Author: Adam

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Superman II (1980)- When Director’s Cuts Actually Matter

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Director’s cuts for films tends to be a big talking point nowadays with film discourse. Whenever a highly beloved/controversial director takes their jab at directing a film from a well-known IP, questions always spur online about how much of the finished product is actually theirs to behold. Was the finished film one in which the director themselves had in mind from the start or is it just what the higher ups at the studios wanted it to be? With studios and producers having more a say on a final film product than ever before, that question tends to get ask every time a big film comes out when it lacks overall quality!

Of course, there is no director more famous/infamous with only being able to get the exact vision they intended with a film than Zack Snyder. Nearly EVERY single time a film of his has come out and it’s not well received by critics or general audiences, the immediate reaction from Snyder and his fanbase is ALWAYS about how his original cut was much better and you need to watch that in order to get the full satisfying motion picture. From Watchmen to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to Justice League to new Rebel Moon movies, there is no one that loves the word “Director’s Cut” more than Zack Snyder himself. Although I will be talking about his full director’s cut of Batman V Superman and Justice League later on in the marathon, it does give the indication as to how much someone’s opinion on a movie can change drastically when they see what the person behind the camera intended all along.

However, there are some instances where director’s cuts tends to be VERY complicated. Not necessarily that the entire quality of the motion picture changes on a dime but the way that a certain director decides to tell the exact same story in an entirely different way than someone else does. And this exact example I will be talking about today is no other than with Superman II.

As you could tell based off the title of this piece and my intro, Superman II featured a lot of different changes from both the original 1980 film and it’s sequel. After the massive success of Superman: The Movie, Warner Bros demanded a sequel ASAP. However, the production of it’s sequel went through it’s fair share of shake-ups, controversies, and mass difficulties in getting a quality product in theaters and even when it came out of theaters. Because of all this and more, Superman II was the product of two different directors, Richard Donner and Richard Lester. Yes, both directors have the exact same first names. I do NOT believe that was a coincidence whatsoever.

Following the success of the 1976 film The Omen, Donner was hired by WB to direct the original Superman movie along with it’s sequel. And to make sure that deal would be met, both movies would be film back-to-back simultaneously. However, tensions arose between Donner and the producers behind the films, particularly the father-son duo of Alexander and Ilya Sakling and Pierre Spengler. From clashing visions to scheduling conflicts, things became a mess from behind the scenes. It got so bad that the producers decided to bring in Richard Lester as a “co-producer”, A.K.A. a back-up director, and basically told Donner to just finish the first film and let them deal with finishing the second film. After Superman: The Movie became the hit that it did, the production of Superman II resumed but with Lester now behind the camera. Although, Donner had already shot 70% of the film, Lester had to go back and reshot much of the film, radically changing the tone and several sequences, just so he could get full director’s credit for Superman II.

So, yeah! That was quite a chaotic history involving the making of the second cinematic installment involving the man of tomorrow! Although Lester’s version ended up being a box office hit with a mostly positive reception, interest grew of what Donner’s original version of Superman II was like. And considering we were now starting to enter the era of DVDs and re-releasing films with extended or director’s cuts, what better time than any to release a cut of Superman II in which Richard Donner had his full name on the cover.

Unfortunately, despite high demands and a fan campaign asking for Warner Bros to release the Donner cut for the film’s 25th anniversary, they were unable to do that because of complicated reasons. With circumstances such as Marlon Brando suing the studio over royalties, which prevented his likeness being used, Richard Donner having never completed actually filming the whole movie, and the man behind the camera himself admitting he didn’t really have an interest in releasing one, it seemed highly unlikely that it would ever see the day. However, by the time 2006 came around, things changed and the studio actually gave into the demand, releasing the “Donner Cut” of Superman II on DVD.

While the Donner Cut was being assembled, an attempt was made to restore as much original footage of Donner’s original vision as possible. After all, some of Lester’s footage was needed to make the story feel actually coherent, being able to fill in the leaping gaps and create a proper bridge between Superman: The Movie and Superman II. Even though he wasn’t able to save his 100% vision due to the film being WAY too late to go back and reshoot, Superman II: The Donner Cut still remains one of the more unique director’s cuts of any mainstream film that has ever been released.

Instead of feeling like a complete finished film, it comes across as more of a “what if”. What if Richard Donner had full control from start to finish? What if he was able to film the two movies back-to-back fully like he intended? Well, the answers we got to those questions involves a director’s cut of Superman II that features several major differences from the film that was released in theaters back in the early 1980s.

Because of that, let’s take a look at some of the key differences between The Donner Cut and the Theatrical Cut.

More Sincerity, Less Comedy

Richard Donner has always viewed Superman as a modern mythology. Because of that, Superman: The Movie and his cut for Superman II reflected that, with a more serious approach to it’s subject matter and means of telling it’s story. Sure, the film definitely contains enough of a sense of humor, especially when compared to say…..Zack Snyder’s Superman, but for the most part, it’s a more serious, albeit sincere tone throughout the entire film. With Lester on the other hand, it was quite different. You have all the funny business with Lex, Non, the evil Kryptonian that doesn’t talk, acting like an overgrown baby, shots of civilians in the city during the final battle, one which involves a guy with roller skates and another guy talking on the phone, and the Kryptonians putting their faces on Mount Rushmore. Donner, on the other hand, cut most of the jokes that he probably felt cut the tension with each individual sense and just got right into the meat of them.

While I’m fairly certain this is more of a studio mandate rather than what Lester wanted personally, I say I prefer Donner’s take on what the tone of the film should be here. I like how he decided to take things more seriously without going too far and be able to incorporate a sense of humor when the film requires it. I guess we now know which superhero film to ACTUALLY thank for all that awkward humor that’s always thrown into every MCU film since 2012!

More Epic In Scale, Less Action

Just like the first thing, I imagine this was more of a decision from the studios to add more action scenes into the theatrically released film and less so on the director himself. Warner Bros craved to add in more action into the picture and less of the slower moving parts with certain scenes being too stretched out. Because of that, we get more mythical Normal Rockwell-esque Visuals with the Donner Cut and less of that mythical cinematography in Lester’s cut. And also because of that, we get more added in action in the theatrical version compared to Donner’s version.

The biggest example of this comes with the big fight in Metropolis between Zod, his minions, and Superman. This is a fight that ends with Superman running away and luring them to the Fortress of Solitude. From there, Superman tricks them into depowering themselves by reversing the effects of the crystal chamber. In the Donner version, it cuts right to this bit. In the Lester version, there is an additional fight scene added in the Fortress of Solitude first.

While I can understand the crave for more action in your Superman movie, the way that Lester went about to get more action really devoid the film of eternal logic. The Evil Kryptonians can now just suddenly teleport and shoot energy beams while Superman is now able to create holographic duplicates of himself. Not to mention, the bizarre power when Superman peels the “S” off his costume and hurls it onto Non like a big blanket. I like action but not if it comes at the cause of the actual quality of the film. Because of that, point goes to Donner here!

More Music From Superman: The Movie Instead of The Score From Superman II

As if the clash over Donner and the producers wasn’t insane enough, a similar thing happened in the production for Superman II with the legendary John Williams. While he was originally slated to score Superman II, Williams ended up getting into a feud with Lester after Ilya Salkind left the projection room. When he returned, John told him that he couldn’t get along with Lester and exited the film. To take his place, Lester brought in his frequent composer Ken Thorne. Because of that, Lester’s version offers a much different and more energetic score this time around, feeling like a composer’s own vision instead of trying too hard to match Williams. However, in Donner’s version, he reuses most of William’s score from the original film instead of using Thorne’s score from the original theater cut.

While I hate the circumstances leading to the situation, I give credit to Lester for being able to make the soundtrack work and feel like it’s own thing compared to the first film. No one is ever gonna top John William’s magnificent Superman theme from the original but the score here works well enough. And while I can definitely see why Donner would prefer to do more of William’s score instead of Thorne, you do get a sense that some of the tracks don’t match certain scenes the way they should and comes across as being overedited sometimes.

More Rough Around The Edges

This difference is a bit obvious but Lester’s version certainly feels more like a complete vision than with Donner’s. While The Donner Cut offers an interesting look of Superman II from the man that made the original such a classic, it doesn’t come off as a finished product. Had Richard been able to complete the Superman sequel that he started back in 1979, it would’ve certainly looked much better. However, with The Donner Cut that released back in 2006, it is simply the best he could do over 25 years later. Much of Lester’s footage remains in the film because it was needed to tell the full story, with a bit of jarring test footage in the middle from Donner thrown in for good measure.

While we’ll never know how a 100% version of Superman II would’ve looked like under Richard Donner, he still did the best with what he could do given the minimal material he had left to work with decades later. Even if I do like most of Donner’s ideas more, I do think by the end, Lester’s film ended up with the superior film, largely due to the fact that it feels the most complete and finished.

More Lex Luthor

Once Lester came on board to do reshoots for Superman II, Gene Hackman was reluctant to do any of them without Donner. Because of that, Lester could only use what Donner already had with Lex Luthor and just roll along from there. He had just enough of Lex to tell story and nothing more. In the Donner Cut, Luther is given a slightly bigger role than before. With more emphasis on the funny business with Lex and his co-workers, Hackman is given a bit more of a screen presence than he did in the original theatrically released version.

While I still wish Hackman was given more to do as Lex this time around, I’m glad Donner was able to salvage what he could and have Luthor contribute a bit more to the plot than he did with Lester’s cut.

Lois Lane Is Much Smarter

Lois Lane is a very smart character, perfectly matching the wits and skills of her counterpart, Clark Kent. So much so that Lois is able to discover the realization that Clark Kent is indeed Superman himself, something which no one else was able to do. At the end of the original film, Lois briefly notices the resemblance between Clark and Superman but just hand waves it off. In Donner’s version, this thread immediately continues with Lois scribbling some glasses on a picture of Superman, realizing that Clark Kent and Superman might just be the same person. To prove this claim right, she jumps out a window of the building of The Daily Plant to make Clark save her. But Clark is able to convince her that he isn’t Superman. Once the two are at Niagra Falls, Lois spots Clark without glasses and yet again suspects that he is Superman. Later at the hotel, Lois shoots a bullet from a gun right at Clark Kent, which nothing happens. After that, Clark admits that he’s Superman and Lois admits that the gun only had blanks. In Lester’s version, the first time that Lois suspects that Clark is Superman is at Niagara Falls. It’s only when they are at the hotel, Clark drops his glasses into a fire and retrieves it without burning himself, revealing to Lois that he is Superman.

Both of these takes work in their own right but I find myself leaning more towards Donner’s version here. With the way it builds upon Lois flirting around with the fact that Clark Kent and Superman might be one of the same from the first movie, Donner’s feels more of an organic follow-up to Lois’s development. Although, Lester’s version looks much better since Donner never actually got to film the scene in the hotel. Instead, he had to set for a repurposed test footage with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder respectively. While it works fairly well, the sound and performances do feel off and the continuity doesn’t mix and mash with the rest of the film.

Marlin Brando Returns

In the Donner Cut, Marlon Brando returns as Jor-El where he basically plays the same role he did in the first film. He mostly acts as a driving force for Kal-El, offering guidance to his own son beyond the grave. In the Lester Cut, Jor-El was replaced by Superman’s mother, Lara, played by Susannah York. The reason he doesn’t show up in Lester’s version is because after Superman: The Movie became a massive success, Marlon Brando sued the producers because he was owed nearly 12% of the box office revenue. Because the studio refused to pay him for any of the box office revenue for the sequel , Brando’s scenes had to be reshot in the theatrical release with Lara instead. Thankfully, Warner Bros was able to work out a deal with Brando to put himself back in Donner’s version.

Giving the circumstances, I think Lester did very well with what he could do. Plus, it did make sense to have Superman’s mother be a guiding force for him in his version, while the original film had Superman’s father play that same role. I don’t mind either one here but I do wish for an outcome that had both of Superman’s parents acting as that special emotional support for their son beyond their death. When thinking about what would act as a proper mirror of the original, I’d say Lester wins here. When it comes to acting as a part of Clark’s development here, I would probably go with Donner here.

Zod And His Crew Escape In Different Ways

In the Donner cut, the movie starts with a recap of the previous film, which ends with Superman carrying a nuclear missile out int space. It’s the shockwave from that missile that hits the Phantom Zone prison and allows for the evil Kryptonians to escape. In the Lester Cut, Superman stops a terrorist attack in Paris by tossing a hydrogen bomb into space, which frees the evil Kryptonains.

It’s mostly a minor difference but Lester’s cut at least gives Superman an actual reason to throw yet another bomb into space, just like he did at the end of the previous film. And with the way both cuts recaps the begin of the previous movie, Donner’s version does better at showing how exactly the events from the previous movie leads into it’s sequel. Unlike with Lester’s version, which comes across as more of a prologue read by the narrator of a tv show, telling viewers what happened in last week’s episode. Tough call, but I give the slight edge to Donner on this one, with at least having the beginning feel more consistent with the previous film.

Why Superman Gives Up His Powers

In both versions, Superman gives up his superpowers to be with Lois Lane. In the Donner Cut, Superman admits to himself and his father Jor-El that while he’s being selfish, he just wants to relax and be happy with another woman. His father argues that his son can NOT favor one human over the rest of humanity. Feeling he can no longer serve humanity in an objective way that would make his parents and himself proud, he gives up his powers. In Lester’s cut, Superman talks with his mother Lara instead. The conversation is much shorter, with Lara telling her son that if wants to be a mortal, then he must become one.

If we are looking through the perspective of what’s the right thing for Clark Kent himself to do and he achieves it, then Lester’s cut wins here. If we are looking through the perspective of what’s the right thing for Kal-El himself to do and he does the exact opposite of that, then Donner’s Cut wins. For the benefit of Superman’s overall arc in the film, I give this one to Donner!

No Magic Kiss

And lastly, the magic kiss is NOT presented in the Donner Cut. In Lester’s Cut, Superman II ends with Lois’ memory of knowing Clark Kent is Superman is wiped away in the form of a magic kiss. However, with the Donner Cut, Lois’ memory gets wiped by Superman flying around the world and rewinding time back before Lois figured out he was Clark Kent. It’s basically the exact same ending as Superman II except nearly the whole movie gets reverted back to square one.

As much as both ending come off as cheap plot gimmicks and glorified deux ex machina, I honestly believe Donner’s version is even worse, making the whole film feel like it never happened and undoing all the character progression like it’s some glorified Saturday Morning cartoon that prohibits progression in it’s story. The magic kiss is cheesy but I’ll still take that over a lazy rehash of the ending of the first movie.

I think you can now see why your experience with Superman II can be quite different by watching both of these cuts on their own terms! And that’s not even going into the two other notable cuts of this movie: 1.) the fan edited version that combined the best of both Donner and Lester while trimming the notable fats from both version and 2.) the ABC televised version that added 19 minutes of footage to the theatrical release, including alternate scenes involving Lex Luthor and an alternate ending. When putting all of that together, there’s not just one, not two, not even three, but FOUR different versions of Superman II you can watch. Not even Zack Snyder can dream of having THAT many cuts for just one feature film!

I will say despite the two different versions of Superman II that I’ve seen, my opinion on the film is largely the same. In the sense, that it’s a very, VERY good sequel that perhaps falls JUST shy of the greatness the original film had, largely due to these conflicting directorial visions, confusing character motivations, and feeling the need to pull it’s punches more times than not. Even so, I will say that I still would consider it to be the second best Superman movie to date (unless my rewatch of Man of Steel or Zack Snyder’s Justice League changes my mind).

Had we got one complete version from either Richard Donner or Richard Lester from beginning of production to the very end, then I think we could have gotten a perfect follow-up to Superman: The Movie, acting as that perfect two-part story figure that Christopher Nolan got superbly right with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight many years later. Instead we can only imagine what would’ve happened if either one of these gentlemen got both of their hands on this sequel from the very start!

Next Up: Superman III

Top 10 Worst Disney Live-Action Movies/Remakes (Updated w/Snow White & Lilo & Stitch)

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There is a lot of controversy surrounding Disney nowadays. Whether it’s due to their inconsistent quality of recent years, overreliance on nonstop sequels, spin-offs, and remakes, constantly milking a property dry until the very last drop of milk, overworking their employees and staff, and their participation of the so-called “culture war”, you just can’t seem to have a reasonable conservation about Disney without one side going absolutely BALISTIC over it! However if there is one opinion that seems to united the majority of the human population, it’s the fact that the Disney live-action movies/remakes…..kinda suck.

Unless it’s something involving Pirates of the Caribbean or National Treasure, live-action movies/remakes from Disney generally do no work on multiple levels, with only the box office successes for a good chunk of them being the core reason as to why they still get made. That’s not to say that EVERY single one of them has been a disaster. Live-action remakes/movies such as Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), and Christopher Robin have had their fair share of fans but more often than not, these kind of corporate projects tend to have more backlash attached to them than acclaim.

I normally don’t like to “worst of” lists because the real world is already depressing enough and the last thing I want to do is throw more fuel into the already politically fueled toxic garbage fire that has plagued our world for the better part of a decade. However, in this case, I figured it would be fun to talk about Disney’s massive missteps in the live-action/remake department because everyone else seems to have fun doing it. And unlike most worst of lists out there, I highly doubt my picks will be that controversial among most reading this lists. But, who knows?

Dishonorable Mentions:

  • 102 Dalmatians

  • Alice Through The Looking Glass

  • Aladdin (2019)

  • Cruella

  • The Little Mermaid (2023)

  • Mufasa: The Lion King

Now onto the main list.

10.) Dumbo (2019)

The first 1/3 of Tim Burton’s Dumbo (2019) is a solid and faithful adaption of the original, that’s able to translate the aesthetics and heart of the animated original pretty well while standing proud on it’s own two feet. Unfortunately, there’s another 2/3’rds of the movie, which consists of nonstop filler to justify it’s modern movie runtime, that is about as boring, tedious, and repetitive as the majority of these Disney live-action remakes are. Also, what the heck was Michael Keaton trying to do with his performance here? Between this and Alice in Wonderland (2010), maybe it’s for the best to keep Tim Burton AWAY from these kind of movies.

9.) Lilo & Stich (2025)

The newest addition to these infamous pack of live-action remake flicks have two elements going for it: the superb casting of Maia Kealoha as Lilo herself and the lovable little misfit that is Stitch himself. Nearly everything else about Lilo & Stitch (2025) falls flat here. The changes made here feel like they are done for the sake of change, beloved supporting characters from the original are sidelined and feel more like a footnote than anything else, the editing is so bizarre and distracting that puts it on par with the fence scene from Taken 3 (Remember that?!) and the ending that involves Nina making a big life changing decision does not gel well at all with the message of ohana that the original explored so well (Regardless of what the post credits scene might have to say about!) Also, Jumba is the real villain in this one, yeah! Not even some decent performances, a couple of laughs, and Stitch himself can save Lilo & Stitch (2025) from being a dud. Unfortunately, if the stellar opening box office weekend is any indication, my opinion (along with plenty of others online) doesn’t matter.

8.) Mulan (2020)

Many people have this one at the top of their list for worst Disney remakes and it’s easy to see why. Mulan (2020) attempts to do a live-action adaption of the beloved animated classic with a much more serious tone and changes to the lore to make it stand out as it’s own thing. Unfortunately, Mulan herself is reduced to being an overpowered superhero with a bizarre chosen one storyline, completely undermine the point of the character and her arc from the animated original. And don’t get me started on the over-the-top action scenes, the clash in tones, the laughable main villain, and the very wooden performance from our lead (Less said about the initial controversy surrounding the lead actress, the better). I do give it points for ambition and trying to do something different to make it work on it’s own terms but when looking at the overall picture, Mulan (2020) is simply a dud and makes for one of the most heartbreaking live-action Disney remakes released thus far.

7.) Peter Pan & Wendy

While David Lowery was able to make one of the absolute best Disney remakes with Pete’s Dragon (2016), he unfortunately also settled with one of the absolute worst ones with Peter Pan & Wendy. Once again, this live-action adaption of two beloved characters in Peter Pan & Wendy tries to add new wrinkles to their origins, only to miss the point entirely and ruin the entire central metaphor of the story that it’s adapting. It’s certainly one of the more well-shot and photographed of the Disney live-action movies/remakes and Judy Law is EVERYTHING as Captain Hook but unfortunately, director David Lowery just did NOT have the sauce (Did I do that right?!) that he had with Pete’s Dragon.

6.) Beauty & The Beast (2017)

While this might not technically be the worst one, I can’t think of a remake that goes to show just how utterly pointless these Disney remakes are than Beauty & The Beast (2017). Despite having excellent material to work with and a star-studded cast, there is no new interpretation of the material that is presented throughout it’s bloated runtime that you didn’t already see be masterfully done in the animated original. It’s just the exact same story but longer, with unnecessary additions, confusing character motivations, ugly characters designs, and a new song you completely forgot the moment the movie is over. And don’t even get me started on the blink-and-you-miss-it gay characters (that would soon become a trend for the next seven to eight years with Disney movies). I won’t go as far to say that this ruins the original Beauty & The Beast in any way but all it does is make me want to go back to the original Beauty & The Beast over and over again and forget about this one entirely.

5.) Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Here’s the one that started this dark, corrupt path of Disney’s most lazy and creatively bankrupt packages of so-called “motion pictures”. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland (2010) tries to add his own spin on the classic animated tale, with a more bleak and twisted feel to it. Unfortunately, the final version to come off as cruelly murky, violent, and unpleasant to watch as a result. While you can see there’s an attempt at making Alice a more three-dimensional character and expand upon the world building of the Wonderland itself in the most Tim Burton-way possible, it gets too bogged down by it’s own bizarre direction, feeling like it belongs more in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas than it does with Alice in Wonderland. You can always give a movie props for trying to do something different but like Mulan (2020), it’s the WRONG kind of different!

4.) Snow White (2025)

Even if you are that one sane individual that was smart enough to live under a rock over the pre-release discourse nonsense surrounding the live-action reimagining of Disney’s first ever animated motion picture, Snow White (2025) is FAR from the fairest of them all. Much like with 90% of live-action remakes, it can’t decide how far it wants to go with it’s new ideas or how much wants to walk with the same path line as the original. The style is all over the place for to be a nostalgic pleasing throwback, the new elements that are added in feel more like baggage than depth, the reshoots and rewrites are painfully obvious, and Gal Gadot gives by far one of the worst performances in any Disney film ever. Surprisingly, the best part about this disastrous remake is Rachel Zegler herself, fitting the role of Snow White as best as one could in live-action. (If only she knew when to give herself some restraint.) Too bad the rest of the film sucks so much that it justifies all the hate that these live-action remakes/movies get. While not quite #1, Snow White (2025) is a culmination of nearly everything wrong with these Disney live-action remakes and is (hopefully) a wake-up call to Disney to finally leaves these kind of films in the past and put that money to something more wiser.

3.) Pinocchio (2022)

If I were to describe the Disney live-action remake that feels the most soulless and creatively bankrupt, that honor would go to Pinocchio (2020). Robert Zemeckis takes the original animated classic and strips it completely of it’s magical charm, with a script and direction that feel as wooden as Pinocchio himself. The visuals effects are generally poor, Tom Hanks is awfully miscast as Gepetto, and the changes to the story undermine the movie’s central message at every turn. This is a remake that just feels like a remake that exists for the sake of existing, feeling the need to update and give the modern treatment for no reason whatsoever. Say what you will about any other remake on this list but at least you can understand where they were going for and understand it’s reasoning for existence from a business and even creative standpoint. I could not tell you why anyone thought that Pinocchio (2020) was a movie that needed to exist And I don’t think even Disney themselves could tell you either.

2.) Maleficent

11 years later and I’m still completely baffled how Disney was able to screw up what should have been an absolute WINNER for them in Maleficent, one of their finest and fairest foes throughout their history. Despite what the title would suggest, the Maleficent that we all know and love from Sleeping Beauty is NOWHERE to be seen throughout the entirety of the film. For whatever reason, Disney felt the need to overcomplicated things and give Maleficent a reason as to why she is as evil as she is, while unintentionally confirming she actually has a heart of gold and isn’t as vile as she makes herself to be. The fact that I just typed that out loud should go to show you how little this movie understands the character of Maleficent. Throw in hard to see cinematography, sluggish pacing, bizarre plot holes, and some of the ugliest CGI creatures I’ve ever seen and you a real crappy picture here. Poor Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are wasted here in a film that fails to capitalize a fraction of their talents. But hey, at least, they weren’t stupid enough to do it again with Cruella and Mufasa, right?! *runs away to go cry in the corner*

1.) The Lion King (2019)

There is NO live-action movie/remake to date that perfectly capitulates how bad, cynical, lifeless, and emotionally cold these kind of movies are than The Lion King (2019). Everything that made Jon Favreau’s prior Disney remake with The Jungle Book (2016) work is done COMPLETELY wrong here. There is no inspired direction, no engaging narrative, no unique art style, no convincing looking animals, no standout moments of it’s own, and no justifiable reason for this film’s existence to be found at any given moment. It only exists to remind you how great they got it right the first time around in animated form and for NO other reason than to make a bunch of dollar signs. (And it sadly worked!) Don’t get me started on the way it butchers beloved moments of the original in the most HILARIOUSLY awful way possible (Mufasa’s death scene KILLS me every time!) or doing everything in it’s power to be a complete by-the-numbers retelling of the original with no new ingredients of it’s own. The Lion King (2019) is a culmination of everything wrong with these Disney live-action movies/remakes and why they continued to be the most lazy, artistically bankrupt and pure spite of films that Hollywood is still releasing to this day.

Ranking The Mission: Impossible Franchise

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Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning is now out in theaters. Because of that, it’s time to rank every single entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise from worst to best.

Mission: Impossible has to be one of the most reliable and consistent action series out there. This is a franchise that is able to deliver exactly what the audience want to see and always find new and exciting ways to deliver those wants. It’s able to always find that perfect balance of a tongue-in-cheek tone, over-the-top action, intense stakes, and Tom Cruise being an absolute madman almost every single time. So much so that out of all eight installments released, there’s only one that I would argue is legit bad. That makes seven movies here that range from solid to fantastic. With the exception of John Wick and Rocky, there’s not many action franchises out there that has been able to have as good of a track record as Mission: Impossible.

To prove all the previous points mentioned, let’s rank all eight Mission: Impossible movies from worst to best. Starting with….

8.) Mission: Impossible II

This is probably the only movie in this series that fits the definition of “bad”. John Woo has made plenty of great movies in the past and even after this one but he was not able to deliver here. The plot makes zero sense, there’s more slow motion shots than necessary, too many ridiculous moments even for a Mission: Impossible movie, and the editing and song choices are WAY off the mark. Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton both do what they can to make the experience salvageable but this felt more on par with one of the bad Fast & Furious sequels than one of the better Mission: Impossible ones. While far from the worst franchise sequel ever and still beats plenty of other “bad” entries of a majorly successful IP, Mission: Impossible II is certainly the worst that this franchise has gotten. The good news though is that things can only go WAY up from here.

7.) Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning

The (to date) final installment of the near three decade long Mission: Impossible franchise is a tale of two halves. You got the first half which acts as a complete slow burn with non stop exposition, callbacks and flashbacks to the previous movies, characters going on and on about how Ethan Hunt is the chosen one that was destined to save Earth from the destruction of the Entity, and a set up for the biggest set pieces moments in this franchise’s history to come for the next two hours of the film. Then there’s the second half, which pays off nearly every bit of setup and foreshadow from the first hour or so, finds emotional beats for nearly every crew member involved in the mission, and delivers two of the best action sequences of not just this franchise but practically any action movie franchise. Your mission should you chose to accept it is get passed the first half filled with that awkward editing, callbacks, and setup I mentioned earlier and you will be rewarded with a glorious second half, that wraps up the story and the franchise nicely. In an era where we are living in a timeline of our own with A.I. rising and radical tensions happening all around the globe, The Final Reckoning is far from the perfect series finale we deserved but it is perhaps the one we need right now. If only we had an Ethan Hunt that exists in our real world.

6.) Mission: Impossible (1996)

The original Mission: Impossible deserves points for getting the ball rolling and introducing many of the common tropes that would become a stable to this iconic franchise and pop culture as a whole. That being said, the first entry that came out in 1996 has certainly shown it’s age and lacks the entertainment value that most other movies in this series have. The hanging from the ceiling is iconic, the third act is great stuff, and Tom Cruise is able to fit into the role of Ethan Hunt near perfectly but everything else feels very service level and there is a certain reveal made that fans of the original tv show (Particularly turning Jim Phelps, the main protagonist in the original Mission: Impossible tv series, into the main villain by the end) have likely not reacted kindly too over the years. Still, director Brian De Palma does a good enough job of starting this franchise on a fine note and leaving a solid foundation for many years to come.

5.) Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are able to prove once again that they are up to completing the impossible mission. Even taken the enjoyable but rocky landing of The Final Reckoning into account, Dead Reckoning is yet another superb entry in this franchise. The action is bigger, crazier, and much wider in scope, the stunts are out of this world, the tone is perfectly controlled throughout, the runtime doesn’t feel intimating, and the social commentary on A.I. is well implemented that surprisingly doesn’t take you out of the movie. All of the new cast members fit into the world of Mission: Impossible with absolute ease, most notably Hayley Atwell, and the returning players are able to get back into the swings of things without much haze. Gabriel is a rather one-note villain with ties to Ethan’s past that feels rather contrived, and there’s one story decision involving a certain character’s faith that I was NOT fond off but it’s certainly a nice change of pace of a summer filled with mid to low-tier blockbusters that don’t remotely feel like it lived up to it’s 300 million dollar plus budget. Even when it’s not at it’s 100% best, Dead Reckoning proves that even this franchise’s middle-of-the-road entries still surpass plenty of top-tier entries of other franchises out there.

4.) Mission: Impossible III

The very first one that I really loved in the series, Mission: Impossible III made for a great introduction for many newcomers to Mission: Impossible along with evaluating the quality for these movies down the road. This is where we see Ethan Hunt as his most human and vulnerable, getting a glimpse of what a life outside of being an IMF agent looks like and what happens when he just wants to settle down with a woman he loves. Not only is this movie easily the strongest in terms of giving Ethan a complete character arc but it also has hands down has the best and most intimidating villain in Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian. While it does fall into the same directional trappings that would later be accustomed to his other films (most notably the shaky cam and too many bright lights), J.J. Abrams is able to provide the perfection tension and claustrophobic feel to make this one of the very best in the franchises and even a satisfying end to the first three movies. This has been the installment that has been the most debated among fans but for me this would be the start to a very beginning road of consistently great quality follow-ups even nearly two decades later.

3.) Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol

Here is where the franchise would be taken things to the very next level. Brad Bird is able to make a stellar first impression in his live-action debut by delivering a Mission: Impossible installment that at the time in 2011 was the biggest and the best the M:I franchise has ever gotten in terms of action, scope, and delivering the most impossible mission imaginable. This is also where you would certainly feel the fantastic chemistry that Cruise would have with his cast members such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton (who I’m still awaiting her return to the franchise). The main highlights of this installment include the gripping as hell opening sequence in the prison, the “girl boss” fight between Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux, and of course, the intense, breathtaking set piece in Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest mountain in the world. The main downside is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, containing conflicts and motives that I constantly keep forgetting about every single time that I watched it. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol is still excellent and did it’s job at keeping the series fresh four movies in. Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).

2.) Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation

If you want to talk about the one Mission: Impossible flick that has the right balance of just about everything fans love about this franchise, look no further than Rogue Nation. Just about everything you come to expect with these movies is all here and is able to be delivered beautifully. The action is absolutely jaw dropping, with the biggest highlights being the opening plane sequence, the underwater infiltration set piece, and perhaps having the best motorcycle chase scene in any film. The tight, espionage plot gives the perfect excuse to introduce all the classic M:I tropes that’s in the book. The villain played by Sean Harris makes for a perfect equal to Ethan Hunt along with the Syndicate making for the perfect mirror to the IMF. The team members of Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell get their own moments to shine as a part of the group. Even the third act, which some found underwhelming, is refreshingly small-scaled and more personal as it shows Ethan finding ways to cleverly outsmart his opponents. And of course, the main thing that makes this entry stand out greatly is the newcomer of Ilsa Faust, played by the absolutely mesmerizing Rebecca Ferguson, who is perhaps the best female companion that Ethan has ever come across and maybe even the best character in the franchise overall. While this may not quite be my favorite Mission: Impossible movie, there is a strong argument to be made that Rogue Nation is the one that has the right mix of everything that makes a Mission: Impossible movie.

1.) Mission: Impossible- Fallout

However, there is no Mission: Impossible movie released up to this point that has been as impressive and as much of a cinematic achievement than Mission: Impossible- Fallout. Words can’t describe how incredible of an experience this film was to witness in theaters and still so much fun to sit through to this very day. It’s just an non-stop action thrill ride with plenty of twists, turns, and reveals thrown into the mix while featuring Tom Cruise at his very best as Ethan Hunt. The tension is felt in every second of it’s 148-minute long runtime as this truly feels like the mission up to this point that might be the most impossible for Ethan and his friends to complete. The action and set pieces are some of the very best I’ve seen in any film with just how every action beat able to top the next one, the way it’s able to callback and tie-in to the previous five entries felt organic and right, Henry Cavill makes for one entertaining new player, the music is superb, the pacing and structure is as airtight as it can be, and it’s just about as perfect of a sixth entry to a franchise as one could possibly imagine. As great as most of the Mission: Impossible films as been, every single one of them is mere child’s play compared to Fallout. While it is certainly more action heavy than any other installment and doesn’t quite have that same mix of everything like Rogue Nation did, Fallout still stands as this series as it’s very best and most thrilling. Not only is it the best Mission: Impossible movie to date, it’s one of the very best action films of all time period.

Superman (1978) Retrospective: The Birth Of The Superhero

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If there is one film medium that has been a dominant force for the 21st century, that would be comic books and superheroes. While we are now living in an era where this subgenre of movies is not as strong as it was in the previous two decades, there is no denying that they have changed the way that blockbusters have been made for the past 25+ years. However, even before the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and the multiple DC Cinematic universe attempts, even before the likes of Blade (1998), X-Men (2000), and Spider-Man (2002) rolled around, and even before Tim Burton’s or Joel Schumacher’s Batman made their ways onto the scene, there was one superhero movie that stood proudly on his own. Not only working as a near perfect example of what a superhero movie should consist of but it set the template and tropes on how a superhero movie or even a blockbuster in general should operated. That one film I’m talking about is no other than Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner and played by the OG Superman himself, Christopher Reeves.

This was the superhero movie that changed everything! It proved that a film based off of a comic book superhero can work and translate onto the big screen as well as it possibly can. It proved that big cinematic experiences of this kind can be just as compelling as say a giant space opera or an intense thriller involving a big shark (Bet you can guess which two blockbusters I’m referring to from back then!). And most importantly, it proved that comic books and superheroes can shine a very bright light on pop culture, telling stories with impactful themes and unforgettable role models that anyone can look up to (No pun intended!)!

This was the birth of the superhero genre!

This is Superman (1978)!

To prove that this was indeed the one film that started this ongoing superhero movie trend, I decided to name six distinct tropes that this film laid out which is still being followed up to this day. Even nearly 50 years after Superman (1978) came out, these are all common beats you still see in superhero films to this day. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of/if not all of these with James Gunn’s Superman come July. Nevertheless, here are the six common tropes and cliches with superhero movies that Superman (1978) started.

1.) Origin Story

When it comes to the first chapter of a superhero story, it usually starts off with showcasing their origins. This is the part of the story where you find our where exactly the titled superhero came from, who gave birth to them, and how they got their powers and became the actual titled superhero. It’s become such a staple at this point that folks will call blasphemy if a certain version of a comic book superhero does NOT contain the origin in some way, shape, or form. No matter how many different stories we get off Spider-Man or Batman, we ALWAYS need to see Uncle Ben and the Waynes being shot in cold blood.

In the case of Superman, his origin involves his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, sending him off to Earth while his home planet Krypton is on the verge of collapse. Clark is then discovered in Kansas by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who would adapt him and raised him as their son. It’s doing this sequence where Clark must discover what he was destined to be by his own mother and father, while learning what it means to live among the human beings on Earth by his adoptive mother and father.

This is a nice origin story that is able to be more about being an outcast rather than just a traditional “fish out of water” story. This is about Clark Kent learning to blend in with a brand new home not just as Clark Kent himself but as Superman. And even with all the criticism and rejection among the public, he still wants to do what is right. He wants to be the hero that his birth parents always envisioned of him. He wants to save people’s lives while stopping those that put them in harm’s away. And most importantly, he just wants to do good things for the goodness of mankind. Regardless if he will do it in a legal or illegal way, he is determined to be a hero at all costs, regardless of what the public thinks of him.

While the 1/3rd of this movie does take it’s time on establishing the origins of Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman, it is important to always showcases the answers to the questions that anyone might have about it’s title hero. Whether it’s like a traditional first installment with a superhero that spends the first half establishing the hero’s origin story (Spider-Man (2002), Batman Begins, Iron Man, or Captain America: The First Avenger) or uses an opening sequence or flashbacks scenes to establish their origins (Batman (1989) and The Incredible Hulk), showcasing a superhero’s origin is always urgent in order to get audience’s connected with the hero’s journey. While I can’t say for certain, I guarantee that the origin of a superhero would not be as much of a staple as it is if it weren’t for this film showcasing these exact important events.

2.) Secret Identity

A usual key component for a superhero story is with the main superhero having to keep their identity a secret. There are always exceptions such as when Tony Stark revealed his true self at the end of Iron Man or Diana Prince always representing Wonder Woman but more often than not, these are usually stories about the main superhero having to learn to keep their superhero life a secret and finding room to focus on their normal, everyday life. You have Peter Parker who has to learn how to balance himself between being Spider-Man and Peter Parker, you have Bruce Wayne needing to let his playboy billionaire side shine in the day and his crime fighting vigilante side shine in the night. In this case, we have Clark Kent needing to keep Superman and Clark Kent as two separate identities.

Of course, the main jab at Superman is how it’s unfathomable how anyone can’t tell the difference between Clark Kent and Superman because they both look exactly the same. Like, all you need to do is remove the glasses and you can see it’s literally the exact same person. How can a superhero who is trying to protect his secret identity do so by basically hiding in plain sight? That is a question with Superman that I thought about for years and could never find the answer to. That was until……I saw Christopher Reeve’s performance.

The main aspect that makes Reeve’s performance stand out perfectly as both Clark Kent and Superman is the fact that they feel like two completely different people when you watch them. As Clark Kent, he’s the typical nerdy, awkward man who is a bit of a dweb that is the last person you would ever expect to be a superhero in red and blue pajamas. As Superman, he’s this brave, heroic figure that you would never suggest could be some weak, submissive geek that lets his female co-worker fight his battles for him. I’m pretty sure if you asked Clark Kent in real life that he looks just like Superman, he would be able to PERFECTLY convince you that he is NOT Superman and just said, “Yeah, I guess that’s true! But I assure you, I am NOT him!” All you had to do is see how Clark Kent and Superman act so different in each scene and how perfectly Reeves is able to make them both convincing as two separate characters!

You are lying to yourselves if you ACTUALLY believe these two guys could be the exact same person if you just judge based off their appearance and personality and NOT just looks.

The secret identity tends to play a big role in most superhero movies, especially with origin stories, but I don’t think there has been a superhero movie that’s been able to capture just exactly what it means to be an average everyday joe to being the world’s biggest savior than with Superman (1978). A story which sees a man has to convince that his personal self and superhero self is NOT one of the same despite looking exactly alike. And this is in large part thanks to Christopher Reeve’s pitch perfect portrayals as both Clark Kent and Superman respectively.

3.) Love Interest

Of course, you can’t have a traditional superhero story without a traditional love interest. This is usually always added to give a story a bit of an emotional anchor and give motivation for the main superhero to do what he does. There are times where it can fall into some pretty infamous tropes. From being a constant damsel n distress to acting as a “trophy” for the main hero to getting the “fridge” treatment, this can be seen as the weakest part of the story if you are not too careful and learn too much into one of these tropes. There’s only so many times where people want to see Gwen Stacy die so Spider-Man can be sad only to get replaced by a love interest that’s hotter but much more blander (*cough* Mary Jane Watson *cough*). Thankfully, Superman (1978) is able to find a love story that works quite fondly with Superman and Lois Lane.

To be sure, it does involve Lois Lane having to be saved at least a few times by Superman. There are two notable moments of that, from falling off of a building and another instance that will be discussed later on. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Lois is a strong character in her own right and can even being seen saving Clark Kent on some occasions. She’s feisty, strong-willed, always determined to get the job done, and is always able to give Clark the emotional support whenever they need it. However, what makes her a perfect equal to Superman is how they will both stop at nothing to accomplish their goals for the greater good.

Lois Lane in general is someone that is as fearless as Superman is and always shows dedication to finding truth and justice for every report she covers as a journalist with the Daily Planet. Sure, she might not be as invincible as Superman is and is certainly not bullet proof but when it comes to her heart and free will, she is about as equal to Superman as someone can possibly get. That’s what makes the two a perfect couple and Lois Lane a perfect love interest.

Just watch this scene and tell me that it is NOT magical!

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what inspired Disney to making the magical carpet scene in Aladdin.

Most superhero movies tend to always botch the love story. Mostly because it usually only acts to give the superhero a love interest and have it play second-fiddled to everything else going on, usually only acting like a box that needs to be checked off. But with Superman (1978), Lois Lane helps acts as the pure heart of the film and helps Clark fill that missing hole he had within himself in his early days as Superman.

4.) Saving People’s Lives

This is simply one component that a superhero movie can NOT live without. You need scenes and moments that shows a superhero actually being well…….a superhero. Throughout superhero movie history, we’ve seen plenty of examples of superheroes filling their good superhero duties by saving the lives of folks they’ve sworn to protect. We’ve seen Spider-Man saving people from a burning building, we’ve seen Iron Man rescuing passengers from a plane. With Superman, we get to see him rescuing innocent people from natural disasters and bridges on the verge of collapsing.

While the main protagonist saving people has never been anything out of the ordinary, there’s always something special when a superhero does it. This is mostly because they are able to save people in ways that an average person won’t be able to. They are gifted the skills, power, wealth, and/or resources to be able to rescue lives and give themselves a name which regular people would not be able to. With Superman, he is just using the powers that was gifted to him by his parents and home world for the benefit for others and not just himself.

And I know you might be wondering why I am not referring to Superman saving a specific important character at the near tail end of the film. Well, that’s because I’m saving that for the very next part.

5.) The Big Third Act Climax

Okay, this movie doesn’t have the traditional big third act battle that most superhero movies those. This isn’t like the third act of every Avengers movie where there is always so much crap that goes on at the same time that it can be hard to keep track off. This isn’t even like the big climaxes to Superman II, Man of Steel, or Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice where it involves Superman having to fight a powerful being that is even stronger than himself. This involves Superman having to save the day from the wreckage that Lex Luthor causes, a wreckage that could cause a worldwide nuclear war. Much like the climax to Spider-Man (2002) (expect without the ass-kicking 101 scene with the Green Goblin), it involves Clark having to be the hero to the world that he believes himself to be.

I already partially covered the meaning and purpose of the climax in my last part where it involves Superman having to save the very people he has sworn to protect. However, what part I missed out on is the part where he has to save Lois Lane after she partially died. After Superman fails to save Lois from the earthquake that Lex Luthor caused, he commits the biggest deus ex machina imaginable by using his superpowers to rotate the earth back and turning back time.

Can this be considered “cheating”?! Heck yeah!

Does this make any sense whatsoever?! Heck no!

However, that doesn’t change the fact that the third act climax is where Superman faces his toughest challenge yet, the part of the film where the main superhero finds himself pushed beyond measure to be the hero for everybody and the ones he loves. That always tend to be the blueprint for most third acts in superhero stories and I have no doubt this is the one superhero movie where many filmmakers got their first inspiration from.

6.) Being A Symbol

This might be the most important trope of all for every superhero story brought to the big screen. That is having your main character be a symbol. Not just for the characters in the story but for the audience as well! For superheroes to exist for as long as they have, they must have inspirations. They must have folks that would love nothing more to follow in their footsteps and become superheroes of their own in any way, shape, or form. Thankfully, Superman (1978) is able to succeed at that in both ways.

In the context of the movie, the public now has a very positive view on Superman and sees him as being mankind greatest superhero. When it comes to pop culture, the entire world and entertainment industry has followed in this film’s footsteps of making not just more Superman incarnations but also more superheroes of his kind.

Since this film came out, we have gotten more Superman films, shows, games, and comics that most certainly got it’s initial template from this 1978 gamechanger. Also, since this film came out, we have gotten many different superhero films, shows, games, and comics of it’s kind. The kind that I imagine would not exist if it wasn’t for the impact that Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve brought to the world.

Above all, Superman (1978) is able to prove that it’s title hero is in face the symbol he set himself out to be. Not only through the truth, justice, and American way that the character himself claims but through having that impact on the whole world, being the kind of hero that his parents always thought of him has and what I imagine the world saw Christopher Reeve has.

Being that exact symbol!

A symbol of……you guessed it……hope!

In conclusion, superhero movies wouldn’t be where they have been for a long time now if it wasn’t for Superman (1978). This is not only the superhero film that got the ball rolling but it’s the superhero film that laid the groundwork for all the beats, tropes, and basic structure that nearly every film based off of a comic book and superhero is expected to follow upon. This overexposed subgenre only ever became what it is and has grown to be for nearly the past five decades due to the groundbreaking success of Superman (1978).

This was the birth of the superhero!

This was Superman (1978)!

Next Up: Superman II: When Director’s Cuts Matter

Ranking The Live-Action Star Wars Disney Plus Series

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Andor has come to an end! Because of that, what better time than now to rank all of the seasons involving Star Wars that are currently on Disney Plus at the moment!

For this list, I’m going to just strictly look at the live-action Star Wars shows and not included animated ones such as The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, Visions, etc. I feel like including those would just makes this list more complicated than it already will be and that these are the main streaming series that are the driving force of Star Wars at the moment. With that being said, let’s get straight into rankings!

10.) The Book of Boba Fett

I never understood the popularity of Boba Fett as a character besides his incredibly dope armor. He was clearly meant to just be the side character that everyone remember for how cool he looked and nothing else. Not to mention, he went out like a complete wimp in Return of the Jedi. And if The Book of Boba Fett is anything to go by, it seems as tho the creators of this show seem to agree with me.

This is about as unfocused and dysfunctional of a show that I’ve seen in quite some time. It starts off by trying to explore the “human” side of Boba Fett in his old, weaker, and totally unprime form only for the title character to get completely sidelined in favor of what is basically The Mandalorian Season 2.5. It’s then we get introduced to a bunch of awkwardly inserted cameos and fan service that feel so out of place and has literally nothing to do with the show it’s based on but more of just setting up future shows and movies. At least Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are still fun and the finale plays so much like a little kid playing with his Star Wars action figures that I couldn’t help but dig that!

When people complain about how overreliance on fan service and “easter eggs” are ruining main franchises, The Book of Boba Fett is exactly what they are talking about. It’s a show where you can tell the creators struggled to find an interesting story for it’s main lead character and trying to use fan service to save the day. If I wanted to watch The Mandalorian, I’d watch The Mandalorian. If you want to make a Luke Skywalker show, then actually make a Luke Skywalker show. Don’t do whatever the hell The Book of Boba Fett did.

9.) Obi-Wan Kenobi

Everyone wanted a new series or movie focused on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was the main bright spot of the entire prequel trilogy and fans had been dying to see him return to the franchise in some way, shape, or form. And because Solo was a big bomb at the box office, this got turned into it’s own Disney Plus series. However, as we all should know by now, be careful what you wish for!

Much like The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi fills the need to fill in blanks that no one really asked to be filled and never finding the reason for it’s existence other than just finding an excuse to have it’s beloved main actor returning to the franchise. The directing is generally poor (which is shocking after Deborah Chow did such a good job with her episodes in The Mandalorian), little Princess Leia getting captured a million times gets old incredibly fast, there’s too much focus on Reva and not enough on Obi-Wan himself, and it feels less structured like a series and more of an overlong film. The only saving graces is a commendable performance from Ewan McGregor and some hard hitting moments between him and Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader.

It’s not as irredeemable bad as some folks have made it out to be but there’s nothing that stands out in Obi-Wan Kenobi that makes it worth watching it either. This is only for the die hard fans of the prequels and those wanting to see Ewan as Obi-Wan again. Everyone else can steer clear!

8.) The Mandalorian (Season 3)

In many ways, The Mandalorian Season 3 was always destined to fail. Not just because it was following the well-received first two seasons which set the high bar for many fans but it had already undid it’s resolution to it’s own main story arc and set the series back to square one during The Book of Boba Fett, A.K.A. The Mandalorian Season 2.5. The fact that Season 2 had Mando and Grogu going their separate ways only for those two to be back together immediately by the start of Season 3 basically made this season doom from the start and it doesn’t get better from there.

Season 3 just feels like the notion that Jon Favreau and company have run out of ideas for Star Wars and their heart just isn’t in it anymore. This season just seems overly concern with connecting itself to the rest of the Star Wars universe than being it’s own thing, something which has been a main problem with many of the recent Star Wars content. Not to mention, it has probably the most tone-deaf cameo in recent memory with Lizzo (Jack Black is cool though). The action is still pretty damn good here and even though Bo Katan gets WAY too much focus here (Again, forgetting it’s own title character!), Katie Sackhoff is so good and awesome in the role that you almost don’t mind it (even if she should be like 60 years old in this timeline).

Season 3 as a whole basically made it clear that Disney and Lucasfilm forgot what made The Mandalorian work in the first place. It was a refreshing change of pace that had it’s own heroes go on their own adventures, explored certain corners of Star Wars that hadn’t been touched upon before, and didn’t need a million different cameos of fan-favorite characters to make the show worthwhile. Those were better and more simpler times! Now, it’s gotten worse and more complicated. That’s certainly NOT the way!

7.) The Acolyte

If there is a series on this list that would qualify as the most pure frustrating, that would be The Acolyte. On paper, this feels like the kind of thing that the Disney era of Star Wars DESPERATELY needed! A brand new era of Star Wars that takes place in it’s own distinct timeline, without any overreliance of fan favorite characters or familiar imagery and new characters and stories to tell. This was basically the chance for Lucasfilm to prove they could make an engaging new Star Wars material that help gives Disney Star Wars it’s own unique identity. Unfortunately, it rather failed.

The murder mystery that drive forwards the plot is not very engaging, most of the characters aren’t very compelling with backstories and motivations you can see coming from a mile away, and it’s connections to the other eras of Star Wars could not be any more forced. (Not to mention, the complete and utter waste of Carrie-Anne Moss!). It does get bonus points for originality and some pretty badass lightsaber fights that rank among the best in the Disney era. Plus, anything with Lee Jung-Jae is able to evaluate it’s quality by a few points.

The Acolyte had some of the best ideas and concepts that Star Wars has introduced in quite some time but unfortunately, most of it is not executed very well and did nothing but add more fuel to the toxic fire surrounding Disney Star Wars. It’s definitely not as bad as it’s haters are making it out to be but it’s unfortunately not good enough to be worthy of defenders either. What a shame!

6.) Ahsoka

The most arguably beloved female character in Star Wars aside from Princess Leia finally came into live-action during the second season of The Mandalorian and would get her own show a few years later. When viewed as a continuation of Rebels and being a nostalgic trip for those that grew up with The Clone Wars, Ahsoka does it’s job well enough. When it comes to being it’s own thing and introducing the character to the general audiences who never watched the cartoons, that’s where it falls flat.

As successful as Dave Filoni has been with animation, it still feels like he’s going through growing pains when it comes to directing live-action. There’s too much of Ahsoka that feels awkwardly staged, stiffly acted, and bizarrely paced in ways that I imagine would have fared much better in animation. It also doesn’t help that the lack of context of these characters will make casual moviegoers that didn’t do their homework beforehand feeling completely lost when it comes to the big test that is this series. As fun as it was to see these characters actually be in live-action, the World Between Worlds concept being utilized, and Hayden Christian finally getting his well-deserve due as Anakin, Ahsoka left me feeling with a state of indifference by the end.

For those that are fans of Filoni’s shows and wanted to see a proper pay off to the loose ends from Rebels, you’ll get enjoyment out of this. For everyone else, Ahsoka might so either way for you. Hopefully, Filoni will find his footing into the realm of live-action with Season 2!

5.) Skeleton Crew

Here’s a little show that came out of no year (and is literally being seen from no where) that is somehow able to be one of the better Star Wars shows that Disney has made. Labeled by some has “Goonies in space”, Skeleton Crew is a very enjoyable and charming throwback to the big bombastic family films of the 1980s to 1990s. Here we see young kinds go on wild and exciting adventures, being able to discover something about themselves that they never did before.

The child actors are all wonderful with great potential of expanding their careers, the lively coming-of-age story is able to work surprisingly well in the realm of Star Wars, there’s fun set pieces and missions for the characters to explore, and Judy Law is able to stand out perfectly as the wise mentor figure for the group of kids. Also, SM-33 might just be the best droid since BB-8.

There may not be anything here that’s too revolutionary or pushed the boundaries of Star Wars in any way but that’s perfectly okay. Skeleton Crew act as a nice, innocent little show about what it’s like for little kids growing up to big inspirations. It may not “save” Star Wars for many people but it will at least give a nice little peak at what Star Wars can be when it’s allow to tell it’s own individual stories without enormous expectations weighting it down.

4.) The Mandalorian (Season 2)

The beginning of the end of the Star Wars Disney Plus series as we know it. What started with something pure, something exciting! Then comes the mistakes, the consequences! Season 2 of Mando is basically when this show and Star Wars Disney Plus as a whole stopped being about self-contained space adventures and it’s primary focus is more on connecting the series with the rest of the Star Wars universe.

To be fair, there is still a lot to like here. It still has that episodic feel to it that the first season did, each episode still feels like the director getting to have their own flavor to it, and there’s ton of great action and character moments throughout. However, there are so many extended cameos featuring fan favorite characters that it at times comes across more as a trailer for future series. Much like Season 2 of Daredevil, it’s impossible to not to try to distinct the moments of fan service with fan favorite characters like Boba Fett and Ahsoka showing up and feeling like it’s just pure set-ups for other series that had still yet to come. And if that final sequence with CGI Luke Skywalker showing up to save the day in deux ex machina form was any indication, it was basically a sign for things to come.

It’s still entertaining throughout and it did, at least at the time, concluded the storyline between Mando and Grogu relatively well but it’s painfully obvious that Disney and Lucasfilm learned all the WRONG lessons from this season alone and the quality of shows afterwards have suffered as a result. To continue on that quote I paraphrase at the beginning of this part, we create our own demons! And I don’t think there’s something in Star Wars that first that quote perfectly than Season 2 of The Mandalorian.

3.) The Mandalorian (Season 1)

Remember when this series was literally just about a man taking care of a child and trying to get him back to his owner? Those were the simpler days! Back when a Star Wars series was free to tell it’s own stories that could stand on their own, was able to expand upon the universe instead of making it feel smaller, had a creative team that was able to bring their own stamp to the series while still feeling like a cohesive vision, created new characters that can actually carry their own show without the need for a cameo every episode, and felt like an actual television show. A lot of things can certainly change in the span of four years!

In all seriousness, The Mandalorian Season 1 is able to succeed big by playing small. It shows a distinct corner of the Star Wars universe that has barley been touched upon, the crime world that has been corrupted by chaos, while being a gold old fashioned father-and-son story by heart. Some of the new characters that are introduced are some of the best in the Disney canon, it’s western vibe is able to translate very well to Star Wars, and the action set pieces are well done and feel appropriately Star Wars. Not everything is a banger here with at least one bad episode and containing one of the most obnoxious characters ever in Star Wars, but even then, it still succeeds very well.

When I think of the kind of Star Wars I wanted to see in a post-George Lucas World, this is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s able to give a group of talent directors and writers together, have their visions be realized, and have something that feels like Star Wars but also brings something fresh and new at the same time. Sometimes going back to basics can be a good thing and The Mandalorian Season 1 is a perfect example of that!

2.) Andor (Season 1)

But yeah, this is pretty much #1 by default. While I enjoy some of the others shows on the list to a varying degree, they all feel like they would faltered when you look at them as their own thing and not as Star Wars. Andor, on the other hand, is able to succeed greatly as it’s own thing AND as Star Wars. It’s quite interesting how despite this possibly being the least anticipated upcoming series, it’s easily the very best one and up there with some of the best Star Wars not just from Disney but in all of Star Wars.

Andor just feels like it’s own thing compared to anything else that is Star Wars and has one objective on it’s mind in telling an impactful story that is set outside of the Skywalker clan. The writing is incredibly strong, with fully fletch out characters, resonate themes, and powerful dialogue that will stick with you just moments after watching it. There’s also the great performances form the entire cast, most notably Andy Serkis, it’s grittier tone, and the score that gives the show it’s own identity. Even the occasional slow pacing and set up feels warranted by the end as it’s able to serve an importance later on.

I still have no idea how in the world Tony Gilroy was able to get Disney and Lucasfilm to greenlight this show but I’m sure glad he did. It’s prove that Star Wars can in fact still do it’s own thing and survive without any big notable names if you put in the time, work, and effort to do so. You can in fact make Star Wars mean more than just the name of the IP itself. You can in fact make Star Wars something other than jiggling keys. You can in fact make Star Wars something that matches the quality with it’s quantity. You can in fact make Star Wars hopeful again. Because of all of that and more, Andor is the best Disney Plus show by a wide margin and more of my favorite Star Wars things period.

1.) Andor (Season 2)

It may have not seem possible but Andor was able to make lightning strike twice with it’s second and final season! Not is this powerful series able to end on the highest note possible but Season 2 of Andor makes it stand out as not just the best Star Wars that Disney has ever given us but also one of the best things to ever come out of Star Wars period! And to think, it came from a Star Wars prequel that literally NO ONE was asking for! Even fans of Rogue One!

Similar to the first season, it does start off in a rather slow manner, taking it’s sweet time to introduce us back to the world of the darkest corner of the galaxy with the most personal characters out of the entire Disney canon (And of course, the obvious elephant in the room that was the SA scene!). However, once the pieces are in place, Andor is able to fly high without ever crashing down. The characters remain among the most human and engaging in any Star Wars, the personal conflicts feel intimate yet timely, the dialogue remains so powerful that you couldn’t ever imagine an A.I. ever written it, and I don’t think the Empire has ever been more scary than it has been hear. And yes, it’s able to handle it’s current event subject matter in a way that first perfectly in the realm of Star Wars and blends itself to Rogue One about as smoothly as it can.

Regardless of you feel about Disney Star Wars at this point, you more than owe it to yourself to check out these two seasons of Star Wars! It’s prove that Star Wars can in fact find it’s own voice in a post-George Lucas world and have the series mean more than typical key jingling and easter egg fests. While it’s highly unlikely we will ever get a genuine work of art like this with Star Wars anytime soon, I am glad I was able to get a near perfect finale to the best live-action Star Wars show to date! Tony Gilroy, we don’t deserve you!

Ranking The Indiana Jones Franchise (w/The Great Circle)

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Indiana Jones and The Great Circle has made it’s way to the PS5 at long last. Because of that, I’m gonna do something a little special of not just updating my ranking of the Indiana Jones franchise but also see how The Great Circle fits right in with the film installments. While there’s only five Indiana Jones flicks by name, The Great Circle is an Indiana Jones game that at least that has the same heart and spirit as a good chunk of the actual movies do. I just feel like it’s worth a mention since now a lot of people are aware of the game’s existence and considering the lukewarm to negative reactions the last two Indiana Jones movies received, they may want a new Indiana Jones experience to wash the sour taste in their mouths. Regardless, here’s fives movies and one big IP licensed game with Indiana Jones ranked from worst to best. Let the adventure begin!

6.) Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Unfortunately saving his worst adventure for last, Dial of Destiny is the weakest of all the Indiana Jones movies by a country mile. It lacks the energy and passion that Spielberg provided with the previous four movies (Yes, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!), it doesn’t justify any of the questionable decisions that it makes for the Indiana Jones character, and the whole thing just has a “going through the motions” feel to it that I imagine the people behind this movie were just as bored making it as I was watching it. It might succeed in the sense of making a more bleak and depressing Indiana Jones movie (assuming you even want that sort of thing) along with good final contributions from Harrison Ford and John Williams respectively, but as a whole, Dial of Destiny is underwhelming, unnecessary, and quite frankly forgettable. And considering this whole franchise is about a character that would love nothing more than to go down in history, being forgettable for your final outing is about the worst crime you could possibly commit.

5.) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

This film that has been the punching bag for Indiana Jones fans for the past 15 years is better than it’s reputation would have you suggest. As much as folks over the years have raged over things such as aliens, nuke the fridge, CGI gophers/ants, and anything having to do with Shia Labeouf, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a legacy sequel that was way ahead of it’s time. This does a wonderful job at showcasing how Indy, even at his old age, is still able to gain new things in his life such as new friends, new family, new knowledge, and a new purpose. And unlike Dial of Destiny, it doesn’t need to portray him in a constant negative light to get that point across. Plus, the ending when he marries Marion, was the cherry on top to what is a story about Indiana Jones finding the kind of happiness he never knew he wanted. The dumb moments I mentioned before are still presented here but that’s all they are, dumb moments and not the complete and entire picture. It’s far from the perfect long-awaited sequel that everyone envisioned but Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, at the time, made for a rather bittersweet epilogue that I would have honestly been fine with if it all ended here.

4.) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

The most divisive Indiana Jones film is the one that broke all of the rules. Daring to go even darker, more violent, and 100X goofier than any other film in this series, Temple of Doom is like that crazy cousin in the family that you all know and love but they still feel rather out of place with the rest of the group. It’s also the film that was most infamous for creating the PG-13 rating. The film certain takes it’s time to get to where it wants to go with the first half being a rather slow buildup to the absolutely bonkers second half. Most of the scenes after the prologue until we get to the temple entrance really drag on with not much momentum to it. However, once we get to the actual temple itself, that’s when Temple of Doom becomes something else of it’s own entirety that I can’t help but dig the hell out of it. Complimented by amazing set pieces, breathtaking production designs, the lovable yet badass sidekick in Short Round, and the most deadly villain in the series with Mola Ram, this is the Indiana Jones experience that’s arguably the most unique and different in the whole franchise. It may get bogged down by Kate Capshaw’s Willie Scott being too annoying (even if she does have her moments) and there are moments where you can feel Lucas and Spielberg taking out their personal real life problems at the time right on the film (Both were going through divorces while making this film!), but Temple of Doom is an entertaining albeit uneven ride that swings for the fences without pulling any punches whatsoever.

3.) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

That’s right! The third best Indiana Jones adventure came not from a movie but from a video game. While the 21st century offered some rather lukewarm to underwhelming Indiana Jones flicks, The Great Circle is able to provide the special spark the series has not had since 1989. Taking place between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, we see Indy going on his most globe trotting adventure yet, seeking to stop the Nazis from harnessing a power that spawns upon several regions around the world. This is able to deliver the same amount of mystery, adventure, and heart that the better Indiana Jones installments had, the first-person angle makes you feel as close to Indiana Jones as you can possible be, Troy Baker is as pitch-perfect in the role as one other than Harrison Ford can get, it has one of the better villains, supporting cast and female companions of the series, and Indy’s arc about needing to fill that special hole within himself after breaking up with Marion is the real perfect metaphor to justify this game’s existence. While some might be underwhelmed about the game not being in complete third person, the story and overall narrative is so engaging that it will make one want to at least check out the cutscenes of the game. The Great Circle proves that Indiana Jones might still has some life in him yet in the realm of video games. If MachineGames has more Indy adventures they would love to tell in the near future, I am more than on board with it.

2.) Raiders of the Lost Ark

The one that started it all remains an absolute cinema classic to this day. It’s hard to say anything that hasn’t been said already by everyone else as to why Raiders of the Lost Ark is as good as it is, it’s all just up on the big screen as to why it rocks! The action is absolutely thrilling with each sequence managing to top the previous one, the Ark is among the most iconic McGuffins in any film of all time, the score is memorable and gives the film it’s own unique identity, the pacing is incredible without feeling dragged out or rushed, the twists and turns the story takes is fascinating and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through, the supporting cast is perfect and all shine in their own ways, and Indiana Jones himself is one of the best and most interesting protagonists in the history of pop culture. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is a match made in heaven and Karen Allan’s Marion Ravenwood is easily the best female protagonist of the entire series. If it’s wasn’t for the climax that, while memorable, basically had Indy pushed to the wayside where he’s basically just a spectator and some ill-fated backstory elements between him and Marion that hasn’t held up well whatsoever (Indy getting together with Marion when she was “a child”), this would be an easy #1 for me. Regardless, Raiders of the Lost Ark was no doubt the best possible start one could imagine for this series, a perfectly executed action-adventure film, and still stands strong as one of the best action and adventure films of all time! And no, do NOT bring up that “plot hole” that The Big Bang Theory brought up, that drum has been beat too many times and I’m sick of hearing about it because it doesn’t affect the quality of the film in any way.

1.) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

While there is definitely a strong argument to be made for Raiders being objectively the better film, I feel The Last Crusade edges it out from a subjective point of view. This is where everything felt like it came a complete circle for the Indiana Jones franchise. It takes everything that was great from Raiders of the Lost Ark, cranks it up to 11, and throws Indy’s father into the mix for perhaps the best and more memorable adventure yet for the man who wears the hat and fedora. This is where Indiana Jones feels the most fleshed out as a character here, getting a deeper dive than ever as to who he is, why he does what he does, and who was the man that gave birth to him. The Holy Grail is the best McGuffin out of all of these films, the action is just as thrilling as it was in the previous movies, the returning cast from Raiders such as Sallah and Marcus are even better utilized here, Elsa Schneider, while not as great as Marion, is still a pretty cool female companion, the opening where we discover the origins of young Indiana Jones is an all-timer and the climax where Indy has to face the final three trails to save his father is one of the very best in any film. And of course, who could ever forget the perfect father and son relationship dynamic between Indiana Jones and his dad, Henry Jones, played marvelously by the late great Sean Connery. While some took issue with the similarities to the original Raiders and felt that the more lighthearted tone was a response to the negative feedback of Temple of Doom, they in no way, shape, or form bring the film down for me as it does most of the Raiders elements even better and the lighthearted tone just felt perfect throughout. Terrifically entertaining, superbly acted, emotionally engaging, very funny (The “He chose poorly” line kills me every time), and an ending that was the perfect way to bring the curtain down on the original trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones film and one of my personal favorite films period!

Top 10 Biggest 2025 Summer Movies- Box Office Predictions

AdamLeave a comment

It’s now officially May which means it’s now officially the summer movie season! The time of the year where the big blockbusters of the year are front and center in movie theaters everywhere now that the kids are out of school! Because of that, it’s time to do a list of what I believe will be the top highest grossing films of the summer!

With Hollywood continuing to struggle in the movie theater business post-covid, only God knows how many more summer movie seasons await. Although, theaters have been picking up great momentum in the box office as of late with the likes of A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, and the very successful re-release of Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith, it’s unclear how long they will be able to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the year and even the future.

I think the 2025 summer movie season will give a big indication as to whether or not Hollywood is still recovering from the post-covid era of struggling to get people’s butts into theater seats or will this be the beginning of a resurrection for summer movies! We can only cross our fingers and hope for the best!

And considering I’ve been seeing multiple people put their own predictions of the top 10 biggest summer movies in terms of profit, why not throw my own hat in the ring and do my own list of this?! Keep in mind, these are the movies that I believe will be the highest grossing of the summer, not the ones that I desperately want to be at the very top. If that were the case, then Superman (2025) would be #1 and Jurassic World Rebirth would be dead last on this list. This list is not a matter of anticipation or movies I think will be objectively the best, this is a list of the movies that I believe will be the most to least successful in terms of the top 10 movies of the summer.

Also, this is a ranking based on box office numbers worldwide and NOT domestic. That list would be harder and more complicated for me to judge. This is how I feel the box office numbers will hold for summer movies WORLDWIDE from May to mid-to-late August. Could I be dead wrong on every single one of these? Absolutely! But hey, it’s fun to be able to make predictions, right?!

Time to jump right in and put my predictions on what I believe will be the top 10 highest grossing films of the summer!

10.) Karate Kid Legends

Release Date: May 30th

Box Office Projection: $300 Million

Reason: The Karate Kid franchise has had some solid popularity as of late with the smash hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, that just concluded its sixth and final season. With Legends acting as the first film entry of the franchise since The Karate Kid (2010), we see both Jackie Chan (the star of the 2010 film) and Ralph Macchio (the OG Karate Kid) coming together to train a new student in the ways of kung fu. I’m not sure how much fans out there have been eagerly awaiting for this combo or even another entry but if it’s able to capture a tiny bit of the magic of Cobra Kai, I can see Karate Kid: Legends being a solid crowd pleaser and a satisfying coming of a full circle for die-hard fans.

9.) F1

Release Date: June 27th

Box Office Projection: $400 Million

Reason: Ngl, if this movie were set to come out before Sinners, I probably would not have put this on the list. However, after the surprising success of that film, which will certainly get as strong of box office legs as it possibly can, it proves that audiences still have hunger and desire for original films. Add that to the star power of Brad Pitt (recent controversy aside) and director Joseph Kosinski coming high off of Top Gun: Maverick, I can see F1 being the exact kind of smash hit that Hollywood needs for these kinds of films. The only question is whether or not the studios will let this one grow as the summer goes on and the mega July blockbusters start coming into play.

8.) Thunderbolts*

Release Date: May 1st

Box Office Projection: $450 Million

Reason: The first main blockbuster of the summer just came out in theaters and is set to at least kick off the summer box office better than last year’s The Fall Guy did. With strong reviews and early positive word-of-mouth, Thunderbolts* can most certainly outperformed early expectations and make enough in the long run to be able to make a profit. It’ll be entertaining to see how the media and YouTube will try to spin this film as being an actual failure because it didn’t make a billion dollars overnight or what was once considered “good enough” for a MCU/superhero movie is no longer good enough anymore. The only downside, other than a sudden Multiverse of Madness second week drop off, could be seeing how this is able to stack up once the likes of Mission: Impossible and Lilo & Stitch comes around and if Disney and Marvel will have cold feet early and dump it to Disney Plus once Fantastic Four is out.

7.) Elio

Release Date: June 20th

Box Office Projection: $575 Million

Reason: Last year saw Pixar’s most successful and crowd-pleasing film ever at the box office with Inside Out 2, the highest grossing animated film at the time of it’s release. However, they now face a different challenge with Elio, a new and original animated flick that has been delayed multiple times. With no Woody, Buzz, or Lightning McQueen in sight, it will more than certainly have to rely on its stellar quality to make folks want to see it in theaters rather than wait for it on Disney Plus. If Pixar and Disney can pull off the same strategy they did with Elemental and Inside Out 2, by keeping it in theaters as long as they can and saving the physical/digital releases until Fall, then I can see this making a solid 575 million dollar signs, which would most certainly be good enough. Again, this will all likely matter if the finished film is actually any good.

6.) Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning

Release Date: May 23rd

Box Office Projection: $600 Million

Reason: Tom Cruise is here to “save” cinema one last time with Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning, acting as the potential final entry to the near three decade-long running Mission: Impossible film franchise. However, I still can’t help but feel like this one is gonna underperform it’s skyrocket expectations at the box office. While making $600 million sounds like a notable success on paper, the film’s reported $400 million budget and coming off of the underwhelming (at least in terms of box office) Dead Reckoning will give The Final Reckoning a near-impossible mission to accomplish. Also, facing immediate competition with Lilo & Stitch won’t make things much easier either. I’m always rooting for this franchise but it has all odds against itself this time around. Hopefully, there’s enough of Tom Cruise running to save this film this time around.

5.) How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

Release Date: June 13th

Box Office Projection: $650 Million

Reason: After the mixed-at-best results of Disney live-action remakes since 2010, DreamWorks and Universal has decided to take their stab at it by adapting the beloved animated How To Train Your Dragon in live-action form. With a sequel already being announced and set for a 2027 release date, it’s clear that DreamWorks and Universal are expecting this one to perform well. If it’s able to live up to the promise of being a faithful transition to the animated film and avoid any Snow White-level of controversy, then How To Train Your Dragon (2025) should most certainly make the money it needs to and act as a proper re-introduction to DreamWorks’ most acclaimed animated film series to date.

4.) The Fantastic Four- First Steps

Release Date: July 25th

Box Office Projection: $750 Million

Reason: I don’t care what YouTube says or what outrageous out of context quote got social media in a pansy, this film is gonna do numbers at the box office and be Marvel’s most successful film released in 2025. Even with those that have been sour on Marvel and previous Fantastic Four incarnations, they will still owe it to themselves to see Marvel Studios themselves take their first stab at adapting Marvel’s first family onto the big screen. With the build-up to Avengers: Doomsday looming and Thunderbolts* being a potential box office success, The Fantastic Four- First Steps should have no problem in carrying that momentum from Marvel and set the stage for Doomsday and Secret Wars nicely. If I look like a foul in two months, so be it. But for now, I can’t help but have positive expectations for this one!

3.) Superman (2025)

Release Date: July 11th

Box Office Projection: $825 Million

Reason: There’s plenty of reasons to be positive and negative about Superman (2025). This is a film that sees Superman returning to the big screen in his first standalone film since 2013, the start of a brand new cinematic universe, and what will likely be viewed as the film that gives the superhero genre the shot in the arm it needs. And it’s whole “This is the movie the world needs right now!” marketing should most likely play a positive impact. However, conflicting reports of the film being released overseas along with not knowing the exact expectations that Warner Bros has for this film could hurt it in the long run, which could make James Gunn’s DC universe over before it even begins. Still, this should be one of the most talked about and discussed movies of the summer regardless and will likely attract enough audience to give it a watch on the big screen.

2.) Jurassic World Rebirth

Release Date: July 2nd

Box Office Projection: $900 Million

Reason: I don’t know how they keep making these films and why they always make so much money at the box office. That being said, this franchise is always able to draw big crowds both domestically and overseas. Coming off the (rather quiet) billion dollar grosser of Jurassic World: Dominion (which was supposed to be the final film in the franchise), Jurassic World Rebirth will see Universal try to squeeze whatever remaining dollars it has left with the Jurassic Park IP. I got nothing to say other than if it offers enough dino action and Black Widow and Blade kicking enough ass together, this should be one of the biggest hits of the year. The only question is whether or not it’s able to follow his predecessors and achieve the billion dollar mark, especially after Dominion just barely was able to accomplish that. Although if my prediction is any indication, I’m gonna go with a no on that one.

1.) Lilo & Stitch (2025)

Release Date: May 23rd

Box Office Projection: $1.1 Billion

Reason: You might be calling me crazy for putting a Disney live-action remake as not just the #1 spot but the one that will be able to achieve $1 billion at the box office. I mean, how could Disney possibly recover after Snow White (2025), right? Well, they were able to recently achieve billion dollar grossers with Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 along with a solid 700 million dollar hit in Mufasa (*insert Sonic fan punching the air). Plus, this is being sold as the cute family friendly big movie of the summer, regardless if you have seen the original animated Lilo & Stitch or not. All it needs to do is deliver exactly what it says on the cover, avoid any negative press of any sort, and give itself a good long theatrical window. Do all of that and I pretty much guarantee that this will be the #1 movie of the summer and will be yet another billion dollar grossing hit for Disney. If I end up being wrong, so be it. But if I’m not, then you can all eat cake!

As for other movies that missed the list:

  • I think Ballerina will avoid the fate of Furiosa if Keanu Reeves plays a significant role in the movie but it likely won’t make as much as the last few John Wick flicks.

  • 28 Years Later and Megan 2.0 should appeal greatly to fans of the horror genre and previous installments of their respected IPs but I can’t help but feel it will get lost in the shuffle with them being released so close to other big movies.

  • The Naked Gun will either sneak under the radar as the one standout comedy flick of the summer or be buried and forgotten like the rest of the remaining comedy genre.

  • The Bad Guys 2 will certainly gain numbers during the fall if it’s able to continue the streak of perfect DreamWorks sequels but I left it off the list because it’s coming out right as the summer movie season comes to a close.

  • Freakier Friday is………a thing I guess. It might make noise for a week or two but then be completely forgotten about along with Haunted Mansion.

Marvel Rivals “Gooner” Controversy Explained

AdamLeave a comment

Marvel Rivals has been the most talked about video game at the moment. Since it released for free back in December, Marvel fans and gamers cannot seem to stop gushing over how good this game really is. While the overall premise of the game is nothing more than “Overwatch but with Marvel superheroes” with a few live service elements from Fortnite throw in there for good measure, it’s overall variety in terms of it’s seasonal content and expansive, colorful roster of Marvel’s most iconic comic book characters has been the main features that has had folks keep coming back to it. From the immersive gameplay to the intriguing maps/setting to the appealing art style to the fun as hell banter that is played through every single match, this has perhaps been the most successful Marvel related thing since well……Avengers: Endgame. The one main Marvel feature of the 2020s that seems to have united Marvel fans, comic book fans, and gamers worldwide for this fun and immersive experience. I have put over 60 hours into this game since it launched and I still find myself keep coming back for more. If that’s not the sign of a great game with a ton of replay value, I don’t know what is.

However, that hasn’t stopped the game from running into it’s fair share of “controversies”. I put controversies in quotes because I don’t think it’s so much as big of a deal as what certain people are making it out to be but more of it’s not as big of a deal that certain people WANT it to be. In the sense, that this isn’t really being seen as outrage as angry YouTubers would want you to believe outside of some accounts on Twitter and Reddit along with an article or two that was clearly designed for rage bait clicks for folks that were stupid enough to take the bait.

You might be thinking I’m talking about the supposed censorship that took place with key words being banned from the game such as “1989”, “Free Taiwan”, “Hitler”, and “ISIS” or the cringeworthy modes of Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump as Captain America being taken down (Seriously, that was the most cringeworthy shit EVER!!!!!!). You would be……surprisingly wrong there. (Seriously, how in the world did that controversy just….drop off the face of the earth?!)

What I’m talking about are the eye opening designs of the characters that are presented in the game, most notably the female characters. With certain folks complaining that the designs are too sexualized, too male gazing, and too pandering to the “goon” squad. And with the recent season update that includes Emma Frost and the announcement of the game receiving swimsuit skins later this year, to tie into Marvel Comics’ revival of their Swimsuit special, there has been nonstop “gooner” allegations helmed against this game.

I get that certain folks need to have this conversation over this supposed “controversial” subject matter over this game because well…..it’s 2025 and literally everything needs to be a major talking point about something that is no where near as interesting as everyone is making out to be. All it takes is one clickbait tweet, a juicy quote from an article, or a rage-inducing title of a video to get certain folks fired up and feel like they need to defend something so trivial and minor or else……it will disappear forever because it made a certain someone upset. But in the case of Marvel Rivals, this “gooner” controversy is essentially of an example of a big snowball that certain folks feel the need to push down the mountain, making what should be a minor issue into something major because they couldn’t leave things well enough alone and just not take the bait. The whole “this game is made for the goon squad” is the main element that’s got certain folks triggered….and it’s absolutely hilarious.

The design of female characters in games has been a real toxic discussion over the years. For a while, certain folks have been complaining about women in gaming not being “attractive” enough. This has been seen as a response to backlash over the years of video games being sexist towards women and the majority of female protagonists in games being designed more with male gamers in mind as opposed to female gamers. Characters such as Kay Vess from Star Wars: Outlaws, MJ from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Ciri with the new upcoming The Witcher VI have been subjected to major controversy for their designs. The main talking points around them being that they didn’t look hot enough, had too much “masculine” features, and being made ugly “on purpose” for…..reasons I can’t even comprehend. So much so that there are folks that refused to play those games and many others just because none of the women in them gave them a boner.

Although, there have been some notable exceptions, particularly with games made by Eastern developers, in recent memory that have gone out of their way to make the women in their games as easy on the eyes and visually appealing as possible. Characters such as Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII and the women from Stellar Blade being recent examples of this. Although, there’s has been some hype over the Western developed Grand Theft Auto VI because of how fine the new girl, Lucia, looks in it and…..I guess there’s that. However, there hasn’t been one instance in recent memory where you can tell the main playable female characters were made to look as good as the developers can possibly make them than with Marvel Rivals.

Whether we are talking about Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Storm, Magik, Hela, Emma Frost, Sue Storm, Luna Snow, Mantis, Psylocke, Dagger, or Squirrel Girl (I left out Peni Parker for a reason!), the women in Marvel Rivals have tended to shine in more ways than one. This most notably comes from their gorgeous outfits, unlockable/buyable skins, flawless hair, and the thick..well….”layers” to their designs. Because of all that and more, I can’t imagine there are certain folks that did NOT want to play as any of those characters just because of how good they look. (There’s a reason that Storm has been one of my top 3 playable characters since launch). While many people have applauded the game for these appealing designs that makes it feel like these characters were ripped straight out of the comic books and stayed true to their original forms, there are those that have condemned it, feeling like it devalues the women of the game in any way or that it’s relying on sex appeal in order to keep the services going for the foreseeable future.

And these aren’t just the typical far-left extremists that certain folks are letting you to believe but even the ones on the other far end political stretch (A.K.A. the “woke” right) that have condemned the game for making the outfits of the female characters too revealing, too slutty, and too “inappropriate” for children. (I wouldn’t be surprised if these are the same kind of folks that constantly blame games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto for all of the world’s problems instead of….well….themselves!) And I don’t think I need to go into this recent “GoonerGate” controversy (Yes, that is a real thing!) that I’m sure the game itself has been dragged into because of that. While I can understand a viewpoint or two of this matter, I do think this whole thing is being blow WAY out of proportion by such a small minority.

Yes, I am someone that advocates for my ladies to be well written and fun to play as in games that amounts to them being more than just being sexy eye candy. Yes, I am also someone that doesn’t let how good (or bad) a pixeled female A.I. looks determine my feelings on a video game. However, I do NOT think whatsoever that the way that the women superheroes look in Marvel Rivals detracts from their characters or makes me think of any less of them as a part of their characters history. If anything, it makes me think more of them as characters.

While the game itself might not have it’s own campaign or characterization for the women outside of some good banter and visual flare, they do feel very in-line of how I (and many others) view them as characters in comics, movies, and even games. It’s not just their amazing looks that makes them appealing, it’s their special powers, unique gameplay, suitable voice work, and the way they play off the other characters that make them stand out in the best ways. And even the women with the most revealing outfits, you can tell they feel the most confident about themselves when they wear it. It’s their attractiveness and femininity that empowers them to be the best version of themselves and NOT the other way around. And the best part of it all is that it’s not just the women that look good in Marvel Rivals, it’s the men too.

While the male superhero counterparts may not be as hyper-sexualized as their female counterparts, they too have great and fitting designs that looks like they were ripped straight out of the comics. You can’t tell me that Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Panther, and many others don’t look the way they are suppose to and don’t fit them as characters whatsoever. I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of the designs of this game are considered the definite designs for many newcomers to the Marvel lore. And even the male superheroes that are hyper-sexualized well……they do have great wonders as well.

I can’t imagine how many women (and even some men) that have played this game found themselves themselves gooning over shirtless Namor, daddy Reed Richards, goldy Adam Warlock, completely worthy Loki, totally non-Sebastian Stan Bucky, and twerking Venom with his full cake booty. This is literally a game where both the men AND women get to have fat asses. THIS is the representation that matters!

When it comes to the “gooner” discourse surrounding Marvel Rivals, I see it more as a tongue-and-cheek kind of thing rather than something that should be taken seriously. Because, when playing through the game, you can tell this is all being done out of love, passion, and respect for the characters throughout Marvel’s history instead of pandering and desperation. It would be one thing if the game was bad and you can tell they are relying on attractive men and women to keep the game afloat but that is definitely NOT the case here.

If folks want to continue lambasting this game because of it’s appeal to “gooners”, let them. The game has been a success since it launched during the holiday season and will continue to do so for at least the next few years. I get how annoying online grifters can ruin the fun of something like this because it makes them believe they’ve “won” something and have to keep bringing up irrelevant posts and articles to make certain talking points feel much bigger than they really are. But for folks like us, who can enjoy any game we want without have some sort of bias or pride attached to it, we are the ones that get the last laugh at the end. And also the developers of Marvel Rivals of course.

I also want to keep in mind that if there are women (or even men) out there that do take issue with the way the characters look in the game and have a fair, not extreme, opinion on it, that’s all well and good. I just believe there are FAR worse examples of oversexualized characters in gaming and media that do take away from them as characters if you strip away how good they look. In the case of Marvel Rivals, I strongly believe that (for the most part) the designs of the characters compliment themselves and only adds to the variety of the game rather than take away from it. It’s that nice little icing on a very well made and properly put together cake that anyone can enjoy. And that is perhaps the best possible compliment I can give a game!

In the meantime, I’m going to continue to play the hell out of and enjoy Marvel Rivals! And I recommend you to do the exact same!

To conclude this piece, here’s Knuckles approval ratings of the “mommies” of Marvel Rivals!

Ranking The Films of Alex Garland

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Alex Garland is one of the most interesting filmmakers in recent memory. He tends to make film that is able to deliver beyond anyone’s expectations for both the better and the worse. Regardless of what you think about his films, you can’t deny the man is usually not afraid to go all in on controversial matters or explore hidden depths within the sci-fi genre. Results always vary but no doubt, it’s always compelling to see a filmmaker always swing for the fences even if it always doesn’t work off.

With what is perhaps his biggest film to date just coming out in theaters in Civil War, let’s take the time to rank his four films released up to this point that he has been credited as a full-on director.

However, I would like to give one honorable/unqualifiable mention to this list.

Dredd (2012)

Dredd (2012) is one of the most underrated/overlooked gems that has been released for the past decade. A solid, intense, and incredibly enjoyable sci-fi action flick that’s able to improve on nearly every shortcoming that the original Judge Dredd had and be something even more than that. The main reason I can’t add this to the list is that despite writing the screenplay for it and did help complete the film, Alex Garland did NOT get any credit as director, that goes to Pete Travis.

Still, Dredd (2012) is a gem and it tanking at the box office still remains one of the biggest cinematic tragedies in recent memory! Hopefully, the cult following for this remains so strong that one day a sequel will be greenlighted!

Now that mention is out of the way, let’s get to ranking the official four films in Alex Garland’s directing library!

5.) Men

Alex Garland’s first film set outside his comfort zone in the sci-fi genre attempts to explore the inner depths of toxic masculinity and the mental state that abused women go through when having to deal with it. It’s just a shame that Garland couldn’t think of anything compelling to go along with that or provide an engaging narrative to get this obvious point across.

Men is ego-filled filmmaking at it’s absolute worst! The message of toxic masculinity is thuddingly obvious and not well handled, sequences are way too drawn out and repetitive as hell, it’s own attempt at shock value gets old very quick, and the final act remains one of the most infuriating climaxes of a film that I’ve ever suffered through in theaters. Even commendable performances from Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear along with a handful of stand out sequences (particularly the haunting tunnel scene) can not save Men from being the preachy and pretentious mess that it is!

Men was always going to be a film that was controversial no matter what given it’s subject matter but the end results of it just gives certain folks more ammo to support their own grift-filled narrative. Between this and the next film I’m about to talk about, it’s for the best that Alex Garland does more research on the subject matter he is tackling so the films don’t come across as distractingly obvious or inaccurate as it does. Plus, having a woman co-write or co-direct this film likely would have helped to! Just saying!

4.) Civil War

On the surface, you think you know exactly what you are going to get with a film like Civil War. In a year with yet another controversial election for America that is expected to arrive in the coming months, what better way for A24 to coast on this hot topical year than putting their own spin on an America that we are dangerously close to approaching to in real life? The kind of film that leaves no stone unturned and be unafraid to tear into every single realm of America politics and inner turmoil of the U.S. governments! The kind of film that is basically guaranteed to earn it’s F rating on Cinema Score like a pride badge of honor! The kind of film that would likely cause fights from hard core liberals and devoted conservatives during theater screenings! However, when you sit back and look at Civil War with an open mind, it’s surprisingly as apolitical and pointless as they come.

It’s doesn’t amount to being the political cringe fest that most viewers envisioned it as. It doesn’t commit to being the overblown disaster flick that it constantly flirts at throughout the entire picture. And it doesn’t even seem to be interest on exploring it’s own take on what a modern day civil war set in America could or would be like. Civil War just acts as a typical America murder porn flick with not much rhyme or reason do it and will likely leave viewers wondering what point Alex Garland was trying to make here.

It’s certainly as well made and well acted as you would expect from Garland himself but it lacks any creativity or boldness that this director is usually unafraid of showing off. I don’t know if this was because Garland was unsure which kind of movie he wanted to make or if he just didn’t want to piss anyone off but Civil War just seems as confused as all the people that are fighting in the movie are. Even if this movie’s overall theme is about how all war is pointless and nobody wins, that doesn’t justify this film’s existence any better.

3.) Warfare

Remember how I said that it’d be better for Mr. Garland to do more research on the subject matter he tackles with this films? Well, he apparently took that advice to heart with Warfare, easily the best non-related sci-fi work he has done to date and one of the better war films in recent memory. Based on the real-life experiences of Ray Mendoza during his service in the Iraq war as a U.S. Navy SEAL, the film act as an re-enactment of an encounter he and his platoon experienced on November 19, 2006, in the wake of the Battle of Ramadi. To keep the film as accurate as possible, Garland collaborated with Mendoza and real-life vets apart of that conflict by taken the film’s material exclusively from the testimonies of the platoon members, and is presented in real time beginning from the main title.

Warfare is a war film that has no agenda than showcasing the life-changing events that shattered the life and mental stability of a group of hard fighting soldiers. There’s no traditional Hollywood war tropes, no forms of military propaganda, and never tries to waste your time of filler of any kind. It’s 90 minutes of horror, intensity, and filling you in the shoes of being an everyday soldier in the army. The cast works, every sequence will have you on the edge of your seat, and this is more than worth the extra bucks to watch it in full IMAX.

While I’m not sure Warfare will be as memorable or rewatchable compare to other war movie classics and even Garland’s other work, it works well enough on it’s own that you won’t regret spending your time and money with. If Garland wants to continue making films with real-life and important subject matter, hopefully he takes the rights notes from this film and he might just get even better in the upcoming future.

2.) Ex Machina

Alex Garland’s directorial debut that came out in 2015 was about as perfect of a first impression as you could imagine. Ex Machina is able to be an imagative, creative, and engaging tale about the emergence of A.I. and how the human race responds to being in a world with technology as their overall counterpart with the realization that there is not much different between the two. The film has big ideas that it executes tremendously well, while also leaving a lot of room for further analysis. 

You also have to credit the stellar performances given by the main players here which consists of Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and ESPECIALLY Alicia Vikander, who all carry the entire picture on their backs all the way through with little to no hassle. Seeing Ava’s transformation from being a mindless robot to an artificial intelligence that is perhaps more intelligent than either Nathan or Caleb realize is really fascinating to see play out and keeps leaving you guessing on what will come next. Even the somewhat iffy last stretch isn’t enough to derail the impressive achievement that Ex Machina is.

Ex Machina is the best kind of sci-fi. The kind that treats it’s audience like human beings and doesn’t need to rely on pure action and spectacle to make for a satisfying experience. Masterfully directed, smartly written, and wonderfully performed by it’s main cast, Ex Machina was able to start Alex Garland’s directing tendure on the best note possible. Even in a year that saw the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ex Machina remained as the best sci-fi film of 2015 that happened to star Oscar Issac and Domhnall Gleeson.

1.) Annihilation

For as great as Ex Machina is, I still don’t think it tops the absolute sci-fi horror masterpiece that is Annihilation. This still remains not only the best film in Alex Garland’s filmography but one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century thus far. Even when facing release problems by Paramount and Skydance and criticism from the original Author, Annihilation is Alex Garland at his most creative, ambitious, and pure visionary!

This is a very engaging and complex story of a group of female scientists who are summoned to an enchanted forest to uncover a mystery as to what happen to a group of male scientists during this phenomena. The mystery as to what is happening on screen is intriguing and full of hidden details that beg for repeat viewings, the characters are well defined and engaging, the visual imagery is mind blowing, the slow pacing feels well utilized and earned, the tension is felt the whole way through, the score is absolutely mesmerizing, and the final 20 minutes contains one of the best and haunting climaxes I’ve seen in any film. It also feel refreshing to have an all-female cast done in a way that makes sense for the story it’s telling and not strictly to try to earn a few brownie points.

I understand it’s divisive to some but Annihilation still remains my favorite work from Alex Garland and one of my personal favorite sci-fi movies. It remains one of the most engaging and mesmerizing theater experiences that I could recall. There wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t blown up away by the visuals, tension, performances, plot turns, score, and just plain attention to details. I sure hope that author Jeff VanderMeer comes to his senses one day and realize the absolute brilliance that is the film, Annihilation. This isn’t just Alex Garland or sci-fi at it’s best, it’s pure filmmaking and cinema at it’s best! Annihilation remains a sci-fi film that I’ve gone back to many times and will continue to do so in the future!

Ranking The Filmography of Ryan Coogler

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If there’s one director currently working in Hollywood that I would say qualifies as being the most overlooked, that honor would easily go to Ryan Coogler. Despite being only 38 years old, he’s already achieved more behind the camera than most directors working in Hollywood would ever dream off. He was able to get a big-screen outing for his directorial debut with less than a million dollar budget at at the age of just 27, he was able to revitalized the Rocky saga when it felt like that series had ran it’s course, and he made history in making two smash box office hits involving the most popular black superhero in the history of Marvel Comics. And now with the release of Sinners, he has been given a blank check to craft his own original flick, involving vampires, religion, and lots and lots of blood and gore.

Because of that, we now have five films to rank! And thus far, he has yet to release an outright dud or anything that constitutes as being “mid” or “slop”. If that doesn’t say how talented this man is as a director, then I don’t know what does. Regardless, let’s not waste anymore time and get right to ranking!

5.) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is about as good and thematically rich of a sequel as it could have been given the circumstances surrounding it. Despite losing a main key piece and a few too many subplots that feel like they’re only here to tease future movie and shows, it is still able to follow the remaining characters and themes from the first one in a way that feels organic and right. It’s beautifully acted and made, the handling of Chadwick Boseman’s death is done to near perfection, and is certainly a film you will want to bring tissues too. If only the runtime had been trimmed down and there wasn’t subplots that put more focus on setting up future Disney Plus shows, then this might’ve have ranked higher on this list. Even so, the fact that Coogler’s weakest film can still qualify as being very good speaks volume to the superb quality of filmography this man has.

4.) Fruitvale Station

Ryan Coogler’s first ever feature film debut came with Fruitvale Station. Made on a budget of just 900k dollars, Coogler is able to explore themes surrounding life, tragedy, and police brutality. This is about a man that is just trying to make his way through the world to take care of the ones he loves but life always finds a way to make it difficult. While it’s fairly low budget is quite noticeable, this is still able to hold strongly together due to the top notch performance by Michael B Jordan and the sharp, clever direction from Ryan Coogler. Well acted and well directed with subject matter that is more than relevant over a full decade later, Fruitvale Station is about as good as these low budget debut films can be.

3.) Sinners

In a time where Hollywood desperately needs more creative voices than ever, Ryan Coogler comes on in to craft what is perhaps the most original and unique blockbuster in recent memory! Sinners is more than just an expertly well done horror period flick but it’s a glimmer of light of the creatively bankrupted nature in Hollywood. It’s prove that there are still distinct, creative voices in Hollywood and directors that are looking to push boundaries of what filmmaking can be in the year of our lord and savior in 2025! The cast is top tier from top to bottom, has the right mix of blood, gore, scares, and glorious amounts of sexiness, the production values are top notch, and nearly every single plot point and thematic arc gets a payoff of some sort by the end. It’s even impressive to have post-credits scenes that don’t just exist to give a tease for the sequel or a cheap gag but to actually expand upon the complete ending of the full complete picture. It might take a while for Coogler to much his chess pieces into place and I’m not sure it will have the cultural impact that the top two films on this list will have but nevertheless, Sinners is more than worth your time and money at the theaters.

2.) Black Panther

Yes the CGI isn’t that great. Yes, it does move a bit slow in the first act and quite fast in the third act. And yes, more time with the bad guys would have helped. Nevertheless, when it come to quality, filmmaking, and it’s overall impact on pop culture, I don’t think there’s been an MCU installment that hits quite as hard as Black Panther. The characters are all iconic, especially with Kilmonger being arguably the best MCU villain to date, everything that takes place in Wakanda is wonderful, the action is well done, especially that car chase, the aesthetic (minus the CGI) is a treat for the eyes, the music rocks, and the impactful themes are ones that still resonate with me to this very day. When looking back on it, you can tell the impact that Black Panther had with Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler and how it would be quite hard to replicated something with that one center piece now gone. Nevertheless, they can at least look back and witness the amazing achievement they were able to accomplish with the gem that is Black Panther. RIP Chadwick Boseman!

1.) Creed

About a month before the age of legacy sequels kicked into full gear with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there was Creed, which Ryan Coogler actually dared to take the Rocky franchise in a new direction by putting direct focus on the son of his old friend while Stallone himself acts as a secondary character. Easily one of the best movies to come out in 2015, this soft reboot is able to get everything right that these soft reboots tend to get wrong. It has the right amount of drama, right amount of emotion, right amount of fight scenes, right amount of legacy, right amount of inspiration, right amount focus on the villain, and just right amount of everything. Michael B Jordan is sensational as Adonis “Donnie” Creed and even Sylvester Stallone works just as well being a mentor figure as he was as the main boxer. And I will never be able to get over the MASTERFULLY directed boxing sequences and hard hitting drama that feels earned in every single bit. While all of Ryan Coogler’s films thus far have been impressive in every way, I don’t think there is one that speaks volume for his filmmaking talents and distinct voice than with Creed.