March 2019 Wrap Up

So March was a very busy month for me, so I didn’t read very much but I did watch some TV shows and movies.

Books:

34895950The only book I read this month was The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Society is a short graphic novel set in a fantasy world where tea leaves are harvested from dragons. The story follows two young girls, Greta and Minette, who are learning about tea dragons and how to take care of them. It’s a beautifully illustrated story inspired by anime and manga with very unique fantasy concepts. Many of the characters are a combination of different fantasy races and use different fantasy elements. I would like to see the story continue as this first book is so short at only 72 pages there isn’t much time to connect with and learn everything about the characters. 3.5/5 stars.

TV Shows:

clonewarsI finally finished the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show which will be getting a continuation on Disney’s new streaming service that is supposed to come out sometime in 2019. The Clone Wars show is set in between the Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith movie and does fix some of the problem that the prequel movies have. The big thing is it gives much more information about the Clone Wars and fleshed out most of the bigger relationship from the movies. This show made me believe that Obi-Wan did consider Anakin his brother and the relationship between Anakin and Padme is much better and is given time to grow. Anakin is given a padawan in Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is an amazing character but also allows the audience to see Anakin as a leader and in different stories and positions from the movies. However, there are some episodes that are just not that good and can be skipped without missing any plot or story elements. I would recommend not watch most to the episodes that feature Jar Jar or primarily focus on the droids. Also the show was not originally released in chronological order so there are two ways to watch it, episode release order or chronological. I would recommend watching the show in chronological order as it gives you a better sense of the state of the Jedi during the Clone Wars but before Revenge of the Sith.

Movies:

Captain_Marvel_posterSo I saw Captain Marvel and I liked it, I do have a full review here so I won’t go completely in-depth. As the newest MCU movie and connected to Avengers: Endgame I would recommend going to see it but it’s also a good movie that can be understood without having seen any of the other Marvel movies. Connections to other MCU movies are mostly in little Easter eggs that you will understand if you’ve seen some of the other movies but they don’t detract from the story being told. I loved seeing a younger Nick Fury and how the Shield that we know from the other movies started. All of the acting is great and while the movie is funny none of the jokes become too much and make it feel like a comedy. However, many of the jokes will not connect if the 90’s references are not understood. Ultimately, it’s a movie about a woman realizing and coming into her own power.

Cloverfield_paradox_posterThis month I also finally set down and watched The Cloverfield Paradox which I liked the most out of the Cloverfield movies so far. The movie starts out with some info dumping about how the earth is running out of power sources and so the world has sent a team to a space station to work with a massive particle accelerator to attempt to find a new power source. When the experiment works all hell breaks loose on the space station has they ended up breaking the fabric of reality. Though it is a science fiction movie I would classify it more as a body horror such as Alien or the Thing than just straight sci-fi. I’ve never loved any of the Cloverfield movies and this ones no exception though I do like it better than the others. In Cloverfield I felt like the characters were very annoying and I didn’t care what happen. It doesn’t help that I have never been a fan of found footage movies either. 10 Cloverfield Lane on the other hand was a movie that I like the concept of but found the movie as a whole very boring. So, I didn’t have high expectations for Cloverfield Paradox. Though I don’t think Paradox was needed as part of the Cloverfield series I did like the concept of the movie and I wasn’t bored. If any of the Cloverfield movie got direct squeals I would want it to be Paradox as I feel like it has the most that could be done with it given how the story and ending is set up. I do plan to post a full review so for all of my thoughts check that post.

Captain Marvel Review

Captain_Marvel_posterCaptain Marvel is the twenty-first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie set in 1995. The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel when Earth is caught in a conflict between two alien worlds. For those who have watched most, if not all of the MCU movies Captain Marvel must be watched before Avengers: Endgame as it set up Captain Marvel for her potential role in the future movies.

Before going into the my thoughts and feelings about the movie, Captain Marvel is not the best MCU movie that we have gotten but it is nowhere near the worst. The movie starts out set in space and just drops the audience into the story without any background though if you’ve read the comics or follow information about the movie online you will have some idea of where the movie is going. Vers is a Kree operative sent with a team to another planet to find someone missing and during the mission they are attacked by the Skrulls, a group of shape shifting aliens. When Vers crashes on Earth the story really picks up as it becomes apparent that she is from Earth but has no memories about what happened to her or her past. Ultimately, Captain Marvel is a movie about a woman realizing that she has power, coming into her own and understanding the power that she has. Though I think that the movie is for everyone there are instances that I feel women will understand better because they speak to real life situations that women find themselves in.

The acting is great, I believed everyone in the roles that they had. The movie has funny moments it’s not as comedic as some of the other MCU movies. I personally liked the story and I loved that we get some information about how the Shield that we know from the other movies was born.

Though Captain Marvel is an origin movie set in the 90’s at this point Marvel Studios does kind of expect you to have seen at least some of the other movies as there are instances that things such as Shield are not explained as it is assumed that you know this information. However, it is a movie that can be watched without knowledge of the others since it is only the calls backs and foreshadowing to other movies that might be missed. Since the movie is set in the 90’s there are major references and jokes made about the 90’s that if you are not familiar with they might not connect. Stay through the credits as there is a scene that connects directly to the Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Overall, not the greatest Marvel movie but a good story with great characters that give us something good before what I feel will be the devastation to come with Avengers: Endgame.

Venom 2018 Review

518jo3Xlf8LVenom is the newest superhero movie of 2018 and the one that has divided reviewers the most. The movie follows reporter Eddie Brock a down on his luck reporter who ends up bonding to an alien Symbiote after breaking into an evil research facility and then saving the world from evil billionaire.

I went into the movie only knowing the basic plot and the fact that critics seemed to hate it but audiences liked it. Honestly, I feel like that was the best way to go into it, with very few expectations. Overall I liked the movie it’s different than other superhero/comic movies as Eddie and Venom aren’t really good guys. They end up saving the world because they don’t want the bad guy to win. It’s also very clear that the movie knows it’s a comic book movie and plays it up a bit.

The movie isn’t ground breaking but it’s not bad and doesn’t deserve the hate from the critics. It’s not anywhere near as bad as Catwoman or Ben Affleck’s Daredevil. Go into the movie just wanting a fun comic book movie and I think you will enjoy it. The only criticism I have is that the first half of the movie with all the setup feels like it drags a little and during the end fight scene the CG kind of blends together and make parts hard to follow.

Overall, Venom is not the greatest movie but by no means a bad film. It’s a fun movie that I feel like most audiences will enjoy watching.