My New Mutants review

 My New Mutants review 

Intro: Despite not being crazy about the horror direction this movie is going I was willing to give it a chance. Having some of the powers that the X-Men have can be scary. The movie could also explore what does having these powers can do to you, mentality and emotionally? Yes! We had some of this in the other X-Men films however that wasn't the main focus and we don't see characters overcoming the problems they have with their powers. (This is something else I want to see more of in future X-Men films.) I'm surprised that writers didn't make more horror stories with the X-Men because you can come up with terrifying situations with these superpowers. With that said was this movie worth the wait let's find out... 

New Mutants: This movie is centered on five teenagers who are held against their will in a treatment facility where they learn to come to terms with their powers and personal issues. That becomes difficult when strange things start to happen at the facility so they have to figure out what's going on before things get out of hand. 

I can see why this movie was held back for years because it's a mess. Seriously why make us wait for this movie if you're not going to do anything to make the movie better? What hurt this movie is the lack of context. Besides one of the teens we don't know how long the others have been at this facility, how they got there and how does this place operates? If you like horror movies you might be let down by the horror aspect of the movie because the movie is not as scary as the trailers.

Part of the reason why is because the scares happen at random. The twists in the movie didn't surprise me because the movie drop too many hints. I was annoyed that this movie references an X-Men villain because I want to see him or her enough with the teasing! Speaking of villains the movie used a baddie from the new mutants comic and the writers could have done more with this character. You can argue that the theme of the movie is fear but it wasn't done well. This group of teens is nothing to brag about because the pack lacks different personalities. Plus only one of them stood out and they don't feel like real teenagers for the most part. 

I can't comment on Dani because I can't characterize her. She just going through the motions in this movie.    

Roberto is friendly in his own right. Despite his powers ruining his love life, he doesn't feel like he belongs at the facility. I wish the movie could have done more with him. 

Rahn Sinclair is the kind and caring one of the bunch. This girl knows how to work her magic you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. 

Sam is tormented by what happened that cause him to be at the facility. That's what bothers me about him. I understand why he's like this however he should have come to terms with it by now.  

lllyana Rasputin is the only character that stood out in this movie because she has a punchable face. She's a jerk to Dani for no reason and her backstory doesn't justify her acting this way towards her. 

Dr. Reyes is not the best doctor to help these kids. I say that because all she does is study and talk to them. It seems like she's not making any progress with them. What bugs me about her is how different she is from her comic book counterpart. Also don't you find it odd that she's the only one running this place?  

I appreciate that this movie tried to give us something different. I like that the movie gives characters that the general public is not familiar with a moment to shine. You can watch this movie without knowing anything about the X-Men.   

Overall this movie wasn't that bad but it wasn't good either. That's a shame because it could have been better than it was. If you want to see a horror/mystery version of the Breakfast club I would recommend this. 

Rating = Rental    

My thoughts on the Batman trailer

My thoughts on the Batman trailer 

 

So, a trailer for the latest Batman movie was released over the weekend at DC fandom. This took me by surprise because the filming for this movie was short-lived do to wasn't going on in the world. I'm not sure if I want to see this movie if it ever comes out because I don't want to look like a hypocrite. I mean I've been complaining about how Batman has been overexposed and I don't want to encourage DC/WB to continue doing that. It's been eight years since we got a Batman film and the general public hasn't been exposed to a lot of new DC characters. So far, we are introduced to three new characters they are Cyborg, Shazam and Stargirl. Let's be honest here is anyone really excited to see these three again? If I do decide to see this movie you can't say anything to me because of Aquaman. I mean if his ability to communicate with sea creatures is lame then why did his movie make over a billion dollars? With that said let's get into what I think of this movie. 

I want to strangle DC/WB because this trailer made the movie look promising. I wish this studio would put this much effect with the other DC characters, but I digress. It looks like this movie is going to be a mystery film. This should make Batman fans happy because we've been waiting for a movie like this for a long time. We did see Batman do some detective work in the other films however those are not detective stories. Well, we did get that with Mask of the Phantasm it's just that a lot of people didn't know that movie came out in theaters. The Riddler is the right villain to put Batman's detective skills to the test, I hope he pushes his detective skills the way The Joker pushes Batman to break his rule in the dark knight. Speaking of the Riddler he seems to be more menacing than what we have seen in the past, he reminds me of the Riddler from Batman earth one and year zero. Another thing this Riddler could be an anti-hero because he's trying to expose a conspiracy and living clues for batman to follow. The trailer opens with the Riddler tapping up a dead man's face that says no more lies, he even says what's the cost of a blind eye? I have an idea of what he's trying to expose but for the sake of possibly spoiling the movie I'm going to keep that to myself. Hardcore batman fans will know too. 

The trailer also has two other characters they are Selina Kyle and Oswald Cobblepot. It looks like this movie will focus on them becoming Catwoman and the Penguin, we see Selina Kyle trying to break into someone safe, but she doesn't have her costume. I hope it's handled a lot better than how the Gotham series handle their backstories. I want the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman to be done properly in this movie because I wasn't happy with how it was done in the past films. I don't know what role the penguin will have in this movie he could be a disposable bad guy.   

Now onto Bruce Wayne/Batman, there isn't much to say about Bruce Wayne because we barely see him in the trailer. What the creators do with this batman could make or break the film for me. I say that because we see he beat up one of the thugs and he overdid it. That was the highlight of the trailer for a lot of people, I hope he isn't like the punisher in this movie because that's not Batman. Also, he may or may not be on good terms with the GCPD, in one scene he's at a crime scene with them and in another scene, he's at odds with them. I like his bat-suit because he looks like he going to war. I wish I can say the same about the batmobile it looks like a regular car for the most part. I know that he hasn't been Batman for a long time, but he can do better than this. 

Here are the problems I have with this trailer I'm annoyed that this movie takes place in a realistic world. We already had that in Mr. Nolan's Batman films why not embrace the comic book elements of Batman? Also, I don't like the FBI is involved with trying to figure out the mystery because it's distracting. I'm having a hard time buying that Batman has been around for two years because everyone in Gotham doesn't know about him. Overall, this movie could be considered the best Batman movie and help the Riddler gain popularity. That's all I have to say about this movie for now.            
        

Stargirl season one review

Stargirl season one review 

Intro: Is it really that hard to give us a TV show without the female lead being a Mary Sue I mean promote feminisms? 

Stargirl: This show is centered on a girl named Courtney Whitmore who's trying to adjust to her new life with her stepfather and brother in Arizona. Things are about to get more complicated for her after she learns that her stepfather Pat was a part of a superhero group called the Justice Society of America and she believes that she's the daughter of one of the members. Meanwhile, the Injustice Society of America resurface to put their plan in motion. So Courtney and Pat have to work together to figure out what they're planning and stop them. 

This series is mixed for me because it didn't have the best start and it didn't get better until episode 8. If you were expecting this series to be lighthearted prepare to be disappointed, there's a difference between being lighthearted and colorful. I like the idea of telling a story about legacy characters but the writers rush that idea. Also the new JSA shouldn't have been able to put up any fight against the IJS because they don't know how to use there powers. Don't get me started on there costumes because some of them look cheap. The people who worked on this series are clueless about how high school work and how teens are, you'll see what I mean when you watch this series. The conflict between the heroes and villains could have create a social commentary on does the ends justify the means? However that was wasted because the series didn't give the characters a chance to process it. This show also suffers from plot holes, inconsistencies and the climax is underwhelming. The last scene annoyed me because it undermined the opening of this show. 

Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl is not a likeable character because she's reckless and stubborn. Because she's like that she put people in danger and got someone killed. I understand the writers are trying to give her character flaws to overcome however it's done in a way that makes her look stupid or delusional. I'm not saying this character doesn't have good qualities, we see that she's will to stand up to bullies and she's forgiving. However they're overshadowed by her bad traits. I refuse to believe that a girl like her is considered a loser, do you see what I mean by not understanding high school work and teens? I would like to know how the cosmic stuff works I mean it acts like a dog around Courtney.        

Yolanda Montez is the reserved one of the group who's also an outcast. After seeing her backstory that explain why she's alienated by her peers I don't feel sorry for her. I'm not saying she deserves the treatment that everyone is giving her however she should have known better, what she did is not new. Despite that I do feel bad about how her family treats her I'm not saying that they don't have the right to feel the way they do about what she did that doesn't mean that they shouldn't reassure that they still love her instead of acting like they disown her. What bothers me about her is that she doesn't take responsibility for what she did.  

Beth Chapel is a bright girl who loves to talk to the point where she doesn't know when to stop. That's an issue for me because this is a common complaint people have with Black girls and women, I guess the writers didn't think about that. She's also lonely to the point where she hangs out with her parents that's sad. I guess the writers are aware of how annoying she is so they turn her into the voice of reason. My gripe with her is her high tech glasses seem to have no limits.  

Rick Tyler is a troubled kid who lost his parents and lives with a abusive uncle. He's also hotheaded in a protective way that understandable considering he's the only guy on the team besides Pat.  

Speaking of Pat/S.T.R.I.P.E. is an upstanding and brave man who was the sidekick of Star Man. His relationship with Courtney is frustrating because he try's to mentor her but she's being pigheaded and that ruins it for everyone else. What bugs me about this character is that almost everyone treats him like crap for no reason, that's funny considering that the actor who plays Pat is the only star on the show. (besides Amy Smart)   

Henry King Jr. is a typical Jock however he isn't a complete jerk. What bugs me about him is he feels bad about what happen to Yolanda despite the fact that it wasn't his fault. Well it's hard to tell because the writers don't even know.  

Cindy Burman is the standard Queen Bee with a punchable face. Later on in the season we see why she's like this and I like her rivalry with Courtney. I wish it would last longer.    

Jordan/Icicle (the main villain) is a complex bad guy. Yes! He does bad things but we see that he does have a heart. It's hard to consider him a villain because his plans can help the world. 

Dr. Henry King/Brainwave (One of the members of IJS.) is scarier than the main villain I mean he's ruthless to the point where he won't let nothing get in the IJS way of their goal. That's my problem with him he shouldn't overshadow the main villain and his motivation is kind of weak. Also I wish he was a bigger threat.  

I like the way this series ended because it would be interesting to see what direction these characters could go in season two. The series has some funny and tender moments. All and all this was a rough around the edge start to this series It would have been better if it focus on the growing pain between Pat and Courtney. Plus have Courtney's hero journey be more difficult. As far as season two goes I might not watch it because it's going to be on the CW, the network that kills superhero shows.     

My Power Rangers Beast Morphers review

My Power Rangers Beast Morphers review 

 

Intro: What the fudge are musicals doing in a power rangers series!?! Take that to Glee or High School musical where it belongs. 

Power Rangers Beast Morphers: This series takes place in the city of Coral Harbor, an Organization called Grid BattleForce has access to the Morphing gird and turn it into a liquid substance called Morph X. They plan on using it to fix the pollution problem, that becomes difficult when a computer virus called Evox infect their computers to get the Morph X. To keep Evok from getting the Morph X Grid BattleForce have to create there own Power Rangers to protect it and the city from this virus. 

This series was a letdown for me, it wasn't bad it's just that I was expecting more for it. I like how this series ends an episode by setting up another conflict or plot point. I'm also fond of the new theme song because it's fast, energetic and short. I'm happy that the red ranger isn't the only one who got a battlizer. This series references the past seasons with plot points and characters. Also seeing a former ranger return that isn't Tommy put a smile on my face because we haven't seen this person in a long time. This series also cleverly address drug addiction. I appreciate that the second half of the series didn't give us the stander holiday episodes instead we get an Olympics episode and a villain's tribute episode. ( I hope this happens more often.) There isn't much to say about this team of rangers because only two of them stood out. Also, why are two of the five rangers based on bugs instead of animals?  

There isn't much to say about Devon the Red Ranger he's a guy who enjoys a challenge. Plus, he's into Martial arts and video games. His father didn't make the best first impression I understand he has his son's best interest in mind however he could have gone about it differently.  

Ravi the Blue Ranger is the strict one of the group who enjoys painting. Despite that, he's conflicted about his ranger duties due to someone he knows working for the villains. I'm not crazy about one episode about him having a temper because it was one-sided.  

Zoey the Yellow Ranger is similar to Shelby and Boom as far as working in a low position and wanting to do more. However, she's not as cool as Shelby or as funny as Boom. She's another character who loves nature but she's subtle about it. We learn that she didn't make that cut as a ranger because she was working at the time I would like to know more about that. I don't buy her romance with one of the rangers because it came out of nowhere. Also, I'm sick of her saying I solve big problems because we don't see her doing enough of that.      

Nate the Gold Ranger is the brains of the team who builds the ranger's zords and weapons. Also, he's arguably the main character of this series, I say that because this season focuses on him. One of the issues I have with him is that he wishes he had a sibling because he barely sees his parents. That's understandable however I don't like how that got resolved because A I thought the Rangers help fill that void and B this series doesn't explore the ups and downs of having a sibling. Plus I was hoping he would be related to a character from the season this series is linked to doing that would help bridge the seasons better. 

Steel the sliver ranger ( that's cute) is the life of the party! He's overconfident and self-centered in a way that doesn't alienate anyone. What bugs me about him is how he makes things awkward for Nate. Another thing how can he be half-human if he's all robot? 

Ben and Betty are siblings who are comic relief characters. They do the same gag throughout the series sometimes it's funny other times it isn't. We learn that their father is the General of Grid BattleForce that explains why they still work there despite all the damage they've done.  

Commander Shaw is the worst mentor in this series I say that because she barely mentors the rangers all she does is give orders. She also comes off as a robot because she has a straight face for the most part. What's the point of her being the blue ranger's mother if it doesn't humanist her or we don't learn anything about her? My grievance with this character is she's a hypocrite, I mean she's against the rangers dating but she has no problem with her son being a ranger under her command huh.   

Evok ( the main villain) is a standard bad guy as far as wanting ultimate power to take over the world. Sadly, he didn't pose much of a challenge to the Rangers after learning his backstory. The only complaint I have with him is that he's too powerful for the Rangers, he might as well fight the rangers with a fly swatter. 

Blaze and Roxy are the Boris and Natasha of this series. They could have been a better foil for the Rangers if they worked together instead of against each other. I'm not crazy about what was done with them in the second half of the season because the writers don't know what to do with them.  

One of the many gripes I have with this series is that it introduces ideas but the creators don't do anything with them. Something tragic happened in the last episode but the creators undermine it, also I don't buy what happened to these characters in that episode. There are serious moments that are ruined due to the tone of this series and the comedy. Three out of the five rangers have kryptonite and the villains didn't explore those weaknesses. What's the point of giving them weaknesses if the writers are not going to do much with them? 

The crossover episodes were disappointing because they feel rushed and out of place. That's a shame considering the build-up to those episodes, heck the crossover episodes from the last series are better than this. I wish I can say that fans would be happy to learn that this season is connected to another Power Rangers series but they won't. The way both seasons tie in together makes no sense, plus this season doesn't hold a candle to that series. This season could have been better if it did the opposite of what that series did. The marketing for this season could have done a better job at letting us know that this is a legacy season. It's hard for me to consider this a Hasbro season because it has Neo-Saban vibes to it, seriously they love doing bodies-switching episodes. Some of the lessons of the week are wasted I mean they did an episode about discipline and the writers dropped the ball with it.  

Overall this season didn't end the Neo-Saban era on a high note, that's too bad because this series could have been a lot better. Hopefully, Hasbro will return this franchise to its former glory.

The flash season 6 review

The flash season 6 review 

Intro: This is going to be awkward, I mean I'm reviewing a season that's three episodes shy from being over. ( Well the production team did film the 20th episode but they won't air it because it's a filler episode, or they didn't finish filming that episode.) The reason why I reviewing this season now is that Mr. Gustin ( The actor who plays Barry Allen/The Flash.) said in an interview that the creators will wrap up the rest of season six in the next season, if he's wrong about that then I will scrap this review and start over. With that said let's get into what I think of this season so far.  

The Flash season six: This season takes place four months after team flash stop cicada from committing mass murder and things have been peaceful. One day the Monitor tells Barry about the upcoming crisis so team Flash prepares for it. After the crisis, Barry learns that the speed force is damaged beyond repair and he's slowly losing his powers. Meanwhile, an organization that weaponizes metahumans called Black Hole is up to no good and someone who was a part of that group wants revenge on them. So Barry has to regain his speed and stop Black Hole before it's too late. 

I'm happy to say that this series gave me a season that I enjoy since this show started. I like how this series set up crisis because it's done in a way that doesn't distract us from the main story. I'm fond of the idea of Barry losing his powers because doing that helps build suspense for this season. The last episode left me wanting to see more from this season. I appreciate that the aftermath of crisis didn't reboot everything that happen in the past six years. I'm happy that the stakes in this season are small because we needed a break from crisis.    

Caitlin takes a backseat this season to give Frost a chance to have a life outside of being the muscle for team flash. This subplot was interrupted because of something the actress did. It's a good thing I'm not her boss because if I was I would reprimand her for it. 

I love what this season has done with Wally West/Kid flash he's basically a zin master. It's a shame that we only get one episode with him and he wasn't in crisis. 

I like what this season has done with Iris West, she now has her own newspaper company called the Central City Citizen.  

Nash Well is an explorer and myth buster. What bothers me about him is the role he plays in crisis, you'll see what I mean when you watch it. Also, his subplot is taking too long to resolve.  

Allegra Garcia is a meta-human with a troubled past, thanks to team flash she's able to turn her life around. I'm annoyed that I don't have a chance to sweep her off her feet. I'm sorry did I say that out loud?

I don't have much to say about Ralph Didny/ Elongated Man all he does this season is work on a case that's connected to black hole. 

Kamilla Hwang is Cisco's love interest who works at the Central City Citizen. The only problem I have with her is that she's too good to be true I mean she's completely understanding about everything with Cisco. I'm not saying that there should be drama between the two however Kamilla shouldn't come off as a robot. 

Eva McCulloch/ Mirror Master (The main villain.) is manipulative, paranoid and merciful. However, you do feel sorry for her after you see what happened to her. One of the many complaints I have with her (besides the gander change.) is that her goal is so small that she could have been a monster of the week. Also, we barely see her and the flash faces each other because Eva manages to keep a low profile. 

The biggest problem with this season is the downside of the last episode, it left things unresolved. I don't like how this season handles Godspeed, if you know who him from the comic you'll understand why. This series treats him like a side villain. Really he shouldn't be in this series because we already had a speedster who considers himself a GOD and that's Savitar. The drama of Barry dying in crisis amount to nothing because that didn't happen. (Don't you dare say I spoiled it for you, you had 5 months to watch that crossover.) This season could have been better if it didn't have too many characters, plus the show didn't do much with them. Another thing that would help this season is it should have been about Barry/the Flash dealing with the aftermath of the crisis, the show did do that however it wasn't the main focus. This season gives us a hint to how Barry is going to fix his powers and it's lame and cheesy. I mean on a Power Rangers level. 

This season may not be as good as the first season or better than the rest of the series however it's easier to watch. I would recommend this if you enjoy this show overall.   

    

My thoughts on Star Wars the Clone Wars series

My thoughts on Star Wars the Clone Wars series

It's a miracle that this show worked out because there are so many things working against it. First of all, this is a show about war how can you take a war and make it kid-friendly? Did you forget about how uptight parents are about kids being exposed to violence? That's like making the Horror genre appeal to kids. 

                                             

OK, that wasn't the best example, but you know what I mean. 

Another reason why I'm not crazy about this series going in the family-friendly direction is because doing that will undermine how the war was described in the Episode 3 novelization. In that novel the war took its toll on the Jedi, the Republic struggled to win battles and this war played a role in why Anakin turned to the dark side? Heck, the Battlefront 2 video game from 2005 reinforces this. Second, what's wrong with the Clone Wars micro-series we got in 2003? Third I don't like the idea of Anakin having a padawan, do I really have to explain why? Finally, the tie-in movie didn't make the best first impression. I have one good thing to say about that movie and that is the story is easy to follow. 

With all that said this show is overrated. I don't consider this the best thing that came out of the prequels along with the games and Novels. This is one of those shows that has filler episodes and multiple story arcs that are separate from each other. We do get references to past episodes but the events in those episodes have no payoff in this series. You will notice that some of the episodes didn't air in order, did anyone learn anything from Firefly? Some of these story arcs could have been better if they had more episodes and others could benefit from fewer episodes. We have episodes that are centered on Jar Jar Binks, don't worry there is a handful of them. Each episode has a lesson of the week but how the episode plays out contradicts that lesson. 

Another problem I have with this series is that it's hard to be invested in this war because we don't know who has the upper hand? I was let down by the lightsaber fights not because they were bad it's because no limbs were cut off.  I'm disappointed that we didn't get the unfinished episodes, I mean I saw them on the internet but they're not a part of season 7. Speaking of episodes some episodes are either stupid or make the characters look stupid. For example, the Jedi learn about Order 66 and yet they play alone with it why!?! There is a story arc where the clones are under the command of General Krell and they're complaining about it because more clones died under his command. Are you kidding me? You're clones you were created to fight this war what difference does it make that Krell put your lives in danger on purpose or not? 

The way this series ended bothers me because it connects to episode 3. This show is too different from episode 3 to be connected to it. This series is lazy with some of the character designs, they look the same as the 2003 series. I'm not crazy about the creative liberties this series takes with the EU because they are a joke. Plus, that creates world-building that's separate from the movies. It's hard to appreciate that this show tried to fix the prequels because it doesn't affect the movies. The politics in this show left more to be desired. The Jedi are not noble in this war I mean they committed war crimes to win the battles like raising the white flag as a bait and switch, child soldiers, funding insurgents, not knowing what to do with the clones after the war and using certain weapons. Let me get this straight the Jedi have no problem with doing the things I mentioned but they have a problem with killing OK.   

Anakin Skywalker is confident, cocky at times and eager to go into battle. We see that he's having a hard time struggling with letting people go to the point where he's willing to sacrifice lives and kill to save his loved ones. We also see that he's frustrated with the Jedi council and that plays a role in him turning to the dark side. One of the reasons why I'm not crazy about him having a padawan is because he isn't mature enough to have one. Plus, he's also a rule-breaker. However, I do like that she shows Obi-Wan how much of a handful she is when Anakin was Obi-Wans Padawan. I would prefer that he becomes a Knight in the series doing that would give him some character development. When Anakin mentors her it's disingenuous because he's still having a hard time dealing with attachments and loss. What was Yoda thinking giving him a padawan?   

Obi-Wan is a gentleman who tells corny jokes. Like Anakin, there are times where he struggles with the dark side of the force. His relationship with Anakin is much better in this series however I still don't buy that they're friends because Obi-Wan has authority over him. Plus, all we get is banter from them. also, I don't like that this show gave him a girlfriend because he follows the Jedi code to the letter.  

Padme is like her daughter as far as being outspoken, resourceful and fierce.

Capt. Rex is Anakin's right-hand man, he's a loyal soldier who values the lives of his clone brothers above anything else. He also values experience more than static, talks about strategists with the Jedi, and realizes that following orders is not always the best thing. The situation he was put in in the last episode was sad, you'll see what I mean when you watch that episode. 

I can't talk about the rest of the clone troopers because that will take me all day to do.    

Ahsoka Tano became a fan favorite over time to the point where she will be a part of another Star Wars series. She was wisecracking and stubborn but she's also kind-hearted. What bugs me about her (Besides her being too young to fight a war.) is she was too much in the last story arc, you'll see what I mean when you watch it. I understand what the writers tried to do with her in the arc with the two sisters however it could have been done better. I don't get why she's so popular despite her character growth.        

This series hasn't done anything new with Count Dracula I mean Count Dooku, he's still as bland as he was in the movies. That's what annoys me about this series, I mean why have him in this cartoon if we don't learn anything about him? Why is his head shaped like a banana?   

General Grievous is more or less the same as he was in the movie. That's sad because he was threatening in the 2003 series. 

Asajj Ventress is a short-tempered assassin of Count Dooku, despite that she can be clever. Also is it me or does she have a seductive voice?

Cab Bane is a by-the-book bounty hunter, he's ruthless and resourceful. It's too bad that Boba Fett wasn't like this. Speaking of Boba Fett we were suppose to get an episode of him and Bane working together but that didn't happen.    

This show gave Darth Maul justice, he's a lot smarter than we thought and he has ambition. You'll feel sorry for him we you learn his backstory. The only thing that bothers me about him is that he shouldn't survived being cut in half!!!  

The Battle Droids are the comic relief of the show.

The episodes that focus on the clones are the best ones in this series because they were created for this war. Plus, we get to see how this war affects them and how they feel about it? Speaking of episodes some episodes can fit into almost every genre. Also, I'm surprised at how violent this show can get, we got better characterization of characters and the CGI improves over time. I enjoyed some of these story arcs.              

Overall, this is not a good series you're better off reading the Star Wars Republic comics. I would recommend it if you want to see elements from the Star Wars EU.    

My thoughts on the last of us 2 backlash

My thoughts on the last of us 2 backlash

 

Warning if you haven't played the first game and don't want this one spoiled for you then don't read this post. 

I don't remember the last time a video game got so much controversy. ( Besides MK and GTA.)  First people complain about Ellie being a lesbian, this game having a multiplayer and now people are upset with the leaks to how the story in this game will play out. Can someone please help me understand why people have a problem with what will happen in part 2? Before I talk about that I have to talk about the story in the first game. I wasn't interested in this game at first because it was a zombie apocalypse story, I don't find that genre appealing. The thing I like about this game is how it told its story from the survivor's perspective, If The Walking Dead is anything like this I would give that show a chance. The game reminds me of Logan or The Terminator.  

Originally the premise for this game was only women were infected by the virus that turn people into the infected, that changed after Mr. Druckmann (The writer of the game.) was inspired by Anita Sarkeesian of all people. Man, I wish I was making that up. After she helped him realize that he's alienating women by making them the only ones to be infected by the virus he alter the story so the virus can affect everyone. I hate to say it but I have to thank Ms. Sarkeesian ( I throw up after saying that.) for helping him make this change because doing that creates a social commentary on the ugly side of mankind. I mean in this game's world it's a free-for-all, imagine inmates running free doing whatever they want with no consequences that's how things are in this game. Because the world is so messed up women have to become men to survive in this world, as far as doing almost everything a man would do. This is what made Ellie sympathetic because she doesn't know what it's like to be a girl, when she does get an idea of what that's like it's foreign to her. It's almost a shame that this wasn't adapted into a movie because if this movie doesn't make feminists appreciate men more I don't know what will.         

One of the complaints people have towards part 2 is that Joel is not going to be a playable character because he died in that game. People shouldn't have an issue with this because first of all, he's not the main character in this game Ellie is. The plot of the first game is about taking her to the fireflies because she can help fix the infection, without her you have no story. Second, there's a point in the game where you play as her and she has a DLC. Finally, Joel was suppose to die in the original concept of the game and Ellie had to learn how to survive on her own. I don't understand why people are bothered by not being able to play him after what he did in that last game. When Ellie is delivered to the fireflies Joel learns that doctors are going to perform surgery on her to find a cure but she won't survive the surgery. After learning that Joel kills the doctors, took Ellie away, and lied to her about what happened, our hero ladies and gentlemen. Before you say that he loves her like a daughter save it, if that's true then he would want things to be better for her. Joel made his daughter's death be in vain because of this. 

Instead of playing as Joel or Ellie in part 2, you'll play as Abby, she's the daughter of one of the doctors Joel murdered at the Fireflies base. This is what people are upset about that they're playing a character who ends up killing both Joel and Ellie out of revenge. So Joel saving Ellie at the end of the first game was also in vein great just great. Playing a character who will kill Joel and Ellie bothers them so much that they don't want to buy the game. People think this is bad fan fiction because doing this makes Joel and Ellie look like villains. First of all, Joel made himself the villain, he killed doctors in cold blood and sacrificed the whole world just because he wouldn't let go of Ellie. Does that sound heroic to any of you? Also, the first game foreshadows that this could happen so why are people surprised by this? Second I'm glad the story is going in this direction where's the fun in playing a game if you know it's going to have a happy ending? Like I said the story is about the worse side of mankind. If you want to be an independent person this is what it looks like you are responsible for your own safety at the end of the day. Finally, there are games where you play as the bad guy how is this any different? 

That's all I have to say about this game for now. I can understand why fans are bothered by this I mean the trailers didn't give us the idea that the story is going to be a revenge story. However just because you know what's going to happen doesn't always mean the game is going to be bad this isn't a movie.               

My Arrow series overview

My Arrow series overview 

Intro: On this topic, I'm going to talk about the good and bad of this series as a whole. Plus how things could have been done differently. No! I'm not going to do this for every show I've watched maybe. I might as well give my thoughts on the other CW/DC show. The Flash didn't get better after season one. There's no need for me to watch Legends of Tomorrow because we already have a show that deals with time travel we don't need another one, also how time travel works on that show is different from The Flash what's up with that? Well, I heard season two or three is good so I might check that out. I didn't watch Supergirl because I don't like how that show handled Superman for the most part. Speaking of Superman I'm surprised that he's getting his own show because Supergirl use some of his villains. Do I really have to comment on Batwoman? I have mixed feelings about Black Lighting, season one is OK, season two is nothing to look at and season three is the best season of the show so far. Warning if you didn't watch all 8 seasons of Arrow then don't read this.  

Whether you love Smallville or you hate it you have to admit that we wouldn't have Arrow if it wasn't for that series. (I know the Green Lantern movie played a role in why this show exist but I don't buy it.) Season 6 of Smallville introduce us to Oliver Queen/Green Arrow and he became a fan favorite. The creators want to bring Bruce Wayne/Batman but they couldn't due to his popularity and Mr. Nolan's Batman films. Green Arrow became so popular that WB want to produce a Green Arrow movie but that didn't happen. Instead, we got a Green Arrow series that has no connection to Smallville thanks to Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg.  

I was worried about this show being on the CW because that's a network that caters to women after seeing what happened to this series later on my fears were justified but I'm getting ahead of myself. The sex appeal on this show was another red flag for me. Speaking of sex appeal do you know what these series have in common with Power Rangers? Both series know how to pick women, I would give the casting people a raise for that. Seriously If I was a co-star I don't think I would be able to focus but I digress. I understand why the CW didn't spin off the Green Arrow from Smallville however it can be done without stealing Superman's spotlight. Despite the ups and downs of this series, it was successful enough to build its own universe, have some tie-in comic books and animated shorts. Part of the reason why this series was a hit at the beginning is that there wasn't a lot of competition at the time.   

What I like about this series is the quality of the action scenes, I haven't seen action scenes look this good on TV before. Also, this show knows how to do cliffhangers. I'm happy that this series didn't go up to nine seasons because this series should have ended on season five or season six with ten episodes. Really I'm surprised this series lasted this long after all the damage season four has done. For example, the rating hasn't been the same after season four. I appreciate the soap opera stuff to a point because it helps the show to be more than just Oliver fighting crime. The series has an overall theme of family and redemption, we see characters dealing with family drama and redeeming themselves from past mistakes or the mistakes of others. 

I'm fond that the main actor is interacting with the fanbase because we don't see that very often. I like how most of the seasons have ended because some of them can work as series final with a few adjustments. Also, each season didn't end on a high note or it has a bittersweet victory, that's how you get people to watch your show by not having the main character always win or achieve his goal. This series did a good job at worldbuilding, it's done in a way where it doesn't ruin the story. The crossover episodes are OK kind of I wish that all of them are not about our heroes stopping someone or something that threatens the Earth. I wish we got a crossover with the following characters. Green Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, The Atom, Vixen, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Black Lighting and Hawkman or Hawkgirl. Also, it's sad that Green Arrow didn't have a team-up episode with Green Lantern, I understand why I mean the creators couldn't pull it off on a TV show budget. 

I know I said the flashbacks were the best part of the show but looking back at it not so much. I mean did we really need them to see how much Oliver has changed before he became Green Arrow? I wouldn't mind them if they reinforce what we already know about him but that was hit or miss. For example, I find it hard to believe that he can be as skillful as he was with a bow and arrow in five years. I'm not saying it's not possible however it's hard to suspend your disbelief when we barely see him train with different bows, the same thing goes for other characters who train in a short amount of time. The flashbacks didn't do the best job explaining why Oliver is distrustful I mean most of his allies didn't stab him in the back. When they do it's because they were compromised not because they were malicious. There was a movie that came out early this year called The Hunt, that movie is about 12 strangers in the middle of nowhere and they're being hunted. I'm surprised the writers didn't do anything like that as far as having Oliver's allies mislead him into killing innocent people to get off the island, that would justify him being the way he is now. 

The flashbacks were handled the best in season one because they showed us what happen to Oliver on Lian Yu instead of telling us. When he does tell us it's vague and what was going on on Lian Yu was a mystery at the time. After that Oliver tells us what happened to him before or after we see it happen. The reason why I was annoyed that Oliver didn't spend the whole five years on the island is that the series didn't explore the whole island of Lian Yu. I'm also disappointed that the show didn't make up for that because we had episodes of characters going back to the island. Lian Yu is suppose to be a dangerous place if anyone can go and leave as they please then why is the island considered purgatory? The booby traps in the Home Alone films are more dangerous than this island.   

As far as the flashforwards goes that was a mistake because the writers set themselves up to tell a story of how things have gotten worse twenty years in the future instead of focusing on the present story. Granted that would be interesting to see however it's a slap in Oliver's face, I mean this shows us that he fought and died for nothing. Speaking of deaths the showrunners ruined his death by killing him off twice who thought that was a good idea? I'm glad that the flashforwards were fixed in season 8.      

One of the many problems with this series is the villains of the week, granted this is an issue with the other CW/DC shows in general. They're treated as throwaway characters instead of making them compelling. The only time the writers did that is with Bronze Tiger but the creators didn't do enough with him. Sidenote is it me or whenever Bronze Tiger fights Green Arrow it looks like Bronze Tiger is pulling his punches? Another thing that bugs me about them is I wish that they would pose more of a challenge for Oliver where he can't stop them in one episode, what's the point of bringing these characters back if Oliver can beat them all the time? Some of the baddies would have been better if they were like their comic book counterparts like Brick, Komodo, Count Vertigo, Constantine Drakken and Onomatopeia. 

This series has 22 or 23 episodes per season is problematic. Having that many episodes is fine for comedies and dramas but not for a story-driven series, you'll end up dragging out the story with filler episodes and reuse plot points. That was the case here is anyone else tired of secret organizations, characters not learning or relearning their lesson, the villains having the same motivations and Oliver repairing the family name? (I'm surprised that he didn't change his name.) Shows like this should last for three or five seasons with ten or thirteen episodes. Season three wasted the idea of Oliver having to betray his friends, family and allies to beat Ra's al Ghul because there were no consequences for that decision. Season three should have ended with everyone Oliver knows wanting him to leave Starling City for betraying them and season 4 could be about him winning them over.  

WB is also hurting this series because of them trying to create the DCEU the writers of the show had to remove some of their characters like Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller and Deathstroke. This wouldn't bother me if they weren't so picky I mean why didn't they cancel the flash since they're making a flash movie? Doing this makes no sense, I mean how can WB expect people to watch their movies if people don't know who these characters are? Despite the WB undermining the CW they made decisions that hurt the series like catering to the Olicity fans, showrunners not doing what they say they're going to do with this series, promising the actress who plays Mia Smoak that she'll get her own show without knowing if the viewers will watch it and the three men who worked on this show have gone their separate ways to work on other things. 

 I have one good thing to say about that, that is we now know who the weakest link is between the three men. 

OK I'm being unfair this could be the case of the three of them are stronger together than they are apart, the other shows have suffered because they tried to do so much. I'm sorry there are two of them now, Andrew Kreisberg was fired for sexual harassment allegations. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse complaining about this show bringing characters back from the dead but here's my issue with it, the writers are not considering how doing this will affect the people around them. For example, Quentin Lance's daughters have died, brought back to life and replaced by doppelgangers so many times that it makes him sympathetic by default. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it however it's hard for him to grieve properly if he doesn't know if they're dead or not. Also, the creators are picky about who should come back to life or not. Doing that lose the shock reaction we should have when they die because we think they're not really dead.          

Going back to Oliver as the Mayor that was a wasted storyline because the writers didn't do anything interesting with that. That's a shame because the Green Arrow comics deals with poverty, racism and drug addiction. The show had plenty of changes to address these issues but it didn't take advantage of it. We had a gun control episode but it was a mess, Oliver mentioned prison reform but that went nowhere. Oliver is a liberal in the comics but we don't know what his political views are in the series. 

This is what the creators should have done have an episode that deals with selling drugs. Have Oliver compete with a candidate who also works with Count Vertigo, he believes selling drugs should be legal because no one is forcing people to buy them. In order to get rid of drug dealers you have to stop buying their products. If it's okay to sell alcoholic beverages despite the DUI's and having the same effect on people as drugs, why can't we sell drugs? If someone created an app that will make it easy for married couples to cheat would you be mad at the person who invented the app or your spouse for not keeping his or her vows to you? His argument wins over the general public and vertigo is selling drugs that are killing people. Oliver can't stop him because selling drugs is legal now, that would have been an interesting story to tell. 

Do I really have to comment on LGBT characters on this show? I have nothing against the LGBT community however I don't appreciate the creators shoving these characters in our faces. The creators are more focused on catering to them than telling a story did this community learn anything from pushing this agenda in the Marvel comics? This is why I'm glad that we have a Batwoman show because it gives the LGBT community something to watch and hopefully the CW will stop changing characters' sexuality and stop promoting feminism. The creators are having a hard time writing female characters except for Moira Queen. I say that because they don't seem to know what to do with them beyond giving them a love interest or using them as plot devices. They have done this with Sara, Shado, Dinah, Thea (despite her development) and Rene's daughter to a point. OK, am I the only one annoyed that this series has done nothing with Shado's twin sister, what's the point of us knowing that if it serves no purpose?   

I want to talk about the characters starting with how this show handled John Diggle and Curtis Holt/ Mr. Terrific. There are three things this series has done with John Diggle that bothers me, the first thing is the story involving his brother Andy. In season one Diggle was affected by Andy's death to the point where he wants Floyd Lawton/Deadshot (The man who killed his brother.) dead. The problem with that is we don't know what their relationship was like plus Diggle barely talks about him. In season two Diggle learns that Deadshot didn't kill him by accident he was hired by a group called H.I.V.E to kill Andy, this causes him to be less angry with Deadshot and develop a rapport with him. In season four he learned that H.I.V.E wants him dead because his criminal activities was a roadblock for them. H.I.V.E faked his death instead of killing him (why I don't know.) and when the brothers start to trust each other again Andy betrayed Diggle. 

One of the reasons why it's hard for me to feel Diggle's pain over his brother's betrayal is because we were told that Andy was a righteous person but a flashback contradicts that. Why is Diggle shocked that Andy is shady if he has a history of doing shady things? I don't get the sense that Diggle loves Andy I mean love means nothing if you're ashamed of that person. The showrunners drop the ball on this subplot by having Andy still be alive. That's why I didn't talk about this in my reviews of this series because I had a feeling that the writers would pull this stunt.  

Second, turning him into different comic book characters, first, he was the Guardian and the series dropped hints that he's John Stewart. The reason why this bugs me is that the thing I like about John Diggle is that he's an everyday guy and he was popular enough to be in the Green Arrow comics and be a playable character in Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham. Plus he said he was against wearing a mask so there's no need to turn him into something that he's not or doesn't want to be. Finally, what's the point of him being a Special Forces officer if he can't win a fight or show Oliver some new tricks? Out of all the times, Oliver and John fight or spar with each other how many of them has John won? In the Arrow season 2.5 comic book he couldn't fight off a one-armed Oliver are you kidding me!?! This is the same problem I have with Mr. Terrific. 

Since we're on the subject of Mr. Terrific I think it was a mistake to make him a part of the show. Mr. Terrific in the comics is kind of OP because of his T-spheres. He's also one of the smartest characters in the DC Universe, a strategies, a leader in his own right and one of the best fighters. He's so awesome he can rival Batman. On Arrow, he's portrayed as a gay male version of Felicity but obnoxious. He's also a punching bag, so much for being one of the best fighters. His T-spheres can't do all the things they can do in the comics, plus anyone can access, use or defuse them. To be fair his tech does break the rules of reality. 

If the creators portrayed him like this so that he wouldn't overshadow Oliver Queen then what's the point of bringing him on the show? Doing this makes them look racist because they don't want anyone to be on Oliver's level or pass his level, news flash you let Felicity steal his thunder. Also, people are not excited to see Oliver in the crossover episodes because he's one of the few characters with no superpowers. Oliver feels insecure about not having any powers. This reinforces why I wasn't crazy about this series setting up the DCU at first. Sorry, I didn't mean to get off-topic. Mr. Terrific could develop new Arrows and teach Oliver how to be more of a tactician. If Mr. Terrific was more like his comic book counterpart, I wouldn't mind seeing him in the crossovers.   

I know fans didn't like the idea of Tommy being Oliver's best friend but that didn't bother me because I suspect the creators were going in the Harry Osborn direction with him. His death took everyone by surprise because we thought that he was going to become a villain but that didn't happen. I'm kind of glad the writers killed him off the way they did because I don't see how they can turn him into the new Dark Archer. After all, we don't get the sense that Tommy has combat training and it will take time from him to get there. We did get Tommy as the Dark Archer in season 8 however I wish the writers would come up with a different story for him. 

I wish this series could have done more with Roy/Arsenal, I mean this show didn't adapt any of his stories from the comics like him losing his arm, being addicted to drugs and his relationship with Cheshire. I'm sorry the creators did have Roy lose his arm, but it was done as fan service, people didn't seem to pay attention to him. What's was the point of him losing his arm if it has no payoff? Does anyone think it's messed up that Roy and Oliver didn't share any scenes or an episode together in season 8 considering that it was the last season? Also, he's the only character without a flashback we don't know anything about his parents or what his life was like before we meet him. To be fair the reason why the show didn't do a lot with this character is that the actor who played him left the show to deal with anxiety attacks.        

Despite not being crazy about this series Green Arrow is a Batman wannabe I understand why the creators went in this direction, this is their way of doing a Batman show without using him. Also, this Green Arrow is not as smart as Batman, a capable fighter like Batman and Batman doesn't drop bodies or work with criminals. There are times where this Green Arrow is trying to be Batman and it feels contrived. For example, in the first team-up with the Flash where he teaches him to look before you leap and in the season 6 crossover, he has a Kryptonite arrow. I'm disappointed that the writers didn't turn this character into his comic book counterpart because the showrunners said they were going to do that more than once. 

For those of you who don't read Green Arrow comics The difference between him and Batman is that Green Arrow is sarcastic and outspoken. If the creators made Oliver like his comic book counterpart it would have made the flashbacks better to watch, we see Oliver become more light-hearted in the present and in the past we see him get darker. That's another thing that hurts the flashbacks we're seeing the same character in a different situation. Like I said before Oliver Queen/Green Arrow didn't develop much throughout the whole series, the only development he got ( Besides learning how to work with others.) was trying not to be a killer and that was problematic. The reason I said that is because the writers were off and on with that, one minute he's a killer the next minute he isn't. 

Despite Felicity being annoying I'm glad that she wasn't killed off in season four because doing that will put Oliver in a bad place mentally, how is killing her off going to help him grow as a character? Like I said before it would have made sense to kill off Diggle in season four because Diggle's brother worked for Damien Darhk before Laurel was murdered Diggle and Oliver were arguing over whether or not Andy can be trusted? Doing that will make Oliver question is it worth being in the right even if it means pushing people away? Also, it was his idea to get Andy away from Damien Darhk, doing that would give Oliver some development. The reason why he doesn't develop is because he's stubborn and he has an ego, those traits make him unlikable and a bad leader. I don't get it he's not like that when he ran Queen Consolidated or the Mayor's office so why is he like this in the field? Instead of the fairy tale ending, we got this series should have ended with Oliver going to prison, what's the point of him being a hero if he's not going to answer for the crimes he committed or make amends?      

The people who worked on this show should be ashamed of themselves for how they treated Laurel Lance/ The Black Canary. Laurel was fine in season one minus her being a damsel in distress, she was like Rachel Dawes from Batman Begins but with teeth. In season two the death of Tommy causes her to become an alcoholic and have substance abuse problems. I could buy that if we saw it at the beginning of the season. Plus, she didn't drink or pop pills when she thought Sara was dead instead, she bury herself in her work. The reason why the writers didn't do much with Laurel in season two is that they were too busy establishing her sister Sara Lance. 

Season three is where the creators decide to make her the Black Canary after the death of Sara. Fans weren't on board with this because they like Sara as the Black Canary and it wasn't a smooth transition. Part of the reason why is because everyone was giving her a hard time about becoming the Black Canary, her training was cut short and she did things that made her unlikable. The writers could have done a better job building her up to become the Black Canary by having her train in season two. In season four fans finally start to warm up to her and she got better as the Black Canary but that was short-lived because the writers killed her off. 

Before she died, she told Oliver to be with Felicity is this a joke!?! The showrunners said that her death is permanent and they will not bring her back. This wouldn't bug me if they didn't replace her in the next season. The reason why the creators killed her off is because her story was finished, they didn't know what to do with her really? You couldn't come up with Birds of Prey episodes, an episode with only Green Arrow and Black Canary or her doing courtroom stuff, you mean to tell me none of that crossed your mind? Also, Mr. Guggenheim said that the Black Canary doesn't have a fanbase, screw you! It's a miracle that killing off Laurel didn't end this series because it made no sense to kill her off the way they did. Her death adds nothing to the story it was done for shock value. 

What makes this worse is that she didn't come back to life in the last episode what the fudge? Laurel is one of the few characters that knew Oliver before and after the island and she's not going to be at his funeral that's messed up. The reason why she didn't appear in the last episodes is that the writers think it's too much work for the actress who plays Laurel to play two different Laurel's, wow talk about being lazy. I don't get why the fan base doesn't like this character if it's because she isn't like her comic book counterpart then that's fine. 

Don't take this the wrong way but I'm glad that this character isn't what she suppose to be in the comics because in the comics she's one of the best fighters in the DC universe and she can mop the floor with Oliver. I don't buy that any man in fiction or reality would want to be with a woman who's stronger than him. Also, why would any woman want to be with a man they don't need? I'm not saying it's not possible however that can create a power dynamic in the relationship. Plus, we don't want to encourage the feminine with having a character like that on the show and have them emasculate Oliver by having him worship her. Well, you can tell a story without them being together. Also, this character was overshadowed by Felicity Smoak and her sister Sara Lance. I want to talk about Sara real quick I don't understand why fans prefer her over Laurel. I get that her and Oliver's backstories parallel with each other however she's too masculine for my taste.  

OK, I have one good thing to say about Felicity Smoak and that is between her and Iris from the Flash she's not as annoying as Iris. I say that because Iris doesn't do anything to help team Flash. If you ignore that Olicity started in season three you can see that it was handled better the second time around but that's not saying much. I don't hate Felicity however I don't like what the writers have done with her, she went from being a bubbly I.T. girl to being insufferable.  

To be fair she has her moments where she was annoying before season three, here's an example. 

 

She did the same thing when she use to work for Ray, who does she think she is to tell her bosses what she will or will not do? Felicity was suppose to be a one-off character because she made a good first impression on the viewers she got more screen time. 

When will showrunners learn that when you have a popular character you don't overexpose them you limit their screen time.  

                                                     
       
Felicity doesn't deserve to be mentioned alongside these two because their overexposure help their shows, Felicity almost killed this show. I wouldn't mind her getting all this attention if she was interesting but she wasn't, what's the point of having her running a company if it doesn't develop her? Also, what was Ray thinking handing over his company to Felicity when she has no business experience, was the (censor) that good? I don't like how everyone puts her on a pedestal as far as no one can rival her when it comes to hacking. There are other things about this character that bugs me like she talks down to people who are not on her level, telling team Arrow what they should or shouldn't do when Oliver is not around, being OK with killing when it suits her and she doesn't answer for all the bloodshed she caused. There was suppose to be an episode where she goes to Havenrock to fix the damage she cause but that didn't happen. The writers tease the idea of her becoming a villain in seasons five and seven but that didn't happen. 

The creators had plenty of opportunities to kill her off or put her on Legends of Tomorrow but they didn't take it why!?! I can't believe Olicity fans still exist after season 4 episode 15 because in that episode Felicity breaks up with Oliver because he didn't tell her about his son. Felicity doing that makes her look stupid because first of all she's with a guy who keeps secrets from everyone, this shouldn't be a surprise to her. Second William is not your son!!! Third, he use to be a playboy did you really think that this wouldn't happen? Finally, you lied to Oliver during this season and after this season, sorry Felicity you don't have the moral high ground. I don't care about their relationship because of that, also Oliver looks pathetic to still want to be with her after that. (Come on man have some dignity.) Also, Felicity express that he wasn't happy with the life they had, so why should we be invested in their relationship if she's not happy with it? 

Olicity fans wouldn't have ruined this show If Mr. Guggenheim put his foot down with this fanbase, I don't know what he was thinking bringing it back in season 5. Also, Olicity fans are toxic then again what fanbase isn't? The reason why I feel this way is because they told Mr. Amell (The actor who plays Oliver Queen.) to leave his wife to be with the actress that plays Felicity. What? Do you think I'm joking about that? They even photoshop Felicity's face and put it on Mr. Amell's wife's head in their pictures, what's wrong with you people? This is why Laurel, Samantha (William's mother.) and Det. Malone (Felicity's rebound guy.) was killed off because they don't want anyone posing a threat to these two getting together. Kevin Smith ( A Green Arrow comic book writer.) could have saved season 4 or given us one good episode if Olicity fans didn't chase him away. In an interview, he said the reason why he didn't do an episode on Arrow is because certain people don't like him, who do you think he's referring to? 

Overall, Arrow may not be revolutionary television, but it set the bar on how to do superhero shows and created a legacy. I wish that the success of this series didn't come at the expanse of Batman. This series could have lasted longer and played out differently if it was on a different network or on Netflix.    

             

My Avengers Endgame spoiler review

My Avengers Endgame spoiler review 

 

Intro: If I could describe 2019 I would describe it as the end of era’s. Last year marked the end of Game of Thrones, Star Wars, 20th Century Fox X-Men, President Trump's political career (Kind of.) and the MCU's Infinity Stones saga. Sadly people don’t seem to be happy with most of these endings but I’m not here to focus on all of them I’m just going to focus on Endgame. 

This movie was a big disappointment for me because this was the only film I wanted to watch that year. I want to love this movie but it didn't live up to my expectations. ( To be fair the writers wrote themselves in a corner with this movie.) I didn’t want to do a spoiler review at first because less is more. However, I feel obligated to talk about this movie in greater detail because this was not only the biggest movie of 2019 but the biggest movie of the decade. There are four maybe five issues with the movie that kept me from considering this a satisfying sequel to Infinity War, also the problems I'm about to address are not easy to fix but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room and that’s… 

No.1 Thanos: Thanos may be the best part of Infinity War but he’s the weakest part of Endgame. The Thanos in this movie is just like most of the MCU villains and that is forgettable. That's a problem because this is suppose to be a younger version of Thanos from Infinity War but he's nothing like him. The reason why he wants to get the infinity stones is so that he can wipe out all life and start over, are you kidding me? His motivation for doing this is because the Avengers rebel against him. OK, he doesn't need to eliminate all life to stop a rebellion he could have used the mind stone to erase people's memory of the snap. What makes this awkward is that this Thanos has no connection to what the old Thanos did or his interaction with the Avengers. 

Like I said before this is not an easy fix, I don't see the point of keeping the old Thanos around because he achieved his goal and destroyed the stones so his work can't be undone. Side note why did he wait 23 days to do that? Even if the old Thanos is still alive how much of his army does he have left? We can't replace Thanos with a different villain because that would make things even more awkward, plus doing that didn't help Rise of Skywalker and Game of Thrones. 

However that can work if he or she was a part of Thanos's black order like Ebony Maw, he has some interaction with the Avengers. Instead of getting an end-credit scene of setting up Captain Marvel, we should have gotten a scene where Maw is still alive and he has plans of his own. Ebony Maw is like that in the comics as far as being manipulative. Sorry, I can't think of a solution to the villain problem without it feeling tack on, also the writers didn't know what to do with the old Thanos in this movie. Where do you take the story after the villain won?                   

No. 2 The Time Heist: What's the point of this movie making fun of Back to the Future if it’s going to rip off that movie? How can the Avengers think time travel is far-fetched when they live in a world that has Gods, aliens and wizards? This is how time travel works in this movie whenever you travel back into the past you create a new timeline and those timelines won’t affect what already happened in the present. We get this explanation for Bruce the question I have with this is how does he know? Bruce said that he's not an expert on time travel so how does he know that this is how time travel works? Also, in order to time travel they need Pym Particles ( Pym Particles is what Scott Lane/ Ant-Man use to shrink.) We were told that they only have enough for one trip but we see them shrink more than once. Is it too much to ask for consistency?  

So knowing all of that begs the question why are the Avengers trying to be stealthy about getting the infinity stones? You can argue that they're trying to preserve the timelines but there are two problems with that. First of all the events in these timelines didn't play out as we remembered, seriously did the directors watch the past movies? Second, they're sloppy with getting the stones without getting notice. (To be fair the obstacles they face in this heist could have been avoided if they had better intel.) This is what I mean when I said that this is a cop-out, what's the point of having Thanos destroy the stones if the creators are not going to do anything different? 

Also, they face no challenge when it comes to getting the infinity stones, when they do screw up getting the stones they can travel back in time again. The only bad thing that happened is Black Widow killed herself in order to get the soul stone, I'll get back to this later. Well, we do learn that what the Avengers are doing is dangerous, when Bruce tried to get the time stone from the Ancient One she explain when you remove a stone for a time period it will cause chaos. OK if that's true then why didn't anything bad happen five years after Thanos destroyed the stones? 

Also, The Avengers already messed up the timelines by failing to be sneaky. How Bruce manage to get the time stone from the Ancient One bugs me because it contradicts what we learned about her in the Doctor Strange solo movie. The time heist would have been better if there were consequences for time travel and if someone else was trying to get the stones. There is a deleted scene where Thanos tried to get the soul stone, I wish that was in the movie. 

Here's a suggestion for how to reverse the snap have the Avengers travel in space to find Uatu. For those of you who don't read comic books Uatu is a part of an alien race called the Watchers, they are the oldest alien race in the universe. They have advanced technology and gather knowledge about what's going on in the universe? The Watchers have a rule and that is they can't interfere with what's going on in the Galaxy, that's funny because they have a hard time sticking to that rule. Uath has been assigned to observe Earth if there's anyone who can help the Avenger it's him. 

I have a better idea have the Avengers go to the Living Tribunal and have them reverse the snap. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book ( That's the comic book that these movies are loosely based on.) Adam Warlock went to the living Tribunal to ask them for their help to stop Thanos. They refuse to help because Thanos didn't do anything wrong because of the survival of the fittest mentality they have. In the movie, the Avengers go to the living Tribunal to plead their case. This time the living Tribunal is on the Avengers side because Thanos didn't consider that life won't thrive if people are too busy grieving. 

If the creators did this and showed us how the snap affects the general public it would make the five-year time jump relative to the story. Before the living Tribunal can fix what Thanos has done he has to test them to see if they learn from their mistakes. They could have stopped Thanos in the last movie if A they worked together and B the Avengers wasn't willing to make sacrifices. If you don't like my ideas then cry me a river because I'm the only one coming up with suggestions and not just pointing out the flaws in this movie. Also, do you want this movie to be about the Avengers bringing the other half of the population back or them wanting a rematch against Thanos?                 

No. 3 The Characters: What bugs me about what this movie has done with these characters is that it happened off-screen, I mean it's hard to appreciate how much these characters have
changed when we don't see it. Also what this movie have done with these characters could have been saved for their own movie because this movie has a lot of ground to cover. Let's start with Captain American I don't like the ending he got. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad however it goes against what the MCU has done with him. After the first Captain American movie he had to come to terms with the life he lost or could have had and adjust to being in the 21st century. The writers even set up a romance between him and Sharon Carter. 

The creators threw all that away to give Cap a happy ending with Piggy. Doing this makes him look selfish because he's leaving his duties and his best friend Bucky behind. When did Cap change his mind about wanting family and stability? Plus he told Bucky I'm with you til the end of the line. He shouldn't have been able to lift Thor's hammer for that reason alone, he let people die in Infinity War instead of letting Vision sacrifice himself and he's being selfish in this movie. Don't get me started on the plot holes around Cap being able to return the stones back to their times and him coming back as an old man. One more thing I don't think Sam should take up the Captain American mantle because he doesn't seem to have any of Steve Roger's traits. I understand why Steve didn't give the mantle to Bucky because he doesn't know if he's fully recovered from Hydra's control. 

In the beginning of the movie, we see that Tony still resents Steve for what he did in Civil War however I don't like that he blames Steve for not being there for him. Moron! He wasn't there because you didn't want to call him and you left Earth to face Thanos on your own without letting anyone know. In the five years that passed he got married to Pepper, they have a daughter and he forgives Steve. Again it's hard to appreciate these things when we don't see them. Also, how did he figure out time travel? He shouldn't have been able to do that because this isn't his area of expertise. When Bruce tried to figure it out he screwed up so it shouldn't be easy for Tony.   

Tony is the only one who's against the time heist because he doesn't want to risk losing what he have. Tony having to choose between keeping his family or letting them go in order to make things right with everyone else could have been a character-defining moment for him but because of how time travel works in this movie the tension of that decision is ruined. I don't like the scene between Tony and his father because Tony said he remembers the good stuff about him. What good stuff!?! You have nothing nice to say about him from day one. Tony's views of his father changed when he told him that he loves him indirectly when really doing that makes his father look worse, what kind of a father would not reassure his kids that he loves them? I don't like the Iron Man suit in this movie because it's weak compared to his last one. 

      
I can't believe the actor who plays Thor agreed or suggest to take this character in this direction. Thor is an overweight, guilt-ridden and depressed drunk. OK, it's bad enough that the movie loves to remind you of how fat Thor is but did it have to make fun of him being a hot mess? To make things worse the Avenger didn't help get him out of his funk. ( Well Rocket did try to help him but that's after the fact.) What happened to the Avenger is my family Natasha? Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. Just like Cap, he shouldn't be able to lift his hammer Not because he killed the old Thanos in cold blood it's because he acts like a coward. When Bruce Banner told Thor that there's a way to fix what Thanos did he wasn't interested; when he and Rocket tried to get one of the stones he ran away. Our God of thunder people, also his pep talk from his mother was helpful either because it wasn't encouraging. 

I find it hard to believe that this character would go downhill let me explain why I feel this way. Before the snap Thor lost his friends, his family, his home and half of his people. Despite all of that he still soldiers on. Heck In Thor Ragnarok he was overpowered by Heia to the point where she broke his hammer, despite that he still want to return to Asgard to stop her. Thor was willing to sacrifice his life to create a weapon that could kill Thanos. In Infinity War he said that anger, loss, regret, they're all tremendous motivations. He also said that I'm alive because fate wants me to be alive, if i'm wrong what more can I lose? Now does that sound like someone who would let himself go because he failed? 

At the end of the movie, he leaves with the Guardians and gives Asgard to Valkyrie why!?! You have done nothing for your people for five years and now you're willing to leave them in the hands of a woman we barely know some King you are. Speaking of Valkyrie I'm surprised that she didn't snap Thor out of his pity party because Thor did the same thing for her in Ragnarok. This movie could have Thor being in denial about the snap or have him travel in space with Rocket and Nebula to figure out how to reverse the snap. Another thing I would have Thor do the snap to bring everyone back because he took this loss the hardest, doing that would help him get out of his funk. 


In Infinity War Bruce/The Hulk got beat up by Thanos to the point where we don't see him again. At first, I thought its because he was embarrassed that he got his butt kicked but that's not the case according to the directors, they said the reason why the Hulk didn't show up in most of Infinity War is because he's tired of being the hero and saving Bruce. I'm sorry but I don't buy it because first of all, we saw the Hulk being a part of the battle in Wakanda in one of the trailers so what happened? Second, that's half an answer, we don't know why he's tired of being a hero? The Hulk loves to smash, what difference does it make if he does that to save Bruce or the world? Also, we get no verification on this reasoning, The Hulk being ashamed of his defeat and overcoming that shame would be good character development for him than him acting like a lazy spoiled brat. 

In endgame, he turns into Prof. Hulk, the problem with that is this isn't Prof. Hulk it's Bruce in the Hulk's body. What did he do to the Hulk personality did he kill it or suppress it? What's the point of Bruce having the Hulk's body if he's going to be useless on the battlefield? The only useful thing he's done is bring back to the other half of the population, he shouldn't have been injured from doing the snap because A Gamma radiation makes him stronger and B he can heal. I'm disappointed that the Hulk didn't come back after learning that Natasha sacrificed herself to get the soul stone. I understand why the creator did this to this character because the Hulk is too powerful and he would ruin the climax, I'll talk about that later. One more thing in the next Hulk movie we better get the leader. 

I don't have much to say about Clint Baton/Hawkeye because the movie hasn't done much with him beyond him becoming the Punisher. I can't believe no one is talking about this or questioning can he be trusted? What's the point of having a team of heroes if they turned a blind eye when one of their own commits mass murder? Hawkeye should have been the one to sacrifice himself to get the soul stone instead of Natasha because that would be his way of making up for all the bloodshed. Also he's the Avenger no one cares about don't believe me let me ask you this. Do you want to see a Hawkeye movie? Do you want Hawkeye in the Black Widow movie?  

Speaking of the soul stone they shouldn't have been able to get it because we learn in the last film that in order to get it you have to sacrifice a loved one not your life. The movie hasn't done much with Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow either. It seem like she isolated herself in the Avengers base and monitors what's going on in the world. I'm surprise that she didn't rekindle her romance with Bruce. Like I said I don't buy her considering the Avengers her family because she doesn't have a relationship with all of them. Heck she showed no concern for Thor.                  

  

No. 4 The Climax: There are two things I would do to make the climax better. The first thing is after Bruce does the snap the next scene will be Thanos attacking their base, by doing that the audience will wonder did the snap work? We see that Bruce was having a hard time absorbing the power of the stones which also creates doubt. Another suggestion is to have the past Nebula take one of the stones to keep the Avenger from bringing everyone back. Doing that will improve the finale battle now that both sides have something to fight over. People said that the Climax in this movie is the same as the battle in Wakanda, I disagree because the stakes are higher in this movie. In Infinity War we were told that if Thanos got the stones he will wipe out half of all life in the universe. Knowing what's going to happen and experiencing it are two different things, let's use getting shot as an example. You know getting shot is painful because bullets can penetrate your skin but you don't know how that pain can affect you until you get shot. Now that you know what it's like to get shot you'll be extra careful not to let that happen again. The same thing applies here now that the Avengers experience the snap and see how it affects the survivors they will do anything to fix it and won't let it happen again. 
     
Like I said the climax in this movie is one-sided I mean Thano's army didn't stand a chance against the Avengers. This is why I'm kind of glad that Thor and the Hulk are powered down in this movie because this battle would have ended sooner and Tony wouldn't have to sacrifice himself to stop Thanos's army. The only time they pose a threat to the Avengers is when Thanos tells the mother ship to rain fire on them but that was short-lived thanks to Captain Marvel. The battle only has suspense when Thanos gets his hands on the gauntlet. The Climax would have been better if the final battle shifted between the Avengers and Thanos's army to the point where we don't know who's going to win? Another thing that will make this battle better is that Thanos knows that the Avengers are trying to send to stones back in time but the time machine is behind Thanos's army, so they have to keep the Avengers for getting to the time machine. By doing that it gives his army an objective and makes this battle look like a football game.        





No. 5 Other Stuff: If I was the director of this movie I would be embarrassed that I need a rat to push the movie forward. What's the point of having Nick Fury at Tony's funeral if he has nothing to say about him or Natasha? Heck, he didn't even speak to Carol. Speaking of Carol/ Captain Marvel she didn't need to be in this movie because she didn't do much other than remind us of why we don't like her. ( SJWs are pointing a gun to my head.) I mean reminds us of how powerful she is. We wouldn't need her if Thor, Tony and the Hulk haven't gotten weak in this movie, the reason why there are weak is because this movie is pushing an agenda. ( You know what agenda I'm talking about so I won't bother saying what it is.) The only useful thing she's done is save Tony and Nebula from space, I have a gripe with that because doing that ruined the tension of them being stuck in space. Why didn't she ask if her best friend from her solo movie survived?  

Why is Pepper Pott in the final battle and have her our suit? The reason why her and Tony were having problems in their relations is because of his Iron Man suits so what has changed? Star-Lord is finally on Earth after avoiding it for so many years and the movie does nothing with that why!?! Is anyone else annoyed that this movie brought back Gamora with time travel? I want to see how the Guardians deal with losing one of their own. The creator might as well bring back the old Gamora with her memory erased because is that any different from this? I find it hard to believe that the general public is not mad at the Avengers that half of life is gone especially when they don't know all the details about what happened. The Avengers should feel responsible for why this happened.        

Overall this is a case of a movie being overshadowed by its predecessor, Infinity War was too good of a film to top or rival.