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Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Spider-Man 3 (2007) in Movies
Jul 1, 2019 (Updated Jul 3, 2019)
"None of that matters now, you're my friend"
After the worldwide success of the first two "Spider-Man" films, director Sam Raimi and the cast decided to take a break. The first two had been shot almost back-to-back, with very little "down time" in between. So, in late 2005, about 18 months after the release of "Spider-Man 2", Raimi began fleshing out ideas for a third storyline. For this chapter, the director wanted to teach Peter Parker about forgiveness; to do so, he'd need a villain with personal ties. The problem was that, besides the Osborn family and Otto Octavius, no villains in the comics had such a huge connection. Raimi didn't want to contradict a well-established character, so he sought one out whose backstory had never been fully realized: the Sandman, whose literary incarnation was little more than a random thief. Connecting the character to the death of Ben Parker gave Peter a huge obstacle that needed facing. Wrapping up Harry Osborn's story was also necessary, since Marvel wasn't sure if James Franco would agree to more chapters in the franchise. The addition of Gwen Stacy (who in the comics, was Peter's first love) was done mainly for the fans, and to create a conflicted love triangle with Peter & Mary Jane. Satisfied with his concept, Raimi told his plans to Marvel Comics; the result was less than expected.
Therein lies my biggest problem with "Spider-Man 3". I liked the Venom character as a kid, but in all honesty having 4 villains in the same film (Harry, Marko, the black symbiote itself, and eventually Venom) was just too much at once. From the standpoint of a fan, I'd have preferred that Venom be saved for a future entry, so he could have taken center stage. By having him alongside both Marko and Harry Osborn, the story became rather confusing for many fans, and the film's box office suffered as a direct result. Overall, this film made less money across the board than its predecessor...all because of corporate greed.
That being said, I still enjoy the film on many levels, but knowing what caused the multi-arc story makes some moments bittersweet. The actors clearly enjoyed this ride, but something in general seemed a bit lacking. Looking back, I realize it was the Venom character. The fact of it essentially being forced into the narrative only made the tale confusing and hard to follow. It became one of those films many people have to watch more than once, just to understand it...and these days, audiences don't have a lot of patience for films with too many angles. Rightfully so, in my opinion.
Tobey Maguire, slipping into the spandex suit for a third try, really shows his acting range here, even more so than his diverse performance in "Spider-Man 2". From intense love to seething hatred (and everything in between), he really brings his game up to a whole new level. Kirsten Dunst shines again as Parker's star-crossed love, Mary Jane Watson. I liked her performance very much, and her singing in the film is beautiful. She's less helpless than in either prior entry, and far more confident. Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of acclaimed director Ron) makes her first apearance in the franchise as the bubbling, exuberant, and gorgeous Gwen Stacy. I liked her character, but felt she didn't have much to do in the long run.
James Franco does an equally-remarkable turn, finally completing the journey that began at the end of the original film. He gives Harry a blend of jealousy, mystique, and severe determination. He also revisits the lighter tones of his role, for the scenes where Harry has amnesia. And in the finale, he shows that in his heart, Harry was truly a hero. Thomas Haden Church gave Marko both sentiment and menace, and turned what was originally a two-bit thug into a far more interesting character. Topher Grace played the "creepy" card as Venom, and gave Eddie Brock a know-it-all arrogance that makes you almost feel disgusted.
Aside from the criticisms surrounding Venom, I honestly didn't have a lot for this entry. Mary Jane is no longer in a water-drenched position (thank God!), so I was very relieved. I guess my main concern was that there were too many villians should of just stuck with Harry and Venom or Harry and sandman. And for anyone who asks why i haven't put the dancing scenes as a negative. I get a kick out of them what can i say?
Therein lies my biggest problem with "Spider-Man 3". I liked the Venom character as a kid, but in all honesty having 4 villains in the same film (Harry, Marko, the black symbiote itself, and eventually Venom) was just too much at once. From the standpoint of a fan, I'd have preferred that Venom be saved for a future entry, so he could have taken center stage. By having him alongside both Marko and Harry Osborn, the story became rather confusing for many fans, and the film's box office suffered as a direct result. Overall, this film made less money across the board than its predecessor...all because of corporate greed.
That being said, I still enjoy the film on many levels, but knowing what caused the multi-arc story makes some moments bittersweet. The actors clearly enjoyed this ride, but something in general seemed a bit lacking. Looking back, I realize it was the Venom character. The fact of it essentially being forced into the narrative only made the tale confusing and hard to follow. It became one of those films many people have to watch more than once, just to understand it...and these days, audiences don't have a lot of patience for films with too many angles. Rightfully so, in my opinion.
Tobey Maguire, slipping into the spandex suit for a third try, really shows his acting range here, even more so than his diverse performance in "Spider-Man 2". From intense love to seething hatred (and everything in between), he really brings his game up to a whole new level. Kirsten Dunst shines again as Parker's star-crossed love, Mary Jane Watson. I liked her performance very much, and her singing in the film is beautiful. She's less helpless than in either prior entry, and far more confident. Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of acclaimed director Ron) makes her first apearance in the franchise as the bubbling, exuberant, and gorgeous Gwen Stacy. I liked her character, but felt she didn't have much to do in the long run.
James Franco does an equally-remarkable turn, finally completing the journey that began at the end of the original film. He gives Harry a blend of jealousy, mystique, and severe determination. He also revisits the lighter tones of his role, for the scenes where Harry has amnesia. And in the finale, he shows that in his heart, Harry was truly a hero. Thomas Haden Church gave Marko both sentiment and menace, and turned what was originally a two-bit thug into a far more interesting character. Topher Grace played the "creepy" card as Venom, and gave Eddie Brock a know-it-all arrogance that makes you almost feel disgusted.
Aside from the criticisms surrounding Venom, I honestly didn't have a lot for this entry. Mary Jane is no longer in a water-drenched position (thank God!), so I was very relieved. I guess my main concern was that there were too many villians should of just stuck with Harry and Venom or Harry and sandman. And for anyone who asks why i haven't put the dancing scenes as a negative. I get a kick out of them what can i say?
Jarom Solar Norris (177 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Feb 13, 2019 (Updated Feb 13, 2019)
You may have heard that Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is a cinematic marvel, a first-of-its-kind blockbuster that innovates on animated styles in incredible fashion. Not only does it do a bunch of crazy things that all work and look amazing, but a lot of it has been documented on Twitter. Just look at this: https://twitter.com/NickTyson/status/1076942124921151488
You can find a lot of cool stuff on the twitter of animator Nick Kondo, and even the composer Daniel Pemberton has written threads on how the movie was made, and that’s awesome. While watching the movie I had a thought strike me that “This kind of story could literally only be told in animation.” And everything it does is finely-crafted work, it makes you care about the characters just as much as the people making the movie did. We can all cross our fingers that it means we’ll be seeing more animated movies in the years to come.
You can find a lot of cool stuff on the twitter of animator Nick Kondo, and even the composer Daniel Pemberton has written threads on how the movie was made, and that’s awesome. While watching the movie I had a thought strike me that “This kind of story could literally only be told in animation.” And everything it does is finely-crafted work, it makes you care about the characters just as much as the people making the movie did. We can all cross our fingers that it means we’ll be seeing more animated movies in the years to come.
Villainous Vee (53 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Feb 22, 2019
Voice Actors (2 more)
Animation
Script
I honestly wasn't sure about this movie before watching it. I didn't want to watch another spider man origin story but I have to say this film blew me away.
The animation style of this film is amazing. It feels fresh and new whilst keeping the comic book feel too it which I really enjoyed. I can tell that in 3D it would have been even more epic on the big screen. Also the soundtrack that accompanies the film is epic... Some great choices there.
The voice actors were amazing and great choices and it was great and emotional to see Stan Lees cameo performance as well, especially as it was released around the time of his passing.
If your not sure about seeing this or think that the animation will take away from it it really really doesn't and totally adds to it so watch it when you can.
The animation style of this film is amazing. It feels fresh and new whilst keeping the comic book feel too it which I really enjoyed. I can tell that in 3D it would have been even more epic on the big screen. Also the soundtrack that accompanies the film is epic... Some great choices there.
The voice actors were amazing and great choices and it was great and emotional to see Stan Lees cameo performance as well, especially as it was released around the time of his passing.
If your not sure about seeing this or think that the animation will take away from it it really really doesn't and totally adds to it so watch it when you can.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Catwoman (2004) in Movies
Feb 15, 2018 (Updated Feb 15, 2018)
Kitty Litter
Wretched misfire of a superhero film proving that DC were quite capable of making bad movies before Zack Snyder was even on the premises. Attempt at a story of feminist empowerment ends up coupled to repeated spectacle of Halle Berry bending over in a leather bra while wearing jeans with holes in the bum cheeks. Dowdy wallflower discovers corruption, is flushed into harbour, given mouth-to-mouth by passing magic cat, wakes up with feline powers (including ability to stick to walls, unlike any cat I've ever seen).
It's not just that the story is poorly told, it's poorly conceived: around the same time Catwoman came out, Spider-Man was saving New York from a nuclear disaster while the X-Men were stopping psionic genocide. What case is Catwoman dealing with? Someone is trying to sell some dodgy make-up. Not just a really shoddy film, but an offensively patronising one, too.
It's not just that the story is poorly told, it's poorly conceived: around the same time Catwoman came out, Spider-Man was saving New York from a nuclear disaster while the X-Men were stopping psionic genocide. What case is Catwoman dealing with? Someone is trying to sell some dodgy make-up. Not just a really shoddy film, but an offensively patronising one, too.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Mortal Engines (2018) in Movies
Dec 26, 2018 (Updated Dec 26, 2018)
I'm not sure what the movie studio was thinking releasing this film against Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Maybe it would have had a better chance released the first weekend of December, or maybe this next February.
I really liked the story, I haven't read the book at all so I have nothing to measure it against. The visual effects were pretty cool, and I was entertained most of the time.
I absolutely loved the female leads, and this film did not fail at the box office due to strong female leads, Hollywood.
Robert Sheehan was one of my favorites, though i kept calling this film Mortal Instruments... Since he was in that film and the villainous character was also named Valentine.
Sadly, I feel like this film fell victim to timing, and there is a chance it could become more successful upon Blu-Ray release, like Live, Die, Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow.
I really liked the story, I haven't read the book at all so I have nothing to measure it against. The visual effects were pretty cool, and I was entertained most of the time.
I absolutely loved the female leads, and this film did not fail at the box office due to strong female leads, Hollywood.
Robert Sheehan was one of my favorites, though i kept calling this film Mortal Instruments... Since he was in that film and the villainous character was also named Valentine.
Sadly, I feel like this film fell victim to timing, and there is a chance it could become more successful upon Blu-Ray release, like Live, Die, Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow.
Captain Britain: Legacy of A Legend
Alan Moore, Chris Claremont, Steve Parkhouse and Dave Thorpe
7.5
Rate It
Book
Collects Captain Britain (1976) #1-2, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #65-66, and material from Hulk Comic #1...
Deadpool Classic Companion Volume 2
Joe Kelly, Jonathan Maberry, Jeph Loeb, Robert Rodi and Brian Reed
8.0
Rate It
Book
Collects Identity Disc #1-5; Ms. Marvel (2006) #40-41; Hulk (2008) #14-17 and #21; Amazing...
Dean (6926 KP) rated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) in Movies
May 9, 2022 (Updated May 23, 2022)
Horror elements (2 more)
Some unexpected cameos
Great action scenes
Probably need to see Wanda Vision series to understand it more (1 more)
Main plot line isn't that great
Something a little different
Well after Spider-Man No way home I had very high hopes for this and really enjoyed the first Dr Strange film.
Following closely on from No way home as more about the multi verse is discovered. With Sam Raimi directing there are some nice Horror theme touches throughout the film. So making this a bit different to the normal Marvel fare. I was a bit surprised at the plot direction of the main story, having not seen Wanda Vision series. I imagine that would fill in a lot of gaps before seeing this. There are plenty of nice surprises through the various Multiverses.
Still it has amazing visuals and action scenes as you expect from Marvel filling out the blockbuster standard you expect. Definitely one to see on the big screen.
Following closely on from No way home as more about the multi verse is discovered. With Sam Raimi directing there are some nice Horror theme touches throughout the film. So making this a bit different to the normal Marvel fare. I was a bit surprised at the plot direction of the main story, having not seen Wanda Vision series. I imagine that would fill in a lot of gaps before seeing this. There are plenty of nice surprises through the various Multiverses.
Still it has amazing visuals and action scenes as you expect from Marvel filling out the blockbuster standard you expect. Definitely one to see on the big screen.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Spider-Man Knocks It Out Of The Park In This Summer Vacation Superhero Hybrid
Spider-Man Far From Home is a 2019 superhero movie directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris Mckenna and Erik Sommers. It was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.
This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.
This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
