Tag: tv

Ranking All The Marvel Disney Plus Series (Updated W/Marvel Zombies)

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With Marvel Zombies now out, we now have 18 different Marvel series/specials that is available to watch exclusively on Disney Plus. These are content made strictly for this exact streaming service with the hopes of telling more stories with established characters that isn’t strictly in film format. When it comes to the overall quality of the shows, it’s results have been…..mixed to say the least. Even with a handful of good things to come out of it, they have their own limits and restrictions that have prevented them to be as engaging with some of the very best that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has offered throughout their history.

In hindsight, they have basically the exact opposite problems as Marvel Netflix. Where as the Netflix series often felt too long and bloated with filter, the Disney Plus series often felt too short and rushed. Despite there being plenty of good things to come from both Netflix and Disney Plus, most of them have struggled to hit that proper balance to have all these shows live up to their fullest potential.

Which one of these is able to be better than the others? Let’s find out by ranking all the Marvel Disney Plus series and specials up to this point!

19.) Secret Invasion

There was not a single Marvel D+ series (and perhaps any other MCU entry) that fell as hard as Secret Invasion. While the idea of having a series focused strictly on Nick Fury and the famous Secret Invasion comics are intriguing ideas on paper, the execution could not have been anymore disastrous. It’s poorly structured, well known characters are killed off in the most anti-climatic way possible, the Skrull storyline feels incredibly wasted, the behind-the-scenes reshoots are very obvious, and Nick Fury doesn’t seem to change one bit over the course of the whole series. Not to mention, the pointless retcon of Rhodey being a Skrull since Captain America: Civil War is just lame. This has about every single problem these Marvel Disney Plus series has had and made infinitely worse. The only saving graces are the scenes between Nick Fury and his wife along with G’iah being a neat MCU addition (until she’s able to unlock every single superpower known to demand because……….reasons?!?!?!). Everything else about Secret Invasion is a segment of everything that can go wrong with the MCU when it’s fallen into the wrong hands!

18.) IronHeart

The Disney Plus series that was already finished two to three years ago and got put in the back burner because of complaints of too much MCU content being piled on is finally here and…..it’s clearly obvious why it has been hidden for so long. While the cast is a lot of fun together and have solid chemistry, it is bogged down by clear behind-the-scenes drama, a directionless plot, ties to the MCU that feel incredibly forced, and characters that are given nothing to do. It’s like it’s trying to give Riri the same arc that Tony Stark had in Iron Man 3 but with none of the work or effort put into it. While it does end on a promising note for the future and is certainly more cohesive than say Secret Invasion, IronHeart is another forgettable Marvel series that is best left forgotten! And with the little to no marketing attached to this project and it collecting dust for the past two to three years, it seems as tho Disney and Marvel would agree!

17.) Echo

There are parts of Echo that make it come so close to capturing the same magic that the best of the Marvel Netflix series has. The backstory with Maya and how she became to be a vigilante is intriguing, every scene with Kingpin is glorious, the action is as brutal as it has been with the MCU, and the tone/style feels like it was ripped straight out of the Marvel Netflix run. It’s just a shame it’s central story is not told in an organic way with obvious reshoots and bizarre pacing that get in the way entirely. Plus, it’s overall representation of Cherokee Nation is barely touched upon, almost as if Marvel didn’t want to go too deep into it so they don’t offend anybody. The seeds are there for future “Spotlight” stories to expand upon greatly but Echo still can’t escape the trappings of most of these Disney Plus series, making it fairly underwhelming and disappointing. PLEASE stop making these just five or six episodes and make an actual proper tv show!

16.) Moon Knight

This has the ingredients to be a stellar series from it’s terrific cast to it’s psychological thriller elements to it’s exploration of someone with a dissociative identity disorder (DID). Unfortunately, Moon Knight is never able to make for the best of those ideas, despite Oscar Isaac trying his hard out as Marc Spector and May Calamaway being a welcome presence as Layla. It’s intriguing ideas are barely explored upon and mostly just results in a typical chase story with the character hunting down boring McGuffins while introducing lore and mythology that will leave you scratching your head. Not to mention, for a show called Moon Knight, there’s barely any actual Moon Knight in it. It is at least weird and bizarre enough that it might delight some folks who just want exactly that for their Marvel streaming series but it’s not enough to save the show from it’s undeniable shortcomings.

15.) The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

It’s cool to see many of the side characters from the Captain America movies that got sidelined get more to do in their own series along with giving an intriguing arc for Sam Wilson as the newer, progressive Captain America. Just too bad the series is held back by weak villains with odd, nonsensical motivations and an overall structure that feels more suited for a movie rather than a streaming series (something which many of the Disney Plus shows have greatly suffered from). You are lying to yourself if you didn’t find most of the endings to the episodes rather erupt because it just feels like the start of one scene and not the end of the other. I respect The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for what it stands for but certainly not in the way it goes about it. If there is ANY Disney Plus show that would have benefited MUCH better as a movie and NOT a mini-series, it’s this one.

14.) What If?

What If?! was probably the Marvel series with the most unlimited potential for captivating tales and expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Creating scrappy stories of Marvel superheroes told throughout the multiverse and through multiple different variations point of view? That sounds like a series that could last for MANY seasons! Unfortunately, it’s unable to even scratch the surface of that limitless potential throughout the course of it’s three seasons by playing it as easy and safe as humanly possible! There’s a handful of intriguing episodes and fun character swaps along with some returning cast members from the live-action movies/series reprising their roles. Unfortunately, it’s held back by stiff animation, beat-by-beat storytelling, and a feeling of aimlessness rather than ambition with how it’s uses the multiverse (Something which the multiverse saga itself has greatly suffered from!). Instead of going crazy, it goes lazy and tame as hell. There’s some entertaining episodes here and there and plenty of fun to be had but man, it could have been SOOOO much more!

13.) Eyes of Wakanda

Here’s a little side project that has been in the works for awhile which puts the spotlight on the charismatic side characters that assist King T’Challa. It’s always neat to spend more time in the world of Wakanda and the side characters from the Black Panther movies are just as fun here as they are in the movies. But just like with a good number of Disney Plus shows, it still feels like it barely scratches the surface on what it’s trying to do. There’s not many episodes, it’s tackling on it’s subject matter feels very shallow and surface level, and the show moves at such a fast pace that it can be hard to jump into this fascinating world if you are not engaged with it already. I do put it above other animated D+ series like What If…? because it at least is more creative visually and animation wise but Eyes of Wakanda left me wanting more in the ways that I do not believe was intentional.

12.) Marvel Zombies

The newest addition to the Disney Plus Marvel canon doesn’t so much feel like it’s own series but more of a specific story arc made for Marvel’s What If? that for whatever reason got cut from the original show and had been sitting on the back burner for the past four years until it suddenly didn’t. The good news is that it deliver the goods in putting some of MCU’s heroes old and new together into this zombie world filled with blood, gore, and carnage, making for perhaps the best use of Marvel Studios animation to date. The bad news is that it still can’t reach it’s full potential because of how slim the whole experience feels and really feels like it only exists just to have more Disney Plus content on the streaming service. If a Season 2 happens, I’ll watch it but for now, I’m very on the fence on this one.

11.) Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel gets off to perhaps the best start out of any of the Marvel Disney Plus series. With showcasing a classic coming-of-age story, neat visuals, intriguing family dynamics, and a hugely charismatic and charming lead character in Kamala Khan, played wonderfully by Iman Villani. It’s mostly the second half when the dull as hell villains get thrown into the picture that don’t really mess with the style and tone of the show where it falters quite a bit, almost as if Team A was put in charge of the episodes given early to critics while Team B handled the rest because Team A decided to go home. Thankfully, there’s just a bit more of the former in the latter to make this show overall worthwhile, with the entire experience being held together by Villani’s incredible turn as Ms. Marvel herself. If this gets a Season 2, please put more focus on Kamala and her family and friends and not so much on everything else.

10.) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Perhaps the most inconsequential of all these series but still has heart and charm when it counts. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special makes for a cute holiday tale in the MCU which sees the lovable galactic misfits celebrating Christmas in a time where things are most dire for Peter Quill! This is the special that gave Drax and Mantis more time in the spotlight than ever before, along with the delightful presence of Kevin Bacon himself. It’s mostly slim and something you can tell was made rather quickly without too much thought being put into it but no doubt James Gunn’s passion and love for the characters from his successful films is on full display here. Also, you are a robot if you didn’t at least get a bit misty eye at the ending with Peter and Mantis. Just saying!

9.) Daredevil: Born Again

After a seven-year long wait to see our favorite Netflix hero/vigilante back in streaming form, the unofficial fourth season of Netflix’s Daredevil, i.e. Daredevil: Born Again, is able to deliver in the sum of it’s parts, if not as a cohesive whole. The reshoots and reworking from the show’s original premise does feel distracting at times, with it desperately missing the trio spark that Matt, Karen, and Foggy had together in the original series. Thankfully, the character work between Daredevil and the newly elected Mayor Fisk is ace stuff, the cast of old and new are great in their roles, and it ends on a haunting cliffhanger that sets the table for an exciting second season and the Punisher spin-off. I just hope Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have more free realm next time around and don’t feel restrained with having to rework all of the moving pieces that should have been figured out in the first place. Born Again may be more of the same but in this case, more of the same might just be what we all need.

8.) Hawkeye

While far from the most ambitious Marvel Disney Plus series, Hawkeye is one that does to take full advantage of it’s lower stakes and able to meet exactly the kind of endpoint it is aiming for, making a charming Christmas superhero tale that doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is. This of course helps introduces the immensely lovable Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop and gives Jeremy Renner his full time to shine as Hawkeye, which Florence Pugh’s Yelena eventually joining in on the ride. It does suck though that Kingpin doesn’t get much to do there and his only real purpose is to set up the Echo series. However, considering the MCU is clearly not done with Wilson Fisk yet and he’ll play bigger roles later on down the road, I can let it slide. Nevertheless, this was a good time and worth revisiting again during this wonderful holiday time.

7.) Agatha All Along

The latest series in Agatha: All Along is easily one of the most unique and creative Marvel has been in it’s Disney Plus era. It’s able to act as a proper follow-up to WandaVision while perfectly embracing it’s queer vibes and camp value that makes for the right watch at the right time of the season. The entire cast is awesome (Kathryn Han and Aubrey Plaza were literally MADE for each other), Jac Schaeffer is able to direct and show run the HELL out of every episode, and there’s so many unique surprises and reveals that will delight the most diehard of MCU fans. There are certain aspects and directing choices that won’t appeal to everyone (particularly some of the musical choices and being more “queer” than most MCU prosperities) but for those who believe the MCU is at it’s best when they are at their more weird and experimental, Agatha: All Along makes for a very special treat!

6.) Werewolf By Night

Marvel’s first ever attempt at doing a special sees an interesting take on the horror genre and universal monsters. With the old-school black-and-white style, gorgeous cinematography, haunting score, and plenty of blood and violence to be found, Werewolf By Night is everything you could want out of a special Halloween special and perhaps even more than that. Even judging it strictly based off of werewolves, this is probably the best werewolf content in the last decade or so. I never thought someone as Michael Giacchino, someone who is most well known as being a musical composer, could make such an unique stamp for his first every directional debut but he really manages to blow my socks away. This is something I can see myself watching every Halloween and never getting tried with it. Just stick to the original black-and-white format please!

5.) She-Hulk: Attorney By Law

While not quite the best Marvel Disney Plus series, this is the one that plays the most like an actual television show as oppose to a six-part mini series or a feature film cut in pieces. It’s able to tell a funny, fourth-wall breaking story about a woman struggling with her daily life, dating life, and superhero life all at the same time while introducing plenty of welcome cameos such as Wong, Bruce Banner, Megan Thee Stallion, and especially Daredevil. Tatiana Maslany is absolute perfection as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, able to be super convincing as both a cute, vulnerable lawyer and a beautifully buff green hulk. It might be too “meta” for some and will certainly causes the heads of every incel out there that it’s poking fun at to explode, but nevertheless, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is definitely one of the most fun and enjoyable series in the Marvel Disney Plus library.

4.) Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

It might’ve took three times (four if you count the PBS-friendly Spidey And His Amazing Friends) but Disney has finally been able to crack the code on how to make a solid Spider-Man cartoon. Blending the traditional comic book panel traits of the character’s well-known origin while incorporating new distinct traits of it’s own, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is able to find the right balance of exploring the thrills of being Spider-Man and the chills of being Peter Parker, something which The Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man (2017) failed to do. The newer cast of characters the show chooses to explore are (mostly) intriguing, it’s callbacks and references all feel earned, the theme song is dope as hell, and it’s able to use it’s alternate timeline and multiverse concept to not just reuse plot assets of the MCU or recurring fan favorite characters but also show how Peter’s life would’ve been different in the MCU if things play out a different way and he made all new friends and allies in the process. There are some strange creative decisions I’m not a fan of and the animation style won’t be to everyone’s taste but for the most part, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a winner and is perhaps (by default) the best Spidey show since The Spectacular Spider-Man. I’m definitely intrigued to see Season 2!

3.) WandaVision

The very first of the Disney Plus series gives one of the best and most interesting characters in the whole universe, Wanda Maximoff, her own time to shine. What starts off becoming a fun homage to 90’s sitcoms becomes more of a character study of Wanda where she has to deal with the sins and consequences over the actions she has committed up to this point, while learning to move on from the pain and grief she feels with the loss of her Vision. The entire cast is great here with Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda, Kathryn Hann’s Agatha, and Teyonah Parris’s Monica being the standouts with Paul Bettany as Vison being pretty good as well. The finale does suffer with the whole big CGI fight feeling quite forced and certain payoffs to certain things will be underwhelming to hardcore Marvel fans but as a whole, WandaVision still makes for a creative, fun, and engaging series that is one of the most interesting of the Disney Plus shows thus far.

Ralph Bohner was hilarious btw!

2.) Loki

Everyone favorite villain turned anti-hero in Loki is the best of the live-action Marvel Disney Plus shows thus far. There hasn’t been a live-action series thus far that took full advantage of the multiverse concept like this one did. It’s able to introduce the complete bonkers elements, universe building, and just plain “out there” concepts that Marvel set out to do with Phase 4 but never once loses focuses on the characters and their adventures throughout. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is more interesting and engaging than ever before showing off his “anti-hero” side than every other movie or show that he’s been in. Sophia Di Martion’s Sylvie makes for a great counterpart and stands out well as her own version of the God of Mischief. Owen Wilson is able to make the character of Mobius more charming and likable than he has every right to be. However, the one that arguably shines the most despite only showing up in the final episode is Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror! He not only helps make the character such an entertaining presence when he comes onscreen but also makes the series stick the landing in the end (Just a shame about………well yeah!). If more Disney Plus projects and post-Endgame content were on this level of quality, we would have had very little to complain about Marvel throughout the 2020s.

1.) X-Men ’97

In an era where it seems like the hype around superheroes and revivals have died down, here comes in X-Men 97, that was able to make it’s way to Disney Plus and show everyone how these things are suppose to be done. This was about as good of a revival as it could get, perfectly translate the traditional values and roots that the X-Men are known for in modern times while still being able to capture that Saturday morning cartoon vibe. The 2D animation is stunning and feels perfectly in line with it’s 96′ series counter part, the action sequences are filled with energy and excitement, and there is plenty of time given to each cast member of the X-Men to shine. And it was SUPER nice to see my boy Scott and my girl Rogue being done justice for once. Oh, and the glimmers of seeing Spider-Man 94′ back again brought a tear to my eye! No offense to the last several shows I listed but I think most would agree that X-Men 97 was far in a way the best Marvel Disney Plus show to come out thus far. It’s so good that I would love to see more Marvel revivals of beloved shows done in a similar matter. Come on, Disney! Greenlight Spider-Man 98 already! You know you want to!

My Favorite Shows of 2024

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So, this year I did something that I normally don’t do. I actually watch television shows. That’s an exaggeration of course but ever since I worked my way into college and grown accustomed to the internet, I normally don’t watch as many shows as I used to when I was kid. Outside of your casual Marvel and Star Wars shows on Disney Plus or your typical big hit series on Netflix such as Stranger Things, I hadn’t been that compelled to keep up with any new streaming series. That was until this year!

With how iffy film medium has been for the past couple of years, that has encouraged me to go to other resources for high quality entertainment. Those mediums that I’ve turned to have been video games and streaming shows. Because of my increase on the latter, I have worked my way to find the high quality shows that I heard so many good things about and see if they’ve lived up to the hype. And in 2025, I was able to find six distinct shows that were able to meet those expectations.

Keep in mind, these are my personal favorite shows of 2024. I didn’t have time to view every single hit show of the year and there are some that I liked but didn’t like well enough to where it deserved to be mention in my top lists. Regardless, here are my lists of my top 6 favorite shows of 2024.

6.) Terminator: Zero

People have gone back and forth in what should be considered the #3 best Terminator medium. Some favor the bonkers Rise of the Machines with it’s ballsy as hell ending, some favor the appropriately grim departure of the series known as Salvation, some prefer grandma Linda Hamilton and grandpa Arnold coming back to kick ass with Dark Fate, and of course there are those fortunate that was able to witness The Sarah Connor Chronicles in it’s entirety as the real proper continuation of the first two masterpieces in the franchise. However, we know have a new anime series that might just put every single film released between Judgement Day and Dark Fate to shame with Terminator: Zero.

Instead of relying on nostalgia and callbacks, Terminator: Zero actually dares to tell a fresh and unique story with new and engaging characters and adding new mythos to the lore. There’s no Connors or Arnold presence here, just a new conflict told through a different set of humans and machines. The animation style is incredibly fitting for what it’s going for, this is easily the most intense Terminator medium since the original film, the new characters that are introduced are able to hold their own, and it’s able to look at a much broader scope of the relationship between humanity and A.I. in ways that feels new and timely appropriate.

I don’t know if this series will appeal to those that aren’t fans of Terminator or anime but if you are a fan of either one of them, this Netflix exclusive is a must see. If anything, this proof that the Terminator brand can in fact endure with it’s own identity without the need to constantly bring a Linda Hamilton and Arnold into the mix.

5.) Arcane (Season 2)

The first season of Arcane was perhaps one of the greatest seasons of an animated series I have ever seen. Not only did it work near flawlessly as an adaption of it’s source material but it worked as it’s own series itself. It introduced some of the grandest worldbuilding, engaging characters, and superb animation of modern times, tackling serious subject matter involving tragedy and conflict. Because of that, expectations were over the ROOF for it’s second season. And while it’s still great, it can’t quite capture that lightning in a bottle that the first one did.

This perhaps has to do with the fact that Netflix decided that the second season should act as the final season and save any remaining stories set in this universe as individual spin-offs. Because of that, you got a third act, while well made and engaging, can’t help but feel overstuffed and crammed together just to get to the ending that the creators wanted for this series. While the first two/thirds of the show are able to be as compelling and intriguing as Season 1, the last third falters with trying to type up so much material in so little time.

Even so, I will still take a flawed masterpiece such as Arcane Season 2 than around 90% of most entertainment that I watched this year. The animation and world building is expanded upon even further with most impressive achievements, Vi and Jinx still remains the most compelling sisterhood relationship I’ve seen to date, the action is still grand and epic in scale, and the entire cast is still able to get a moment of their own to shine. Season 2 may not have been the perfection that Season 1 was but in this case, I’ll still take imperfection if it means I get to spend more time in this world and it’s characters.

4.) Fallout

Last year’s Amazon smash hit managed to be one of the most surprising new series to come out in 2024. Despite having all odds against them, Fallout was able to work greatly as an adaption that honored the source material is was based on (despite some potential retcons here and there) while expanding the overall world to new audience members all around the world.

Aided by an INCREDIBLY likable and talented cast with Ella Purnell’s Lucy (I NEVER get tired of her saying “ookie-dookie”), Walton Goggin’s Cooper Howard, and Aaron Clifton Moten’s Maximus, this series puts the focus on a handful of scrappy survivors fighting their way through a nuclear apocalypse in different parts of a retro-futuristic America. Even with it’s rather serious stakes throughout, the show never forgets to be lighthearted and fun when the moments require it. Show creator Jonathan Nolan clearly understood the assignment here and we all ended up the better for it.

Although the ending left quite a bit to be desired (which is apparently the case with most Fallout games), this video game show was an absolute blast regardless of whether you are a fan of the games or not. With a perfectly balanced tone, engaging protagonists, and top notch production values, Fallout earns itself a spot as a new gold standard for video game adaptions and shows.

3.) X-Men ’97

In an era where it seems like the hype around superheroes and revivals have died down, here comes in X-Men 97 that was able to swipe on it’s way to Disney Plus and show everyone how these things are suppose to be done. This was about as good of a revival as it could get, perfectly translate the traditional values and roots that the X-Men are known for in modern times while still being able to capture that Saturday morning cartoon vibe.

The 2D animation is stunning and feels perfectly in line with it’s 96′ series counter part, the action sequences are filled with energy and excitement, and there is plenty of time given to each cast member of the X-Men to shine, rarely suffering from the problem of the films where a certain group of characters manages to completely overshadow the other. And it was SUPER nice to see my boy Scott and my girl Rogue being done justice for once. Oh, and the glimmers of seeing 94′ Spider-Man back again brought a tear to my eye!

No offense to Deadpool & Wolverine but I think most would agree that X-Men 97 was far in a way the best Marvel-related thing to come out in 2024. It’s able to capture the spirit of it’s 90s counterpart as well as just the X-Men in general! It’s so good that I would love to see more Marvel revivals of beloved shows done in a similar matter. Come on, Disney! Greenlight Spider-Man 98 already! You know you want to!

2.) The Penguin

With there being so many “Who asked for this?!” spin-offs of existing IPs out lately, The Penguin was able to step up to the plate and hit an absolute grand slam of a spin-off series. Matt Reeves and Lauren Lefranc is able to expand upon the crime lord of Gotham in fascinating ways here, showcasing a perfect example on how to do these “grounded” superhero stories correctly.

The production values are fantastic, Gotham has never been this intriguing to explore in live-action, the characters are all engaging, the plot is intriguing, and the performance are stellar from top to bottom, aided greatly by the central performance by Colin Farrell (who is still unrecognizable as the Penguin) and the scene stealing turn by Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. It’s also incredibly refreshing to have a villain led-story where we actually get to see the main lead be a villain all the way through, with ZERO need to make them an anti-hero or the good guy in the end. Also, take notes, The Acolyte! THIS is how you do flashbacks in episodes!

Even if this kind of series wasn’t necessarily “needed”, The Penguin is proof if the talent and craft is there, you can make great art out of anything. Although the recent delays of The Batman: Part II is unfortunate, I will still be first in line to see what awaits for the next installment of the now-called The Batman Epic Crime Saga. I BETTER see Robert Pattinson beat the shit out of Oz in the first five minutes or else!

1.) Shogun

Of course, the one series that has received the most awards and acclaim turned out to be my favorite show of 2024. There was no other show in 2024 that was able to shock and astonish the entertainment world than Shogun. It rivals Game of Thrones in it’s prime in terms of quality, able to expand upon it’s periodic times to perfection while examining complicated themes surrounding war, culture, and religion.

The writing is excellent, the characters are very well developed, the story is rich and full of intrigue, the production design is off the charts all around, there’s not a single actor or actress that phones it in, and it’s able to showcase themes that feel modern to our times but also culturally appropriate in the setting that the series is set in. You even got some incredibly impressive action sequences that feel grounded and expertly choreographed, emotional beats that are always properly build up and earned, and able to find a satisfying pay off to nearly every single main thing it sets ups. And as everyone has pointed out, Anna Sawai gives the standout performance of 2024 as Toda Mariko, stealing every scene that she’s in for the better.

There are many shows that get hyped up nowadays but very few are able to truly live up to it for me. Shogun is surely one of those exceptions. It’s exceptionally made, exceptionally written, exceptionally acted, exceptionally directed, and exceptionally entertaining. If there is any show from 2024 that deserves to be studied and examined on how to make a proper streaming series set in a period time and setting, look no further than Shogun.

SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 12-13) Retrospective: The “Other” Bad Era

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Well, I guess good things can’t last forever……again. If my reviews on Sponge on the Run and the Sandy Cheeks movie is any indication, you could probably guess that I don’t have very positive thoughts about the current era of SpongeBob SquarePants we are currently in. Or at least with Seasons 12 and 13. While Season 14 and onwards remains to be seen (with that being the final piece of this retrospective/perspective), it feels like we are in the era where it seems like the young sponge we all know and love has officially flamed out.

There are of course many reasons as to why SpongeBob SquarePants has fell into the same trappings he did between Seasons 6 and 8. From Nickelodeon once again milking as much SpongeBob content and merchandise as possible in order to keep itself afloat to unfortunate passing of Stephen Hillenburg to the show just more than wearing out it’s welcome, SpongeBob has officially entered another bad era. The only slight glimmer hidden within these two seasons is a handful of standout episodes that was likely still in production before we all lost Stephen.

What’s most interesting is how this “other bad” era of SpongeBob is ENTIRELY different reasons than the original “bad” era. Seasons 6 through 8 suffered mostly from ill-conceived writing, the characters being unrecognizable from their original self, and way too much gross out humor that is disgusting to watch and cringe inducing to see characters suffered through it. When it comes to Seasons 12, 13, and (perhaps) 14, the main issues in lies in the fact that it’s just…..complete and utter nonsense.

There is little to no coherent storylines, random gags constantly happen out of nowhere just because, there is so much “fan service” and easter eggs that just exists for fans to point their fingers at the screen Leonardo DiCaprio style, and the animation has gotten so ham-fisted and over-the-top you could swear half of the crew was on cocaine while animating it. It may not fall under the mean-spirited tone and unpleasant characterization that the middle seasons did but it still can’t shake the feeling that everyone has run out of ideas for the show and are now just throwing whatever at the walls to see what sticks. Even in the worst episodes of the original “bad” era, you could at least understand the well intended point the writers were trying to make here. Here, I could barely tell you what exactly they were trying to get across with the majority of the episodes.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into these two seasons!

Season 12

I will say, between the two seasons, Season 12 is definitely the better one in quality. After all, this was the last season which Hillenburg was involved in before his unfortunate passing. And there are sprinkles of his influence throughout the season. This includes episodes such as Plankton’s Intern, Dream Hopers, The Krusty Bucket, and The Ghost of Plankton. Of course, there is also the very special episode, designed to celebrate over 20 years of SpongeBob SquarePants, known as SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout, that basically acted as an anti-thesis of the controversial 10th anniversary episode known as Truth or Square. These were all episodes that were able to follow the strengths of the previous three seasons without going too far in the other unintended direction to make for a nice transaction phase after the middle seasons. Unfortunately, the rest of the season in not able to keep up that consistent level of quality.

Episodes such as Jolly Lodgers, Boss For a Day, The Nitwitting, Hiccup Plague, Who R Zoo, and Sandy’s Nutty Neices were all factors into the decline of this modern era of SpongeBob we are living in. It’s takes an idea that might make for a decent short at BEST and then stretches it out for as long as it can with uncanny animation, repetitive gags, and chunks of filler just to justify the episode being at least 11 minutes long. The plot barely has any coherent follow through, you get so much returning characters from the original three seasons that they don’t know what to do with, and it just seems to lack the heart and passion that the best SpongeBob episodes and seasons have.

And there was even an episode called Kwarantined Krab, which (NO JOKE) revolved around a pandemic that hit Bikini Bottom. It was originally meant to air in 2020 but due to the real life Covid-19 pandemic, it was pushed by Nickelodeon to 2022, right around the time where everything was starting to get under control. The episode would not be included as part of the Season 12 DVD box set and was taken down temporarily on Paramount Plus. I couldn’t find out if this episode was made before COVID hit or during it but that was just…..unfortunate timing.

And that is one thing that can basically be said about Season 12 as a whole, unfortunate timing. From coming off the highs of Season 11 to Hillenburg’s passing, it could not have come out at a worse time and the quality of it certainly didn’t help in aiding it. Even so, this season isn’t so bad compared to Season 13!

Season 13

It’s hard to say for certain if this is the worst season of SpongeBob SquarePants or the one that did the most damage to the franchise but no doubt, but this was no doubt the one that showed just how much this series is running on fumes. Not only did it suffer easily the worst tv ratings of any season (barely able to reach 500K an episode), but this is the season that suffered from having the lowest amount of creativity thus far.

To be honest, I could just copy and paste almost everything I said about Season 12 and that’s what you get here, except there is much more bad here. It’s all just so random, so all over the place, and just not SpongeBob. This season doesn’t so much feel like it was written and animated by an A.I. but more of a simulated conveyor belt. At best, this season is full of episodes you can watch with a headset while playing a game and makes for decent background noise. At worst, it’s just completely generic and utter nonsense.

One episode in particular that is the perfect example of the modern era of SpongeBob in a nutshell is FUN-Believable. It’s an episode that has no plot, clumsy animation, overlong and unfunny gags, returning fan favorite characters from the original three seasons that it has no idea what to do with, and just dials into complete nautical nonsense (no pun intended). The worst part of it all is that I couldn’t tell you what the title, FUN-Believable, is suppose to represent in this episode. Nothing that occurs in this episode felt fun or believable to me and not even the characters in the episode. If I can’t tell you what it means, then there’s a good chance that the creators of that episode couldn’t either.

I would say more but that’s the best description I got for Season 13. It’s basically Season 12 but on steroids, with much more of the bad and much less of the good. Are there a handful of gem episodes scattered throughout? Sure! Is it anywhere near enough to save this season and other “bad” era of SpongeBob? Absolutely not!

In Conclusion

While Seasons 12 and 13 of SpongeBob SquarePants are far from the worst things that I’ve ever seen, it really does represents the show on it’s very last legs. The clever ideas that the show has had for years in regards to it’s humor, characters, world building, and meaningful messages are barely to be seen here. It’s now nothing about utter nonsense, unearned fan service, and tons of filler that’s good enough to justify an episode being 11 minutes long. While it does seem like the current writers understand why fans didn’t like the middle seasons of the show, what they DON’T understand is why fans liked the original seasons and the era in between Hello Bikini Bottom and SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout. Aside from a handful of enjoyable episodes and a solid anniversary special that could be seen as the true epilogue of the series outside of the first movie, it’s sad to confirm that SpongeBob has entered another bad era.

Unfortunately, unlike the last bad era he was in, Nick can’t rely on Stephen Hillenburg to help get them out of their slump again. It’s only a handful of creators that were there from the beginning such as Tim Hill, Derek Drymon, Mr. Lawrence, and Aaron Springer that can do everything in their power to return this series to a new good era. While Hill failed miserably with Sponge on the Run, Drymon, Lawrence, and Springer are currently working on new SpongeBob movies such as Plankton and Search for SquarePants to hopefully provide some sort of spark left to this franchise.

Despite the recent decline in quality and television ratings, it doesn’t seem like Nickelodeon plans on ending the show anytime soon. The merchandise is still going strong, the spin-off series in Kamp Koral and The Patrick Star Show have expanded the brand even further, and this is basically all that Nickelodeon has left to thrive on or else they will basically be dead. No amount of Paw Patrol, Fairly OddParents reboots, or constant tv re-runs of the Sonic movies will be able to save them this time! Unless the folks that work on SpongeBob now are able to find some sort of creative spark in spite of Nickelodeon’s constant micromanagement, it’s hard to imagine another successful era on par with the original three seasons and Seasons 9-11.

However, there is at least one episode from this era that I genuinely believe could have worked as both a proper ending and even epilogue to SpongeBob SquarePants as a whole. That one episode of course is SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout! And I will talk all about why next month!

Next Month: Why SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout Should Have Been The Ending of SpongeBob SquarePants

Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!

SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 9-11) Retrospective: The “Revival” Era

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Right around the time these three seasons came out, there was a whole generation of the SpongeBob fandom that had basically given up on this show. Whether it’s because of the inconsistent to poor quality of the later seasons or that they just got too old for the show, there was a significant group that had basically stopped watching SpongeBob SquarePants entirely. This was around this time where the show had to basically go through an awkward transaction phase from one era to the next if it were to continue for the foreseeable future. Now that the kids of the 1990s and 2000s had grown up and moved on, Nickelodeon had to find a way to appeal to the kids of the 2010s. And I guess Nickeldeon thought that the best way to get these kids to care about SpongeBob is by going back to what made the original seasons so good while also adding a new identity with itself to make this era feel incredibly distinctive of itself and compared to the rest of the other seasons.

This include the likes of new and stylish animation, bringing back characters, callbacks, and references to the original three seasons, and the biggest one of all, bringing back the creative folks that helped make SpongeBob SquarePants an icon in the first, most notably the original writers and the show creator himself, Stephen Hillenburg. In a way, Seasons 9-11 felt like a revival series for SpongeBob SquarePants without technically being a revival series. This felt like the show wanting to usher in a new generations of SpongeBob fans while still appealing to the ones that grew up with the show and we’re still watching it to this very day. It might have been a trickly balance act but for the most part, it paid off about as well as it could have.

Seasons 9-11 not only acted as easily the best era of SpongeBob SquarePants since the original, it was genuine proof that the show still had plenty of life left in it, even over 12 years later. It might have had some rough spots here and there and certainly consisted with particular animation styles that would certainly not being everyone’s cup in tea, but for the first time in a long time, it felt like there was genuine love and passion for our favorite yellow sponge. SpongeBob no longer felt like a corporate product for Nickelodeon, he just felt like……SpongeBob.

Season 9

Okay, I’m not gonna lie. I was REALLY questioning whether or not to put this as part of the “other good” era of SpongeBob that we are discussing this month. Mostly because, the first half of the season was not so great. It contained a handful of some of the most infamous episodes through the show’s history such as Squid Baby, Little Yellow Book, and the absolute ABSYMAL “special” that was SpongeBob, You’re Fired!. After Season 8 ended on an incredibly promising note with Hello Bikini Bottom! and It’s A SpongeBob Christmas, it seems like it was back to the “same old, same old” with SpongeBob, barley hanging on life support with Nickelodeon refusing to put their cash cow to sleep. It was definitely not all bad with also a handful of legit good episodes mixed in (My personal favorite being Plankton’s Pet!) but the bad ones were legit awful, being up there among the absolute worst episodes in SpongeBob’s history.

It is worth mentioning that this season alone went on for about FIVE years, starting in July 2012 and not ending until February 2017. I was still in high school by time this season started and by the time it ended, I was in my second year of community college. A large part of that likely had to do with Nickelodeon’s annoying habit of airing the episodes of a show out of it’s original order and airing them literally whenever the heck they wanted to. Another part of that had to do with the fact that in between Seasons 9 and 10, Nickelodeon along with the cast and crew of the show put the majority of the focus on the next SpongeBob movie, Sponge Out of Water. Needless to say, this season was just…..all over the place.

Thankfully, the second half of Season 9 was much more consistent and was the positive shift in quality that many were hoping for after Season 8. Some of the best episodes include Lost in Bikini Bottom, Tutor Sauce, Squid Plus One, Two Thumbs Down, Bulletin Board, Pineapple Invasion, along with plenty of others. It was able to cut down on the flaws that plagued the previous seasons such as the mean spirted tone, the characters one known trait being cranked up to 11, and all of that Squidward Torture Porn. Instead, the episodes felt more heartfelt, genuine, and earnest, while recapturing the style of humor and animation that made the original three seasons stand out as well as it did. Even with the somewhat bumpy first half, the second half was able to be much stronger and consistent, giving the series another lease on life.

While Season 9 turned out to be a pleasant surprise, I’m sure there were plenty of fans if Nick would be able to keep up with that consistent level of quality for Season 10 and onwards. Between this and Sponge Out of Water, there were encouraging signs to SpongeBob but it still felt like it needed that consistent voice that can guide the series forward without these constant sudden dips in quality. So what did Nickelodeon after this season? They bought back a handful of the writers of the first three seasons, including the creator and showrunner of the first three seasons of the show, Stephen Hillenburg. Needless to say, after all of that was confirmed, the vibes could NOT have been more positive for the future for our favorite yellow sponge.

Season 10

To say that Season 10 was a return to form for the series would be an understatement. This is when SpongeBob SquarePants finally just felt 100% right. While that is likely due to Stephen Hillenburg returning to the show with a role greater than a creative consultant that checked into office every now or then, the show has not felt so joyful and genuine since perhaps the first SpongeBob movie.

This is a season that everyone from the cast and crew seemed like they brought things back to basic, almost acting like this is a soft reboot of the franchise. The cast felt looser and more locked in with their performances than ever before, there was a newer and slicker animation style that felt like a progression from the prior seasons, and you can just see the handfuls of story ideas and slapstick comedy just bursting on the screen at every given moment.

Season 10 was also the season had put more focus on the overall continuity of the show. There were plenty of one-off supporting characters and jokes that are given more time to shine throughout the season, most notably with the likes of Bubble Bass, Nosferatu, and even the “MY LEGS!” guy. That’s not to say it introduced a bunch of plot threads that would be followed upon later on down the road or introduce new story elements to the canon but it was just a reminder that the crew that returned to the show did not forget their achievements from back in the day.

One other main element of Season 10 was how this was when the show put quite an emphasis on revisiting ideas from their past but doing new things with it. The most positive example of this is with Mimic Madness. That was an episode that took ideas and cues from the infamous Face Freeze episode but they were able to make it work WONDERFULLY here. That episode in of itself is how this entire season operated in a nutshell. Taking a handful of ideas from the past, throwing in new elements with the newer style of animation, and make into something worthwhile that can stand on it’s own. Mimic Madness alone best represents the style of animation, humor, slapstick, ideas, and creativity that Season 10 would have.

Other standout episodes include Code Yellow, House Warming, The Getaway, Patrick’s Coupon, Burst Your Bubble, and Feral Friends. It was a season that was able to combine ideas old and new and still finding ways to make them fresh, funny, and entertaining. In a way, Season 10 basically played like a special revival series, similar to the likes of X-Men 97 and even a handful of revival movies that Nickelodeon took time our of their day to make with their old classic shows. It was able to act as a modern update of the show while still be able to capture that joyful and silly wonder that SpongeBob SquarePants had during the show’s original prime.

That’s not to say the season was perfect by any means. As I mentioned, there were plenty of episodes that reused ideas from the past and, even if many of them executed better than it did in the past, it does become noticeable the more episodes you watch during this season. This was also the beginning of introducing the new crazy, wacky, and just plain “out there” animation that the show basically used as a staple from here on out. While it does help to give this era it’s own unique personality and charm, there are times where the animation can become WAY too “in your face”. So much so that I honestly wouldn’t blame anyone that couldn’t get into these newer episodes because of it.

What’s most shocking about Season 10 was that this was the shortest season of the show by quite a bit. It only consisted of 11 episodes total with just 22 episodes, with no half hour long episodes or holiday episodes to go along with it. While that is likely due to the focus that Nick had on Sponge Out of Water at the time, it does make Season 10 feel a bit like a protype for Season 11 and onwards. And this was even before the trend where each new show would only consisted of six to ten episodes top per season.

Even so, while brief, Season 10 brought some much needed energy and spark to a long-running show that was starting to lose it’s steam big time. While plenty would still argue that SpongeBob didn’t need to keep going for this long, if the show HAD to keep going, at least it seemed like the cast and crew were putting the same love and effort that they have done with the past. And it’s that same kind of love and effort that was able to carry itself into Season 11.

Season 11

While I’m not sure I would say Season 11 is objectively the best season of the show, it is most certainly the most creative, unique, and inventive season of the entire show. I stand by that statement completely! I can’t recall a season of SpongeBob SquarePants that felt like it was trying to get every single creative inch that it could scratch and give the show it’s own unique voice to it. The animation is at it’s peak, the story found a perfect blend of comedy and stakes while being told in a functional structure, each characters no matter how big or small would get a moment and/or episode to themselves, the world building brought a brand new side to the Bikini Bottom we had yet to see, the ideas for each episode have never been explored further, and all the characters just felt totally in form with very little sense of unlikability and mean sprit to them.

Season 11 was non-stop hit after hit, classic episode after classic episode. Just off the top of my head! Spot Returns, Karen’s Virus, Man Ray Returns, The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom, Squid Noir, My Leg, Mustard O’ Mine, No Pictures Please, Bottle Burglars, Plankton Paranoia, Creature Feature, Moving Bubble Bass, and Scavenger Pants. These are all episodes that is not only good enough to fit wonderfully with the first three seasons but it was show that SpongeBob still had plenty of creative bones left in his body, standing firmly on it’s own two feet without feeling the need to change the past. Even the ideas and characters from previous episodes that are brought back here have enough fresh and new elements added to them that it almost feels like you are seeing them for the very first time.

Season 11 is when the show was arguable as it’s most energy-filled and feels so alive. It’s expansion on the worlds, characters, and lore of SpongeBob SquarePants was so fun and refreshing to see. I love the attention to detail, I love seeing the new roles that certain characters was able to play as, I love that it brought it’s own sense of humor and slapstick, I love seeing this universe being expanded upon further than ever before, and I just love the fact that I can say that I adored a new season of SpongeBob without feeling ashamed or having reservations for it. This really felt like this show as back in absolute peak form. Yes, there might have been one or two duds in here, most infamously Pink Lemonade, but those are much easier to ignore or accept because the rest of what Season 11 had to offer was just so good.

The main thing that I got from Season 11 was this was when the cast and crew that returned to the show felt fully at home here. They knew that in order for the show to keep going in a positive way, they would have to remember what worked so well about the original run of the show while also bringing in fresh and new elements of it’s own to make this season and era of SpongeBob stand out more than just trying to recapture that magical lightning in a bottle. While I’m sure everyone has their own thoughts about Season 11 and this era as a whole, I say they succeeded greatly.

If there was any season that showed there was zero contrast between pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob that would be this. When it comes to quality, there is no pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob to me. In my eyes, there’s just good SpongeBob and bad SpongeBob. And Season 11 was some darn good SpongeBob. This wasn’t just the best that SpongeBob SquarePants has been in ages. This was SpongeBob SquarePants reaching a new level of peak. That kind of peak that everything afterwards have yet to replicate.

There will undoubtedly some hater that will read this post and think I’m being a weirdo for gushing over a season from the “modern” SpongeBob era but I don’t care. For a SpongeBob season to be as good as it is considering how long the show has gotten is a miracle. Whether it’s because of the old blood that returned to the show or the new blood that came into the show around this time, Season 11 of SpongeBob SquarePants just rocked.

In Conclusion

They say it could never be done but at long last, SpongeBob SquarePants had finally had a consistently good era once again. You can debate on whether or not it compared to the first three seasons of the show but no doubt, Seasons 9-11 were able to stand strong on their own, no matter what you compare it to. There are some flaws to be found such as the constant reusing of old ideas and the new animation style will either really work for you or put you off entirely but it’s so nice to be able to talk about SpongeBob in such a positive light again. This era was so good that I didn’t need to bend over backwards to defend it like I do with Seasons 4-5, it’s just good in it’s own right.

It really just goes to show how anything is possible and you should always learn to never say never. This era of SpongeBob SquarePants should be proof that long-running franchises can reach greatness even after it’s peak. If you have the right cast and crew that are 100% committed to what they do, they can achieve anything. With all the momentum on this show’s side at long last, would they still be able to keep up that quality for the foreseeable future? Well…..just tune in next time.

Next Month: ???

Video Game Adaptations Are Good Now (And It’s Okay To Admit That)

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This month saw the release of the new Amazon hit series of the live action adaptation of the popular video game franchise known as Fallout. In about a week or two since it has come out on Prime, it has been quite a success for critics and fans alike! So much so that Amazon has already greenlighted a second season just one week after all eight episodes of the first season released! There might have been some trivial debate about releasing all the episodes at once or whether or not it retcon a certain Fallout game from existence but for the most part, the series has basically pleased the majority of viewers who have given it a watch thus far. And as you would expect whenever a new video game adaption turns out to be surprisingly good, you still get the typical question about whether or not this was the one that broke the so-called “video game adaptation curse”, despite them asking the exact same question about the previous video game adaptation that the media praised.

Never mind the fact that there has been numerous adaptions for video games in the form of movies and tv series that have been good to great for at least the past five years! Never mind the fact that there was a big popular and well received video game movie or show that got a rave response from everybody a year prior! Apparently, those never happened and Fallout is the one that broke the curse by being the first ever video game adaptation to not suck! I don’t buy that for a second and I don’t think even the people that have made this claim do.

The main reason I say this has to do with the success and praise that last year’s video game adaptation in Max’s The Last of Us received. And just like with Fallout, that was a video game series that led many people to say that was the first legit great video game adaptation to ever exist and the one that broke the video game adaptation curse.

Did we just forget about that all of a sudden? Did we forget that everyone and their mother put that series on a pedestal when it came out as that being the first adaptation to get it right? Or are we just going to ignore all of that entirely that just for the sake of propping up Fallout? I’m not gonna say I know the answers to these questions but I do remember everything that folks have been saying about Fallout was also said about The Last of Us. And the reason I know that was because well…..I wrote a piece about that as well.

As I discussed on that piece last year, I would strongly argue that video game adaptations have taken a HUGE step up in quality as least since 2019 with the releases of Detective Pikachu and The Angry Birds Movie 2. And there’s even an argument to be made that the year prior wasn’t so bad with the releases of Tomb Raider (2018) and Rampage. As a matter of fact, the last true bad year for video game adaptations was in 2016 and 2017 with the releases of Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. That is a good seven to eight years ago since video game adaptations truly sucked! Since the 2020s rolled around, there have been more winners than losers!

In terms of movies, we’ve had The Super Mario Bros Movie, that grossed over a billion dollars worldwide last year, the two Sonic the Hedgehog flicks, with the third coming out this December to massive mainstream hype, the Five Nights at Freddy Movie which despite it’s poor critical reviews, was a solid hit for hardcore FNAF fans, the Gran Turismo motion picture that was a surprising crowd pleaser, and Werewolves Within which most didn’t even recognize it was an adaption because of how good it was at it’s own thing!

In terms of tv shows/streaming services, we got some pure quality and well made adaptation in terms of live-action and animation such as the masterful Arcane, the anime hit Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the perfectly live-action adaptation in The Last of Us, the unexpectedly fun and amusing Twisted Metal, and now we have the latest banger in Fallout.

And that’s not even going into the other upcoming adaptions in the works that have potential to be just as good as the examples mention such as the new Minecraft movie and the new animated Tomb Raider series from Netflix. Have there been stinkers and more to come? Absolutely! But literally, no genre of any kind is perfect and will always have a dud every now and then. However, it’s incredibly safe to say that video game adaptations have gotten much better since the 2020s rolled around and have shown fans of multiple video games franchises that these can in fact work in terms of movie and television form that works greatly as it’s own thing.

Which yet again makes me wonder why we keep having this same argument over and over again. Why is it that we are still shocked whenever a video game adaptation is good despite the many other proven examples that I just mentioned? More importantly, why is it that we keep devaluing them just to praise the newest one that comes out when it’s any good? The only answer I can come up is that perhaps people are just afraid to call a video game adaptation good because of all the missteps of this subgenre in the past.

Much like how there are certain folks afraid to admit they like a new Disney movie or superhero flick or whatever motion picture made from a so-called “assembly line”, maybe folks don’t want to admit that video game adaptations are good now. They don’t want to accept that this is a medium that can in fact be successful when giving the proper care and treatment. It’s no longer the kind of movies and shows that can be a whipping boy to everything wrong in modern entertainment. Because now, video game adaptations have proven that they can be just as successful as a movie or show as they are with a game. Video game adaptations can evolve and develop into something greater that does its source material justice to not just fans of the franchise but also to newcomers as well. Because of all the examples I have given and more, video game adaptations no longer deserve the scrutiny the get just based on past mistakes. And you know what, it’s okay to admit that.

It’s okay to admit that a movie or series based off a video game can be good or even great. It’s okay to admit that the creators of these recent video game adaptations have learned from the mistakes of other failed adaptions in the past to make something worthwhile in the present. It’s okay to acknowledge the shortcoming of new adaptations without tearing down the entire subgenre itself. And most importantly, it’s okay to admit that video game adaptations can be just as good as anything else. Not just in spite of being a video game adaptation but BECAUSE it’s a video game adaptation! It’s okay to admit ALL of that because it’s true, ALL OF IT!

The Fallout series certainly deserves all the praise and success it has been given thus far. It’s well made with excellent production values, a bonkers feel that seems the most appropriate, unique world building, and great performances from the cast, especially Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins. However, there is no need to put this one on a pedestal as being the one video game adaptation that got it “right” or claim it shouldn’t be as good as it is strictly because it’s a video game adaptation. Fallout works whatever way you look at it and not for the reasons you don’t. It’s a video game adaptation that is good just like many other recent video game adaptations have been good. And as I’ve been saying throughout this entire piece, it’s okay to admit that. I sure hope I’m not the only one that feels that way!

Please don’t screw up Borderlands, Eli Roth! I don’t want to have to make another one of these posts four months from now!