Why 2014 Was The Most Important Year For The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Last week, Captain America: The Winter Soldier turned an unbelievable ten years old! This is a film that is considered a fan favorite among Marvel fans! It was able to tell a smart, complex and politically driven story about the dangers of trusting the government and your allies, it delivered some of the best and most unique action in the entire MCU, it gave side characters such as Nick Fury and Black Widow more to do than ever, and best of all, it just made Captain America an ultra cool badass instead of a Mr. Goody Two Shoes hero that the character was originally thought of as.

And in just about four months, we will also see the ten-year anniversary of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. This is a film that is also considered a fan favorite among Marvel fans and perhaps their most surprising film they have ever made. It was able to be a super fun, action packed, heartful and hilarious movie about becoming a family while introducing five instantly memorable characters that turned out to be the most lovable group of misfits you can imagine want to following. Considering the fact that the guardians themselves were characters that very little people knew about outside of hardcore Marvel fans, Guardians of the Galaxy being as good as it is was quite simply a miracle.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy were two installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that were so good that I would argue helped turned the tide of the narrative of the MCU as a whole. A narrative that this franchise was more than just Iron Man and his best friends in The Avengers. This franchise could in fact rely on more than just one person with star power but MANY other people with star power as well. So much so that I’m willing to declare that 2014 still remains the most important year for Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall.

Yes, more important than 2008 which saw the release of Iron Man, the film that kicked started this cinematic universe. Yes, more important than 2012 which saw the release of The Avengers, the payoff to Marvel’s five to six year plan up to that point. And yes, even more important than 2018 and 2019, which saw Avenger: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the culmination and payoff to the entire Infinity saga, being two of the most commercially successful films of all time. While all off those were undeniably important and impactful, 2014 was where the Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to achieve it’s own level of peak.

Before 2014 rolled around, Marvel was still riding high off of The Avengers and the building blocks of Phase One. However, while every Phase One movie has their fans, it was mostly the first Iron Man and The Avengers that carried the weight of that entire phase and are the two films that are looked the most fondly of! Those two films were so good that it made the entire first wave of Marvel movies worth it, even with the indifferent quality of the other features!

Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off a year later in 2013. However, despite the financial success and solid reviews for certain installments, the fan response was arguably very mixed. Iron Man 3 was a genuine crowd pleaser but was controversial among hardcore fans due to the film’s portrayal of the Mandarin, A.K.A. Iron Man’s greatest enemy. Thor: The Dark World was seen a decent “filler” movie at best and a dull and forgettable movie at worst for critics and fans and is usually ranked as one of the lowest rated movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was also Marvel and ABC’s first show in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which had strong ratings for it’s first two episodes but saw a steady decline with each episode getting less viewers as the season went on. Although the show would end up getting a following due to the improved quality of later seasons, the first season of the show was not looked to fondly.

When looking back at the state of the MCU in 2013, the reaction that got from fans was almost identical to the state of the MCU for the past few years. After a handful of subpar and lukewarm at best installments, it made people question whether or not Marvel still has it. Is that superhero fatigue setting in and that special bubble is about to burst? If 2014 had anything to say about, the answer was quite simply hell no!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finished off its weak first season on a strong note and started a second season that was considered a HUGE step up in quality. So much so that most fans that stuck around felt that was when the show had finally found it’s footing and was well worth their time and investment. Even if the ratings did decline after each season, the show was still able to last for seven seasons, with the final episode airing in August 2020. What seemed like a questionable show to keep going in it’s first season was able to find a following and fanbase that helped pushed it to seven seasons!

When it comes to the 2014 MCU slate regarding films, we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy! After the mixed bag of a 2013 slate with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, these two films had a LOT to prove! Not only to prove that Marvel Studios was not slipping away in terms of quality but that these stand-alone installments could in fact exist on their own terms and didn’t need Iron Man or the rest of the Avengers to carry it. And man, did Marvel respond to 2013 about as good as they could have!

First up, we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier! This acted as a sequel to The Avengers and served as the next step of Steve Rogers’s development that started with Captain America: The First Avenger. While The First Avenger acted as a period piece flick, The Winter Soldier acts as a modern day espionage thriller. It was a showcase of Steve Rogers adapting to modern day events, discovering the corruption of a government that flew right under everyone’s nose, working and bantering along with his trusted allies, and seeing the pieces of his past come back to haunt him in present day. And it was all brilliant!

The Russo Brothers’ first entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was met with widespread acclaim from fans and critics, instantly ranked up there as among the very best installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! It acted as a perfect way to follow up Captain America’s story from his first movie and The Avengers while planting the seasoning for future installments in film and television for that universe.

Perhaps the most important thing about The Winter Soldier was not only how impressive it was in terms of story, characters, action, and themes but also how it stood strongly on it’s own without the notable successes of Phase One to bog it down. It shown that these side stories with these characters still had a purpose and they weren’t just being made just for the sake of buying time for the next Avengers movie. Important characters such as Captain America could carry his own film without the need of Robert Downey Jr. or the Avengers name alone. These stand alone entries could in fact stand on their own and play a big important role to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For as impressive as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was, one could still make the argument that Captain America was still a well known superhero that was going to have his well deserved due at some point. That is something that could NOT have been said about the other big movie to come out of Marvel Studios in 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy.

I will die on the hill that Guardians of the Galaxy was the most risky project that Marvel has ever released. It contained a bunch of characters that mainstream audiences were unaware of, it had a space opera vibe that the MCU really never had up to that point, and it was directed by James Gunn, a man that tends to have a dark and twisty sense of humor and had a director vision that no other directors of Marvel had yet. If this failed, there was NO way Marvel or Disney was gonna try anything like this again and stick to strictly familiar names and brands for the future. Guardians of the Galaxy was a giant leap of faith……that ended up stick the landing big time.

Once again, Marvel Studios was able to strike gold with their most unrecognizable movie to date in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was met with the same love and acclaim that The Winter Soldier got just four months earlier. People fell in love with the characters of Peter Quill A.K.A. Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, and even a talking tree named Groot, people were enthralled by the visuals and set pieces, people were laughing at the jokes, people were crying at the big emotional beats, and people were rocking to the movie’s awesome soundtrack, which sold like GANGBUSTERS on Apple just weeks after the movie came out. It was so loved and adored that there are those that would argue that this is not only one of the best Marvel movies ever but perhaps their favorite Marvel movie to date, even more so than The Winter Soldier or The Avengers. It was that good!

Just like with The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy was a Marvel movie without the big main selling points of their biggest successes with Iron Man and The Avengers. There was no other recognizable superhero to be found or had a tied together plot that made it acquired viewing for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sure, there was a tease of Thanos himself along with the setup of the Infinity stones but they were never a big focus or distraction that it took you out of the the movie. It was just the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves on their own space adventure and it could not have been better for it.

Looking back on the MCU ten years later to where it is now, I stand strongly on the statement that 2014 was the turning point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and when it was able to become something even greater! With the success of the MCU slate that year, it was prove that Marvel did have an identity of their own that wasn’t just strictly Tony Stark and his amazing superhero friends! They did in fact have other interesting characters with their own stories to tell and other unique brands that was worth drawing attention to. They could afford to go bolder, weirder, and riskier and it could all end up for the better!

It’s by being able to make lightning strike twice with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy that motivated to make other great installments later on such as Thor: Ragnarök and Black Panther along with multiple sequels with Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy. They didn’t need to rely solely on Iron Man, The Avengers, and Spider-Man once they formed a partnership with Sony to keep the franchise going. They could afford to try out other characters and untested properties to allow their brand to grow and evolve into other things. And I don’t think they would have gone that exact route if it weren’t for the success of their 2014 installments in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

2014 may not have been the most commercially successful or profitable year under Marvel’s belt nor even the one with the most cultural impact but without the success that Marvel was able to gain that year, there is a good chance the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have looked quite different in the past ten years that what we have seen! I sure hope whatever the future holds for Marvel, that they look back on 2014 as to why that got them to where they are now and NOT learn the wrong lessons from it!

Baseball Has A Pitching Problem

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The 2024 season of Major League Baseball has just begun! While there are plenty of fascinating stories to go around, I don’t think there has been one as fascinating as the amount of injuries have occurred already. While injuries are coming year in and year out, the one element that stands out the most to start off 2024 is the insane amount of injuries that have occurred to pitchers. The number of injured pitchers has been……disturbing! If you don’t believe me, here’s a list of all of the notable pitchers that are on the IL as we speak!

Gerrit Cole, Jacob DeGrom, Shohei Ohtani, Sandy Alcantara, Shane McClanahan, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Felix Bautista, Justin Verlander, Tony Gonsolin, Luis Garcia, John Means, Eduardo Rodriguez, Robbie Raby, Sonny Gray, Brandon Woodruff, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Alex Cobb, Drew Rasmussen, Gavin Williams, Lucas Giolito, Bryan Woo, Nick Lodolo, and Framber Valdez.

There’s probably a few others I forgot to mention and I wouldn’t be surprised if another big one joins the list as soon as I published this piece.

That amount of injured starting pitchers at the same time is INCREDIBLY alarming! Not only because most of the pitchers on this list are considered among the very best pitchers in baseball but how the number continues to grow by each passing day! If this is not a sign that there has been a pitching problem in baseball, then I don’t know what is!

The big question everyone likely has is how did this all happen? While many have referred to the addition of the pitch clock, I think it’s much much complicated than that. You have to look back about a decade ago with the way pitching changed in today’s game. Today’s pitching philosophy puts a MAJOR emphasis on the amount of speed, spin rate, and velocity that each pitcher can throw. It’s no longer about pitching to contact but pitching has hard as you can! While the standard miles per hour with a fastball used to be in the lower 90s, it now ranges in the high 90s and low 100s! Just as much as the hitting approach in today’s game has changed due to the strict focus on power and launch angles, the pitching approach in today’s game has changed due to the strict focus on speed and velocity.

On one hand, it’s always impressive to see pitchers throw at a max 90 mph or a min 100 mph! To put that much time and work into increasing how fast you can throw a baseball has to be commended! However, that also puts a great risk on the human body and arms! There’s only so much one person can take with their arms and body before they decide to shut down and even break apart entirely! This is ESPECIALLY the case in regards to starting pitcher, who usually start to run out of gas by the time they get to the 5th inning!

While pitching injuries has always been common in baseball, the new philosophy in pitching that puts the focus on speed, spin rate, and velocity has caused these injuries to skyrocket! Back in the day, it wasn’t so much about pitchers trying to throw as hard as they could but throw as effectively as they could. They put the majority of focus on mixing pitches, finding different ways to get each hitter out, and trying to go deep to the game as they can! However, that line of thinking has changed big time in the year 2024! It’s been ten years since we saw Madison Bumgarner’s EXTRAORDINARY pitching performance in the Giants 2014 World Series run and I don’t think we could be any further from that timeline than we are now!

Nowadays, the pitching philosophy just can’t measure up to the same standard as old school baseball! Because the majority of the focus is how fast and hard pitchers can throw, they are unable to go deep into games because their arm will be wore out by the time they reach the halfway point of the game. Because pitchers are all about setting new records on the radar gun, there’s not much in-game planning because it’s usually about fastballs and one or two filthy, breaking pitches! Because there is a constant push on this pitching approach that is likely to break a pitcher’s body or arm sooner rather than later, an avalanche of injures have occurred and will continue to do so!

I view this current situation with too many pitchers getting injured the same way I looked at too many blockbusters bombing at the box office last year! In the sense, that the bubble has finally burst and at long last, consequences are being faced on flawed, ill-fated philosophies that not enough people have the solution for! It has all finally come crashing down and no one but the people in charge should be surprised to see this all happen!

All this could make me wonder is whether or not it’s the beginning of the end of this philosophy with pitching! Are we about to go back to the basics where it was all about mixing pitches and going as far into the game as you can? Are we going to see more focus on pitch to contact instead of just constant spin rate and velocity? Are we going to see starting pitchers feel more like starting pitchers back then and not just a pitcher that just so happened to start the game? If the answer to all those questions is no, then baseball needs to at least consider it if they want healthier pitchers in their future!

The main thing that has become very obvious with high velocity pitchers is that there is no chance for them to have as long of a career as some of the legends of old. Regardless if you are a high velocity relief pitcher that comes into over 50+ games a year or a high velocity starter coming into 30 games a year and at least 150 innings, you have very little chance to have a long lasting career pitching in the big leagues.

All you have to do is look at poor Stephen Strasburg! A once highly valued prospect that had to cut his career short before he got to reach a new peak due to severe injuries with his pitching arm and body overall. Despite the Nationals trying to do everything in their power to preserve him and have him pitch out in a long career, that wasn’t enough. The amount of speed, spin-rate, and velocity in every pitch he threw would eventually get the better of him! After his superb performance in the 2019 playoffs and given a massive seven-year contract extensions, he was only able to pitch in just eight games for the remainder of his career! He gave every bit of energy he had left in him in 2019 to give the Washington Nationals their first ever title! While I’m sure that Strasburg doesn’t regret that, I’m sure he wishes it didn’t involve giving up the rest of his career to do so!

If Major League Baseball continues to double down on the modern style of pitching, then expect even more pitching injures for the inevitable future. This style is beyond broken and needs to be changed! Pitching should be more than just throwing hard! It should be about finding different ways to get hitters out and using all eight position players on the field in order to do so! By continuing to go down this path, not only does this lead to more injuries but it also hurts the product on the field due to the amount of noteworthy pitchers that are unable to make their presence noticed on the pitching mound.

I’m certainly beating a dead horse when I said this but I’m going to do it anyway. Baseball has a pitching problem and it’s time to fix it now more than ever!

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) & Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (2024) Mini-Reviews

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Here we go! Time for another mini-reviews with the two most recent big movies that just so happens to have the word “Empire” in their titles for some reason!

These two movies are two similar beasts but with one being executed way better than the other. The main reason for that is that one is at least well aware how silly and dumb it really is while the other thinks it’s telling a deep and dark story when it’s really not. The former movie I’m referring to is Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire while the latter is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

To start off with the newest Ghostbusters movie, are we ready to basically come to a conscious that Ghostbusters really didn’t need to be a franchise?! I’m not just talking about the iffy to inconsistent quality of the movies with only a banger animated show and IP licensed video game to speak highly off. It’s more of the fact that it seems as though Hollywood and even the “dedicated” fanbase of Ghostbusters seems to have forgotten whole hardly what made the original Ghostbusters work in the first place.

The reason the original Ghostbusters work is that it embraces it’s silly and bizarre premise fully and made for a funny mix of comedy/horror with a great cast to boost. It was about as well executed as it could have been that basically anything following that was just always going to look inferior by comparison. Ghostbusters II tried capturing that same lightning in a bottle and failed miserably. Ghostbusters (2016) came closer with its leading ladies having excellent chemistry with one another but fell apart towards the end with forced cameos and gags, a needless CGI heavy battle and one of the lamest bad guys in recent memory. Despite the lacking results of those two films, they were at least more than well aware that the strengths of Ghostbusters came from it’s compelling cast and sense of humor throughout.

Then came 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. While having a very talented cast and a solid first act to the picture, it got weighed down entirely by its overreliance of fan service and taking the material far too seriously than it should have been. It’s almost as if you made a higher budgeted episode of Stranger Things but just added Ghostbusters elements to it. It felt so off that it’s hard to imagine the iconic Ghostbusters song being played in that exact same universe.

While by no means an awful or unwatchable film, Afterlife seems like a far cry for certain fans out there that refuse to let go of their favorite child’s properties as adults and believe Ghostbusters was always meant to be taken as serious as the goddamn Batman. However, it did at least have a beating heart of it’s own and still felt bittersweet to have the whole film being in the hands of the son of Ivan Reitman himself, Jason Reitman.

Now enter Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a film that takes all those elements that fell flat about it’s predecessor and increases it TEN FOLD! You got a tone that’s even more jarring and out of place than before, you have so many different characters and plot points that the film has no idea what to do with, the callbacks and references to the original are even more awkward and forced, and even the actual Frozen Empire that the title would suggest really doesn’t play a role until the last third of the movie.

The cast of old and new do the best with what they have, with Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, and Dan Aykroyd being the main standouts. And even if every scene with the original Ghostbusters looks as though it was shot as a commercial, they all still feel passionate about playing their iconic characters and will likely delight longtime fans of this franchise. Not to mention, Kumail Ali Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt are always welcome to see no matter what they are in. Thank goodness for this cast because if it weren’t for them, there would be very little to recommend about Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Maybe I’m just overly harsh because I’ve never been a diehard fan of Ghostbusters nor do I have really nostalgia towards it. Plus, maybe I still have PTSD over the INSUFFERABLE discourse of Ghostbusters (2016) (which is better than this movie, btw)! However, I think even die hard fans will have to admit that it might be time to let this franchise rest on the big screen. There’s plenty of different Ghostbusters medium that anyone can refer to as the definite Ghostbusters follow-up to the 1984 original. Whether it’s Ghostbusters II, the 2009 video game, 2016, Afterlife, and that The Real Ghostbusters animated series, I think the world has had their fill on this franchise.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire might be to date the worst movie in the franchise because it seems to completely forget what made Ghostbusters special in the first place. It’s not the ghostbusting, it’s not the lore, it’s not the nostalgia bait, and it’s CERTAINLY not the dark and gritty tone! It’s that special spark of an iconic cast of characters, it’s the right mix of horror and comedy, and it’s that perfect execution of its perfectly unique premise. No amount of expansion of lore or trying to repeat the same dance over and over again is going to replicate that. And unless Jason Reitman and company realize that and inspire to make another movie that captures that entirely, then perhaps it’s time to stop with the ghostbusting and let the legends live on in grace!

Now, for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire! There are many negative points that I just mentioned with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire that can be applied to this. It has a plot that is nonsensical and overstuffed, it has human characters that are thinly written, it has plenty of sequences made to revoke the nostalgia for monster fans, and it perhaps takes itself more seriously than it should. However, Godzilla X Kong doesn’t work in spite of those glaring flaws, it works BECAUSE of them and is able to make the very best of them!

Yes, the story is just an excuse to get all the monsters in action but it’s able to deliver them when it counts the most and in just the right spots! Yes, the human characters are thinly written but they are carried by a likable and charismatic pair of actors that are able to make the best of them (Please put Dan Stevens in more stuff!)! Yes, there are plenty of callbacks and references but it all feels earn and feels evaluate the experience rather than hinder it. Yes, there are times where it tries to be emotional but it never goes too far with it to the point where it’s completely somber. To put it simply, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is able to make the best of these traditional tropes, even if it doesn’t break or evolve them in anyway!

The action with the monsters connected to Godzilla and King Kong is awesome, especially with a final showdown that plays like the Captain America: Civil War of kaiju movies! The VFX and special effects are mostly impressive, with all the monsters looking completely buyable with not much shots that will take you out of the experience completely. There are some solid moments of visual storytelling with King Kong and his tribe, even if there are certain dramatic beats that feel too obvious and don’t ring home as much as say the new Planet of the Apes reboot. And even their characters are quite thin, the cast do make the best work with what they have and help make the human drama and moments salvageable and sometimes even making them land.

If there is one weak spot, it’s that there are times where Godzilla feels like an afterthought in his own movie despite being the first name in the title of the movie. Godzilla is gone for long stretches of the second act while most of the focus is on Kong interacting with his own kind. It makes me wish we could have had similar scenes with Godzilla visiting his kind or seeing that certain point of view with her but that focus is never really a thing. It’s almost as if Adam Wingard wanted to make another King Kong movie and then another Godzilla vs King Kong movie but Warner Bros wouldn’t let him so he had no choice but to mesh those two films together.

And while I am someone that enjoys a handful of these recent monster verse movies, they aren’t really movies I go back to a ton, only catching up on them whenever it’s on television. I mostly only remember my theater experiences with them and not much else. Heck, I couldn’t tell you what happened in Godzilla vs Kong aside from the title characters brawling if I tried.

Also, in case you are wondering, it is not on the same level as Godzilla: Minus One but I don’t think that it’s trying to be. Minus One was trying to be a smart, human driven story of how society can recover after being affected by a deadly war with a new threat starting to emerge. It’s the kind of movie that even if you took Godzilla how of the picture, it would still work entirely. It was one of the few Godzilla movies that you could describe as being smart and deep but it also had a function brain in its head, knowing when to let the human drama play off along with delivering the stellar Godzilla action when it counts.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire doesn’t try to be like Godzilla: Minus One. It doesn’t try to have a point to make or a message to deliver, it wants to deliver exactly on the “kids playing with monster figures” mindset and it succeeds completely. Whereas Godzilla: Minus One felt like a movie trying to win awards, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is a movie trying to sell tickets to dying movie theaters. It’s okay to enjoy a well made, cooked, and nutritious steak meal while also enjoying a delicious, messy Big Mac meal every once in a while.

While Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire doesn’t do much other than what it’s overall title suggests, it still does make for a fun time at the movies and a movie that is worthy of a discount price on a Tuesday. The action is cool, the special effects are a treat for the eyes, the cast are a lot of fun, and that final monster showdown brawl is certainly going to be one for the ages for monster fans everywhere. I could have used with more Godzilla in a movie and maybe a better attempt at breaking some of these common tropes with movies movie but for what it’s worth, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is simply a good enough monster movie that I enjoyed watching. Take of that as you will!

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (2024) Season 1 Review- The Game Is Saved!

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At long last, the first season of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has FINALLY launched! I don’t know about everyone else but I was pumped out of my MIND for this update! After how AMAZING the main campaign was and the way it ended on a MASSIVE cliffhanger, I could not WAIT to jump back into Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League! After all, who WOULDN’T be excited when the overall gameplay was nothing but the exact same three missions over and over and over again and getting to face off against the Justice League with boss fights that were clearly not finished?!

Rest assured, Rocksteady has officially launched their latest update where you get to play as the Joker and all I can say is WOW! For any of those haters out there who likely were the same folks that were jerking off Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and are hyped for that obvious Overwatch rip-off, Marvel Rivals, perhaps to eat your words because Season 1 has without a doubt saved Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and proves that Rocksteady and DC are still at the TOP of their game!

What makes this update so amazing you may ask? Well, it’s quite simple! It’s literally the exact same game all over again but with the Joker in it! And you don’t even get to play as him right out of the gate! Instead you have to work HARD by playing the exact same three to four missions over and over and over and over again! You play through these same missions until you upgraded all off your players at MAXIMUM level to beat the boss and THEN you get to play as the Joker!

Of course, you can do the cowardly thing and BUY your way to getting the Joker! (Wait, wasn’t this all suppose to be for free?!?!) However, for all the REAL gamers out there, you get to GRIND your way into getting the clown prince of crime!

There’s no extra story missions, no extra side missions, no new enemies, no new gameplay styles added in, there’s only one new cutscene with the Joker himself, and the Joker basically plays the exact same as all of the other characters but with a new umbrella move thing-y! I know that might sound underwhelming to closed minded DC haters out there but come on, after all this seasonal update is absolutely FREE until it isn’t so STOP COMPLAINING!

Not to mention, you get an animated comic intro with the Joker that feels like it was made by an intern at Rocksteady during their lunch break! Can you think of ANYTHING game out there that did that?!

I certainly had an absolute blast once again playing through all these exact same, repetitive missions! There’s the missions where you have to escort some random nobody to a particular rendezvous point, there’s the missions where you have to aid baby face Poison Ivy, there’s the missions where you have to play capture the flag and then destroy your flag, and then there’s the missions where you have to kill a bunch of enemies, you know the things you are ALREADY doing when you are roaming around Metropolis anyway!

We also can’t forget the elseworlds missions where you have to travel to another multiverse! And what do you do once you make to the elseworld you may ask?! Why, the EXACT SAME THREE TO FOUR MISSIONS YOU WERE ALREADY DOING IN METROPOLIS, OF COURSE?!?!?! However, before that you have to grind for enough points to play these same three to four missions by playing through these same three to four missions in Metropolis first BEFORE going to the elseworlds to play the same three to four missions! In a nutshell, this is a game you have to grind for points, tokens, and upgrades to play new elseworld levels so you can do more grinding! It’s a game where you have to grind for progression where you will have to more grinding for more progression! This is not lazy and incompetent on ANY LEVEL!

I should also mention the new Brainiac you fight here, which is the second of a total of 13 Brainiacs you will need to fight, assuming this game doesn’t get shut down by the end of summer! Despite the trailers for Season 1 suggesting the exact same boss as Superman in the main game, you instead get the EXACT SAME BOSS as Green Lantern in the main game! Exact same tactics, exact same ways to beat them, and the EXACT SAME RESULTS! This is not lazy and incompetent on ANY LEVEL! I sure can not WAIT until I get to the fight the exact same boss ELEVEN MORE TIMES!

After you free the Joker from Brainiac, you take him back to the Hall of Justice, he said some cringy lame puns in a more high pitched voice, and you put in the cell where he belongs! Not to mention, Harley Quinn doesn’t seem to care that a version of her pudding is still alive because well, she’s just over him now all of a sudden! Never mind the fact that she was the ultimate simp who would do ANYTHING for her Mr. J and was completely HEARTBROKEN over his death! She’s just over him now because…..she’s now a strong independent woman, I guess! I guess a good five to six years can REALLY change a person! Almost as if this game wasn’t meant to be in the Arkhamverse and was added in at the last minute to boost sales!

Also, The Riddler is still here because…………………..

Overall, I can NOT recommend Season 1 of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League enough! It takes everything that didn’t work about the original game and somehow makes them even worse! The missions are more of the same and even more repetitive, the grinding is increased ten fold, there’s no real story progression, each character still plays exactly the same, and you don’t even get to play as the Joker until the very end after you have already done all the busy work to get him! At least you get to see him going on that memory lane tour of the previous Batman: Arkham games, which only exists to remind you how good Rocksteady USED to be at making games!

Even so, that still doesn’t take away the fact that this latest update of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is a MAJOR step in the right direction! With this game along with DC Universe Online still getting TREMENDOUS support 14 years later, DC is crushing Marvel in their video game department just like how they are in their movie department! No amount of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Midnight Suns, and Marvel Rivals can hold a candle to what Warner Bros Games is doing right now with their DC properties!

In my initial review, I said I would only talk about the season passes if I felt they were worth recommending! And considering the fact I came up with this piece, I can with confidence that it 100% absolutely IS and you should go play it ASAP! Nice job, Rocksteady! Keep up the good work! I will be among the first in line of two folks online that will ready and waiting for you next big update on Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League!

This update gets a five out of five star rating for me! Absolutely SPECTACULAR!

Take notes, Avengers! THIS is how you do a live-service superhero game!

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APRIL FOOLS!

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Nah, but seriously, this season was a GIANT waste of time and my patience with this game has officially expired!

This game now gets a two out of five stars for me! Great job, Rocksteady! Keep up the “good” work!

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Also, FYI, congrats to Jared Leto! You are no longer the worst Joker ever!

Megamind Vs The Doom Syndicate (2024) Movie Review- A MegaMASTERPIECE!

AdamLeave a comment

After 14 long years, DreamWorks has FINALLY given us a sequel to their legendary masterpiece, Megamind! You guys might have not known that DreamWorks made a sequel to Megamind because for whatever reason, whenever I go to google and type in Megamind 2, the only thing that comes up is that silly Megamind: The Button of Doom short! But rest assured, I’m here to report that Megamind 2 does in fact exist and it’s available on Peacock now for everyone to see!

Sure, Megamind wasn’t a movie that demanded a sequel because everything was resolved perfectly at the end of the movie and these kind of subversive movies really only work one time but since everything has to have a sequel nowadays, we now have Megamind Vs The Doom Syndicate! Or as just about everyone will refer to it as strictly Megamind 2 because they will likely not even remember who the Doom Syndicate even are by the time the credits roll.

A lot of animated sequels tend to suck nowadays such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse! However, every once in a while DreamWorks is able to deliver great Part Twos when it counts the most. Sure, sequels such as Shrek 2, Madagascar 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, How To Train Your Dragon 2, and Puss in Boots 2 were nothing to write home about but sequels such as The Croods: A New Age, Trolls: World Tour, The Boss Baby: Family Business, and ESPECIALLY Spirit: Untamed were all SPECTACULAR follow-ups to their already SPECTACULAR original counterparts! And now with Megamind 2: Vs Who Gives A Crud, I don’t think it would be crazy to consider DreamWorks to be one of the better animation studios out there when it comes to delivering absolutely banger sequels where other studios tend to fall flat. Take notes, Disney!

I would explain the full plot in details but really, all you have to do is just google the plot of the first movie and you basically get the same thing nearly beat for beat. You have Megamind coming to terms into wanting to be a supervillain again until he suddenly doesn’t! You have him breaking up and getting back together with his best pal Minion (Or as he’s now called Chum!) for absolutely NO REASON at all! You have breaking up and getting back together with his kinda, sort-of girlfriend Roxanne Ritchi because every superhero movie needs one of those! You have new bad guys (and one girl) that used to be best buddies with Megamind who are present in Metro City because of a problem that Megamind unwillingly caused! Heck, you even have a seen where Megamind feels defeated and retires from being a superhero while growing a long, gross depression beard, just like with Metro Man in the first movie! Just take the plot of the first movie and thrown in some more poop and fart jokes and you basically got the same movie all over again!

Never mind the fact that Megamind questioning his allegiance to being a hero and breaking up with his best friend yet again goes against his character development in the first one! Never mind the fact that these new bad guys who happened to once be friends with Megamind were never even established in the movie! Never mind the fact we have a new girl added here who just so happened to be insanely popular on social media overnight! And never mind even the fact that this is suppose to take place just two days after the original when it feels more like it takes place at least a decade plus after it! The plot of Megamind 2 is a stroke of art! It’s as if you took away every fun subversive twist that the first one had and went exactly the predictable, conventional route that it was mocking.

Big props have to be given to Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simmon, the writing duo from the first movie who return once again! You have to applaud them for being patience and not waiting to rush out a sequel just two days after the first one came out. They knew it would take time and development for a Megamind 2 to work in the slightest. Thankfully, because of the writers’ strike and DreamWorks not giving them a proper budget, they are able to make a Megamind sequel that’s on par with those straight-to-VHS Disney sequels and somehow make it even worse than that! I sure hope they return for Megamind 3 when that comes out in the year 2038!

The main selling point here is The Doom Syndicate! They are just about the most one-note, generic, and stereotypical baddies you have ever seen! They are as ever bit as funny or entertaining as an episode of Velma! They are so annoying and obnoxious that you will root for Megamind to kill them within the first ten minutes they are onscreen so they would just go away! If that’s not the sign of truly great villains that you want the hero to beat them so badly so they would disappear forever, then I don’t know what is!

The animation is so glaring and distracting that it all feels too real! I lost track of the number of animation errors, inconsistent character movement, and the overall defiance of logic with the animated style of this movie. This movie looks about on part with that Megamind game that came out on the Nintendo DS! It’s to know that DreamWorks have been taking good care of their animators to make sure their highly-anticipated sequel looks as magical as any movie that they have ever made! Take that Sony and Across the Spider-Verse!

We also have to tell about the STELLAR voice cast! Yeah, it’s a shame they couldn’t get Will Ferrell or Tina Fey back likely because they read the script to this mega-rocity and went “nah, fam!” but we have the perfect replacements for them! We have Keith Ferguson, who is able to copy Will Ferrell just as much as he was able to copy Owen Wilson in those Cars Mater short things, even if his voice is annoyingly more high pitched and doesn’t sound like Megamind whatsoever! We also have Laura Post, who is able to copy Tina Fey about as well as………..Tina Fey I guess!

Let’s also not forget Tony Hale, Forky from Toy Story 4, playing a character named Mr. Donut (I’m not even kidding!) Or director Eric Fogel who plays a robot named Polly 227 (Again, not even kidding!). Or Roger Craig Smith, A.K.A. Sonic the Hedgehog, as the cowardly Mayor who steals the show every two seconds he gets! And even Adam Lambert is in this movie as…..some villain! It’s nice to see DreamWorks get all of these well known celebrity voice actors! As we all know, only the greatest movies out there could have this many celebrities for one feature film!

I would say more about Megamind 2 but I don’t want to spoil all the fun and excitement for you all! I can happily say that Megamind 2 lives up to the hype and was certainly worth the 14-year long wait!

The story is lazy, derivative and disregards the original movie at every turn, the animation is so ugly and unfinished that it will make your eyes bleed, the time frame between both movies makes no sense whatsoever, the humor is absolute liquid shit, the voice actors are completely miscast in their roles, and the Doom Syndicate are some of the worst and most unmemorable villains in recent memory! Oh, and that little girl that’s in the movie might be the most pointless side character I’ve seen in any movie!

Don’t listen to these haters who must have given high praise to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish or that furry’s wet dream, The Bad Guys! THIS is a true legacy sequel that delivers when it needs to! Maybe now, people will start giving DreamWorks the credit they deserve and not just pure scorn for their missteps. Even so, great sequels to their non well-known franchises have already been made and Megamind vs who gives a crud! joins the list of those with grace!

Oh, and be sure to check out that Megamind TV series! It’s just ever bit as amazing and cringe as this movie is!

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April Fools!

SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 4-5) Retrospective: The “Awkward” Era

Adam1 Comment

Now, here’s where things start to get quite interesting with SpongeBob SquarePants! As everyone knows by now, the Sponge we all know and love have a very successful run with the first three seasons and a nice movie. With the way the latter played out at the end, that would give you the indication that would act as the conclusion to the series as a whole. Although that was the intention by design by creator Stephen Hillenberg, Nickelodeon demanded for more SpongeBob episodes after the film’s release due to how insanely popular the brand has become. Because of that, Hillenberg resigned as showrunner and a handful of creatives and writers left the show while new creatives and writers stepped in with the new showrunner being Paul Tibbitt and Vincent Waller acting as creative director until 2015.

As you would expect with the way Nickelodeon has been milking SpongeBob content dry throughout the past two decades now, the reason why SpongeBob SquarePants is still around today is because of profits. Not just with the ratings of the show itself but the profit it’s made with the branding and merchandise sales since the show’s inception. If it was up to Hillenberg himself, he would have likely ended the show when he initially did after the third season and first movie. However, because Nickelodeon bought the IP that he pitched, the company has a say for how long SpongeBob goes and when he stops. There is PLENTY to talk about in the post-first movie era of SpongeBob SquarePants, starting off with what is likely considered the most “awkward” era of SpongeBob. That era being Seasons 4 and 5!

Seasons 4 and 5 is interesting to talk about among the fanbase and mainstream media. At the time, this was seen as the period where SpongeBob jumped the shark completely and became bad. However, as times goes on, there has been some reappraisal towards this era of Mr. SquarePants, especially in regards to Season 4. So much so, that not only were these two seasons not bad at all but they were the last remains of the “good” era of SpongeBob or at least the last until MUCH later on.

It’s not that those that praise one or two of this seasons are in deniable of its flaws or it compares to the very best of the first three seasons. It’s just that there are a handful of genuine SpongeBob classics from this era that often get overlooked because of the bad press surrounding these two seasons. And these episodes are good enough to warrant this era of SpongeBob has not completely bad and in some regards good. It’s only once we head into the next era we will be discussing between Seasons 6-8 where the show did indeed get REALLY bad.

However, what is it exactly that has made these two seasons so divisive?! What is it that made it become so hated when they first released and only in recent memory getting reappraisal? Is it strictly nostalgia? Is it because of how bad the series would get later on? Let’s find out by discussing Season 4 and 5 directly!

Season 4

About six months after the original run of SpongeBob SquarePants ended, we got our first taste of this new era of SpongeBob on May 6th, 2005 with Fear of a Krabby Patty. That episode right there would set the tone perfectly for the rest of this season. It made perfectly clear that a new voice has been added to SpongeBob SquarePants.

The animation is more over the top and wacky, the characters have more movement and expressions to them, the episodes moves at a much quicker pace, the jokes become thicker and faster, and it overall just has a much different vibe compared to the first three seasons. Even for kids such as me that grew up with the first three seasons and headed into this one, this had to be quite jarring. All these changes and more are what likely led Season 4 getting a more mixed response compared to the first three seasons.

It is also believed that Season 4 was the start of many infamous trends that later and worse seasons would follow. Trends such as the animation being way too wacky and over the top, the plot and morals feeling half baked and not well thought out, the characters acting more out of character, and treating their one defining trait of each character as absolute jokes every chance they got. Two of the more disliked episodes of Season 4 such as Good Neighbors and The Gift of Gum are severe victims of that.

When looking at it through those lenses, it’s easy to see why Season 4 was quite controversial among the fanbase and media. The changes in terms of tone, animation, and feel to it was certainly a turn-off for many people. It was likely the first sign of the show existing just for the business side of things and not for an artistic side of thing. However, as I said before, there are plenty that look back at Season 4 more fondly. Why is that?

There is always some form of perspective when talking about SpongeBob SquarePants and it largely depends on when you watched each season of the show that it reflected your overall feelings to it. To many fans, they watched Season 4 when they were young kids and likely haven’t develop the critical mindset for themselves just yet. Because of that, they likely looked at Season 4 much more fondly because of the episodes that they do remember being among their favorite episodes of the show. Whether it’s that or how much better Season 4 looks compared to what came after, there are actual episodes for this season that are fondly remembered.

Episodes such as Krusty Towers, Skill Crane, Selling Out, New Leaf, Ghost Host, and Wishing You Well are ones that certain fans would put alongside the best of the original three season era. There are even a handful of “special” episodes that were able to exceed expectations where the ones in the first three seasons felt flat such as Dunces and Dragons and Have You Seen This Snail?, the latter of which might be the most emotional impactful SpongeBob episode ever made. The flaws in terms of the new style and episodes were still present but the good episodes of this series were good enough to where it was able to out weight the negatives of the series.

In hindsight, I really wouldn’t consider Season 4 to be that bad. Heck, I may even go as far to call it quite good. Was it as consistently great as the first three seasons? No but then again, I don’t think any version of Season 4 was ever going to do that. The bad episodes are still there but even the worst episodes of this season would likely not being among the top 10 worst episodes of the show.

With a season that had this amount of good in it, what was it that made it so hated at the time? I do think I have one big answer for that but I feel it’s worth saving that for the very end and go over Season 5 first.

Season 5

Now, Season 5 is a bit harder to defend than Season 4. While there are plenty of good episodes that are presented throughout, the bad episodes were really quite bad. So bad that it basically hurts the reputation of Season 5 and is the reason for many that this was around the time where SpongeBob got bad, even from those that defended Season 4.

I will say if we go back strictly the first half of Season 5, I would think you have a good argument that it’s on par with Season 4. Flawed but still plenty of good episodes here and there to balance out all of the bad ones. You have fan favorites such as The Original Fry Cook, Friend or Foe, Rollar Cowards, Krabs à la Mode, Spy Buddies, and SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget. Heck, you even have a handful of episodes in the second half that most fans wouldn’t want to discredit such as The Inmates of Summer, 20,000 Patties Under the Sea, and Pest of the West. However, Season 5 is also the one that would introduce some of the most infamous episodes of the entire series.

Episodes such as Fungus Among Us, Waiting, To Love a Patty, Pat No Pay, and SpongeHenge, played a big factor into supporting the negative narrative surrounding Season 5. It also wasn’t help by the “special” and highest rated episodes such as Atlantis Squarepantis and WhoBob WhatPants?, which were just as ill-fated and poorly received as they come. While there was definitely some gold buried within to find, there was plenty of filth covered in them to be able to find them.

The biggest flaws with most of Season 5 are largely the ones that people always bring up when bringing up everything wrong with modern SpongeBob. The humor is way too grossed out, the characters are thoroughly unlikable and make baffling decisions, the plot and morals are complete rubbish, the logic of each episode is thrown out the window, and way too much of the jokes either center around a character getting hurt repeatedly, doing something stupid/insulting, or just beating you over the head with each individual trait of the characters. While there were certainly a few episodes you could describe that with Season 4, there were WAY too many examples of that in Season 5 that made it defending MUCH more difficult and nearly impossible.

Season 5 has to be the most frustrating season of SpongeBob SquarePants! There are definitely good episodes to be found in this season that rank among the best of the post-classic era and the first half of the season was able to deliver mostly on that. However, it’s around the second half where too many flawed and ill-conceived episodes got released that hinder the overall experience of Season 5. Like Season 4, it gets points for experimenting and finding it’s own identity outside of Stephen Hillenberg, including bringing back the shorts which was used only once in Season 1. However, it loses points for doubling down on the fatal flaws of the bad episodes of Season 4 and making them even worse.

Just like Season 4, Season 5 has seen some appraisal over the years and I think that’s largely because of the amount of good episodes that I mention earlier. Unfortunately, the bad episodes are present and stand out like a plague whenever they appear. There’s too much that’s good to consider it bad but also too much bad to consider good either. Which is honestly why I can’t consider this part of the bad era of SpongeBob SquarePants but more of the “awkward” era of it.

The Not So Best Day Ever

I don’t think you can discuss this era of SpongeBob SquarePants without addressing the elephant in the room. The elephant that pretty much exposed Nickelodeon’s cynicism for the show’s continuation throughout the years along with the cynical practices of hyping up certain main SpongeBob “events”. While it’s easy to see why Season 5 is hated, it’s difficult to understand the bad rep that Season 4 got. That is until you talk about…..The Best Day Ever marathon.

For anyone that is unaware, back in November of 2006, Nickelodeon hosted a SpongeBob-themed marathon titled The Best Day Ever. It was a 24-hour long marathon where the network would air the top 100 episodes of the sponge’s history, which all would be voted by fans. This would also include the premiere of the The Best Day Ever special episode along with the first ever TV airing of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. This was hands down the biggest event ever for SpongeBob SquarePants and perhaps even Nickelodeon. While the ratings were clearly high, the reception from fans was ANYTHING but.

This event could not have been more disastrous if it tried. You had episodes in the top 10 that didn’t even remotely feel like they belonged in the top 10, you had actual fan favorite episodes that were either very low on that top 100 list or not there at all, and you had this whole marathon capped out in the most underwhelmingly way possible. You had The Best Day Ever episode, which is probably the most average SpongeBob episode that’s ever been made, and it’s revealed that the episode that got the most votes as the best episode of SpongeBob SquarePants to that point was no other than…..Karate Island. I’m not even kidding about any of that!

This was an event that just had the word “rigged” written all over it. All that hype for the past 23 hours and 30 minutes just for one new episode that has SpongeBob doing all the things we have seen him do a million times before and for one episode that isn’t that well regarded that we were all suppose to accept was the best SpongeBob SquarePants episode ever. This was a ratings trapped at it’s finest and unfortunately would be the very for many more to come from Nickelodeon in regards to SpongeBob SquarePants.

It was basically this event that seemed to open the floodgates of criticism surrounding Season 4 and onwards of SpongeBob. Not just in terms of it’s overall quality but Nickelodeon’s treatment of the show itself. This is when they were clearly trying to take advantage of audiences and using the SpongeBob name itself in the hopes it would boast ratings and viewership for the show. This was the moment that Nick exposed themselves of using SpongeBob as a cash cow. And I likely tend to think this is when folks came to the realization of the post-movie era’s shortcomings. A realization that is still being talked about to this very day.

In Conclusion

Even speaking as someone that always likes to play both sides, I can totally understand each different viewpoints in regards to Seasons 4 and 5. There is plenty about both seasons that don’t work and largely led to the mindset that SpongeBob as a whole should have stopped after the original run. However, there is also plenty that does work and it’s those diamonds in the rough that make both seasons at least salvageable compared to some of the other very worst to come from the franchise.

If you want my opinion, I don’t hate either one of these seasons but I don’t quite love them either. There’s plenty I do hate and plenty I do love but it’s not consistent enough on either ends to where I can say this is up there with the first three seasons or down there with the next three seasons. It exists simply in that middle awkward spot within the history of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Following up the first three seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants was always going to be a difficult task. Without most of the creative folks that made the first three seasons as great and memorable as they are along with plenty of new blood involved, it was always destined to be a challenge for everyone involved. I hold no ill will to the creative team behind these two seasons as they had to have know they were going to face harsh criticism and be unfairly compared to the first three seasons.

Even speaking as someone that has grown tired of reappraisals of previously hated media and contrarian takes just for the sake of being contrarian, I’m totally cool with Season 4 and 5 being viewed in a much better light today. The good episodes in those seasons shouldn’t be discredited because of all the bad episodes that surround it. They were all the saving graces of otherwise inferior seasons of a television show. I don’t know if I would go as far to call these two seasons great but I I would also not go as far as to call them terrible either. That’s for the next era we will be discussing!

Next Month: The “Bad” Era (Seasons 6-8)

Also, Happy Easter Weekend!

Why The Shohei Ohtani Scandal Could Break Baseball

AdamLeave a comment

Opening day is just around the corner! We are headed to the final stretches of spring training and the players will soon make their way to their destined stadium for opening day starting on March 28th! Sure, the Dodgers and Padres had two matches overseas but the real show is starting next week for the rest of the 28 teams in baseball. The last thing that any team wants is for one of the expected key pieces to their potential winning club to start off the season missing a significant amount of time due to injuries or a massive scandal. While there have plenty of injuries happening, especially involving pitchers, before the opening day crawl rolls, I don’t think there is a bigger potential of a superstar missing the start of the year and then some than with easily the biggest superstar in baseball, Shohei Ohani!

In case no one is aware, Major League Baseball is currently undergoing an investigation on Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. This investigation involves an uncovering of $4.5 million in wire payments that came directly from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmarking operation. On March 19th, Mizuhara told ESPN in a 90-minute interview that he had asked Ohtani to repay the debts and Ohtani himself gave the green light to transferred them to the bookie. Mizuhara also told that story to the Dodgers clubhouse after their game against the Padres that day. It certainly seems bizarre for having to pay all that debt at once in the hopes it would avoid further suspicious thoughts but hey, at least that situation is resolved, right? Insert plot twist!

As it turns out, none of that might have been the case whatsoever and Ohtani himself could be a victim of massive theft. According to ESPN, as they prepared to air the interview the very next morning, Ohtani’s law firm made a statement reading, “We discovered the Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.” That basically gives the impression that amount of money was not meant to come out of Ohtani’s bank account, at least according to his law firm, and this had to do with Mizuhara trying to steal a small piece of that 700 million dollar pie from Ohtani for his own needs.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara almost immediately and has replaced him with Will Ireton as Ohtani’s newest interpreter. Another person that has potential link to this scandal is Mathew Bowyer, who sources believed placed bets with Mizuhara using Ohtani’s money. Bets that were made with an allegedly illegal bookmaker.

However, according to Bowyer’s attorney, Diana Bass, he “never met, spoke with, or texted, or had contact in any way with Shohei Ohtani”. Mizuhara emphasized that statement, “I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again. I never bet on baseball, that’s 100%. I knew that rule … We have a meeting about that in Spring Training.”

As of right now, Major League Baseball is looking into this scandal and figuring how who exactly is telling the truth here and what that money from Ohtani’s account was actually taking out for. Was it for personal debts? Was it for sports bets? Did Ohtani actually give that 4.5 million dollars to Mizuhara? Did Bowyer actually play a role in any of this? And most importantly, is this all just a cover for Ohtani to prevent him from getting suspended until further notice by Major League Baseball? I imagine those are all questions that folks that have read into this story might have and likely have many more on their minds.

I won’t lie, I’m not gonna act like I have a single clue as to where all of this going. At this moment, this scandal is so convoluted and full of holes that there is plenty more pieces to the puzzle before any further big action is made. However, if the last thing anything wants to happen does happen and Ohtani gets suspended not just from opening day but also for the future, this could break baseball beyond repair.

Back in December, I was working on doing a piece on how Ohtani’s 700 million dollar contract and the way the Dodgers are handling it could break baseball but I never got to finish it. I was quite upset because I felt I had some good talking points there that no one else is mentioning. As it turns out, I just need to wait a couple more months before talking about another scenario with Shohei Ohtani that could break baseball.

There is no denying that Major League Baseball will do ANYTHING in their power to keep Shohei Ohtani ON the field. He is the highest paid superstar of all time, an absolute sports legend in the makings, and is perhaps the greatest athlete in North American sports history! He is arguably the face of baseball at the moment and they do NOT want to lose that.

They will go through any hoop and any leap of logic to NOT suspend him. They will try to find any evidence possible that it was Mizuhara and Bowyer behind this doing and NOT Ohtani. The MLB might have rules they have forced themselves to stick to but they will always have limits and exceptions.

Here is that rule for anyone that is unaware:

Major League Baseball’s Rule 21 (d)(3) states that “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct.”

That right there basically confirms that it will be up to Rob Manfred to decide which punishment, if any, will occur. Considering how badly he messed up the Astros sign-stealing scandal by completely letting them off the hook, no one is trusting him to do the right thing here.

I hope this ends up the best for Shohei Ohtani. He is one of the coolest professional ball players I’ve ever seen and it always feels like a special privilege to watch him pitch and hit whenever I can. I pray he was NOT involved with any illegal sports bets or debts because that is the LAST thing not just what the league wants but what baseball fans want as well.

No matter what you team you root for, we can all agree that Shohei Ohtani is someone truly special for baseball! And if that special someone gets impacted by this for opening day until whenever, then this might break baseball bigger than it ever has before.

Other comments:

  • I was gonna do a MLB predictions piece but to be honest, I haven’t followed the offseason like I normally did do to how piss poor my team played last year. Because of that, I don’t think I can come up with a real and honest prediction piece for the 2024 season. Sorry, guys and girls that might have been looking forward to that!

  • Secondly, it’s just been reported that Orioles owner Peter Angelos has passed away at the age of 94! May he rest in peace!

Ranking The 2024 Best Picture Nominations

AdamLeave a comment

Another year, another handful of Best Picture nominees to talk about. This year, the Oscars just so happens to take place on my least favorite day of the year aside from my birthday, Daylight Savings time! I find it bizarre how year after year the Academy Awards keeps flip flopping the date of which the Oscars happen. One year, it’s February. The next year, it’s late March. And the year after that, it’s early March. I don’t understand all of that one bit but whatever.

Just like the last couple of years, there are ten total best picture nominations to talk about and rank. I won’t lie, my opinion might be controversial because I don’t I was as over the moon with some of these as most others were. Part of that might be due to personal preference and/or rewatch value but be warned in case your favorites of the nominees didn’t make it high on my list. But anyways, let’s get on it with it and rank the ten best picture nominations from best to worst.

10.) Poor Things

Every year, you have to have at least one movie on the best picture nominations that you acknowledge is very well made and acted but you didn’t care for it whatsoever. That so happens to be Poor Things for me. Yes, the productions values are great! Yes, Emma Stone is as fabulous as ever! And yes, there are a handful of funny moments and unique shots here and there! But, that still doesn’t change the fact that this feels like a porno than an actual movie with a bloated runtime and an artistic vision that comes across as more pretentious than as a real, honest voice from behind the camera. Maybe I’m just not a Yorgos Lanthimos fan as he has yet to make a film that impressed me but Poor Things is the kind of Oscar bait getting nominated that absolutely annoys me. Try filling up that flash with substance next time Yorgos! Only then that I might be on your side!

9.) Maestro

And speaking of well made films that did absolutely nothing for me, Maestro is one that left me feeling cold. The makeup and cinematography are great and the actors do a fine job in their roles but I don’t think this movies does a very good job on giving you an indication as to who Leonard Bernstein is. He doesn’t seem all that different from any other musicians out there and for a movie that suppose to show otherwise, I feel like I would give more info about them by just looking up his Wikipedia page. Not the worst biopic ever but one that left plenty to be desired for me. And if Bradley Cooper really does win for best actor, this will surely be his “Leonardo DiCaprio winning an Oscar for The Revenant” moment! And no, that is NOT a compliment!

8.) The Zone of Interest

This is far in a way the most experimental film of all the best picture nominations. The Zone of Interest tells the story of Rudolf Hoss and his wife and their desire to build the ultimate dream life for themselves and their family. However, Jonathan Glazer just to tells this story in a rather steady pace, trying to get every lasting moment of getting you suck into the film’s atmosphere and get a clear glance of how crystal clear everything in the film looks. There is admirable ambition to be found here but I still can’t help but feel like it would have worked better as a short film than as a feature length film. The fact it takes about three full minutes for even the first shot of the movie to be seen really sets the vibe of the entire picture. While experimental and unconventional, The Zone of Interest is a film that will surely test your patience and it’s only if you feel like it is worthwhile by the end of it which will determine your perspective on it.

7.) American Fiction

Here’s a film about a black author that is under more pressure than ever to make his stories more “black heavy” to make it stand out for his publishers and other authors out there. American Fiction goes into great insight about how mainstream media can’t seem to make black art without involving the negative stereotypes and racism surrounding black folks. Led by a commendable performance from Jeffrey Wright, this is a tight, witty, and thoroughly entertaining drama that dives deep into its subject matter without being completely one sided about it. If it could have stuck the landing a little better, then it would probably be even higher on the list, While I don’t see American Fiction making too much noise at the Oscars, I do hope it encourages studios to make more drama comedy films like and give Jeffrey Wright more recognition for being one of the very best actors working today.

6.) Anatomy of a Fall

The tagline of Anatomy of a Fall is “Did she do it?” I would make a joke review by saying, “I don’t know about you all but I do think she did it” but the film itself is able to be about more than simply that ringing question that is constantly hear throughout the film. This is quite an intriguing mystery that is filled with constant ambiguity and tension throughout that allows for multiple different perspectives from each of the characters involved, so much so that you will likely find yourself switching sides throughout the entire film. I do wish the first half of the film was more interesting and it had 15 to 20 minutes trimmed out but Anatomy of a Fall does make for interesting and accessible film that those that love a good mix of comedy, drama, and mystery.

5.) Barbie

The highest grossing film of the year is also in the top half of best picture nominees! What easily could have been a by-the-numbers flick for little girls that would have been better off going straight to streaming, Greta Gerwig decides to go beyond that and craft a film about traditional gender roles, identity, and why there should be a proper balance between the matriarchy and patriarchy. Barbie is as clever, funny, and creative as you could expected given the talent involved, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling being a match made in heaven as Barbie and Ken respectively. The world-building is as strong as it could possibly be with a movie surrounding a toy brand that everyone is aware off, each cast member are clearly having the time of their lives, the soundtrack is one you are likely gonna have stuck in your head as soon as you leave the theater, and it feels so refreshing to see a new summer blockbuster that seems to have to same love and passion it does from both in front and behind the camera. It doesn’t all work 100% and there will certainly be plenty of folks that will take issue with the way it handles it’s themes and messages but for the most part, Greta Gerwig is able to make lightning strike a third time in a row and has made herself a new name to look out for. If you’re a woman, you probably already saw this movie and love it. And heck, even if you are a man, watch it yourself and you’ll probably have a good time as well!

4.) Killers of the Flower Moon

It seems like an unwritten role that every new Martin Scorsese film is a lock-in for a best picture nominee but man, does the man keep deserving that honor. Killers of the Flower Moon is once again a winner from the great Martin Scorsese himself. It’s an exceptionally well crafted and brilliantly acted picture that goes to show why Martin might just be the best when it comes to making these kind of period pieces. It’s as every bit of gripping, emotional, and impeccable as you heard, the 3.5 hour longtime while excessive is put to good use, and it’s another reminder why films like this are worth experiencing on the biggest of screens possible. And Lily Gladstone MORE than deserves that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! It may not be his very best but it’s certainly a film that will leave an impact on you, one way or the other. As we reach Scorsese’s final chapter of his 80-year old life, this plays out as the proper beginning of the end of one of our finest filmmakers who has ever lived. As if we are starting to enter the final chapter of his filmmaking career. Because of that, it’s best to enjoy Scorsese pictures as much as we can while the man is still breathing! Let’s do that and STOP asking the man of his opinions on Marvel movies! Please and thank you!

3.) The Holdovers

While I certainly enjoyed The Holdovers on my first viewing, it VASTLY improved on me on my second viewing. So much so that this isn’t just one of the best films of the nominations, it’s one of the best films of 2023 period! This is a beautiful and heartfelt Christmas drama filled with engaging and lived in characters, a tremendous screenplay, spot-on direction, and great performances from the entire cast. As great as Cillian Murphy was in Oppenheimer, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paul Giamatti pull up the upset and take home the Oscar for best actor himself. Anything to see him spotted again at a fast food restaurant with an reward in his hand. In all seriousness, The Holdovers is a genuinely excellent film that will resonate with you the more you think about it and watch it. It’s not just a film you will feel eager to watch every Christmas, but also one to watch for someone that don’t feel loved or appreciated enough in their regular lives. To those people, I can see this film feeling like one big warm hug. The fact this is only #3 on this list just says more about how superb the next two films are.

2.) Past Lives

Past Lives makes for a beautiful and touching tale about two friends, separated as children, being reunited as they confront destiny, their love for one another, and the choices they have made throughout the entire life. It’s a deep exploration of the connections we have with ourselves and the ones we care about along with our struggles that helps us define who we are. It’s about two dear friends that went their separate ways but might have an urge to try to relief the good old days in the here and now. It’s perfectly directed, beautifully acted, thematically relevant, emotionally engaging, and uses it’s slow-burn pacing to it’s absolute full potential. It’s a film where it’s ideas within the narrative are executed about as perfect as it could get. Even in an age where certain folks seem to decry the idea of films having important messages because movies just aren’t suppose to have that now for some reason, Past Lives is a reminder why we need films like that. We need films that teaches us the true meaning of life and why we shouldn’t take it or the ones we love for granted. Give Greta Lee the Oscar right now!

1.) Oppenheimer

If were going by pure objective quality, this would probably also qualify as the very best film of the year for me and not just strictly the best of the nominees. Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself, perhaps his biggest cinematic achievement to date. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by acting as a character study first and a biopic second of the infamous man of J. Robert Oppenheimer himself. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly (RDJ better get that Oscar!), it does a great job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful flawed man himself, the three hour runtime is put to near perfect use, the score is absolutely riveting and will haunt you in the best of ways, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker than Nolan can do. While it’s not quite my favorite film from Nolan (Inception and The Dark Knight will always be very hard to top for me!), this might just be his most important one to date, showcasing why he will always be a name to attract a mass audience with every film he releases! It’s currently the favorite one to win and if that’s the case, then it will be the second year in a row in which my favorite of the Best Picture nominees will take home Best Picture. It’s time for Nolan to get his due and he will greatly deserve it!

Ranking The Kung Fu Panda Movies

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Kung Fu Panda 4 is now out in theaters and because of that, it’s time to rank all four films in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

This is a franchise that has always had a special place in my heart. I remember watching the original Kung Fu Panda in theaters and being utterly blown away about how good it was. It really gave you the notion as to why you shouldn’t judge a movie so harshly based off the premise alone. And while this franchise might have a different variation of quality in terms of movies and television shows, that core message still reigns true to this day.

I already did a marathon of the first three Kung Fu Panda movies and a review for Kung Fu Panda 4. I’ll put links to those at the end of the piece. But for now, here are my ranking of the four Kung Fu Panda movies we have gotten thus far.

4.) Kung Fu Panda 4

The worst Kung Fu Panda is unfortunately the one that just came out in theaters. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like the kind of movie that people were expecting the original Kung Fu Panda to be before seeing it. Relying way too much on water down humor, barebone storytelling, and the most predictable outcomes for the characters imaginable, Kung Fu Panda 4 is a sign that perhaps that this franchise may have ran out of creative gas. Also, The Furious Five being written out to make room for the new player in Zhen certainly doesn’t help either.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with great animation, enjoyable fight scenes, and solid voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes that have been a staple for this series is just not there this time around. There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, Kung Fu Panda 4 does very little of that to the overall narrative of the franchise.

3.) Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a film that is easy to dismiss when looking at it on the surface. From its familiar plot beats to its toned down humor, it almost feels as if it’s falling into the traps that the franchise has avoided up to this point. However, with seeing how Po’s journey concludes by the end of the movie and at the end of this trilogy, there is something to chew upon greatly here. It really feels like Po has fully 100% lived up to the Dragon Warrior name, just as Oogway hoped he would the moment he chose him.

Yeah, it’s a step down from the first two movies but I mean that in a respectful way. It still has the same heart and resonate themes that the first two movies have and it’s ultimately cool to see where Po basically was given birth at. Kung Fu Panda 3 is to the first three Kung Fu Panda movies what Return of the Jedi is to the original Star Wars trilogy, a solid B+ wrap-up/follow-up to its A++ predecessors. If this was the true ending to this series, it would certainly not be as definite as other series finales but it would have been satisfying all the same.

2.) Kung Fu Panda

If there is one movie out there that is basically the textbook definition of “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!”, that would be Kung Fu Panda. On paper, this sounds like the dumbest idea ever. A big fat panda voiced by Jack Black learning Kung Fu?! That feels like an idea that came from the same person that thought The Emoji Movie would be a great hit! However, once the movie came out during the summer of 2008, we all could not have been wrong about Kung Fu Panda. This is a movie that is greater, smarter, and more interesting than it has any right to be.

It’s able to use that “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” mindset that not only acts what most folks thought of Kung Fu Panda when watching it but use that as the central theme throughout the film. And it’s that theme that makes for the perfect way to tell the story of the main character of Po, the titled panda that learns kung fu. We also got terrific animation, superb fight sequences, a wonderful supporting cast of characters, a riveting musical score and amazing character development all the way through. It’s those exact reasons and much more that makes Kung Fu Panda as good as it is and one that stands strongly as one of DreamWork’s absolute best.

1.) Kung Fu Panda 2

Was there every any doubt? Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point!

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again! Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s arguably the best DreamWorks movie to date and possibly one of the best film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.

There’s my list. Feel free to share me yours!

And here are links to my Kung Fu Panda retrospectives and reviews!

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Movie Review- Not Enough Skadoosh

Adam1 Comment

If there’s one thing that stuck with me throughout my viewing of Kung Fu Panda 4, it’s how the movie kept reminding me why the initial idea of Kung Fu Panda was mocked to begin with. That premise alone gives the indication that a panda voiced by Jack Black learning kung fu would basically play out as just being a typical slapstick comedy with dumbed down humor made for the littlest of kids, paint-by-numbers storytelling, and the most predictable reveals and morals imaginable. However, the greatest thing about the Kung Fu Panda movies up to this point is how it takes those “judging a book by it’s cover” expectations and cleverly subverted it into something better, smarter, and greater than it had any right to be. While I’m sure there were intentions of that for this latest installment with the Skaddoshinator (I promise that is the only time I will say that!), Kung Fu Panda 4 is basically the exact kind of movie we thought we were getting from this series from the very beginning.

The idea of a Kung Panda 4 was certainly not one that felt necessary but there were plenty of ways that another entry could work. While Kung Fu Panda 3 did bring a satisfying conclusion to Po arc’s in becoming the Dragon Warrior that he had always dreamed of, there was never a feeling throughout the third movie that it was the absolute endgame for the series. A third movie could be a fine stopping point but there was definitely another train coming along the way if anyone wanted to take it. And DreamWorks decided to take that train with Kung Fu Panda 4. I only wish they found an actual reason to want to hop aboard it.

Premise: Time has passed since Kung Fu Panda 3 and Po (Jack Black) finds himself on his last remaining days as The Dragon Warrior. Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is ready to promote his panda apprentice to being the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, the highest ranking of all kung fu mastery. Before he does that, Po must choose a worthy successor to take the mantle of The Dragon Warrior.

However, a new deadly foe has emerged with a new shapeshifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis). The Chameleon is someone that has had her own ambitions of wanting to learn kung fu but never got the proper respect to be able to learn it. Because of that, she wants to take matters into her own hands and copy the kung fu from other notable warriors in the series rose gallery such as Tai Lung (Ian Mcshane), Shen, and Kai to become the kung fu warrior she has always inspired to be.

With the Furious Five not being available due to going on their own personal missions and Shifu supposedly aging, it’s up to Po to stop The Chameleon. However, he can’t find the sinister lizard without the aid of a wanted fox thief named Zhen (Awkwafina), who supposedly knows The Chameleon’s location and promises Po she can lead him right to her front door. Po and Zhen go on a journey together to put the new villain out of commission, where the former comes to the realization this might be his final adventure with The Dragon Warrior title and the latter wondering what side she’s actually fighting for.

Oh, and also Po’s two dads, Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), follow their son without him knowing because they are so worried that their son, who had already beaten the biggest named opponents out there up to this point, can’t handle a fight against this newest opponent for some reason.

When reading through that plot synopsis, it basically gives you the indication of where Kung Fu Panda 4 head is at every step of the way. Yes, Po has to learn to take his next step in life. Yes, he realizes he has a lot in common with his new wolf companion and new lizard foe than he initially thought. Yes, he has to learn the true meaning of change. And yes, who Po chooses to be the next Dragon Warrior is obvious the moment that character arrives on screen. However, whereas prior Kung Fu Panda movies were able to take familiar stories and add enough layers to it to make them stand out as fresh and unique tales, the plot of Kung Fu Panda 4 can be read like a book that you predict the expected beats five to ten pages in advance.

As I stated in the plot summary, The Furious Five are nowhere to be seen throughout the main film. Yes, there is an explanation given of their absence in an (admittedly) nice 2D animated sequence and they do show up right when the credits start to roll, but they have no presence in the story whatsoever. Whether this was because they wanted to put the spotlight on the new characters or the fact that the studios couldn’t afford to have Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, and crew return due to the film’s shockingly low budget is beyond me but fans who were hoping to see them in action in this one will be severely disappointed.

The newest player this time around is Zhen, played by Awkwafina. On paper, this casting make sense. The crew clearly wanted to hire a celebrity actress that has the same range of comedic chops as Jack Black provides to the titled panda himself. However, the reason why Jack Black has always been perfect as the character is how he is able to perfectly mirror the appearance of a fat comedic panda while still nailing the dramatic beats when needed.

Zhen doesn’t have that same gesture as she is just as feisty, parkour, and can handle herself in action as much as Po or even Tigress can. She basically plays out exactly how other characters voiced by Awkwafina have with nothing new added. She is yet another side character that’s snarky, wise-cracking, and might just have a heart of gold underneath. It’s not that the character herself is inherently bad but she’s not interesting enough to warrant having other characters being purposely written out just to make room for her. Zhen is mostly just your average “grey” character and doesn’t offer much to the Kung Fu Panda universe that other better characters in the series haven’t provided.

The main villain of The Chameleon does feel like more fitting character in concept but still feels like wasted potential. While she certainly has a resemblance to Kung Fu Panda 3‘s antagonist with Kai, with gaining the abilities of other notable kung fu warriors, her whole parallel with Po is the one aspect that Kung Fu Panda 4 provides that feels new and refreshing. Both of these characters were underestimated by society due solely to their appearances but went on to accomplish greater things. Whereas Po went on to become the greatest hero, The Chameleon went on to become the greatest villain. The perfect good guy/bad guy dynamic is right here and could be possibly the most compelling one in the series to date if enough time and care was given into it.

Unfortunately, just like with the most interesting ideas in the film, it doesn’t have much interest in exploring it. This matter is just addressed in a dialogue exchange or two and never is given much focus on beyond that. The character herself basically comes across as an excuse to revive other notable bad guys in the series in the hopes that would get more butt in seats.

It’s also strange how The Chameleon claims to have been denied of learning kung fu due to being “too small” despite one of the Furious Five members being Mantis, A.K.A. a literal grasshopper! I guess kung fu warriors are just as racist towards lizards as pandas.

When it comes to the returning antagonists of the series, Tai Lung is the only one that gets enough screen time to warrant being considered an actual role in the story. And by that, I mean he gets a decent action sequence and a couple of laughs and that’s basically it.

The other notable ones are just there for the sake of continuity and nostalgia, with Ian McShane the only one reprising his role. Not to mention, the scenes where Po is witnessing all of his foes in the same place but Tai Lung is the ONLY one that actually speaks is LAUGHABLY noticeable!

I don’t know if this was yet again done due to a lower budget or there was suppose to be an actual arc for Po’s first foe early on in development (which there really isn’t) but those who were hoping that the villains would get the Spider-Man: No Way Home treatment are destined for disappointment as well.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Kung Fu Panda 4 is the way it handles the humor. If you are someone that felt that Kung Fu Panda 3 went too far with its slapstick humor, it’s unfortunately just like that here but even worse. There’s too many jokes that feel extremely forced and are just not funny at all. Too much of the humor feels like it’s only there to keep the toddlers entertained and not because it works in the heat of the moment for the characters. Yes, all of the Kung Fu Panda movies have plenty of humor but they always felt perfectly timed and made sense for the characters without feeling out of place.

With Kung Fu Panda 4, the jokes are nonstop and feel like they are only there because the writers couldn’t figure out how to keep the main story engaging so they just threw in some random jokes in the hopes that it would be good enough to push the whole thing forward. It’s like the worst kind of humor in Marvel movies increased ten fold. There’s only so many times where you can hear Po say skadoosh without it getting tiring real quick.

To gain to the more positive side, the animation is quite breathtaking, which is all the more impressive considering the film’s 85 million dollar budget. Everything looks bright and colorful, able to expand on the same art style from the previous three films while being able to modify it for this to be far in a way the best looking Kung Fu Panda film to date. All the locations of new and old are beautiful to look at, especially the scene with Po in the valley of peace. Even the distractingly out of place models for all the new characters (which feel like they came straight out of Zootopia) can’t take away from this film being a visual treat for the eye.

The action scenes themselves are as dynamic as you would hope for in a Kung Fu Panda movie. It still has that sense of choreography, rhythm, and pace that has always made the fight sequences in this series stand out as well as they do. I enjoyed some of the earlier bits of Po guarding the valley of peace along with the scenes involving him and Zhen fighting together or against each other. While I can’t think of a set piece here that holds a candle to the best ones in the previous three films such as the fights with Tai Lung and Shen or the one between Po and Shifu, along with wanting more lasting action in the climax, they do deliver when it counts the most.

The voice cast is able to do the best with what they have. Jack Black is as perfect here as Po as he always has been, clearly bringing so much love and passion to our favorite panda. Viola Davis gives a great and menacing voice performance as The Chameleon, making the character stand out more than the script will actually allow her. It’s neat to see Ke Huy Quan get a voice over role here for a character that feels like a mix between his characters from Loki and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Dustin Hoffman has shown age as much as the character of Shifu himself (Then again, the man is 86 years old!) but still fits the role like a glove all the same. Ian McShane seems excited to be back as Tai Lung, even if his role isn’t as big as I hoped it would be. Even James Hong and Bryan Cranston are able to get moments to shine in the film’s few funny moments as the two fathers of Po. And as I said before, Awkwafina as Zhen plays out exactly as you would expect a character voiced by Awkwafina to play out, so take that as you will.

I imagine there will be plenty of people reading this review that think I’m being too harsh and overly critical of a movie clearly designed for children. If you think that, that’s completely fine but Kung Fu Panda to me has always been much better than that.

The series’ greatest trick in the past was having you thinking it would play out like your stereotypical “critic proof” movies for kids but when you watch the movies themselves, there is something much more than that. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels more in line with what the series was originally thought of as being on the surface level, almost as if it was made by Illumination than DreamWorks.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with solid animation, fight scenes, and voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes are just not there this time around.

There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, it does very little of that to its overall status quo.

I don’t know if it had to do with a supposed rushed development, lower budget, or running out of creative gas but Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like it was only made to keep the franchise brand going and not because anyone had a unique enough story to tell for it.

If the series continues to stick to it’s initial six-movie arc plan that DreamWorks envisioned back in 2010, then they better find a way to spice things up for parts five and six if they want anything after Kung Fu Panda 3 to be worthy of existing.

As an animated film for kids, it’s passable at best. As a Kung Fu Panda movie, there’s just not enough skadoosh this time around.

Other comments:

  • Yes, Jack Black’s version of Baby One More Time is awesome and the biggest standout of the entire soundtrack.

  • There is actually a scene in the movie where Bryan Cranston has a little Walter White in him as Po’s biological father.

  • Who in a million years would have thought that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish would be by far the best DreamWorks sequel in recent memory and NOT Megamind 2 or Kung Panda 4?

  • Yes, I watched Megamind 2. It’s probably the most pointless sequel I’ve ever watched!

  • Oh and Mr. Beast makes a voice cameo in this one! That’s cool I guess!

  • Also, Po’s dads are so gay! Just saying!