2021 Fall Movie Review
Fall/winter is now the new summer (thanks, COVID) in which all the blockbuster movies hit one right after the other. It’s been great! I don’t think I got to all of them but I certainly wanted to. Since there are so many, here are my short reviews of the ones I managed to see.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: So. Much. Fun. I cannot speak highly enough about this movie. It was a true, delightful surprise to watch. I went into it thinking it would be rather mediocre. It was not. It held a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe to it with funny parts, action, and drama all in a well-balanced package. The teasers and little Easter eggs in there made it even better! We get to see Trevor, new little friends, Wong – even Mrs. Chen! That was a nice little nugget of happiness to tie into the larger Marvel Multiverse. I really hope they keep up with that. Well done, Marvel.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage: While enjoyable, it did not have the same thrill as the first one. Perhaps it was throwing too much into a single movie or just the typical sequel trap where it falls flat of the first. I liked Venom’s antics but the arguing back and forth got old after a while. The fight scenes were cool, and everyone loves Mrs. Chen. The best scene, I think, is the end when, much like in Shang-Chi, it ties into the events of the larger cinematic universe at hand. Watch through the credits, folks. Always watch through the credits.
Eternals: Another enjoyable movie, but lacking the big BANG that most Marvel movies have. This was more of a 3-hour-long set up for the bigger picture to come. Learning about who the Eternals are was nice. Seeing sneak-peaks of characters to come is always fun. Overall, it was a nice, chill Marvel movie. My boys did not enjoy it as much as I did, but they don’t care much for history, culture, or some of the other things that were touched upon in the movie like I do. Their loss.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife: O.M.G. The tiny child inside of me cheered! My heart soared! What a perfect homage to a cherished original. I, like several others in the theatre, grew up with Gostbusters. I watched the cartoon on Saturday mornings. My brother had the costume, the proton pack, the firehouse! Yes, it absolutely used the same tropes as the original and that was the best part! It placed the new generation in the driver’s seats without taking away from what the original set forth to begin with. I literally cheered; I cried; then I sobbed with joy for the wonderful nod to Harold Ramis. I could watch this movie 100 times over and never be sick of it. Top movie of the Fall Blockbusters.
Matrix: Resurrections: So… let’s be fair, this one was only okay. I enjoyed it – – while sitting in my bed eating popcorn next to my love. If we had gone to a theatre and paid for it rather than catching the HBOmax release, we would have been upset. I enjoyed the story, the way they wrote it so it made sense since the main characters (minor spoiler here) died in the final of the original trilogy. The people they could bring back got great continuation stories, and it was an entertaining action flick. Plus we all love NPH and he just plays the perfect villain. But it felt a little drab. I think I expected more even if I can’t quite place what that ‘more’ is. Having said that, it has given us an opportunity to introduce our kids to a movie that was ground-breaking in its time, and show them its evolution to what we have now.
Spiderman: No Way Home: First, let me say that I sobbed through this. I laughed. I cried because I laughed, and then I just cried. The entire story was done in a way where it did not feel odd to have previous villains or versions of Spiderman in the current universe. It helped to have Into the Spiderverse come before this one as well as hints/clues set down by the other Marvel shows and movies that a multiverse can and does exist. The interaction between the three Spidermen was amazing and very natural. They each got to shine in their own way, which made it awesome. And then the end! The end was… sob-worthy. I cried for him. Peter Parker needs to be wrapped in a blanket and hugged forever.
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