughout the course of the movie that he learns to have put more trust in others and that people outside of his culture are not as black and white as he was lead to believe. People tend to act differently than others and just because they can change doesn’t mean you can’t either. That sure rises above whatever actions the character has made throughout the last decade and a half plus. Just saying!

4.) His Voice

There has never been a better voice for Knuckles than Idris Elba. His voice delivery was near flawless for the character. He’s able to nail the character through nearly every beat possible. He nailed the brooding side of him where he was angry at Sonic and trying to pick a fight with him. He nailed the dramatic scene where he shares a sad story about his part to one of the characters in the movie. He even nailed the comedic scenes that were actually funny and didn’t devalued Knuckles in any way possible. I’ve been looking for that one Knuckles actor that would be able to nail every single trait of the character without neglecting one or the other but now I finally got it. Thank you, Idris Elba!

5.) His Screen Presence

Even if you throw away everything I just said, he is just so darn cool and fun to watch in this movie. Right from the first scene where he attacks Sonic, you really got the sense that Sonic had met his match. He was able to answer Sonic’s power with a power of his own. Not only does Knuckles’s design look great and is able to blend well in the real world despite it clearly being a CGI creation, he is able to steal every scene that he is in. There’s plenty of scenes that give you a great indication as to how powerful Knuckles truly is. For how powerful his punching is to being able to stop the fastest thing alive in the palm of his hands, this is definitely a Knuckles you don’t want to mess with. This is how Knuckles should always have been seen like. The Knuckles that feels like a threatening presence to all of his enemies. The Knuckles that feels like he can take on anybody that opposes him or at least put a good fight. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that SEGA or Sonic Team thought it would be best to take away that great aspect, but I’m happy those at Paramount was able to make Knuckles as great of a screen presence as he is in this movie.

I could nitpick an aspect or two about Knuckles in the movie (like how he never once glides at all, which is also a key power of his), but the positive aspects absolutely out ways any sort of negative aspect that I can think of. As someone who’s favorite Sonic character outside of Sonic himself is Knuckles, this is the kind of Knuckles I’ve missed so much and even the kind of Knuckles I’ve waited my whole life to see. This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen a Sonic media that is able to handle every single known trait about the character without feeling the need to disregard one or the other and show that he can be all of these things all at once. He can be funny, he can be interesting, he can be engaging, he can be a threat to his enemy, he can be a badass, he can be a warrior, and most importantly, he can be just so damn cool. I never would that thought that the main approach to have this character done justice is to simply go back to his roots and explore the loose ends of it without neglecting any sort of aspect of it.

Just like how the world was relieved after The Winter Soldier to say that Captain America is actually cool now, I’m relieved to say that after Sonic 2, Knuckles is cool now.

Now, time to see if the third Sonic movie can make Shadow interesting again without having to rehash the plot of Adventure 2 again (*cough* Sonic X).

It’s quite hard to put into words as to what exactly made the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie as surprising and enjoyable as it was. Even when you took out the MUCH BETTER re-design of SEGA’s beloved/infamous mascot for the film, it still did follow the same tropes that these kind of “family movies but for kids” tend to do. Movies such as Scooby-Doo, Garfield, Alvin and The Chipmunks, Hop, The Smurfs, and Peter Rabbit. The ones that take these iconic cartoon characters but puts them in the “real world” where it’s stars a B-list actor, has them in a car for a scene or two, includes crude and “I understood that reference” humor, contains a random fight scene in a bar or something, and delivers a message about friendship and/or family incredibly simplistic and obvious so that children would understand completely. Yet the Sonic movie tended to rise above the others in that regard even while sticking to that standard formula. It didn’t work in spite of following that formula but it worked BECAUSE of it. It was able to take the familiar ideas for these kind of movies but add more wit, charm, and personality to it while doing at least entertaining things with them. However, I do think another unspoken reason why many tend to give the first Sonic movie a pass compare to those others movies I have just mention is that the movie would be good enough so that a sequel can be made that would feel more familiar to the games and be allowed to deliver more of the Sonic goods that fanboys like myself have always wanted to see on the big screen. A trapping that many video game movies in the past (most recently, Uncharted from a few months ago) have fallen victim off. In that case, we now have Sonic 2.

While I’m not quite sure I can say Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is an objectively better movie than it’s predecessor as it’s more unfocused, overlong, and the jokes don’t land as much as it should, but it does do it’s job of mixing in the elements that Sonic fans like myself will be looking for in a Sonic the Hedgehog movie that they might have felt lack in the first one. We get to see more Sonic-related characters in this one with Tails and Knuckles, see Jim Carrey’s Robotnik in a more Eggman-like form, include more lore from the games, most notably the Master Emerald, teases and easter eggs for possible future movies (including the most “you can see it coming from a mile away” post credit scene imaginable), and get to see the relationships with the main trio develop on the big screen with a nice expansion of the friendship and sense of belonging message from the first one. If the first movie felt a standard kids movie that just happens to star Sonic, then this is a standard Sonic movie that just happens to star human characters.

Premise: Taking place after the events of the first movie, we see Sonic (Ben Schwartz) still living and paling around with his human friend/cop, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter) as he is trying to find his purpose as a hero on Earth and what good he can do with his speedy powers. As Tom and Maddie go away for the weekend to Hawaii to attend Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell) wedding, Sonic must look after the house and the dog to prove to Tom that he is more responsible. However, Dr. Robotnik A.K.A. Eggman (Jim Carrey) has returned back to Earth after being stranded on the Mushroom planet with the help of Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), who is looking for the Master Emerald, something that he and his tribe has sworn to protect in order to bring balance to the universe, and believes Sonic knows the location of it. We also see a cutesy fox named Miles “Tails” Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) who idolizes Sonic and transported himself from his world to warn Sonic about Knuckles. Sonic later finds out that finding the Master Emerald might actually be a key to his so-called “destiny” as Longcaw, his former mentor/caretaker belives and is his one shot to prove to the world that he can be a hero. It’s then a race against time as Sonic and Tails must find the Master Emerald before Eggman and Knuckles do.

If you are familiar with the Sonic the Hedgehog games, this is about as basic of a plot as the games go. Eggman (Yes, I’m gonna keep calling him that!) is back in town, wants the Master Emerald or Chaos Emerald to unlock unlimited powers, finds an ally or two that might help him achieve that goal, and Sonic and friends have to stop him before it’s late. It’s basically a mix between the games Sonic 2 and 3 & Knuckles along with an episode or two from one of the cartoons thrown in. I really can’t think of much of anything story wise that Sonic fans (or even moviegoers) that they won’t be able to predict or see coming. Save for one twist that is so bizarre and far-fetched that I bursted out laughing. But, then again, story has never really been Sonic’s biggest strength. What has been a big strength of the franchise is it’s lovable memorable characters.

It can be easy to describe the movie version as Sonic as being the most “meta” Sonic and certainly the most “pop culture reference” Sonic but it is no doubt Sonic. He’s still runs at supersonic speed, always carry around some golden rings, cracks some cheesy one-liners, annoy the hell out of his enemies, and has the sense of having the time of his life with what he is capable of doing. However, one aspect these movies nail that the games, at times, tends to ignore, is Sonic overall sense of loneliness and belonging. He might be the fastest thing alive with powers that no other living creature has but there will always be some emptiness inside himself if he is unable to use those powers without a purpose and someone to share them with. He found that later on in the first movie with Tom and finds it in this movie with Tails and Knuckles.

Not only does Tails in this movie feel in line as his character from the games and cartoons as being a young kid that has always looked up to Sonic and views him as a big brother-like figure, but he also ties well with Sonic’s arc in the movie of wanting to be seen as a hero to someone and finding his own purpose while helping someone else find theirs. Although, Tails isn’t quite the brain genius he usually is in other games with only a handful of scenes showing off his brain powers, he does make for a welcome presence and seeing the friendship develop between him and Sonic is heartwarming stuff.

There’s also Knuckles, and my god, it’s great to see him actually be cool again. Throughout the past decade plus, Knuckles as a character has been written has nothing more as either a buffoon or a complete and utter moron. For quite a while now, the franchise has tend to completely ignore Knuckles’s own role as a character and resorted him to be strictly comic relief (a criticism which the Sonic Boom series took and just put it on steroids). Yes, Knuckles has always been naïve and sometimes gullible, but he’s not an idiot and has clear goals in mind that he wants to achieve. I don’t think there has been a single piece of Sonic content that understands Knuckles more than this movies does. Not only does it nails his personality, development, and what his character stands for but he is just a plain badass and steals the movie every time he comes on screen.

As for Jim Carrey’s Eggman, he does more feel more in Eggman form this time around with the jump suit and longer mustache that has always made this iconic villain iconic. You do also see him get more advance with his tech and robot designs, including one in the final climax that is particularly ripped straight out of one of the classic games. He still isn’t shaped like an egg and doesn’t have the capturing animals gimmick that made Sonic his sworn enemy with his duty to protect his animal friends from the evil scientist but I did get a good enough sense of him as a threat as oppose to the first movie.

There’s also the rest of the human characters who, unsurprisingly, fall flat compared to the Sonic characters. They’re not bad and are even better than many of human characters throughout Sonic’s history but the overall storyline and subplots with them don’t really gel well with the rest of the movie. Tom and Maddie are still likable but really lack a purpose in this movie and gives the sense of the writers struggling of what to do with the human side of the story as opposed to the characters that fans are showing up to the theaters to see. There’s particularly one subplot involving the sister’s waiting that contains a turn that is admittedly shocking but also quite ridiculous. It drags on longer than it should and feels as if it could have been taken out of the movie without affecting anything else. There’s even one set piece that feels design to give the female characters a moment for themselves and while that’s a fun sequence in it’s own right, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better that one scene would have been if they had just bother to use one of the female characters from the Sonic universe instead. It actually could have been the perfect introduction to one particular female character from Sonic. The one that may or may not, have her own hammer.

That being said, most of the flaws from the first 2/3rds of the movie can be forgiving with how satisfying and filled with fan service the last third of this movie gives. It’s the kind of goods that I and imagine a lot of Sonic fans, have always wanted to see on the big screen. The action is exhilarating, each Sonic character gets a moment to shine, the references and influence from the games are well handled, and while I can see certain beats and moments easily coming, I still got goosebumps and excitement whenever they happened on screen.

As for the performances, they mostly get the job done. Ben Schwartz is even better this time as Sonic and feels more comfortable in the role while making his version stand out more on his own. Colleen O’Shaughnessey is still a great Tails and shines even more on the big screen than she did in Boom and the games. Jim Carrey is of course having the most Jim Carrey time as Eggman but he’s still fun to watch and really hope this isn’t the last we see of him. The human cast despite not everyone being particularly useful, is all fine here, even though I did find myself missing a bit of Lee Majdoub as Eggman’s assistant. The real standout here is Idris Elba as Knuckles. Not only does Sonic 2 deliver the best iteration of Knuckles ever but Elba delivers possibly the best Knuckles voice ever. He has the perfect mix of badass and humorous vibe to his voice and was undeniably the perfect casting for this character. It’s so nice to see my favorite character in the series except Sonic himself, be done justice once again.

The cinematography by Brandon Trost, looks much better than you would expect from a movie like this. There’s plenty of wide-scoop location shooting that looks great in it’s own right. The action is very well shot/edited and does a great job at showing off the powers from certain characters. The Sonic characters themselves look great and blend well in the real world that the movie is set in along with the things that are brought over from the games. And while it’s disappointing that none of the soundtracks from the games are included here (except for a Green Hill ringtone), the music by Tom Holkenborg is decent enough despite containing a bit too many pop songs this time around.

It’s far from a perfect movie. As I said, the human subplots doesn’t really blend well with the others things that goes on and kinda feels like it belongs in it’s own movie which could have been trimmed down to help the pacing in the first half. There’s a sequence with Sonic and Tails with other human character in the middle that is basically beat-by-beat the exact same sequence from the first movie. Also, just like with the first movie and these family comedy movies, there’s a bunch of crude and reference humor that is constantly thrown at you. While some of them are cute and will probably make kids laugh, there are plenty of others that might make you and the parents taking their kids to see this roll their eyes. Lastly, if you have seen just about any Sonic thing ever, then just about everything that transpires in the last 45 minutes (and the mid credits scene) you are bound to see coming from a mile away. It’s not necessarily a criticism from me as that was the direction I was hoping they would go and I’m sure Sonic purists will feel real pride to be able to get the references that the average movie goers won’t get, but if you at least know the plots of at least one of the main games, you will likely know exactly what you are getting by the end of it.

Then again, it’s hard to complain too much when there’s clearly much love and passion from behind the camera. Director Jeff Fowler along with writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington are clearly big fans of the material and understand exactly why these characters have appeal to fans over the years. It’s fairly enjoyable, the Sonic characters are as fun to watch as they are in the games, and even it’s obvious and simple messages are ones that kinda work with what this movie is trying to convey. Liked it fine, can’t wait for Part 3 and the Knuckles show! Into the Sonic-verse we go!

Was wrestling between 2.5 or 3 stars but I decided on 3 because of the big smile I had on my face throughout that third act.

Other comments:

• Yes, there’s one mid credit scene. Yes, it’s exactly the character you imagine it would be. While I’m personally a bit tired of that character as I believe he served his purpose a long time ago, I still am interested to see how they handle that character in the next one. I also know someone that would be PERFECT in that role!
• It feels quite fitting that this movie comes out the same weekend as opening weekend of baseball. You’ll know what I’m talking about the moment you see that scene.
• I can’t be the only one who felt that the climax was practically the exact same of a certain episode from Sonic X.
• Idris Elba lied! This is easily the sexiest Knuckles ever!

Well, f*ck me! I actually almost forgot to do this piece that I promised I would do. Granted, I had to go back work to this weekend and had very little time or energy to get this up sooner but it’s also because Morbius is such an incredibly nothing burger of a movie that I’m slowly starting to forget just about nearly every single thing that happened in the movie. However, there is one part of the movie that hasn’t left my mind yet. Of course, it’s the part that’s not even technically part of the movie but after the credits began to roll, the mid credit scenes.

Also, I was beginning to not want to bother writing this piece because it would lean into the big problem of me trying to dodge spoilers with a movie that has hardly anything to spoil and treating the post credit scenes as something vital to the movie/future of this so-called Sony Spider-Man Universe when it most likely will not in the long run. Then it began to dawn on me about how this is the exact kind of post credit scenes that are wrong with universe movies like this. Not just because it’s bad, dumb, doesn’t make a lick of sense, and feels like a complete portal for the character that this certain actor has played. More because it highlights just what most franchises completely miss the point off when it comes to an installment containing set ups, easter eggs, universe connections, and post credit scenes that might lead to something important later on down the road. Making you actually think you need to suffer through a bad movie and a bad post credit scene in the hopes that it perhaps will lead to something good in the future when you actually should not.

Let’s first go over the mid credit scenes. This is your one and only warning about spoilers for Morbius and even Spider-Man: No Way Home. If some odd, strange reason, you don’t want to be spoiled by the only logical thing that could constitute as a spoiler for Mobius, then click away and go watch the movie first, which I hope you don’t actually have to pay with your own money to watch.

Anyways, the first mid credit scene takes place at the exact time as the end for No Way Home where Doctor Strange helps Peter cast the spell that would make everyone forget he is Peter Parker and would send all of the villains from the other Spider-Man movies back to their own respected universes that they came from. However, Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture, who is still in prison from his actions in Homecoming, gets transported from the MCU universe which he was established in and to the same universe as Morbius and (I guess) Venom are a part off. The second mid credits shows Toomes meeting up with Michael Morbius himself. He tells Morbius that he’s not from this universe and believes that Spider-Man is a big reason as to why he got teleported. It’s then that Toomes proposes that him and Morbius start a team as he believed the two can do some “good” in the world. Morbius is intrigued and the two began to form an alliance that will likely lead to the Sinister Six using whatever Spidey villains they can to one day come up against Spider-Man once Sony can figure out what Spider-Man they can actually use.

Okay, ummmm……………huh, what?

Talk about a confusing head scratcher. Firstly, how is it that Vulture actually is able to teleport onto another universe with the other Spider-Man villains when he is ALREADY apart of that exact universe that the MCU is set in? Shouldn’t he had just forgotten about Peter Parker instead of Spider-Man and that’s the end of that. Secondly, does Morbius even now about Spider-Man? Despite the trailer teasing that there’s an actual Spider-Man at some point in the movie (which is not in the actual movie), there is no evidence that a Spider-Man even exists in this universe. Why would Morbius be intrigued to get revenge on someone he probably doesn’t even know? Thirdly, is there even a Spider-Man in the universe of Morbius and Venom? Venom only found out about Spider-Man after he (somehow) got transported into the MCU but it was never established that there was an actually Spider-Man in it’s own universe. Even though there were rumors before hand about it being possibly connected to Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, that’s never made clear or confirmed so your guess is abut as good as mind. Lastly, doesn’t it feel like a huge betrayal of the character of Vulture? By the end of the post credit scene of Homecoming, despite Toomes being intimately approached by the so-called Scorpion to reveal him the identity of Spider-Man, he doesn’t bite and keeps Peter’s secret safe. That established that he deep down cares for Peter and doesn’t want revenge. But because, he ends up getting moved to another separate universe and just blindly blames Spider-Man for it (which he has literally no reason to blame him for it even if it’s actually true), he now wants vengeance?! Give me a break!

But yeah, you probably already asked those kinds of questions after watching the mid credit scene itself or read the leaked description of it before the movie came out or even read the interview of the director literally spoiling that bit before anyone actually had a chance to see it. However, the reason why both of these mid credit scenes stink as to do it more than just being bad in it’s own right. This shows how most of Hollywood as an absolute miscalculation as to how superhero movies and cinematic universe movies should be run.

As much as people claimed that Marvel has a constant reliance on connective tissue and multimedia storytelling, when you really get right down to it or even think about it for a moment, it’s mostly has been a fairly self-contained franchise. Sure, every once in a while there’s that “main” movie you must watch and each once always have a universe building piece or two there, but the key trick that Marvel tends to pull with their movies and tv shows is making you think you have to watch every single aspect of it to understand the main central storyline at play here but you actually don’t.

All you have to do is look at the MCU slate last year. You didn’t needed to have watch WandaVision or Loki to be able to understand what went on in Spider-Man: No Way Home despite there being connections tied to the multiverse concept. Florence Pugh’s Yelena who made her MCU debut in Black Widow played a key part in the final few episodes of Hawkeye but you really didn’t have to watch Black Widow to understand that character and her motives. Heck, I’m pretty sure you won’t even have to bother checking that new Marvel animated series, What If? before Multiverse of Madness comes out to be able to get into evil Benedict Cumberbatch and Hayley Atwell as the new Captain America. Just like with to Mysterio himself, it’s all an illusion.

The approach that Marvel takes with their own cinematic universe is to make it’s canon and interconnectivity feel like more of a seasoning than the exact main course. Most of the set-up and universe building always takes a backseat first and the movies themselves always tend to work as their own stand-alone stories with their main characters that gives glimpses at what the future may hold for it’s own characters. It’s not like what Disney are now doing for their Star Wars series where they are treating every single episode of it as one that you must see or else you will probably be lost in whatever the main central storyline that Jon Favreau and company are trying to tell. Good luck being able to keep track what goes on in the third season of The Mandalorian without watching The Book of Boba Fett. Heck, that’s what Marvel Netflix suffered greatly from by trying to forced big tie-ins to it’s boring villains known as The Hand that made it practically required you suffer through Iron Fist to get a clue about what these guys are suppose to be in The Defenders. The MCU solves this problem by making sure to make it’s connectivity and set-up feel more like icing on a cake for the viewer rather than green vegetables you must eat before getting to the good stuff.

Most audiences watch all of these MCU movies and shows because they like what they are watching. They love the universe building, they love the action, they love the drama, they love the conflict that the characters go through, and lastly, they love the characters and their journeys. While it certainly can be rooted at times to what the audience might want to see next, it never comes across as a necessity or feels like homework. It always feel more rewarding than punishing. Marvel allows themselves to take risks with characters that might not be as recognizable or immediately profitable than the likes of Spider-Man and Iron Man but shows how far deep their library is of rich characters who are interesting in their own right who can get the audience invested in them and their role that it will get them anxious to see whatever happens next to them.

The thing that makes Morbius along with the two Venom movies (even if you are someone that likes them) look remotely bad and cynical is Sony openly stating that you have to watch a movie you may end up hating with a burning passion just so you are able to understand what happens in a future movie that you might end up hating a little less. The characters themselves lack interesting or compelling stories and is relying strictly on it’s main actors to be able to provide any sort of depth or intrigue to incredibly flat characters they are given to play. Even if the universe building itself or connections aren’t the main focus on, it always seems like it actually is because of so little else happening in the actual movie. It’s Tom Hardy doing weirdo stuff that was compelling in the Venom movies, not the actual character of Eddie Brock and the symbiote itself. It was Matt Smith having a good time that made him somewhat fun in Morbius, not the actual character he plays. It’s not Morbius itself you were required to see to find out the direction of Sony’s Spidey-verse, it was just the post credit scene of it. That’s what makes it’s ill-fated and flawed foundation stick out badly because there’s so little else to gravitated towards these movies except with seeing some good actors ham it up for an hour and 45 minutes. These movies seem to only exist so that one day they might be connected to a bigger story but the studios aren’t even sure if they will have the revenue to be able to back up their future plans.

That seems to be the one thing that Hollywood is missing the point in all that Marvel has accomplished. In order to build a solid foundation with a shared universe, you have to make it a foundation that people want to actually be a part off. You have to make the characters and the universe you are building likable and interesting in their own rights and have it’s interconnectivity as a guideline but not as a main necessity. Sony (and plenty of other big Hollywood franchises) hasn’t done any of that. By making movies that feel more like obligations or check-off lists than actual films and having post credit scenes that constantly hints at a certain future but it’s unclear if it will actually come, this are examples as to how Hollywood continues to miss the point to the success of it’s main juggernauts and we will constantly see more results like Morbius this in the near future.