The following is a retro review of Iron Man 2, a Jon Favreau film.
Jon Favreau returned to the Iron Man-franchise, with a sequel to the critically acclaimed original film from 2008. Marvel Studios was desperate to build the universe, and chose to start building their new empire within the sequel to Iron Man. But while easter eggs can be promising and exciting, studio-mandated easter eggs can ruin a film if they dictate too much of the plot. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Iron Man 2 (2010)”
The following is a retro review of Iron Man, a Jon Favreau film.
Jon Favreau’s Iron Man successfully kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008. Few had expected that the film would be great – and nobody saw the greatness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming. Iron Man is one of the most groundbreaking superhero films of all-time, and is still one of the best in that genre. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Iron Man (2008)”
The following is a review of Captain America: The First Avenger, a Joe Johnston film. The review was written in early 2016.
I’ll be the first to admit that I really didn’t have a lot of strong feelings for Captain America prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I hadn’t really been interested in the character: to me, he was just this patriotic ‘boy-scout’. I didn’t think Marvel would be able to really make me love the character. Boy, was I wrong!
Continue reading “REVIEW: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)”
The following is a review of Thor: The Dark World.
Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to what I believe is one of the most underrated superhero films of the 21st Century: Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. I never expected for this sequel to be as great as the first Thor (especially not when I heard that Kenneth Branagh wasn’t returning), but I expected a good movie. In the end, I was left with one of the most disappointing films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Thor: The Dark World (2013)”
The following is a review of Thor, a Kenneth Branagh film.
Thor was the first film that really made it clear to me that Marvel Studios could make any hero character interesting and cool. What really made this film work was how they managed to add both humor and Shakespearian dialogue to a film about a Norse God. I absolutely love this film, though, I do realize that I might be one of the biggest fans of this film. Continue reading “REVIEW: Thor (2011)”
The following is a retro review of The Incredible Hulk, a Louis Leterrier film.
Five years after Ang Lee released his version of a Hulk-film, Marvel Studios decided to make a quasi-sequel/reboot of Bruce Banner’s adventures and make it a part of a newly planned franchise. But while The Incredible Hulk became the second film in a multi-billion dollar movie franchise, stuff behind the scenes would end up making this film the least important that Marvel Studios produced in the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk (2008)”
The following is a spoiler-free review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a Zack Snyder film.
Batman v Superman is finally here! Comic book fans have been wanting to see this film for decades, and moviegoers have been waiting for a proper sequel to Man of Steel since 2013. Somehow this film had to appease both audiences. My complicated history with Man of Steel has been heavily documented on this blog, and I don’t think I’ve really loved a Zack Snyder-film since his remake of Dawn of the Dead.
Needless to say, I was really worried about this film. Superman used to be one of my favorite comic book characters, and Batman still is one of my favorites – I want them to be given a proper treatment on the big screen. I just wanted to like it – that is all I wanted from this film. But, to be perfectly honest, I did not. At least not all of it. Continue reading “REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)”
Our next movie in The Collection might be the best remake of all-time – the excellent crime-drama The Departed directed by Martin Scorsese. Originally, another Scorsese film was going to be this month’s member of The Collection, but in a last minute change-up the ensemble-led drama became the next must-watch film suggested by me. Continue reading “The Collection #3 – The Departed”
The following is a review of Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016), a Netflix Original Film.
The character ‘Pee-wee Herman’ was a comedic hit primarily in the 1980s. By releasing a film starring Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee Herman, Netflix were hoping to cash in on the heavy pull of nostalgia. While I’m sure that worked for a lot of people, that would never work for me with this character. I had never seen anything with Pee-wee Herman. I didn’t grow up with the character. I might’ve seen what the character looks like before, but I didn’t know what I was getting into when I sat down to watch it… But I had a lot of fun with this film. Continue reading “REVIEW: Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016)”
The following is a retro review of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a George Lucas film.
The first return of Star Wars didn’t go as well as planned. Way back in 1999, George Lucas resurrected the greatest movie franchise of all-time with The Phantom Menace. It included politics, fan-service, and a very young Darth Vader. Fans were certain that this franchise reboot was going to work, but, unfortunately, the end result did not live up to most fans’ expectations. To this day, the end result is remembered as one of the worst examples of prequel films, but, while I can’t say that I like the film, I don’t think it is as catastrophic as its sequel. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)”
I'm Jeffrey Rex 