Mark McPherson's Blog, page 51
July 4, 2019
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” Review
As an epilogue to Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man swings into a new world that is a bit terrifying. After such a stellar legacy as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 11 years of great characters, does Spider-Man have what it takes to not only replace Iron Man but offer up a superhero outing just as strong as what has come before? For having such a tough act to follow, Far From Home is more than up to challenge, serving up a superior adventure while offering the comfort of what lies in store for...
June 22, 2019
“Toy Story 4” Review
Only the saga of Toy Story could be bold enough to charge into a fourth film after 24 years and still have that same engaging edge that only grows grander with age. I haven’t outgrown these toys as they always seem to bounce back with more to say and something relatable to pluck a tear. While I can’t speak to whether or not this fourth film is truly the end of the line, I can say for certain that if this is indeed supposed to be the conclusion, it’s one of the best ends to a stellar legacy...
June 12, 2019
“Men in Black: International” Review
Sony once more mistakes the tech for the talent of remaking its familiar properties. Men in Black: International has all the decadence of numerous alien creatures, intergalactic technology, and plenty of well-dressed agents trying to keep the secret space alien populace in the shadows. But there’s not much of that brilliant character chemistry that made the original 1997 film such a goofy treat of a sci-fi buddy picture. In its place is lots of artificial padding where characters spend mor...
June 4, 2019
“Dark Phoenix” Review
The Dark Phoenix Saga I always found to be the most confusing of X-Men arcs when I watched it on the animated series. The good news is that this theatrical adaptation does away with a lot of excesses, filtering out all the extra sci-fi silliness and favoring a firmer focus on a feminist narrative akin to a compelling horror film. In that filtration, however, Dark Phoenix boils itself down to a film so base in its tale of seeking truth and being yourself with all the bluntness of Beast ripp...
May 28, 2019
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019) Review
If Gareth Edwards’ 2014 rendition of Godzilla seemed like a tease, director Michael Dougherty’s whack at the classic giant monster goes back to basics. All the familiar and cheesy kaiju elements have returned, spruced up with a blockbuster budget. Scientists bicker over how to handle the giant monster epidemic. Many monsters run amok across the globe. An environmental aspect provides melodrama and human villains. And there’s plenty of giant monster action of notable creatures in the Godzil...
May 23, 2019
“Aladdin” (2019) Review
It’d be too easy to look down on Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin as being inferior to the classic 1992 animated film. Of course it’d be inferior. Nobody can top Robin Williams. No amount of computer graphics in live-action can topple the magical wonderment of hand-drawn animation. And nothing could top that catchy music. Thankfully, Ritchie does try to shake the cage of this tiring formula of repeating itself to inject some of his own originality, sparse though it may be.
Though not a major change,...
May 20, 2019
“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” Review
What started out as one man getting revenge for his puppy has turned into one of the most bombastic, vivid, and thrilling trilogies of the decade. One crime overlord remarks how strange this all is that John Wick’s bloody rampage only came about from the death of a puppy. But as Wick remarks, it wasn’t just a puppy, more of the last straw that broke the ex-hitman’s sense of adherence to the underground rules of assassins. In that same sense, the Wick saga isn’t just a series of highly-chor...
May 8, 2019
“Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” Review
Detective Pikachu is a film that banks heavy off its nostalgia in more ways than one. Sure, there’s the obvious adult relation for those who grew up playing the game in the 1990s, so attuned most know the TV series’ iconic theme song and lengthy PokeRap by heart. The film is bursting with so many of these familiar pocket monsters but there’s also a familiar odor. As the film progresses, it can be felt heavier until the third act pulls off the mask of a neo-noir to reveal the clunky blockbu...
May 3, 2019
“Long Shot” Review
Similar to Seth Rogen’s previously produced comedies, Long Shot takes a topical and interesting subject matter and performs a comedic dance around the hat. In the same way that Sausage Party took glee in the question rather than the answer of mortality and faith, this film takes aim at messy politics and the even messier influence of media, only to veer to funnier target in proximity. The good news is that this time the A plot of the satire is that of a sweet romantic comedy that always me...
April 25, 2019
“Avengers: Endgame” Review
After all the chaos and confusion in the universe-shaking Infinity War, along comes Avengers: Endgame to, yes, bring about the final battle of Avengers versus Thanos but also reflect on just how far the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come. After 21 films and 11 years of superhero films that spanned everything from spy thrillers to space operas, it all comes together and ends here. And it’s one of the most glorious ends to an enduring and admirable movie franchise that has reshaped the cinem...
