My Avengers Endgame review

My Avengers Endgame review 

 

Intro: I'm surrounded by crybabies. 

Avengers Endgame: The movie takes place 5 years after Thanos wiped out half of the population in the universe. We see how the survivors are affected by it, some of them manage to cope, others not so much and Thanos is MIA. One day two of the reminding Avengers learn that an ally survived the snap and he or she has an idea on how to repair the damage Thanos has caused. So the Avengers reunite to try and see if they can make this suggestion work. 

I wish I can say that I loved this movie but I didn't. Despite this being an emotional and entertaining film it's also problematic, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The movie maybe three hours long but it doesn't feel like it. There is a scene in the movie that will almost put a smile on your face! This movie did things that haven't been done before in superhero films, I can't elaborate without spoiling anything. The last act feels like I'm watching a Football game. Despite that, this movie wraps up eleven years of storytelling and it leaves doors open to continue this franchise.    

I'm impressed with what this movie has done with Tony/Iron Man, we get to see how much he has grown from the first Iron Man film to now. I wish he had better closer for his past, plus I don't like that he steals someone's thunder.  

I don't buy why Thor is the way he is in this movie because it makes no sense, I take back what I said about him reaching his breaking point in the last movie. It's sad to see him like this. My gripe with this character is the running joke the movie makes with him, you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. 

I'm not crazy about what this movie has done with Hawkeye, the writers turn him into another Marvel character. I'm surprised that no one questions if he can be trusted after the things he's done.  

This movie humanizes Black Widow, now that she lost half of her family she won't move on. Plus she does what she can to keep the rest of humanity safe. I wish the movie would give us more of her trying to cope. 

Steve Rogers/Captain America does his best to comfort people but it comes off as annoying. He did something that I think is kind of messed up.  

Bruce Banner/The Hulk is a bit of a goofball in this movie. What bugs me about him is the other thing the movie has done with him, not because it's bad it's because it happens off-screen. 

Carol/Captain Marvel is arrogant and she's barely in the movie.    

One of the many problems I have with this movie is their plan to try to fix what Thanos did, it's such a cop-out. There is a character in the comics that could help them, he or she was referenced in GOTG Vol 2. You'll have a hard time buying how things played out in this movie. We don't see how the general public is affected by half of the population being wiped out, we only see it from the Avengers perspective. I'm disappointed that this movie didn't have a serious tone as the trailers have us believe, thanks to the comedy. Speaking of comedy it seems like there suppose to be a laugh track whenever someone says something funny. Do I really have to comment on the plot holes?   

The Directors could have done a better job directing some of the scenes. Since Thanos is hardly in the movie I wish there was more conflict for the Avengers to raise the stakes. Speaking of Thanos if you loved him in Infinity War you're not going to love him here, I'm going to leave it at that.  Plus the movie wouldn't go from A to B if it wasn't for contrivances. What happened in the climax didn't surprise me because the MCU foreshadowed that this is going to happen, plus the climax is one-sided. This movie could have been a social commentary on moving on from tragedy however the film dropped the ball in that department.    

I may not consider this as one of the best MCU movies however it did it's job of ending to the Infinity Stones saga for the most part.   

Rating = Average  

My thoughts on Gotham

My thoughts on Gotham 

When I first saw the trailer for this show I was turned off by it because it's a prequel, enough said. Fans say they don't want to see Batman's origin what makes the creators think that we want to see everyone else's? Also, this show should have been called Gotham Elementary, I'm serious there are moments at the beginning where the show feels like that. I'm surprised that there isn't an episode where Bane bullies Bruce. Also, what about Arrow that show use Batman villains so there are no copyright issues? What made me give this series a chance is that season 5 is going to adapt one of my favorite Batman stories, that is No Man's Land.   

Basically, this is a cop show with Batman villains. Later on, this show grew some legs at the expense of Batman's mythology, the way this show plays with it I feel like I'm watching a Flash Point version of Batman. I'm surprised that Mr. Burton is not involved with this show because it has a bizarre tone to it just like his movies. This series is centered on Jim Gordon, what's the point of this if we don't learn much about him? This show drags out the mystery of who killed Bruce's parents and made it complex to the point where you won't care who did it. 

You might be disappointed with how this series handled the No Man's land story, the creators treat it as a mini-series. I don't understand why that story can work as a season-long story. The last episode feels like a season premiere, the episode before last feels like the series final. One of the things that bugs me about this show is the Easter eggs, they are so on the nose that characters might as well put up a sign that says I'm going to be this person or that person if you're too stupid to figure it out. Also, it seems like the writers want to have it both ways as far as wanting to do their own thing with the mythology and make this show look familiar to everyone else. 

I'm let down with how this show uses the Penguin, it wasn't bad it's just that I was hoping he would play role in Bruce's parent's death considering their history. 

I don't buy Bruce's relationship with Selina because of how manipulative she is, I'm surprised Bruce didn't strangle her for all the mind games she played with him.  

Alfred is more or less the same character as he was portrayed in the past. What makes this Alfred different is that we get his backstory of him being in the service. Also, his dynamic with Burce is different due to Bruce being a minor.   

Harvey Bullock is jaded, we get an episode that shows us why he's like that. 

What happened to Harvey Dent? I mean He was in season one after that we don't see him anymore. 

This show wasted Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Hugo Strange and Scar Face. 

The Riddle is handled fine for the most part. 

There are things I like about this show like the relationship between Jim and Bruce, that's never been focused on in live-action before. Despite not being crazy about how this show plays with Batman's Mythology I'm happy that the writers are creative with it. This series can be amusing at times. The show borrows elements from different sources. If you can look past that this is a Batman show this is an OK series. I would recommend this if you like Batman year one.   

   

My Shazam review

 My Shazam review 

 

Intro: How can Marvel and DC not know that they both have a character with the same name? That's what happens when you rip off each other. 

Shazam: This movie is centered on a boy name Billy Batson who's looking for his mother. During his search, he meets a wizard who gives him the ability to turn into an adult with superpowers, so he has fun with them. his playtime is interrupted when he catches Dr. Sivana's attention and he wants his powers. So, Billy has to still his ground with him. 

Yeah! This may be a fun movie but it's also stupid. Seriously how did this movie get good receptions? The movie is suppose to be a character-driven movie but it doesn't focus on the character's goals. What hurt this movie is the writing and inconsistencies. There is a scene where kids beat up a disabled kid. Where's the outrage over that? The movie tried to be about family, but the theme wasn't executed well. The climax in the movie is head-scratching.        

I don't like Billy/Shazam in this movie. I'm not saying that because he's not like his comic book counterpart I'm saying that because he's not worthy of these powers. He's a troubled loner who doesn't want to be around his foster family and only wants to find his mother. Plus, he has done anything that deserves praise from the public.      

Freddy (Billy's foster brother.) is a superhero fanboy. He tries to act as a mentor to Billy he does things to damage his credibility. Heck, he didn't deserve the (censor) at the end of the movie. 

 

Dr. Sivana (The main Villain) is a tragic character. I say that because of his upbringing however, I wish the movie would focus on how it affects him. What bugs me about him is that he has no reason to target Billy. 

The only thing I like about this movie is that it puts the adoption community in a positive light. All in all, this movie wasn't the best way to introduce us to this character. That's a shame because this movie could have been better with rewrites. 

 Rating = Rental 

My rant about the Punisher

  

 

My rant about the Punisher 

 

For those of you who don't read comic books Frank Castle/ The Punisher is a Marvel anti-hero who's a soldier with a family after he's done with the Army, he tries civilian life. That was short-lived when his family was murdered by a mobster, so Frank goes on a killing spree to avenge their death and he has been killing criminals ever since.  

The Punisher is a character that I don't find applying! What turns me off about this character when I was a kid is him killing criminals. I mean the way he kills and tortures them I'm surprised that Hollywood didn't turn him into a serial killer. To be fair we kind of got a serial killer version of the Punisher with Jigsaw. 

If you're going to create an anti-hero, he or she got to have some humanity to them or an ethical code to live by.

 

   

 

The red rood is would make a better Punisher because he manipulates crime and knows that some criminals need to be put down. Well, the Punisher doesn't kill the innocent but that's not reassuring. As I got older, I still have issues with it but not for the same reason, we all have a shadow self. A lot of people can't look me in the eyes and say that they wouldn't want to get revenge on anyone who hurt them or their loved ones. I'm not saying that's a good reason to kill anyone however it's understandable. Also, if you shoot me with the intent to kill and you think I'm going to pull my punches you're a fool.    

You don't get the sense that he's doing this for noble reasons or because of his family he's doing this because he's looking for a reason to do it. I'm no expert in Psychology but I'm sure that someone who enjoys killing people regardless of whether they deserve it or not needs to be in the nuthouse. Also, if you miss your dead relatives and friends would you honor their memory by doing something that you know they wouldn't be proud of? What about minors would he kill them for breaking the law? If he doesn't, I'm going to have problems with that, not because I want to see teenagers get killed it's because this will make him look like a hypocrite. 

If your argument is that minors don't know better adults don't know better either so what's your point? Since we're on the subject of hypocrisy Frank works with Deadpool and Venom in the comics even though they have blood on their hands. What's up with that? He also dated Elektra in the comics, that's another reason why I don't feel sorry for this character if he can manage to have a social life then he should be able to move on with his life. Also, do you think Frank would be this way if he got professional help?

Another thing how does he know that people are committing crimes because they were strong-armed into doing them? Some people don't think certain things should be illegal. For example, I don't think selling drugs should be illegal because the drug dealers are not forcing people to buy them, if you don't want drugs in your neighborhood or community don't buy them. If Alcohol is not illegal despite the DUI's and bar fights how is this any different? Now if they sell drugs to kids that's a different story.       

The only explanation to why he's doing this is because he doesn't trust the system. OK two things wrong with that, first of all, he didn't even try to get justice for his family with the legal system! So where is the mistrust coming from? Even if he did use the justice system and it didn't work out that's no excuse for him to kill people like he's playing Rainbow Six. Doing that makes Frank look like a spoiled brat. I'm not trying to be insensitive to people who were screwed over by the justice system however no one said life is fair. If your car breaks down, would you buy a new one instead of fixing it? You gain sympathy by how you move on from tragedy. Second if frank was a Black man, I might buy this excuse. Why can't Frank admit that he's an extremist? I remember the Punisher was in one episode of Spider-Man the animated series and he was portrayed as a bounty hunter. 

Out of the three Punisher movies I've seen the 2004 film and I didn't like it. This movie has the same effect on me as the 2003 Hulk movie that is it's depressing and slow to the point where you don't notice anything else in the movie. I appreciate that this movie didn't take the death of Frank's family lightly however if you're expecting an action movie and the film doesn't deliver that's an issue. Another gripe I have with this movie is Micro is not in it. For those of you who don't know who he is Micro is Frank's ally, he helps provide weapons and tech support. 

The Netflix series is OK. I was let down that this show didn't embrace this character, I mean he barely wears his signature skull, Micro is a means to an end and he doesn't go on an ongoing killing spree. That's sad considering that I like how the character was handled in season two of Daredevil. Frank in this series feels like Wolverine, he tries to live a normal life, but he gets involved in a crusade and moves on. 

The bottom line is the Punisher is one of those characters that I'm surprised lasted this long. We can understand his pain however we can't relate to him. He killed people who did him wrong and in his own way made the world safer by replacing evil with death. How many people do you know got back at everyone who wronged him or her? 

Despite not being crazy about him that doesn't mean writers can't come up with interesting stories with him. That's another thing that hurts this character different writers, I mean they don't seem to know what to do with him. For example, there is a comic book where he killed all the Marvel characters including himself because his family was caught in the crossfire between the heroes and villains, I'm not kidding about that. This character works better as a baddie and he can be used to create a social commentary on keeping yourself honest and society using severe punishments to keep people in line.